{BEAUTY NEWS} | M•A•C Viva Glam Ariana Grande II

My M·A·C senses reached peak tingle yesterday when Ariana Grande released images for her second Viva Glam collection! And believe me, it is a GOOD one! Ariana has a killer, unique voice that sounds pretty amazing whether she’s singing a pop tune or belting out an emotional ballad. She also has strong opinions on many issues and uses her celebrity voice to speak out on behalf of minorities which makes her even more likeable and 100% perfect as the face of Viva Glam.

Viva Glam is a concept very close to my heart. It was launched by MAC in 1994 and directs 100% of the selling price to the MAC AIDS Fund which supports organizations fighting to combat HIV/AIDS as well as those that work to improve the lives of those who live with the epidemic. Over the past 20 years, they have raised over $400 million and are the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical HIV/AIDS funder. I try to make sure that I purchase both Viva Glam collections every year. Celebrities like Rihanna (my fav!),  Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Lisa Marie Presley and Sir Elton John have lent their faces to Viva Glam campaigns in the past.

The new, sugary sweet, campaign appears to be based on doll-like elements. The tagline is, "Be a doll, and go glam!" and campaign images seem to have Ari crammed into a tiny dollhouse. Her signature pony is adorned with a gigantic bow and she’s wearing a baby-pink dress and hot pink Mary Janes with frilly socks.

Ariana’s Viva Glam 2 duo is made up of a deep mauve matte lipstick and shimmery pale pinky lavender gloss. The Lipstick looks to be a bright orchid shade with blue tones and the Lipglass looks pretty and frosted. I absolutely love how different this lipstick is to Ariana’s previous Viva Glam one. M·A·C girls can rock them both and the 2 lipsticks definitely accentuate the different facets of Ariana.

The collection launches September 8^th in the U.S and will stay on shelves for 6 months. I don’t have any dates for South Africa yet but as soon as I do I will put them up!

I urge you to buy Viva Glam. Not only is the product fantastic but you’re also contributing to the empowerment and improvement of the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS.

Until next time

Love and sugary pale pink sparkles

Zaakira xox

{BEAUTY NEWS} | Ariana Grande for M•A•C Viva Glam

This week M·A·C Cosmetics announced their new spokesperson for Viva Glam. It’s Ariana Grande! I personally think it is a great choice! I’ve been a fan of Ariana since her red velvet cupcake hair and Victorious days and she’s grown up to be quite lovely.  Ariana has a killer, unique voice that sounds pretty amazing whether she’s singing a pop tune or belting out an emotional ballad. She also has strong opinions on many issues and uses her celebrity voice to speak out on behalf of minorities which makes her even more likeable. She isn’t without some controversy though but I think that this just makes her the perfect M·A·C girl!

Viva Glam is a concept very close to my heart. It was launched by MAC in 1994 and directs 100% of the selling price to the MAC AIDS Fund which supports organizations fighting to combat HIV/AIDS as well as those that work to improve the lives of those who live with the epidemic. Over the past 20 years, they have raised over $300 million and are the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical HIV/AIDS funder. Celebrities like Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Lisa Marie Presley and Sir Elton John have lent their faces to Viva Glam campaigns in the past and this year is Ari’s turn.

Ariana’s Viva Glam duo has a deep plum lipstick and a frosty, glitter pink gloss (frosted donut ;) perhaps?) which are said to represent the “good and bad girls in all of us”. For me it is the perfect combination because while I love being sweet and girly I also think that sometimes you need to rock a dark purple lip and the attitude to match!

The collection launches in January 2016 in the US. In South Africa, it will be available in store and online on 4 February 2016!

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

M•A•C Viva Glam Rihanna II

Rihanna’s second Viva Glam collection with M·A·C has hit our shelves this week. Viva Glam is a concept very close to my heart. It was launched by MAC in 1994 and directs 100% of the selling price to the MAC AIDS Fund which supports organizations fighting to combat HIV/AIDS as well as those that work to improve the lives of those who live with the epidemic. Over the past 20 years, they have raised over $300 million and are the largest corporate non-pharmaceutical HIV/AIDS funder.

I am truly in love with this collection. While Rihanna’s previous Viva Glam collection provides the perfect frosted red, she had a little more fun with this one, creating a metallic almost gunmetal lipstick and a frosted mauve lipglass with iridescent pigments. Both are extremely edgy and so very Rihanna. I think the girl at the M·A·C counter put it perfectly in saying that she has a “girl crush” on the collection. I think I do too! You can wear them together or on their own and the gloss goes beautifully over lipsticks like Cyber and Rebel, creating a soft but futuristic effect. They both glide on effortlessly and are pretty long lasting although naturally the lipstick lasts longer than the lipglass.

The packaging remains the same. The lipstick is encased in a velvety, deep red tube and when you remove the lid Rihanna’s signature appears. The lipglass is in a clear tube with Rihanna’s signature on it covered by a lid in the same colour as the lipstick tube.

The lipstick retails for ZAR195 and the lipglass for ZAR185. I will reiterate that 100% of the selling price (not just the profit) goes to the M·A·C AIDS Fund. Here are some facts about the fund and what your money could be funding.

You can purchase Rihanna’s Viva Glam collection at any MAC store or online at www.maccosmetics.co.za

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox