MAC Cosmetics is chiming in 2013 – known in the Chinese New Year as year of the snake – with an intriguing new make up collection.

Not only are the swirly scales of the animal embossed into every lipstick, eye shadow and powder, but thanks to a shimmering colour palette of rich golds, plums and reds, each product creates a lushly dramatic effect.

Whether it’s a simple swipe of pearl blush to brighten up your complexion or a full-on crimson lip, consider yourself cosmetically prepared for the new year.

maccosmetics.co.uk

Tags: cosmetics, Mac Cosmetics, make up, Year Of The Snake collection

Don’t think the collaborations were just left to the fashion industry — collections between beauty brands and creative visionaries are now popping up left, right and centre. Twin rounds up our favourite new arrivals in the cosmetics world…

M.A.C Illustrated

These days, the exterior appearance of your bag is just as, if not more important, than what’s inside. So why resort to flinging your favourite lipstick, mascara and eyeshadow into a dingy, dirty and outdated old case? In a bid to rescue us from boring cosmetics carriers, M.A.C teamed up with illustrators Julie Verhoeven, Francois Berthoud and Nikki Farquharsson for a range of bags bearing each artist’s signature stylings, be it art deco, graphic or abstract. Mission accomplished.

maccosmetics.com

Karl Lagerfeld X Shu Uemura

In the past, Lagerfeld has been known to use Shu Uemura’s eyeshadows to colour in his fashion sketches. Now, unstoppable Karl teamed up with the Japanese brand for a 17-piece collection of make-up, false eylashes and of course, the brand’s trademark, an eyelash curler. All emblazoned with the Karl-ified mascot donning a Rei Kawakubo-esque haircut and the Uncle’s signature high collar and tie, its a kooky take on Uemura’s high-quality products.

shuuemura.com

NARS X Andy Warhol

NARS took Warhol’s love of glitz, glamour and decadence as a starting point for a Swinging Sixties bright cosmetics collection. The brand even extended their love for all things Andy to a recreation of his self-portraits and flower paintings in their eyeshadow palettes. Instead of simply slapping a name onto their products, NARS clearly made a genuine dedication to the artist with this project. The ode may solely consist of shimmer sparkles and neon brights, but Warhol wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

narscosmetics.com

M.A.C X Carine Roitfeld

The former editor of Vogue always had her laid-in smokey eye makeup down to pat, so a collaboration between the stylish image maker and a company renowned for their high-quality eye shadows was only a stone’s throw away anyhow. Expect shadow and blush palettes to recreate smouldering Roitfeld eyes and defined cheekbones, vampy red nail varnishes and to top it all off with a seductive French pout, barely-there nude lipsticks.

maccosmetics.com

Tags: Andy Warhol, Carine Roitfeld, cosmetics, Karl Lagerfeld, MAC, NARS, Shu Uemura