So, I’m late to this train, but apparently, every year, MAC Cosmetics asks their artists from around the world to submit their fantasy Halloween makeup looks that can be recreated for you and me. (Sort of a great way to put in minimal effort on the Halloween front—they paint your face and you throw on those randy cat ears you’ve still got kicking around from last year. An instant getup!) Check out a video on how they put together the makeup sheets, like the one above, into actual faces, on real-live people—after the jump!

The webs have been buzzing over MAC‘s much-anticipated new all-black collection, Style Black, for awhile now. We’re excited to report it finally launched today! We are not just talking about eyeliner here, we’re talking black lipstick, baby. Now, we’ve all decided that the latter is one helluva tricky trend, but today we’ve got options. The line includes three Glimmerglass glosses that make black lips a little more wearable: There’s Blackfire Sheer black with berry-ish pearl; Bling Black Sheer, which is translucent black with a gold glimmer; and, of course, Blackware Creamy, which is a true black for the truly brave. Either you like to roll goth-style or you don’t, but we definitely plan on snapping up a couple of the limited editions. Check out the whole collection here.

The beauty look of the models at the Baby Phat fashion show captured the Moroccan essence of the collection. True to Baby Phat form, the sex-factor was also a huge focus. But I wonder how the beauty team was able to get anything done because the teensy-tiny hair and makeup area was shear pandemonium. Well, maybe it was more like an ordered chaos with hair and makeup brushes going in every direction while flashbulbs went off every second. I had to sneak behind curtains and stand on a chair in four-inch heels to get my own shots. But I couldn’t slink my way into the crowd that mobbed Kim Kardashian when she appeared. Sadly, my photo of her isn’t fit to publish. Music by Jay-Z blasting from unseen speakers helped keep the mood festively frenzied. PS. Where the you-know-what was Kimora? Luckily, I was able to score some cool beauty secrets. Keep reading for how you can get a look that oozes opulence and sex appeal.

I’m pretty dang obsessed with Rad Hourani for making lots of hard-edged, androgynous black clothes that look good on girls and boys. Yesterday, the show did not disappoint, but what I’m really here to talk about is how pitch-perfect the makeup was. The obvious go-to would be lots of dark liner or purple-stained lips but MAC makeup artist Hung Vanngo had a fresh idea—to contrast the rock star zippers and gorgeous metallic accents with the dewiest, most luminescent skin I’ve ever seen up close. Hung told me he wanted the skin to look healthy and here is his secret weapon: MAC Strobe Cream. It’s loaded with green tea and other antioxidants to perk up dull skin and contains all kinds of iridescent particles that reflect the light in a way that’s glowy—as opposed to Paris Hilton glittery (yuck)—and blinds anyone gazing upon your beautiful mug to any and all imperfections. In short, it’s the easiest way to fake perfect skin ever. Just use it as a primer, dab a bit of concealer around your nose and any problem areas, and you’re done. That’s it. Now get outta here.

When it’s time to put together the look for a L.A.M.B. fashion show, the beauty team not only looks at the collection for inspiration but also its designer, Gwen Stefani. We were backstage at the show and learned quite a bit about how to create hair and makeup that can hold its own against the in-your-face, street-chic L.A.M.B. clothing. A girl can’t be noticed only for her outfit—her mug has to get the same attention, right? More, lots more, after the jump.

We were backstage at Vena Cava‘s spring 2010 show today and you can’t tell from this Teen Vogue video but the scene was downright exciting since the show kicked off MAC & Milk’s new partnership. (If you hadn’t heard, MAC, which used to sponsor makeup at the Bryant Park tents, decided to go rogue-ish and strike up a deal with Milk Studios—which is where anybody who’s anybody in NYC fashion shoots their magazine editorials and advertising campaigns.)

Yesterday eve we went backstage at Agent Provocateur‘s show—our favorite purveyors of classy yet kinky underthings and beyond—to see how the hair and makeup team were going to be able to make a strong statement against all that studded leather and French lace dusted with Swarovski crystals. The answer? They stayed true to the sex appeal that’s inherent in the label. MAC makeup artist Chantel Miller looked to recreate the kind of sultriness, with an expensive edge, you’d find in a ‘70s-era Playboy (which is certainly my personal favorite decade for the mag, but no one’s asking, so ...). Anyhoo. “Before I spoke to anyone regarding the makeup for the show, the word ‘sex’ came to mind,” Miller told us. Naturally. Pasquale (it’s just “Pasquale,” thanks), one of our favorite hairstylists, was there dousing girls’ hair in Davines hairspray and he totally concurred. We love the makeup Miller used: Hefty doses of Golden Lemon and Golden Olive Pigment (the turquoise effect was from the light) and a blend of Cherry liner, Crimson Lipmix and Burgundy Lipmix on the models’ kissers. But while we had her attention, our minds turned to more carnal—and realistic matters—so we also begged her to tell us what kind of makeup to wear when we’re pretty sure we’re gonna get laid and don’t want to look too shameful on the walk home. Her professional opinion, after the jump!

We couldn’t possibly be any more obsessed with Grammy-winning artist and new fashion It Girl, Janelle Monae. Seriously, this gorgeous chick not only literally rocks, she’s got a mean sense of style and can moonwalk like a champ. What’s not to love? We’re waiting with bated breath to meet her at the MAC store on Fashion’s Night Out, but in the meantime, we’re spying on her unusual beauty regimen. While we can agree that some of her favorite products, like MAC’s Studio Finish concealer and #35 lashes are indeed superb, we were surprised to learn that when it comes to her “off” days, she has a rather unique source for blush and lipstick: “... when I am with family or running errands, I use Whole Foods’ organic raspberries for blush and dark cherries for stained, moist lips. There’s nothing like having genuine natural colors on your face,” she told our friends over at the Beauty Counter.

Seriously!? I have never heard of that, have you? And ya know what, I am so totally intrigued that I need to run to the grocery store ASAP. [Beauty Counter]

When it comes to glitter makeup, I can take it or leave it, preferably back in grade school. But all these famous chicks keep wearing crazy eye makeup (Drew Barrymore and Lily Allen spring to mind), and when I recently ran into makeup artist Regina Harris at photographer Marilyn Minter’s studio, I became mega-inspired. Harris was there celebrating Minter’s MAC collaboration and did the makeup for this shot (above) of model Cintia Dicker sporting thick, textured sparkle with not just a hint of Minter’s signature mix of, as Harris puts it, “glamour and deconstruction.” Before we digressed into art speak, I asked Harris what was really on my mind: “How can a grown woman ever pull off glitter in real life?”

We had long wondered what kind of girl the personification of a Mac computer would go for—and now we know. A new commercial pits Mac (Justin Long) against PC (John Hodgman) as they try to win a woman’s attention. Since it’s a Mac commercial, Mac wins. Who is this mystery lady? Says she: “I’m a Megan.”

This new ad for MAC Cosmetics is a surreal, kinky take on Alice in Wonderland, featuring a trip through a (ahem) pink tunnel that takes Alice into a faraway land, where she gets molested by a roving gang of shirtless, male, SM-styled Hello Kitties. Well, then! Apparently, the four-minute, outre mini-movie is a tie-in to the new Hello Kitty-MAC collaboration. This time around, though, Hello Kitty goes black, and the product line includes Hello Kitty “kitten-eyes,” crosshatched fake eyelashes, Hello Kitty On the Prowl platinum nail polish, and a Hello Kitty plush doll in black pleather. Clearly, all things Alice in Wonderland are looking to be the new new thing. Tim Burton is at work on a live action/stop motion new movie version of Lewis Carroll’s novel, starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Anne Hathaway. Who knows if Burton’s redux will be quite so fetishistic as this.