MAC Antonio Lopez – swatches & review

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The last days of disco have been extended!

The long-lost, iconic glamour of ’70s supermodels can now be ours thanks to MAC Antonio Lopez – a fitting tribute to the legendary fashion illustrator and the still-stunning models he discovered back in disco’s golden days: Jerry Hall, Marisa Berenson and Pat Cleveland.

Lopez, who died in 1987 at age 44, left a lasting mark on fashion with his watercolor portraits, which now conjure up the fabled age of nightlife indulgence. His three model discoveries (known as “Antonio’s Girls”) appear in the MAC ads looking as dramatically gorgeous today as they did in their heyday… but it’s the illustrations that capture the real beauty of the era.

raised front, ooh!

And since beauty is what Antonio Lopez knew best, MAC has introduced a collection of compacts, makeup bag, tote, face brush (in reusable case) and mirror, each featuring a portrait of one of Antonio’s model muses. Every piece is a limited edition work of art, almost too pretty to use, but impossible to resist.

My first clue that the products, like the packaging, harken back to a more fabulous age of beauty was the 3 Lips/Nude lip palette ($27.50 ). This is the most exciting interpretation of nude that I’ve ever seen!

Here, “nude” means a pastel cream pink, a pastel cream coral, and a shimmery champagne glaze. I’d love to live in a time in which basic was so fantastic.

Vivid Image – cool pink (amplified)
Antonio’s Girls – medium peachy nude (satin)
Art Directed – light pink champagne shimmer (glazed)

Vivid Image, Antonio’s Girls, Art Directed

Moving on to eyes, 6 Eyes/Creative Copper ($43.50) also goes above and beyond the ordinary with six shades that pay homage to copper in unexpected ways.

Easy Gesture – light pink champagne shimmer (frost)
Artistic License – golden pink shimmer (veluxe pearl)
Dear Cupcake – warm medium pink with light shimmer, and not much pigment (satin)
Creative Copper – bronzey gold metallic (lustre)
Golden Touch – golden light brown shimmer (veluxe pearl)
Carbonized – deep chocolate shimmer (veluxe pearl)

This palette offers endless day-to-night options for warm or cool skintones. I loved the whole palette but was especially impressed with Golden Touch. MAC calls this shadow a “tarnished taupe,” while I call it the perfect neutral, beautiful as the focal point of a daytime eye

Easy Gesture, Artistic License, Dear Cupcake, Creative Copper, Golden Touch, Carbonized

We heart this received both of the Face palettes in the MAC Antonio Lopez collection for review and I tested Face/Pink Palette ($46), which contains three powders for cheeks and face.

Peaceful – light peachy nude (beauty powder)
Belightful – light nude with fine gold glitter (iridescent powder)
Pure Femininity – bright, cool medium pink (satin powder blush)

Peaceful, Belightful, Pure Femininity

I’ve loved every Beauty Powder I’ve ever encountered, and Peaceful is no exception: the sheer peach color is skin-perfecting with a subtle glow. The blush, Pure Femininity, is a bright, mid-tone pink that looks surprisingly flattering on my NC25 skin. For me, Belightful – a light bronze that’s full of glitter – is the least useful of the trio, but if you’re good with glitter, the color is fantastic.

The equally beautiful Face/Coral palette ($46) is housed in a sleek compact with the same fierce illustration as the Face/Pink palette, and also contains three powders for the face.

Smooth Harmony, Star!, Passion for Colour

Smooth Harmony – light creamy bronze (beauty powder)
Star! – light peachy gold shimmer (iridescent powder)
Passion for Colour – bright coral, tons of pigment (satin powder blush)

Of the accessories in this release, I received the MAC Antonio Lopez Mirror ($25), and oh, what a beautiful thing it is! The illustration is nestled in a black crushed-velvet, hinged compact (about 3 inches square) featuring both magnifying and standard mirrors. Too pretty and, frankly, fragile for everyday abuse, I will carry this when a special occasion calls for extra glamour.

MAC Antonio Lopez is only around until October 10, and many items have already sold out online. So hustle to MAC before you’ve missed your chance to shine like a disco star.

we heartsters – what is your favorite illustration from the MAC Antonio Lopez?

photos: we heart this, swatches shown on NC25/30 skin tone

MAC ANTONIO LOPEZ COLLECTION
6 EYES/BRONZE
Dear Cupcake – mid-tone coral pink (satin)
Artistic License – mid-tone frosty pink gold (veluxe pearl)
Easy Gesture – pale warm beige (frost)
Creative Copper – sparkling true gold (lustre)
Golden Touch – tarnished taupe (veluxe pearl)
Carbonized – deep warm brown (veluxe pearl)
$43.50 US/$52.00 CDN

6 EYES/VIOLET
Violet Impact – vibrant violet (veluxe pearl)
Envisioning Pink – mid-tone blue pink (satin)
Lithe Spirit – cool cream (satin)
Showgirl – dark blue grey (veluxe pearl)
Graphic Style – deep silver (veluxe pearl)
Carbon – intense black (matte)
$43.50 US/$52.00 CDN

6 EYES/TEAL
Colourful Life – dark teal (veluxe pearl)
Fashion Legend – black with pink pearl (lustre)
Nighttrain – charcoal grey with crystalline frost (lustre)
Sex & Disco – sparkling cool silver (lustre)
Freshwater – mid-tone sparkling blue with blue pearl (veluxe pearl)
Sketchbook – glittery blackened olive (lustre)
$43.50 US/$52.00 CDN

3 LIPS/NUDE
Art Directed – glossy sheer champagne (glazed)
Antonio’s Girls – light peach (satin)
Vivid Image – light white pink (amplified)
$27.50 US/$33.00 CDN

3 LIPS/FUCHSIA
Candy Yum-Yum – matte neon pink (matte)
Moxie – mid-tone blue pink (matte)
Violetta – bright, clean violet purple (amplified)
$27.50 US/$33.00 CDN

3 LIPS/RED
Scarlet Ibis – bright orange red (matte)
M·A·C Red – vivid bright bluish-red (satin)
Deeply Adored – deep scarlet (matte)
$27.50 US/$33.00 CDN

FACE/PINK
Belightful – light bronze with golden shimmer (iridescent powder)
Pure Femininity – mid-tone blue pink (satin powder blush)
Peaceful – mid-tone peach (beauty powder)
$46.00 US/$55.00 CDN

FACE/CORAL
Star! – peachy golden with pink and yellow pearl (iridescent powder)
Passion for Colour – mid-tone coral (satin powder blush)
Smooth Harmony – medium golden bronze (beauty powder)
$46.00 US/$55.00 CDN