The MAC Proenza Schouler Collection Clothes Lips, Eyes, Nails and Cheeks in Casual Cool Girl Style

Nine of 15 pieces in the new MAC Proenza Schouler collection

I’m working the catwalk every single day, son. Every. Single. Day!

First, they said I was too short, and I was like, “BAM! Here’s your too short.” I’m 5’1″, and I can stomp-walk and hip-pop with the best of ‘em!

Look out, Tyra, Naomi and Linda.

Why, just this morning I walked the cat for Proenza Schouler…

Mangrove Lipstick on my lips, and Rich Experience and Black Ice Pro Longwear Eyeliners on my eyes, all three from the new MAC Proenza Schouler collection

Wait — you didn’t think I was talking about actual runway modeling, did you??

GURL! I was talking about actually walking my cat. He’s leash trained.

Sometimes it’s more like sitting with my cat, because he doesn’t always like to walk, but still — my take on cat walking is far removed from the world of high fashion.

The high stakes world of professional pet assisting…

Today, though, it was a little less far removed from fashion because, get this — I actually wore makeup inspired by the catwalk on my cat walk.

Enter MAC Proenza Schouler, the brand’s latest fashion collaboration.

Proenza Schouler, the New York-based women’s wear and accessories line, was founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez (interesting factoid: they met while attending Parsons School of Design).

Source: nymag.com

The guys are well known for their refined outlook on casual cool girl style, and the 15-piece limited edition collection by MAC seems very much in line with that to me. I certainly see pieces here that cool girls would wear.

With two ombre blushes, four nail polishes, two lip pencils, two eyeliners, four lipsticks and a face brush, all decked out in limited edition packaging, the collection feels dressed up without trying too hard. It’s makeup for gals who like wearing makeup to accentuate a feature or two, and who may not necessarily reach for three different eyeshadows to wear in the crease on the daily. You know what I’m sayin’?

The MAC Proenza Schouler Collection: Some Thoughts…

Availability: Arriving online April 21; at MAC stores and counters April 24; and at international locales some time in April.

MAC Proenza Schouler

Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose ($22)

Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose ($22)

Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose ($22): LOVE the MAC Lustre formula. My dry lips are like, YES! every time I pull a Lustre lipstick out of my purse. They’re just so blasted hydrating and comfortable.

On me when I wear it by itself, Woodrose, a sheer, silky light beige, can look very cool-toned — almost gray. I have to pair it with either a warmer lip pencil or a gloss to keep from looking like a zombie, but if you crave cool-toned nude beiges, it might suit you well.

Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe ($22)

Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe ($22)

Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe ($22): Technically a Satin, which usually comes with some shine, this cool-toned flamingo pink almost looks like a matte to me. I think I like it more in the tube (so pretty!) than I do on my lips, as it has a knack for settling into my horizontal lip lines and catching on any flakes.

You may have better luck with it than I do if your lips aren’t as dry as mine, but I find myself having to do a lot of prep work to make this one work for me.

Matte Lipstick in Mangrove ($22)

Matte Lipstick in Mangrove ($22)

Matte Lipstick in Mangrove ($22): This orangey matte red is cray-cray smooth and darned near flawless. One pass completely covers my lips without a semblance of patchiness or weirdness. I call it a MAC Lady Danger kissing cousin. They’re both very similar, but I think Mangrove is slightly redder and more orange. But not much.

Lustre Lipstick in Primrose ($22)

Lustre Lipstick in Primrose ($22)

Lustre Lipstick in Primrose ($22): Like a more pigmented version of Clinique’s classic Black Honey Lipstick, this smooth operator is absolutely beautiful. is absolutely beautiful.

A sheer berry plum Lustre, it’s not exactly the kind of color I’d typically wear in spring/summer, but I’m looking forward to spending quality time with it in fall — early fall, before lips have transitioned to full-on deep and vampy.

I think it would look particularly striking on darker damsels/dudes.

Lipsticks clockwise from the pale beige: Woodrose, Mangrove, Pinkfringe and Primrose ($22 each)

Pro Longwear Lip Pencils and Eyeliners ($21 each)

From the left: Pro Longwear Lip Pencils in High Energy and Dynamo; and the Pro Longwear Eyeliners in Rich Experience and Black Ice ($21 each)

Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Black Ice ($22): What we have here is a basic black matte liner. On my NC42 skin, I can see the slightest hint of charcoal gray in it, so it’s not a true midnight black, which I guess makes it kinda interesting. This one might be best for the die-hard Proenza Schouler fans who want it more for the packaging than the color, since the shade is already available in the MAC permanent collection. Oh, and FYI — you’re paying a little more for the packaging as the Proenza pencils are $21 each, while the permanent shades are slightly less at $19.50.

Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Rich Experience ($22): Rich Experience, a dark brown liner, is another repromote from the permanent collection. Smooth, creamy, and it dries in a flash, so I like it more for waterlines than lash lines, as I can’t really smudge it as much as I’d like.

Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in High Energy ($22): I love how bright orangey red High Energy (also a repromote) works with Mangrove Lipstick. The Pro Longwear Lip Pencils are generally awesome, ya know? They’re smoother than RyGos, non-drying, and last all day long on my lips.

Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Dynamo ($22): This intensely pink cream lip liner is — you guessed it! — also a repromote. I actually wear this one all the time. EPIC with hot pinks, I think it also plays well with yellow- and blue-based pinks, which is nice.

Pro Longwear Lip Pencils and Eyeliners ($21 each)

129 SE Powder Brush ($38.50)

129 SE Powder Brush ($38.50)

129 SE Powder Brush ($38.50): Wow, almost $40? Really? As far as face brushes go, I think the 129 SE Powder Brush applies powders and blushes just fine, but I don’t know if its skills justify the price. The brush head is a tad narrow for me, and the bristles could be softer (IMO). Also, ya know, I haven’t had the greatest luck with the shorter handled MAC Brushes. Not sure why, but they seem to fall apart sooner than the brushes in the permanent line.

Proenza Schouler Brush ($38.50)

Swatches (for reference, I’m a MAC NC42)

Lipstick Swatches from the left: Woodrose, Pinkfringe, mangrove and Primrose

Pro Longwear Eye and Lip Pencil swatches clockwise from the brown heart in the lower left: Rich Experience, Black Ice, Dynamo and High Energy

Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose

Lustre Lipstick in Primrose

Matte Lipstick in Mangrove

Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe

The entire MAC Proenza Schouler collection includes…

• Blush Ombre in Sunset Beach, a pink coral/tan ombre ($30)
• Blush Ombre in Ocean City, a vivid orange/tan ombre ($30)
• Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Black Ice, a rich black ($21)
• Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Rich Experience, a dark brown ($21)
• Lustre Lipstick in Woodrose, a light pinkish beige ($22)
• Satin Lipstick in Pinkfringe, a vivid flamingo pink ($22)
• Matte Lipstick in Mangrove, a bright orange red ($22)
• Lustre Lipstick in Primrose, a sheer berry plum ($22)
• Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Dynamo, a pink cream ($21)
• Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Dynamo, an orange red cream ($21)
• Nail Lacquer in Thimbleweed, a pale nude ($17.50)
• Nail Lacquer in Dayflower, a plum ($17.50)
• Nail Lacquer in Bougainvillea, a bright orange coral ($17.50)
• Nail Lacquer in Nocturnelle, a black cream ($17.50)
• 128 SE Powder Brush ($38.50)

Right now I’m thinking that Mangrove and I are going to have a lot of fun this summer…

OOH! — with some black winged eyeliner.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen