M·A·C COSMETICS NAIL TREND F/W ’09 COLLECTION Q&A WITH JIN SOON CHOI

Q: M·A·C and Jin Soon – it feels like such a natural match for your first-ever brand collaboration. How did the collaboration come about?

A: It was important to me to partner with a brand that embraced bold trend-driven colours and had a strong tie to fashion – and M·A·C is all about that. From the beginning with M·A·C, everything flowed naturally, and there was a real connection in the development of this collection. As soon as we started working together, I was able to unleash my vision and really express myself through these fashion-forward colours. M·A·C really got the direction I was going in and encouraged me throughout the whole process.

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Q: What was first on the agenda with this collaboration?

A: I’ve opened three Jin Soon Hand and Foot Spas in New York City over the last 10 years, with that I have a direct connection and knowledge about the colours and textures real women want for their nails. In the past couple of years women have forgone beige, neutral colors and instead, opted for colours that were once thought of as experimental, shades only a celebrity or model would wear – I’m talking about blues, blacks and deep purples. Now, women are pushing the envelope even further when it comes to nail colours. I wanted to take that one step further and expand the colour range with this collection, giving women even bolder nail colour choices.

Q: Mission accomplished with these colours – what helped inspire the range?

A: My husband is an architect, and I am constantly drawing inspiration and colour ideas from his creations. I also have tons of exposure to fashion trends through my work at the fashion shows and on magazine shoots. I wanted to create colours that were not only incredibly fashion-forward and edgy, with an editorial feel to them but also were totally wearable for the everyday women. I love all of the colours but am especially excited about the green hues: Dry Martini and Beyond Jealous. I think come Fall ‘09, green is going to be THE colour.

Q: Beyond Jealous is the green shade we saw on the models nails at the Doo.Ri Fall/Winter 2009 show?

A: Yes, straight from the runway. Doo.Ri wanted a strong, tough look to go with her collection so that’s how we chose the colour. The green on the nails made a strong statement and was the perfect compliment to her collection. It looked beautiful.

Q: It’s obvious fashion-forward colours were important to you; what else were you setting out to do with this collection that would make it a must-have for women?

A: I was determined to create a polish with enough texture and colour payoff that one coat of polish was enough. I wanted saturated, shiny colour with this collection. I’ve worked with many polishes out there, and when you apply one coat, you can barely see the colour – it’s streaky and inconsistent. Those polishes don’t work for real women in a hurry, on editorial shoots or at fashion shows when time is at a minimum. One coat of any of the six colours is all a woman on-the-go needs. I hear it all the time on shoots and at shows – women want something beautiful but functional for their nails; sometimes, they don’t have time to sit there for two coats. The texture of these polishes covers the entire nail evenly in just one coat; finish with the Overlacquer as a top coat, and you’re out the door.

Q: Your thriving salons are a testament to the fact that nails are an important part of a woman’s appearance. How has the world of nails evolved since you started decades ago?

A: Nails used to be very understated – they played a secondary role to makeup and hair. Now, women realize that nails can act as an accessory – an easy way to add colour to their look. It’s also a way to express individuality without making a commitment. Nail polish isn’t a tattoo – it’s only temporary – so I always tell my clients to have fun with their colour and be adventurous. It doesn’t hurt that women are much more fashion-savvy and educated these days, experimenting with an adaptation of what they see on fashion shows on TV and on models in print and working that into their look.

Q: Is a woman’s nail look completely independent of her makeup look?

A: Makeup and nails definitely go together but they shouldn’t match. It’s more about contrasting colours that work together and work for your skin tone. If you wear red lipstick, wear something on your nails that goes with red – like a black polish. The whole look has to work together – makeup, nail colour, fashion – but a bit of contrast brings out the best.

MAC Nail Trend F/W 09 — Jin Soon Choi for MAC

U.S. Launch Date: August 27th, 2009
International Launch Date: September 2009

Backstage and front row, nail trend has arrived! More than a colour statement, an of-the-moment approach that dazzles with innovation and style. How to do it? Enter Jin Soon, much-sought-after nail guru, who has worked the shows and with the best celebs, collaborating with us to create six nail colours exclusively for MAC.

“There are thousands of sheer and natural colors. It’s time tob e surprising, revolutionary, edgy. Inspired by architecture, these are colors you’ll now dare to wear.” — Jin Soon

Nail Lacquers ($12.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN)

• Cool Reserve Mid-tone grey lavender
• For Fun Rich purple
• Dance All Night Brick red
• Rich Dark Delicious Rich blackened brown
• Dry Martini Khaki olive green
• Beyond Jealous Blackened blue green

Collection also includes Overlacquer ($12.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN) and Underlacquer ($12.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN).

Availability: August 27th, 2009 at all MAC Locations in North America. September 2009 for international MAC locations.

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Sneak Peek: MAC Cosmetics Nail Trend F/W ’09 by Jin Soon Choi

Debuting next Thursday with six different shades (see full color story here), we had a chance to try out two shades: Rich, Dark, Delicious and Dance All Night.

Nail Lacquer ($12.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN)

• Rich, Dark, Delicious is a deep dark chocolate black-brown that runs a little neutral-cool and has nearly imperceptible flecks of shimmer. I can only see the shimmer if I look really hard in sunlight, otherwise it appears mostly as a creme. Two coats made it opaque with no application issues.
• Dance All Night is a rich, blood red that goes on nearly opaque with two coats. I do recommend using three thinner coats with this particular shade, because I found medium to thick coats to be a bit overwhelming. This one is all creme–no shimmer whatsoever–and is quite fitting it is so.

I don’t think I own any shades similar to Rich, Dark, Delicious, so it is actually an interesting color in my stash. It’s not quite black, but it’s not brown either, and I surprisingly like it agains tmy skin tone. Dance All Night feels less innovative, but it’s still a nice shade and wearable during the fall. The formula feels slightly thicker, creamier, and it was easier to apply. I’ve personally not have any problems applying MAC polishes nor with how they wear. I always use Zoya’s Color Lock system for my base, top, and drying coats, for reference.

• Product: 8/10
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 7/10
• Packaging: 7/10
• Overall: 8/10

Recommendation: Nail polish fanatics hoping for an improved MAC formula might find in the latest lacquers created by nail guru Jin Soon Choi!

Availability: MAC Cosmetics (August 27th)

See swatches…