Viva Glam Cyndi and GaGa for Brown Girls

Hmm... sometime you have to be willing to say things people won't really want to hear.  Like everyone else, I was really excited to hear about MAC's partnership with Cyndi Lauper and Lady GaGa for Viva Glam Beauty.  I love that MAC donates the proceeds towards AIDS research and continued strides to stop the spread of AIDS and HIV.  That said, do I think this collection works for everyone?  No.  Sorry, but after reading countless posts and seeing the reviews, I am passing on this collection.  As much as I love being a "Little Monster" to GaGa and enjoy Lauper's 80s tunes, I cannot justify purchasing these lipsticks for the following reason:

1. The colours look warm even on my cool skin.  I have pigmented lips so it does distort the actual colouring, but...
2. They are very sheer since they are sheens and for MAC, I like their amplified cremes and mattes, but not sheens.  They are buildable but...
3. The colours are not suitable for darker women of colour.  Shots fired!  Yep, I said it.

I read about how people will make the colours "work" by using a dark liner and/or mix it with another lipstick and to me, if I have to "work" to make any item I purchase look presentable, I need to say, "Thanks but no thanks."  I read one beautiful sister say she would pair GaGa with a brown lipliner.  Really?  Is it that serious?  GaGa is a lite version of Saint Germain, which made most women look like they had eaten a powdered donut.  That's not a cute look.  Really, if you have money to the point where a $15.00 lipstick is worth mixing to look good, I'm happy you have it like that, but me? I can go straight to the chemist and pick up Wet N Wild for less than a dollar and put it on in the car and keep it moving.  Why do we continue to buy products that don't flatter us?  I have written letter to:  Physician's Choice, Chanel, Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent, and a few others inquiring about the selection (or lack of) for dark skinned women.  Yes, I get that extremely pale women and women with (add skin type, issue, undertone here) have difficulties, but if you have a large population of consumers who are not able to buy products from your line, you may want to add a few more pigments to your line.  If you're not sure, try a small sample and send it to Scandalous Beauty, Afrobella, Vex in the City and other beauty bloggers of colour who have a strong audience and see what happens?  If you can't justify the costs, cancel it and if the subject comes up, remind us of the test run and the fact we failed to buy and Bob's your uncle.  Until then, I say women should support the makeup which is made to be good for your skintone.  You can make things work, but even for some of the most beautiful (to the left) a colour can wash out a look or add a grey cast to a lovely bronze complexion.  Just say "no" if you have to work to make a colour friendly.