AMG takes a hard look at the current state of MAC. And Lesa argues that "old lady energy" is not the vibe we 50+ women want. Plus: 90s nostalgia galore in record club.
Yes the old lady energy thing should have been explained better in the first piece! I get what she was trying to say but she did a bad job of it the first time around and I kinda think Allure wanted to be provocative in their socials, hence not mentioning that a 74 yo woman wrote it. We are def not to the point of “you go girlllll we are OLD LADIES!!!!!” yet but it was important for her to point out that old lady should not be an insult. But it is not happening in our lifetimes
I used to follow Val on here but I find her work very unhelpful. I mean, it’s titled “How not to fuck up your face” but there’s so much about, um, fucking up your face? Botox, filler, expensive tweakments. I’m not at all surprised she wrote an article like this—the call is coming from inside the house when it comes to her work.
Great article! You're right about MAC and one can say the same for most all of the Lauder brands. They've been too slow to adapt and unfortunately it's been a long time coming. I worked at ELC back when beauty blogging first started and Twitter had just launched and to get anything done without a million lawyers signing off on it first was a nightmare! There's a new exec team in place now though so only time will tell!
Agreed with others saying MAC will never be "out." When I was growing up in the YT full glam era, MAC paint pots were THE eye base and every makeup guru listed their MAC foundation as the universal touchpoint. Even today people still tout their brushes as the standard for bulletproof synthetics.
What's funny about the campaign though is I almost feel the Martha Stewart thirst trap is more attention grabbing, unexpected, and transgressive then the Julia Fox nude subway shoot they keep pushing as the front of the campaign. Not that I'm saying they should've also gone with an OLE moment, it would bury them deeper, but I think the "caught in the dressing room wearing only MAC" with top models and celebs would've been more fun and glam and aspirational than the naked kewchie direct on the subway seat idea. And they could've kept the tagline.
I am still annoyed at MAC for getting rid of my absolutely favourite plum lipstick: Odyssey, and my perfect red some years before. And Back to MAC. So I just don't visit that counter as often as I did?
And I saw Neko Case talk about her memoir this week at the Toronto Reference Library.. amazing!!
MAC was sold to EL in 1994. The fair question is to wonder what the brand would be today had it not. Clearly the founders had a vision that was entwined with purpose. It’s fair to say that was replaced by the need for profits. Still the equity they created is incredibly enduring.
It was originally more than simply a bottom line company - the first company to link itself to a vital social and medical issue - they risked much in doing this - that is called Vision -
Wow- Thank you for writiting this. So good!!! I was part of the great days of MAC in 1999 - 2002. The amazing Michelle Feeney hired me to be the liason for the fashion community. She was and still is - a visionary!
Jenny! 👋🏼 Thanks for reading. I bet you have amazing stories. Tell me you remember MAC nail polish? Before I was a baby beauty editor in NYC, I used to lurk the MAC counter at Water Tower Place in Chicago and asked all the TIME when they’d have the polishes. I must have seen them in Lucky? Elle? Xx
My memeory isn't always great. I'm not 100% sure about nail polish. I have lots of stories whenever you want them. Before I left - I was doing 96 shows a week in NY 2 x a year. And endured 9/11 the morning we were about to do Oscar de la Renta and I was 6 mos pregnant with twins supoosed to be on bed rest. We all walked home - the office was on Prince Street so it was closed. On the 12th - the team was set to meet at Fred's at Barneys - then there was a bomb scare and we all left. Ended up at a dinner called Gardenia on Madison and 68th Street which has been gone for at least 20 years now.
I wonder if a company that so completely defines an era is ever able to move past that era. Mac is so synonymous with the early 90s and the Supermodel era that it seems impossible to think of it any other way than with nostalgia. When I was still a long way off actually wearing makeup I made a pilgrimage to the Mac counter on a family trip to London so I could buy Spice lip liner and Ruby Woo because I just had to have them, for when the time came.
It's a valid question and I think maybe for MAC they are too tied to that era? Whereas a brand like Revlon kept evolving to reflect the time they were in? MAC has never really had the ability to do that? And this attempt now is just trying way too hard.
I have the same coming of age memories of them too but now I don't even think about them much less care what they're launching.
See I actually feel similarly about Revlon – my aunt worked in marketing for them during the Claudia/Cindy era and she would bring me bags of freebies and signed pics and stuff, so to me they are completely tied to that time. It never crossed my mind as I grew older to buy their products, I always saw them as skewing much older, but that could be because my aunts used them (mostly because of the freebies I’m guessing) rather than my friends. It could also have something to do with being in the UK as I don’t think they were ever as big here. Mac is totally irrelevant to me now too – I might get a hit of nostalgia walking past the counter but it would never cross my mind to shop there. Doesn’t feel like it’s for me but I don’t know who it is for.
Funny, because I also think of Revlon as vintage with their “Cherries in the Snow” shade and because Marvellous Mrs. Maisel works at their department store counter.
It’s an interesting comparison. My cousin also worked on the Cindy/Colorstay campaigns and back then, in my teen brain, I couldn’t have imagined Revlon ever being irrelevant. But the business went sideways and only emerged from bankruptcy in mid-2023. It’s been restructuring off and on for years. I don’t think it will find its footing again, but 🤷🏼♀️
It's not the best one, I just associate them with different eras, not specifically one like I do with MAC. Either way the explosion of social media beauty brands was the death knell for a lot of them.
I worked for MAC from 2015-2020 before Covid nearly collapsed the already unstable company. Internally, at least, it was widely acknowledged that through the 90s and early aughts - the MAC artist was the embodiment of beauty, personal style, and personality, “influencers” in their own right. You came to the counter to be entertained, inspired, and “put on” to the latest trends. As culture shifted online, MAC simply did not adapt to consumer trends quickly enough. As up-and-coming brands rushed to become your favorite influencers favorite makeup, MAC was slow to participate in the new era of unboxings and tutorials. In my time alone the company had 3 CEOs and rolled out multiple massive overhauls in the way we as a company engaged with customers and approached the art of the sale. As AIDS took a backseat to other social issues, Viva Glam lost its gravitas. By the end of my time there we were up against universal negative feedback from MAC diehards regarding a slough of discontinued products and shitty reformulations. Sure, the launch was try-hard cringe, but I will say that the nude collection fills in the many gaps in MAC lip library along with reissues of some of their most requested retired shades of all time.
This is good perspective. My take on the nudes launch is that the creative has been unpopular, but the relaunches have been selling well. So maybe you can separate a brand from its identity when you need to 🤷🏼♀️ Thanks for reading and weighing in!
EL kills every brand that they buy because they don't let them do the thing that make them profitable in the first place. That being said, I think MAC will never be OUT, and that's not a bad thing. I think buying MAC is like a rite of passage into adulthood, and their line is incredibly solid, and they should really focus their marketing in that.
I would buy from MAC but they are not cruelty free, and the fact that they used to be but decided that money was more important feels particularly aggravating. If they went back to being cruelty free, they would have my money in a heartbeat
This is the second time Val Monroe has managed to piss off a lot of middle aged women (I am one). The first was when she called Gwen Walz frumpy at the DNC (oh, but she meant it as a compliment, you know). I unsubscribed to the free version of her newsletter not long afterwards. Because everything was under paywall (her right to do so), what I got was mostly stories about her granddaughter (her right to do so, but I'm not that market). Haven't missed her, I'v e found others to follow ;)
I grew up in the beauty industry and pretty much every major beauty brand gets stuck in whatever year they peaked, whether it’s Paul Mitchell, Bumble, Arrojo, if they peaked in 1998, they probably still have djs in their salon, 2006? You know their session stylists are wearing drop crotch trousers and Keith Richards’ scarves. Mac was huge when I was in beauty school in Southern California but it was a very specific look of caked on drag makeup for fans of Betsey Johnson and My Chemical Romance, aka 16-25 year olds of the era. But styles have changed, I’m not an expert but look around. Maybe it’s because I moved east but it seems like customers are investing more on keeping their skin in good condition with a natural dewy look than spending 4 hours every morning putting on their face. Macs ads are still targeting an era that just doesn’t exist anymore.
MAC has been in the process of rebranding for at least 5 years now, since it hired its most recent CD. The nudes launch coincided with a bunch of industry stories asking what went wrong with MAC, so time feels of the essence! Thanks for reading ❤️
MAC is definitely not as it was in the 00's but it was never really an "out" brand for me. Their collections in the late 10's until recently completely lost me but their permanent line of products have always been staples for me!
I have a lot of limited edition MAC stuff in my beauty closet (including the unused Rodarte collab). It’s not a brand I turn to as much these days, but no denying that it still has core products that are great. Thanks for reading!
Yes the old lady energy thing should have been explained better in the first piece! I get what she was trying to say but she did a bad job of it the first time around and I kinda think Allure wanted to be provocative in their socials, hence not mentioning that a 74 yo woman wrote it. We are def not to the point of “you go girlllll we are OLD LADIES!!!!!” yet but it was important for her to point out that old lady should not be an insult. But it is not happening in our lifetimes
She did a terrible job! And her doubling down didn’t help ! Agree, NOT in our lifetimes…
I used to follow Val on here but I find her work very unhelpful. I mean, it’s titled “How not to fuck up your face” but there’s so much about, um, fucking up your face? Botox, filler, expensive tweakments. I’m not at all surprised she wrote an article like this—the call is coming from inside the house when it comes to her work.
Great article! You're right about MAC and one can say the same for most all of the Lauder brands. They've been too slow to adapt and unfortunately it's been a long time coming. I worked at ELC back when beauty blogging first started and Twitter had just launched and to get anything done without a million lawyers signing off on it first was a nightmare! There's a new exec team in place now though so only time will tell!
Omg that’s insane!! They’ve been really resistant to the changing landscape and it’s really hurt them.
Agreed with others saying MAC will never be "out." When I was growing up in the YT full glam era, MAC paint pots were THE eye base and every makeup guru listed their MAC foundation as the universal touchpoint. Even today people still tout their brushes as the standard for bulletproof synthetics.
What's funny about the campaign though is I almost feel the Martha Stewart thirst trap is more attention grabbing, unexpected, and transgressive then the Julia Fox nude subway shoot they keep pushing as the front of the campaign. Not that I'm saying they should've also gone with an OLE moment, it would bury them deeper, but I think the "caught in the dressing room wearing only MAC" with top models and celebs would've been more fun and glam and aspirational than the naked kewchie direct on the subway seat idea. And they could've kept the tagline.
I am still annoyed at MAC for getting rid of my absolutely favourite plum lipstick: Odyssey, and my perfect red some years before. And Back to MAC. So I just don't visit that counter as often as I did?
And I saw Neko Case talk about her memoir this week at the Toronto Reference Library.. amazing!!
Thanks for reading, Rebecca! And yours is a take I heard a LOT when writing this story. Also, Neko is a national treasure 🥹
MAC was sold to EL in 1994. The fair question is to wonder what the brand would be today had it not. Clearly the founders had a vision that was entwined with purpose. It’s fair to say that was replaced by the need for profits. Still the equity they created is incredibly enduring.
Yes of course and that was touched on in a previous post about Clinique and all the other brands they own. EL is clearly lost.
https://starvingforbeauty.substack.com/p/clinique-is-the-granny-panties-of
Had it remained with founders, I bet it would be the ‘Ben and Jerry’s’ of the makeup world ✌️
It was originally more than simply a bottom line company - the first company to link itself to a vital social and medical issue - they risked much in doing this - that is called Vision -
Wow- Thank you for writiting this. So good!!! I was part of the great days of MAC in 1999 - 2002. The amazing Michelle Feeney hired me to be the liason for the fashion community. She was and still is - a visionary!
Jenny! 👋🏼 Thanks for reading. I bet you have amazing stories. Tell me you remember MAC nail polish? Before I was a baby beauty editor in NYC, I used to lurk the MAC counter at Water Tower Place in Chicago and asked all the TIME when they’d have the polishes. I must have seen them in Lucky? Elle? Xx
My memeory isn't always great. I'm not 100% sure about nail polish. I have lots of stories whenever you want them. Before I left - I was doing 96 shows a week in NY 2 x a year. And endured 9/11 the morning we were about to do Oscar de la Renta and I was 6 mos pregnant with twins supoosed to be on bed rest. We all walked home - the office was on Prince Street so it was closed. On the 12th - the team was set to meet at Fred's at Barneys - then there was a bomb scare and we all left. Ended up at a dinner called Gardenia on Madison and 68th Street which has been gone for at least 20 years now.
Wow. Were you at the Tents during all that?
I wonder if a company that so completely defines an era is ever able to move past that era. Mac is so synonymous with the early 90s and the Supermodel era that it seems impossible to think of it any other way than with nostalgia. When I was still a long way off actually wearing makeup I made a pilgrimage to the Mac counter on a family trip to London so I could buy Spice lip liner and Ruby Woo because I just had to have them, for when the time came.
It's a valid question and I think maybe for MAC they are too tied to that era? Whereas a brand like Revlon kept evolving to reflect the time they were in? MAC has never really had the ability to do that? And this attempt now is just trying way too hard.
I have the same coming of age memories of them too but now I don't even think about them much less care what they're launching.
See I actually feel similarly about Revlon – my aunt worked in marketing for them during the Claudia/Cindy era and she would bring me bags of freebies and signed pics and stuff, so to me they are completely tied to that time. It never crossed my mind as I grew older to buy their products, I always saw them as skewing much older, but that could be because my aunts used them (mostly because of the freebies I’m guessing) rather than my friends. It could also have something to do with being in the UK as I don’t think they were ever as big here. Mac is totally irrelevant to me now too – I might get a hit of nostalgia walking past the counter but it would never cross my mind to shop there. Doesn’t feel like it’s for me but I don’t know who it is for.
Funny, because I also think of Revlon as vintage with their “Cherries in the Snow” shade and because Marvellous Mrs. Maisel works at their department store counter.
But then they also adapted well to the 80s/90s.
It’s an interesting comparison. My cousin also worked on the Cindy/Colorstay campaigns and back then, in my teen brain, I couldn’t have imagined Revlon ever being irrelevant. But the business went sideways and only emerged from bankruptcy in mid-2023. It’s been restructuring off and on for years. I don’t think it will find its footing again, but 🤷🏼♀️
It's not the best one, I just associate them with different eras, not specifically one like I do with MAC. Either way the explosion of social media beauty brands was the death knell for a lot of them.
I worked for MAC from 2015-2020 before Covid nearly collapsed the already unstable company. Internally, at least, it was widely acknowledged that through the 90s and early aughts - the MAC artist was the embodiment of beauty, personal style, and personality, “influencers” in their own right. You came to the counter to be entertained, inspired, and “put on” to the latest trends. As culture shifted online, MAC simply did not adapt to consumer trends quickly enough. As up-and-coming brands rushed to become your favorite influencers favorite makeup, MAC was slow to participate in the new era of unboxings and tutorials. In my time alone the company had 3 CEOs and rolled out multiple massive overhauls in the way we as a company engaged with customers and approached the art of the sale. As AIDS took a backseat to other social issues, Viva Glam lost its gravitas. By the end of my time there we were up against universal negative feedback from MAC diehards regarding a slough of discontinued products and shitty reformulations. Sure, the launch was try-hard cringe, but I will say that the nude collection fills in the many gaps in MAC lip library along with reissues of some of their most requested retired shades of all time.
This is good perspective. My take on the nudes launch is that the creative has been unpopular, but the relaunches have been selling well. So maybe you can separate a brand from its identity when you need to 🤷🏼♀️ Thanks for reading and weighing in!
EL kills every brand that they buy because they don't let them do the thing that make them profitable in the first place. That being said, I think MAC will never be OUT, and that's not a bad thing. I think buying MAC is like a rite of passage into adulthood, and their line is incredibly solid, and they should really focus their marketing in that.
I would buy from MAC but they are not cruelty free, and the fact that they used to be but decided that money was more important feels particularly aggravating. If they went back to being cruelty free, they would have my money in a heartbeat
Agree! I’ll never forgive them for ruining Rodin
Great issue!
This is the second time Val Monroe has managed to piss off a lot of middle aged women (I am one). The first was when she called Gwen Walz frumpy at the DNC (oh, but she meant it as a compliment, you know). I unsubscribed to the free version of her newsletter not long afterwards. Because everything was under paywall (her right to do so), what I got was mostly stories about her granddaughter (her right to do so, but I'm not that market). Haven't missed her, I'v e found others to follow ;)
She seriously said "frumpy" was a compliment?? Did she then get mad at everyone for perceiving it as an insult?
Thanks for reading Pam!
I grew up in the beauty industry and pretty much every major beauty brand gets stuck in whatever year they peaked, whether it’s Paul Mitchell, Bumble, Arrojo, if they peaked in 1998, they probably still have djs in their salon, 2006? You know their session stylists are wearing drop crotch trousers and Keith Richards’ scarves. Mac was huge when I was in beauty school in Southern California but it was a very specific look of caked on drag makeup for fans of Betsey Johnson and My Chemical Romance, aka 16-25 year olds of the era. But styles have changed, I’m not an expert but look around. Maybe it’s because I moved east but it seems like customers are investing more on keeping their skin in good condition with a natural dewy look than spending 4 hours every morning putting on their face. Macs ads are still targeting an era that just doesn’t exist anymore.
Was having this exact convo about MAC the other day! There is so much artistry history and product potential, I hope they can turn it around
MAC has been in the process of rebranding for at least 5 years now, since it hired its most recent CD. The nudes launch coincided with a bunch of industry stories asking what went wrong with MAC, so time feels of the essence! Thanks for reading ❤️
MAC is definitely not as it was in the 00's but it was never really an "out" brand for me. Their collections in the late 10's until recently completely lost me but their permanent line of products have always been staples for me!
Agree. MAC’s core offerings are solid and still hold up. It’s the brand identity that went sideways, and they’ve had a long time to work on that!
I’ve been a MAC chick forever, and still have the Cinderella wicked stepmother eyeshadow pot. Much of their product is still made in Canada!
I have a lot of limited edition MAC stuff in my beauty closet (including the unused Rodarte collab). It’s not a brand I turn to as much these days, but no denying that it still has core products that are great. Thanks for reading!
Perfect meme!
TY! My Photoshop skills could be improved, tho 😂
No it’s great! (Omg also me tooling around on Canva…)
OMG where have you two been?! I stumbled across your Substack and will never leave, this is amazing! 🤩
Thank you!! We are so happy you found us!