We told you about the newest string in M·A·C's bow a few weeks ago: M·A·C on 3, a brand new space sitauted on the third floor of Selfridges where no beauty brand have gone before. In fact M·A·C are the first brand to be given a space outside the beauty hall, so huge props to them! The space is designed to be a place away from the hustle and bustle of the beauty hall floor, where you can have a tutorial or try out products away from the crowds and in the privacy and quiet of the 710-square-foot salon. The space is through a doorway behind another M·A·C make up counter on the right of the escalator: inside is a trendy black room where chairs sit in front of floor-to-ceiling mirrors and drawers of products are hidden in the walls.
While I was there I met lovely M·A·C Senior Artist Pablo Rodriguez, who gave me a make up application so I got the full experience. As much as I wanted to take the opportunity to have something fashion and crazy, I had to go back to the office later looking somewhat normal so I asked Pablo to show me how he creates a smokey eye, because I am usually rubbish at them.
Having every last trace of make up removed from my face (which took a while - Benefit's They're Real puts up a good fight, doesn't it? Luckily me and Pablo spent it complaining about bad make up trends - me, nude lipstick, him, fake tan) is when I first really appreciated the walls around us, nobody looks good sitting under those florescent lights with no make up on and sometimes you can feel a bit on show (especially when tourists stop to watch). When that was done, Pablo prepped my skin with a moisturiser, before foregoing the foundation I usually opt for and using M.A.C Studio moisture Tint. I probably would never have tried a tinted moisturiser before, but I really loved it - which just illustrates why these lessons are so good, it could open your eyes to a lot of things that you wouldn't have thought of trying. M.A.C Select Moisture Cover was used to cover up blemishes and to lighten the area under my eyes and around my nose and chin, and M.A.C Prep + Prime Finishing Powder gave it a beautiful matte finish. Three simple products but they left my skin looking amazing.
Pablo told me a secret about smokey eyes: you don't actually need three contrasting shades of colour and a million brushes to achieve the effect. You can do it with two - a colour and a concealer. To start, he applied M.A.C Fluidline (£14) in Rich Ground (which is eyeliner) all over my eyelid. It was actually intended to be a base but he liked the effect so much he left it as the colour. Then came the Great Smokey Eye Secret: instead of spending an hour with a brush trying to perfectly blend all your shadows together, just use a shadow close to your skin tone and blend it into the edge of the colour. Thus, you avoid getting carried away and getting that unattractive raccoon look and keep the colour contained in the area you need. On me, Pablo used M.A.C Eyeshadow (£12) in Omega, merging it with the Fluidline at the edge to create a blurred line.
For a smokey eye, Pablo suggests that the eyeliner is subtle - just there to add the illusion of volume and get colour into the lashline, but not really to define. He did this with M.A.C Eye Kohl Pencil (£14) in Teddy, using a feathering motion, with the tip of the pencil sideways and applying it in a short sweeping motion on the upper and lower lines. Pablo finished off my eyes with mascara, blusher in Pink Cult, a much darker shade than I would have thought I could have got away with - revelations all round. Here we are below:
If you want to go and have as much fun as I had with a make up application at M·A·C on 3, it'll cost you £30: but that fee is fully redeemable against any products you buy at the time. So you can go get your make up done, get a load of insider tips, revamp your style and then buy some new eyeshadow to go and recreate it at home. BARGAIN tbh, plus it would make a great gift. Check out a full list of services here and call 0870 192 5610 to make an appointment.
