MAC Cosmetics: Guide For The Newly Addicted, Part 9 — Terminology
Posted On: 02/23/08
Posted in: MAC Cosmetics, MAC Cosmetics Product Guides, Series
MAC Cosmetics: Guide For The Newly Addicted, Part 9
Terminology
These are some terms that are commonly used by MAC fans that may be a bit confusing to newcomers.
- Acronyms | Many things get abbreviated on the internet, and makeup is no different. If you’ve seen one and don’t know what it is, MakeUpAlley has an excellent abbreviation list that should help you!
- CCB | Cream Colour Base
- Depotting | This is the act of removing the eyeshadow pan/palette from the black container that it came in. There are several methods on doing this, the most common requires a lighter/candle and knife. To begin, you can pop out the plastic insert that lays in the container (basically, there are two pieces to the container, the entire outer casing and a little “plate” that holds the eyeshadow pan). You can easily do this by taking your knife point and inserting it where the two parts meet, which is the same place where the lid closes and clicks in place. After you have removed that portion, take a lighter and melt the bottom of the eyeshadow container enough that you can push a knife point up through it to pop out the metal eyeshadow pan. You can also quickly melt the label found on the bottom of the eyeshadow pot (just enough to make it easy to pull off, too much and you’ll blacken it) and adhere it to the bottom of the eyeshadow pan.
- E/s, L/s, L/g | Eyeshadow, lipstick, lipglass
- Eyeshadow “in pan/palette form” | The typical eyeshadow comes inside a black plastic container with a clear top that pops open. Eyeshadow bought in pan/palette (means the same thing in this context) is when you buy a metal pan that is filled with the eyeshadow color with a magnet on the bottom of it. Essentially, it does not have any protective case or black plastic container. It is the bare bones product. You would then place them in an empty quad or palette.
- Empty palettes, quads | When you purchase an eyeshadow or blush in pan/palette form, you place it inside an empty palette/quad. An empty eyeshadow palette can hold either 15 or 4 eyeshadows (referred to as a quad), and it is a slim black container. An empty blush palette can hold 6 blushes.
- FOTD (EOTD) | Face of the Day or Eye of the Day; essentially, it is someone’s makeup from that day
- MA | Makeup Artist
- MLBB | My Lips But Better
- OTT | Over The Top – as in, that bright blue eyeshadow is over the top for wearing to the office




















Saturday, February 23, 2008
wow acronyms are good! i always get confused :] you should add
HG – holy grail
<3 thanks christine!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Good call, Renee!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
how much do palettes go for (Canadian)? they don’t have them listed anywhere :(
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I don’t know the Canadian prices, they aren’t available via the website…
Saturday, May 16, 2009
the 15 pan palette is 14.50, and the quad is 4.50. CAD ofcourse :)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Thanks for clarifying!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
I know the 15 palette is about $14.50 CAD. I’m not sure about the quad but the 15 pays for itself after about 5 eyeshadows, since the pan inserts are $12.50 (vs. 16.50 for regular eyeshadows)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Can you add the definition to NC and NW as well? I am still not 100% sure what foundation color I am, and I don’t know what these terms stand for. Thanks!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Not Cool, Not Warm :)
Friday, November 14, 2008
Isn’t NC Neutral Cool and NW Neutral Warm?
Monday, November 17, 2008
When I asked, that’s what the MA told me (not cool/not warm)!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Well as a NW20 and yellow undertoned, Im assuming that NW means neutral warm.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
hey! . it would also be nice if u put what kind of finishes certain products have such as a matte finish, dewy finish, satin finish i work in a MAC counter and some customers dont know what kind of finish they want. tha would b so nice! thx!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
And HG — HOLY GRAIL…. meaning the most PERFECT (insert item/product) which works for you.
Like Studio Sculpt is my HG foundation.
Haha…
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Thanks for adding that! :)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
MSF- mineralize skin finish!