Packing for fashion week is like preparing for battle—especially if you’re MAC Cosmetics, a company who sponsors over 200 shows during the course of a season. And stocking an army of face painters for a month of cosmetic combat (the opposition being sleep deprivation, dark circles, and dehydrated, stressed-out skin) is no small feat. We asked the brand and a few of their senior artists how they equip their kits for backstage domination and prepare to fight the good fashion fight.
For Spring 2015, MAC artists will make their way through…
3,776 mascara wands and tubes
1,233 eyeliners and pencils
844 sets of lashes
576 lip products (including lipstick, Lipglass, Lipmix, Lip Erase, and Conditioner)
MAC senior artists spill their secrets…
What’s your best packing tip?
“Packing a kit is like maintaining a boat: Something always needs your attention! One of my best tips is to empty each foundation bottle into a travel vial. Each vial of Matchmaster Foundation holds 80 pumps of foundation. I carry nine shades. That’s 720 pumps of foundation with me at all times.”
Do you pack anything in your bag besides makeup?
“Extra towels, straws for models wearing bold lips, and Scotch tape to pick up unwanted glitter on a model’s skin.”
Describe your pre-fashion week feelings in three words.
“May I pick four and create a quote? Go with the flow.”
Is there one product that seems to disappear every season?
“Sharpeners! Where do they go!? Sometimes, my kit feels like the Bermuda Triangle.”
How do you mark your “territory” backstage?
“Backstage is no man’s land. No one is safe! To claim my work station, I use an old MAC towel that almost nobody has anymore. I also label all of my palettes, and my brushes each have a green mark on them. Besides that, I know my kids!”
