Mac Flamingo Park
This is their Spring 2016 collection, including lip sticks, eye shadows and blush. The collection is inspired by the pink colours associated with flamingoes. The majority of the makeup in the collection is pink, with emphasis on peachy tones; however there are a couple green shades which could reflect the green of their habitat. The collection is very girly and feminine and it was launched in February 2016, making it perfect timing for Valentine's Day! The collection consist of 9 lipsticks, 5 Cream sheen Glass, 3 lip pencils, 7 blushes, 2 Beauty Powders, 1 eye shadow palette, 2 eye pencils, 2 nail lacquers, 3 pigments, mascara and one brush. Mac usually experiments with different colours and patterns for the packaging with new collections; however in this collection they kept the packaging to the classic clean, black style.
 |
| CANNING, A., 2016. MAC Flamingo Park Spring 2016 Collection Launches Online [viewed 3rd March 2016]. Available from: http://vanityrouge.com/mac-flamingo-park-spring-2016-collection-launches-online/ |
Below is a close-up of the model used. She looked between 20-25 with a very youthful and fresh look. She looks very slim and long limbed, like you would expect a typical model to look like. The model has plump lips, a small nose and big eyes; she looks very doll-like. The model has been edited to look very flawless, with very smooth and clear skin; she almost looks plastic. The model has an exaggerated facial expression of excitable shock, but it is in a very pretty an cartoon-like way.
The model is wearing makeup from the collection. She has very bold hot pink eye shadow all round the eyes, with white in the waterline and in the inner corner to brighten the eyes and give them a doll-like look. The cheeks have been contoured with a muted pink blush to give definition. The lips are a glossy, bright barbie pink. The makeup look is very striking and show cases how the makeup could be used; however it isn't particularly wearable for the average consumer. The hair has been heavily back combed almost into an afro and has then been decorated with over sized butterflies and a gold shiny metallic head piece.
 |
CANNING, A., 2016. MAC Flamingo Park Spring 2016 Collection Launches Online [viewed 3rd March 2016].
Available from: http://vanityrouge.com/mac-flamingo-park-spring-2016-collection-launches-online/
|
The set looks like a fantasy park, with cartoon flamingoes and cartoon butterflies. The sky is a clean bright blue and the grass and hedge are groomed to perfection, giving an almost cartoon look. The model is sat on a pink checkered picnic blanket to match her dress and she is surrounded by cakes and donuts displayed on pretty cake stands and a wicker basket. The whole set looks very staged and cartoon-like; everything in the shoot looks fantasy-like, as if it isn't in the real world.
The only text in the advert is at the top left where the Mac logo is in white. The title of the collection 'Flamingo Park' has been placed on the right, half way down the image in a swirly, feminine font; this text is white too. There is no other information about the brand or collection on the advert, no even a website or any of the products. The back ground and model look very busy so I think if a lot of text was layered on top then it would look too busy and the text wouldn't show up clearly.
 |
| TEMPTALIA, 2016. MAC Flamingo Park Collection For Spring 2016 [viewed 3rd March 2016]. Available from: http://www.temptalia.com/mac-flamingo-park-collection-for-spring-2016 |
Mac Wash and Dry
This collection was launched as their summer 2015 collection. The products in the collection are shown in the image below. There is a big range of metallic eye shadows and bronzers, with a range of muted lipsticks and lip glosses. The products in the range have a metallic gradient of reds, yellows and blues. The packaging for this collection is some of my favourites of Mac's packagings because it is so bright and colourful and fun looking, making it stand out from any of their other products.
The collection has two adverts. One of the adverts is on a set with multiple models and the other is a closeup of a model's makeup. The advert below has three very slim and tall looking models, all sat in a row on chairs in a laundry room. They are all dressed in a swim suits, with a matching head band and matching stilettos, each having a different block colour. The colours they are wearing are very bold, with a royal blue, bright yellow and turquoise green, making them look very confident and strong. They all have one leg crossed over the other and are applying their lipstick with their right hand and have a compact mirror in the other. The unity of styling and positioning gives a very staged look to the shoot and a fantasy-like feel. The models are all very attractive, with perfected, smooth skin and upright postures, making them look very confident and sure of themselves. Their makeup is very similar, with them all wearing a red lip and a smokey eye that matches their overall, individual colour scheme. The makeup doesn't necessarily look like it's from the collection because there aren't bright coloured eye shadows in the collection; however the setting of the shoot definitely reflects the title of the collection. All the models look like they have makeup all over their bodies because their skin looks completely flawless, with a glossy sheen from head to toe. The models almost look like dolls because of how perfectly groomed and positioned they are, adding to the fantasy look. The models look like they have had their hair blow dried into voluminous perms which reflects the title of the collection, suggesting the girls got their hair washed and blow dried. The models are of all ethnicities, from white to tanned, emphasising that any ethnicity can wear this collection, supporting their mission statement of All Ages, All Races, All Sexes.
The models are in a vintage looking laundrette, however the styling, use of models and lighting gives the advert a more modern look. The male model on the left is very muscly and is in only his small trunks and shoes and his face isn't in the frame, almost making him look like just another prop for the women to play with. This makes the women look very in control and as though they have him at their beck and call; the women therefore look very desirable to the consumers.
It looks like a blue gel has been used over the light on the male model because he has more of a blue tint than anything else in the frame. This could be because the girls are imagining that the buff male is waiting on them and he is therefore not real or it could represent that the girls are washing and drying their men, i.e. cleaning their men up, so the blue could represent the water washing them clean. There is foam coming out of the washing machines behind the models, but the models haven't realised because they are all too busy doing their lipstick, adding a comical element to the advert. The rest of the props around the models are things you would expect to find in a laundry room, like towels and laundry baskets; however the colour scheme of the background is all very muted and beige, making the models stand out and look dominant. The whole scene looks very fantasy-like because you wouldn't expect to see three beautiful young women in bathing suits and stilettos in a laundrette and the models look very plastic looking as they are so perfected.
The lighting looks like it is coming from all angles in different parts of the image. There seems to be a bright light coming from inside the laundry holes which brightens up the background and puts emphasis on the foam spilling out. The lighting on the males model looks like it is coming from above because there are shadows underneath each indent in his stomach and the brightest parts seem to be on top; very harsh lighting has been used to help emphasise his muscles. A blue gel has also been used over the light over the male to give a blue tint. The lighting on the girls looks softer to give a more flattering look.
There is also an advert for the Wash and Dry collection where only a close-up of a famous model's (Cara Delevingne) face has been used. I like that this puts all the emphasis on the makeup from the collection as you can see clearly how the makeup you apply could look. The makeup in this image doesn't look very wearable for the everyday consumer, however it isn't too abstract to the point where no-one would wear it out. The model is wearing a bold blue smokey eye, with matching blue nails and a defined red/orange lip; however the emphasis is on the model's bold eye brows. Cara Delevingne is famous for her big bushy eye brows, making her the perfect model to use. The model is very youthful looking, with big eyes, a small nose and full lips, giving her a doll-like look. The vintage styling has been continued through to this close-up image, keeping the laundrette theme throughout the collection's advertisements.
This collection was launched as their summer 2015 collection. The products in the collection are shown in the image below. There is a big range of metallic eye shadows and bronzers, with a range of muted lipsticks and lip glosses. The products in the range have a metallic gradient of reds, yellows and blues. The packaging for this collection is some of my favourites of Mac's packagings because it is so bright and colourful and fun looking, making it stand out from any of their other products.
 |
| Examples of lipsticks from the Wash and Dry Collection. MARTINSON, J., 2015. MAC Wash and Dry Summer 2015 Collection information [viewed 3rd March 2016]. Available from: http://swatchandreview.com/mac-wash-and-dry-summer-2015-collection-information/ |
The collection has two adverts. One of the adverts is on a set with multiple models and the other is a closeup of a model's makeup. The advert below has three very slim and tall looking models, all sat in a row on chairs in a laundry room. They are all dressed in a swim suits, with a matching head band and matching stilettos, each having a different block colour. The colours they are wearing are very bold, with a royal blue, bright yellow and turquoise green, making them look very confident and strong. They all have one leg crossed over the other and are applying their lipstick with their right hand and have a compact mirror in the other. The unity of styling and positioning gives a very staged look to the shoot and a fantasy-like feel. The models are all very attractive, with perfected, smooth skin and upright postures, making them look very confident and sure of themselves. Their makeup is very similar, with them all wearing a red lip and a smokey eye that matches their overall, individual colour scheme. The makeup doesn't necessarily look like it's from the collection because there aren't bright coloured eye shadows in the collection; however the setting of the shoot definitely reflects the title of the collection. All the models look like they have makeup all over their bodies because their skin looks completely flawless, with a glossy sheen from head to toe. The models almost look like dolls because of how perfectly groomed and positioned they are, adding to the fantasy look. The models look like they have had their hair blow dried into voluminous perms which reflects the title of the collection, suggesting the girls got their hair washed and blow dried. The models are of all ethnicities, from white to tanned, emphasising that any ethnicity can wear this collection, supporting their mission statement of All Ages, All Races, All Sexes.
The models are in a vintage looking laundrette, however the styling, use of models and lighting gives the advert a more modern look. The male model on the left is very muscly and is in only his small trunks and shoes and his face isn't in the frame, almost making him look like just another prop for the women to play with. This makes the women look very in control and as though they have him at their beck and call; the women therefore look very desirable to the consumers.
It looks like a blue gel has been used over the light on the male model because he has more of a blue tint than anything else in the frame. This could be because the girls are imagining that the buff male is waiting on them and he is therefore not real or it could represent that the girls are washing and drying their men, i.e. cleaning their men up, so the blue could represent the water washing them clean. There is foam coming out of the washing machines behind the models, but the models haven't realised because they are all too busy doing their lipstick, adding a comical element to the advert. The rest of the props around the models are things you would expect to find in a laundry room, like towels and laundry baskets; however the colour scheme of the background is all very muted and beige, making the models stand out and look dominant. The whole scene looks very fantasy-like because you wouldn't expect to see three beautiful young women in bathing suits and stilettos in a laundrette and the models look very plastic looking as they are so perfected.
The lighting looks like it is coming from all angles in different parts of the image. There seems to be a bright light coming from inside the laundry holes which brightens up the background and puts emphasis on the foam spilling out. The lighting on the males model looks like it is coming from above because there are shadows underneath each indent in his stomach and the brightest parts seem to be on top; very harsh lighting has been used to help emphasise his muscles. A blue gel has also been used over the light over the male to give a blue tint. The lighting on the girls looks softer to give a more flattering look.
 |
MARTINSON, J., 2015. MAC Wash and Dry Summer 2015 Collection information [viewed 3rd March 2016].
Available from: http://swatchandreview.com/mac-wash-and-dry-summer-2015-collection-information/
|
The text on the image has been positioned in the centre of her face, possibly to underline the eyes, putting emphasis on the eye brows. The text includes the Mac logo, the collection title and 'the modern brow', again keeping the text very limited to avoid the advert looking too over crowded. The text is is white to keep the light and fun look; I think if the text was black it would be too intense and wash out the background image. It looks like a blue gel has been used over the light on the right side of her face because her cheek and that whole side of the face has a blue tint to it. This blue tint represents the water from the 'Wash and Dry' laundrette, emphasised by the bubbles coming up from the bottom of the frame. The light on the left side doesn't look like it has a gel because the colours look very true to life. The hand in the frame looks very Photoshopped and therefore not very realistic which makes the model look even more like a doll.
 |
MARTINSON, J., 2015. MAC Wash and Dry Summer 2015 Collection information [viewed 3rd March 2016].
Available from: http://swatchandreview.com/mac-wash-and-dry-summer-2015-collection-information/
|
Looking for Trends
Models Used
Below are more examples of Mac Adverts for collections. As you can see they are all very similar in the model choices, the amount of text and the editing. All the models look very youthful, with plump skin, bright eyes and full lips. The models are very stereotypically pretty and look almost doll-like. All the models used are very slim and long limbed; the typical model look. I am not a fan of this because the adverts aren't about the model's body so the model's weight shouldn't make a different to the beautiful makeup able to be created. I think Mac should start using more of a range of models because their mission statement is All Ages, All Sexes, All Races so I think they should start portraying this in their adverts. The models are all positioned to look very staged and positioned, giving them more of a doll-like look. None of the adverts for Mac's collections are very free and natural looking; they are all posed in very obvious ways. This is very apparent in the 'Mac Shop Mac' and 'Mac Shop Cook' collection adverts where the models look like plastic models or manikins. The models don't tend to make exaggerated facial expressions in any of their collection adverts, apart from the 'Flamingo Park' example where she looks very shocked; however this still looks very staged and fake. The models don't make eye contact in any of these adverts, apart from the close-up of the model's face in the Wash & Dry advert which, again, adds to the doll-like image because the audience don't get to look into the models' eye to get to know them, but instead the models look very distant and disconnected from the audience. This could possibly be because Mac want the viewer of the advert for focus more on the makeup and design of the advert rather than the model used.
Makeup/Hair
The makeup is beautifully executed and blended. The models' skin is always flawless, with no freckles, hairs or other imperfections showing. In the majority of looks the skin looks very dewy and glowy, with the high pointed being emphasised with highlight. In all the makeup looks there is heavy contouring, whether that be with bronzer or a blush coloured product. All the models have bold lip colours and there lips look very full and plump; there has been a mixture of matte and glossy finishes used. The eye shadow looks are different in all the adverts; however all the eye looks are bold and coloured has definitely been favoured. In many of the adverts the eyes have eye shadow blended up to their eye brows and smoked out dramatically to make the eyes look very big and doll-like. The eye brows look very natural in all the looks shown; apart from the Wash & Dry close-up shot because the advert is based on the eye brows. In all the examples of Mac collection adverts shown the models have curled or permed hair, possibly because this is how dolls have their hair.
Setting/Backdrop
All of the adverts shown look like they have been taken in a studio. The images showing close-ups of the face look like they've been taken in a studio because the lighting looks perfectly exposed, but it also looks quite harsh. The studio lighting adds to the doll-like, fake look of all the images. The images that do have backgrounds look like studio sets because everything in shot looks very perfected and plastic, as those it is a fantasy image. An example of this is the 'Mac Shop Cook' advert where the model is supposed to look like she is in a kitchen; however the 'kitchen' looks very fake and set up because the whole kitchen is bright yellow, with only one oven in frame and the table looks very plastic; the kitchen just doesn't look very realistic. These very fake looking backgrounds, almost look like the perfected versions of reality. I will need to consider this when designing my own shoot; I think each of the shoots gives an ideallic representation of what each scene is showing.
Photography/Editing/Layout
All the images look highly edited, and sometimes even over edited. The models have been edited and perfected so much that they look fake and plastic, emphasising the fact that the models look like real life dolls. All of the images look like they have been shot in a studio and all the lighting is very flattering on the models, especially on the their faces. The majority of the images look very bright and colourful, with a high contrast to show off the different colours and shadows of the makeup. There is very limited text in each advert. The only text seen in each advert it the Mac logo and the title of the collection. This makes the advert look very clean and professional and it allows the advert to focus more on the image, rather than busy text or banners. The products are never seen in any of Mac's collection adverts, but the products being used on the models' faces.
Barbie Loves Mac
 |
| TEMPTALIA, 2007. MAC Cosmetics Barbie Loves MAC Collection Information & Photos [viewed 3rd arch 2016]. Available from: http://www.temptalia.com/mac-cosmetics-barbie-loves-mac-collection-information-photos |
 |
| Temptalia, 2015. MAC Faerie Whispers Collection For Holiday 2015 [viewed 3rd March 2016]. Available from: http://www.temptalia.com/mac-faerie-whispers-collection-for-holiday-2015 |
 |
| TAVIA, 2015. MAC Shop MAC Makeup Collection for Spring 2012 - Information, Photos & Prices [viewed 3rd March 2016]. Available from: http://chicprofile.com/mac-shop-mac-makeup-collection-for-spring-2012-information-photos-prices |
Mac Shop Cook
 |
| TEMPTALIA, 2012. MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC Collection (Shop Shop Shop, Cook Cook Cook) For Spring 2012 [viewed 3rd March 2016]. Available from: http://www.temptalia.com/mac-shop-mac-cook-mac-collection-shop-shop-shop-cook-cook-cook-for-spring-2012 |
Resources:
CANNING, A., 2016. MAC Flamingo Park Spring 2016 Collection Launches Online [viewed 3rd March 2016]. Available from: http://vanityrouge.com/mac-flamingo-park-spring-2016-collection-launches-online/
No comments:
Post a Comment