M-A-C Cosmetics Returns as Official Makeup Brand of London Fashion Week While Delivering Instant Quotes and Trend Insights Through The Latest Social Media Craze “Twitter”

“Fashion is part of the DNA of M-A-C - it inspires our artists and products worldwide. M-A-C is proud to take the lead in beauty as the official make-up sponsor of London Fashion Week in a city that continues to play such a vital role in M-A-C’s global fashion outreach.” - John Demsey, Group President M-A-C, Estee Lauder, Prescriptives, Sean John and Tom Ford Beauty.

From 1995, M-A-C has supported some of the most cutting edge fashion designers in the UK and London still plays a vital role in M-A-C’s global fashion outreach.

THE DESIGNERS:

M-A-C participates in New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks and, this season, once again, will be supporting designers and professional make-up artists at over 150 shows in the four cities.

M-A-C will be supporting over a record-breaking 48 designers in London this season including an inspiring cross-section of designers - Giles, Vivienne Westwood Red Label, Roksanda Ilincic, Todd Lynn, Marios Schwab, Josh Goot, Ossie Clark, Peter Jensen, Erdem, Danielle Scutt, Margaret Howell, Nathan Jenden, Richard Nicoll, House of Holland, Louise Goldin, Betty Jackson, Sinha-Stanic, Kinder Aggugini, Ashish, Jaeger London, Aquascutum, Nicole Farhi, Peter Pilotto, Graeme Black, MeadhamKirchhoff, Charles Anastase, Mark Fast, Mary Katrantzou, Nasir Mazhar, Armand Basi One and the Central St Martin’s MA show. Designers Natascha Stolle, Holly Fulton and MariaFracescaPepe from the innovative Fashion East stable will also be supported by the M-A-C Pro Team here in London along with exciting talent showing off schedule - Krystof Strozyna, Emilio de la Morena, Pam Hogg, Olivia Rubin, Ashley Isham and the new designers showing as part of OnIOff Presents.

THE SCOOP:

For the second season in a row, M-A-C Senior Artists will be Twittering during New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks. In the changing landscape of media, information is shared and communicated instantly. Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to send quick 140-character updates that answer the question, “What are you doing right now?” The Wall Street Journal recently said, “when [Twitter] first appeared a couple of years ago, its appeal seemed largely limited…but, like blogs and social-networking sites, Twitter is starting to cross into the mainstream….” Twitter has quickly become a breaking news source, as well as a popular network for communication.

During the S/S ‘09 season, M-A-C Twitter entries were viewed more than 540,000 times over the course of one month by over 200,000 people. This season, M-A-C Senior Artists, including the UK’s Neil Young, Martina Luisetti and Pablo Rodriguez, will continue with Twitter and dish on the cutting edge beauty trends, fashions and top designers that dominate the fashion week scene.

Subscribe directly to the M-A-C Senior Artist “tweets” by signing up on www.twitter.com, embedding the widget on your website or blog, or by visiting the M-A-C Facebook Fan page, which is the #1 cosmetics fan page with over 150,000 fans. Die-hard fashionistas and makeup lovers around the world can also download and embed the M-A-C F/W ‘09 Twitter widget directly to their personal Facebook pages, websites or blogs, to see what’s got our M-A-C Senior Artists all a-Twitter.

THE M-A-C MEDIA LOUNGE:

Situated in the main London Fashion Week Exhibition Tent at the Natural History Museum, the M-A-C Media Lounge will be the definitive destination for press, designers, models and fashion insiders to catch up on daily catwalk makeup trends, exclusive backstage video footage from the shows and relax, catch their breath and escape the crowds. The Lounge will have the latest trend updates, face charts, internet access and of course makeup touch-ups!

THE PRODUCTS:

In addition to creating the beauty trends on the runway, fashion shows around the world play a critical role in M-A-C Cosmetics Product Development process. Artists have the opportunity to test drive product prototypes sometimes years before they reach consumers. The Artists give the Product Development team specific feedback on product texture, colour and application and in response, to meet the artists’ requirements; the products are often changed as needed.

“When artists get excited about a product, we are confident it has a good chance of being an instant success,” says Espinet. “It’s always a good sign if models flip out and want the new products for themselves too!”

M-A-C Product Development will be busy backstage this year with a heavy focus on bolstering the PRO collection. The Artists will be using a selection of skincare items created specifically for someone with sensitive skin, i.e. models after a couple days of fashion shows. The products include two Pro Nourishing Essential Oil Blends, a Cleansing Water and a Body Hydrator. We’ll also be testing out new PRO only Fleshtone and Brightly Colored Pencils as well as a mini version of the famous M-A-C PRO Paintstick. Expect to see some interesting body and colourful face makeup done with these products. M-A-C’s fall ‘09 colour collection will also make an appearance backstage and lets just say the mood is VERY M-A-C .

THE TEAM:

M-A-C has over 75 M-A-C Pro make-up artists working around the world in fashion. Heading the team at London Fashion Week will be M-A-C’s Director of Makeup Artistry in the UK, Terry Barber. Terry has worked on some of M-A-C’s most important global fashion projects including shows for London innovators - Alexander McQueen, Giles, Zandra Rhodes, Luella, Matthew Williamson and Vivienne Westwood - this season he will be heading the make up team on both Todd Lynn and Noir. The M-A-C PRO Team is unique within the beauty and fashion industry because of its ability to work with each designer’s team to support the designer’s creative vision via M-A-C’s high performance professional products.

Terry and the team will also be joined by M-A-C’s Vice President of Makeup Artistry, Gordon Espinet, who will be keying the hotly anticipated Vivienne Westwood Red Label show:

“M-A-C’s involvement in Fashion Week allows our Artists to exercise their craft with some of the world’s most renowned makeup artists and to hone their skills in fast-paced, chaotic environments. It is a survival of the fittest atmosphere and our Artists, year after year, season after season rise to the occasion. From the most high-profile designer to an emerging up-and-comer, M-A-C Artists are there and ready to work,” says Gordon Espinet, Vice President of Makeup Artistry, M-A-C Cosmetics.

M-A-C AND FASHION WEEK

M-A-C Cosmetics sponsors fashion weeks throughout the world, including New York, London, Athens, South Africa and Sydney Fashion Weeks. For one month, beginning in New York, M-A-C’s international team of over 120 PRO Makeup Artists - joined by the most talented freelance artists from around the world - join the fashion migration trail going from New York to London, Milan and Paris.

The M-A-C PRO Artist teams work closely with such legendary makeup artists as Tom Pecheux, Charlotte Tilbury, Val Garland, Sharon Dowsett, Kabuki and Polly Osmond and play key roles in creating the makeup looks on the most famous runways in the world.