MAC Style Session

On Sunday night I attended a MAC Style Session with the MAC store at the Roseville Galleria.  They closed down the store an hour early to get ready for the event - you can see the ladies through the window setting up water and snacks for the participants.


The store front of the Roseville Galleria MAC location.

 I was so excited to attend this Style Session in order to get some great tips and tricks from the MAC artists teaching the class.  For those of you interested in attending a style session, check in with your local MAC store or MAC counter for upcoming events.  There is a cost of $50 to attend, but that money goes on to a gift card for you to use after the style session.  So lets get this straight... you will probably spend $50 at MAC so why not get some education out of the deal?  Style Sessions are usually held after hours (which means you don't have to deal with teeny-boppers wanting to try on every shade of lipstick or the lady demanding a make-over because she and her "boo" are going on a date tonight).

The artists, Ashley and Stephie, showcased two different looks on the models: Ore-Inspired meets Nouveau and Ath-Elite meets Neon (instead of showing four different looks, they were combined on the two models). For a full breakdown of the looks, check out the MAC Spring/Summer 2012 Makeup Trend Report post by Phillis at Make Up For Life.  Her description of the trends is spot on and goes in much more detail than I ever could. 


MAC artists Stephanie and Ashley working on their spring trend looks.

 Through out the session, the artists kept emphasizing the importance of brushes.  They made the correlation that a baker would have a difficult time making a cake without the proper tools (mixer, spatula, cake pan), likewise it would be difficult to get the desired look without the proper brushes. 

• In the lower right corner, you'll see the Ath-Elite meets Neon look.  For the eye shadow Stephanie used Lustre Drops and for a depth and dimension, she used bronzer and blush - the same ones she used on the rest of her face.  I think this is such a great idea for those of us that like to travel to tropical locations - it minimizes the amount of product you have to pack and the look was so dewy yet put together.
• In the upper left corner, you'll see the Ore-Inspired meets Nouveau.  This look used the Aloha: Crushed Metallic Pigments in so many different facets. Of course it was used for the eyes but it was used as a bronzer and it was added to some moisturizer to give the model's legs and incredible glow!

It may seem so simple but I never thought of how versatile each product can be!  I took away many tips and tricks for multiple ways I can use the products I already own and gave me great ideas about items I'd like to purchase in the future.


My haul from the style session.



The Make It Perfect Brush Kit - Mineralize - $49.50
The staff found a box of these brushes left over from the holidays and brought them out for us - SCORE! The kit came with a make-up bag and the 187 SE, 130 SE, 286 Duo Fibre Tapered Brush and 282 Duo Fibre Shader Brush.  I'm excited to put these little guys to work.  At $49.50 this brush set is so reasonable for building up your collections of brushes!

Eye Shadow - All That Glitters and Soft Brown $12.00 each
These may seem boring but I'm lacking in neutrals in my shadow collection.  My hope is to start helping a few of my friends with their bridal looks in the next couple of months and so I'm focusing on colors that are appropriate for neutral and natural looks.

Lip Liner - Burgundy - $14.00
I tend to stick to softer colors for lips so I was on a mission to step a little out of my comfort zone and get a color in the red family.  After talking to the sales gal for a little while we decided burgundy would not only go well with my coloring but go well with the lipsticks I already own.  And if I put on the lip liner with the Tendertone below, I end up with a lovely reddish color!

Cook MAC Tendertone Lip Balm - Hot 'n' Saucy - $15.00
These are going to go fast so pick one up if you are interested!  Tendertones were re-released as part of the Cook-MAC collection.  If your local store if out, be sure to check the website.  This is one of the multi-use products demo'd during the Style Session.  It can be used as lip balm, cheek color or a highlighter (depending on the color).  It has an SPF of and smells like a cherry Jolly Rancher - so excited!

I had a great time and look forward to attending another in the future.  If you have any questions about the Style Session feel free to shoot them my way!