London Spring/Summer 2010 Fashion Week: Beauty Behind the Scenes

LONDON -

- M-A-C Cosmetics Returns as Official Makeup Brand of London Fashion Week Merging Makeup Technique, Trends and Technology

The M-A-C PRO Team of makeup artists from around the world will be creating, executing and polishing the makeup looks that will appear on fashion runways in major cities worldwide.

For the Spring/Summer 2010 London shows, M-A-C will support over a record 50 designers including Antonio Berardi, Pringle of Scotland, Jonathan Saunders, Twenty8Twelve, House of Holland, Nathan Jenden, Erdem, Emilio de la Morena, Mark Fast, Mary Katrantzou, Margaret Howell, Danielle Scutt, Jeremy Scott, Ashish, Charles Anastase, JC/DC by Jean Charles de Castelbajac, Mulberry, Louise Gray, Betty Jackson, Nicole Farhi, Graeme Black, MeadhamKirchhoff, Unique, Richard Nicoll, Josh Goot, Jaeger London, Peter Pilotto, Jeremy Scott, Felder Felder, Hannah Marshall and Sykes. Designers Heikki Salonen, Holly Fulton and Michael van der Ham 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 - Ashley Isham, Bernard Chandran, Julian James Smith, KTZ and the new designers showing as part of OnIOff Presents.

M-A-C’s very own Gordon Espinet, Terry Barber and Caroline Donnelly will be keying the looks for shows including Vivienne Westwood Red Label, Pam Hogg, LP.BG and Headonsim. In addition to London, M-A-C PRO artists will work at New York, Milan, and Paris Fashion Weeks as well as burgeoning Fashion Weeks in Athens, South Africa, Sydney, Sao Paulo and more.

“Nearly 15 years ago, when M-A-C began working backstage at fashions shows, the ultimate goals were to lend support to our #1 customer, the professional makeup artist, and to champion the fashion design community. All these years later, those goals have not changed. M-A-C’s backstage support of fashion shows across the world allows our Artists to exercise their craft alongside the world’s most renowned, and esteemed makeup artists. They have the chance to not only witness the trends as they happen but the opportunity to have a hand in creating the looks that will define the upcoming season. They then take these vast experiences and bring that knowledge and skill back to M-A-C counters and ultimately consumers throughout the world,” says Gordon Espinet, Vice President of Global Makeup Artistry, M-A-C Cosmetics.

M-A-C SENIOR ARTISTS TWEET WITH INSTANT BACKSTAGE BEAUTY UPDATES

For the 3rd season in a row you can get instant quotes, trend insights and a glimpse into what is happening backstage at New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks from our M-A-C Senior Artists via Twitter. This year, we’ve kicked it up a notch and now instead of sixteen Senior Artists, we will have thirty-five Artists tweeting away from around the world. Also, new this year is a M-A-C Twitter webpage in which all M-A-C tweets will be compiled into one website. Simply go to www.maccosmetics.com, or as of October go to www.macartiststweets.com and read about all of your favourite M-A-C Senior Artists on Twitter.

Other unique features include a Twitpic library of photos, a follower leaderboard of all the Artists, as well as an option to join the Twitter conversation with #hashtags, which will allow you to send tweets directly from the page. Join in as the M-A-C Senior Artists tweet the 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 Artists by signing up on www.twitter.com, or by visiting the M-A-C Facebook Fan page, which is the #1 cosmetics fan page with over 240,000 fans. Die-hard fashionistas and makeup lovers around the world can also download and embed the M -A-C S/S ‘10 Twitter widget directly to their personal Facebook pages, websites or blogs.

FASHION SHOWS ARE A PRODUCT TESTING GROUND

In addition to creating the beauty trends on the runway, fashion shows around the world play a critical role in the 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 texture, colour and ease of application and in response, to meet the artists’ requirements; the products are often changed as needed.

DAILY FACE CHARTS AND WEEKLY TREND RECAPS

Each day M-A-C issues an email blast with three face charts from the previous day’s shows that include the M-A-C products used to create the look and an inspiration quote from your favourite key makeup artists. Following New York, London, Milan and Paris, weekly recaps will be issued which highlight M-A-C’s trend of the week and a M-A-C product of the week.

M-A-C AND FASHION WEEK

M-A-C Cosmetics sponsors fashion weeks throughout the world including 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 - embark on the fashion migration trail going from New York to London, Milan and Paris. The M-A-C PRO 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.

ABOUT M-A-C COSMETICS

M-A-C (Makeup Art Cosmetics), a leading brand of professional cosmetics, was created in Toronto, Canada in 1984 and is part of the Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. The companies popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from makeup artists, models, photographers and journalists around the world. M-A-C is now sold in over 70 countries worldwide. For a M-A-C location visit www.maccosmetics.co.uk.

Source: Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd

For further information or to book an interview with one of the M-A-C Pro Team backstage or at the M-A-C Media Lounge, please contact: Ruth Wiles, t: +44(0)870-034-6858, m: +44(0)7764-563-756, e:rwiles at mac-cosmetics.co.uk; Jane Walsh, t: +44(0)870-034-6514, m: +44(0)7766-421-367, e:jwalsh at mac-cosmetics.co.uk; Jodi Isaacs, t: +44(0)870-034-6775, m: +44(0)7747-790-983, e:jisaacs at mac-cosmetics.co.uk