WHEN I think about K-beauty, the name Pony is one of the first that comes to mind.
Pony, Park Hye-min in real life, is a YouTuber with over 5 million followers on the platform and 6 million on Instagram. She has parlayed this online fame into real-life success. I first learned about Pony from friends who told me how she transformed herself into Taylor Swift with the power of makeup techniques. Since then, I have followed her and I’m continually amazed at her talent.
Among Pony’s very popular videos are tutorials for hijab wearers and those with monolids.
The news that she was collaborating with MAC Cosmetics for a 17-piece limited-edition collection sent chills down the spine of every legit makeup addict. Pony has many fans. Even people who don’t wear makeup love her.
“Pony Park is synonymous with K-beauty. She is South Korea’s biggest and most sought-after beauty blogger and inspires her fan base to tap into their own creativity. In her forthcoming collaboration with MAC, you’ll find formula innovation and shades from punchy sweet to deeply delightful berry tones and mysterious shimmers, all in special tarot-inspired packaging. If you’ve always wanted to try K-beauty, this color collection is for you,” said Regan Rabanal, Apac senior manager of Makeup Artistry, Hong Kong.
The collection is best described as a celestially styled collection. All are packaged in collectible sun, moon and star-touched packaging inspired by tarot cards—each imbued with spiritual meaning.
“Her new, limited-edition collection brings this vision to life with versatile colors, unique textures and edited essentials that can be mixed and matched for an endless variety of looks. The sky’s the limit,” said MAC Cosmetics in a press release.
For me, the star of the collection is the “groundbreaking Matte Lip Mousse, an ethereally weightless formula that glides on evenly for misty soft-matte color. While sublimely comfortable and easy for everyday wear, the lip color also lends itself to next-level, Pony-worthy looks.” This is a new lip product texture from MAC, and as such, has elicited a lot of curiosity.
There are nine shades: Stone’s Throw (deep burgundy red), Privacy Please (bright pinky coral), Cordon Bleu (bright warm pink), My Better Half (intense vivid cool red), Moot Point (deep warm claret red), Love Is Blind (bright cool fuchsia), Beck and Call (bright cool mid-tone pink), One-Hit (warm nude) and Off The Record (deep wine red).
To create the blurred, Korean-style ombré lip that is so popular these days, Rabanal recommends the following steps: Start by softening the edge of lip lines with Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 and the 217S Brush. Smooth Prep + Prime Lip over lips, then apply a thin amount of Matte Lip Mousse in My Better Half to the inside center part of the lips. Blot and blend the edges. Use Matte Lip Mousse in Privacy Please to outline the edges of lips and meet the first color. Blot lips again to blur the edges together and use the 217S Brush to diffuse around the lip line. The result should have a watercolor effect.
Pony is so popular that One-Hit, the shade she wore in one of the pictures used by MAC, sold out immediately when the collection dropped on Lazada last week. Already, my friends are strategizing as to how they can get their hands on One-Hit.
“My collection with MAC is super meaningful to me, that I am able to bring K-beauty, Korean culture, and Asian beauty and culture to the global market,” said Pony.
“I’ve been showing various looks on my social networks and videos for years, and through this collaboration with MAC, I’m able to bring the actual experience to global consumers so they can experience my vision directly and hands-on as they try the products.”
The Matte Lip Mousse shades coordinate effortlessly with the rest of the collection: tinted Plenty Of Pout Plumping Lip Gloss, a neutral-hued Eye Shadow x 8 Palette, two cosmic-embossed Extra Dimension Skinfinish shades, a softly iridescent Prep + Prime Fix+, a Face Powder Brush, a Duo Fibre Eye Shader Brush and a pair of lashes.
“To me, this collection tells a beautiful story about luminosity,” said Lyne Desnoyers, global executive director of Makeup Artistry, in press release from the brand.
“Core to K-beauty is this idea of a radiance that is present in every step of the beauty regimen, from skin care to makeup. This has hugely influenced makeup lovers around the world—the gestures and details that create glowy makeup have become essential for everyone. But luminosity is not one-note anymore. From a fresh eye to a flushed cheek to radiant skin, it can be conveyed in many different ways. Radiance through flat color is particularly fascinating and the shades of Matte Lip Mousse are good examples of that. From rich plums to warm pinks to cool fuchsias, these colors instantly brighten the face whether worn as a stain or fully defined. The effect is a luxe, flattering, velvety finish with saturated hues that remind me of refined, natural lip tones. I also love how easy it is to create looks with the eye shadows. Since they’re all rich, neutral colors which naturally have an affinity with all skin tones, they marry effortlessly with any lip color.”
The collection will be available in the Philippines at selected MAC locations on October 15.