A few words with MAC’s James Molloy and photographic evidence as to why you should match your lips with your nails.

Maddy Budd.

Wow, so before we begin, let’s address the fact that this blog post title is the longest blog post title, ever. I’m nothing if not thorough and descriptive.

A week or two ago, I was given the opportunity to meet up with James Molloy, MAC Cosmetics’ ‘Director of Makeup Artistry for Asia Pacific’ (yes, that’s a real title – they must’ve taken a leaf out of my long-blog-post-title book) and ask him some questions, all the while having my makeup done using the new ‘Fashion Sets’ – read: matching lip glosses, lipsticks and nail polishes. While asking questions is pretty much my favourite thing in the entire world, the thought of having close-up photos of my face freaks me out so I decided to enlist the modelling skills and flawless skin of Maddy Budd, pictured above and below, for the makeup part. (Doesn’t she look pretttttttttyyyy?!) See what James Molloy had to say, below:

Hello again!
Hi Katherine.

You remember me from Aus Fashion Week, right?
Yes of course! It’s nice to see you again.

Cool. This is Maddy, she’s going to get her make-up done instead of me because I’m sick and I don’t want to spread germs. Oh, and I’m really sorry we’re late, I had a parking mare. I’ve got questions all ready for you though! They’ll be the best questions you’ve been asked all day, I bet, and it won’t take long. [Editors Note: This is really how I talk. Annoying, I know.]
Haha, okay then.

So what did you have for breakfast? 
I had an amazing breakfast at the hotel – Mollies. It was an Earl Grey tea, fried eggs, tomato, bacon and sausage. A real breakfast.

What were you doing at 9:15pm last night?
I was actually repacking my kit after taking a MAC Pro masterclass.

What’s your favourite city in the world? You travel a lot, right?
I do travel a lot, probably 70% of the time. My favourite city… I’d have to say Shanghai – it’s the city of the future.

Favourite food?
Salmon sashimi. Simple.

Favourite colour?
Yellow.

Is that your favourite makeup colour too? What’s your favourite makeup colour?
It’s cliché but I’d have to say a classic blackened red, a deep red wine lipstick.

What do you think is the one makeup item every girl should have?
A black eyeliner – black eye kohl is so versatile.

What about makeup for men? What’s your opinion on that?
Why not? The stigma is slowly changing, Bowie, Boy George – they’re pioneers of the new romantic age. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a guy who wouldn’t feel a bit better without a tiny bit of concealer on.

Tall or Short? Short.
Blonde or Brunette? Blonde.
Gold or Silver? Silver.
Tumblr or Pinterest? Tumblr… I don’t even know what Pinterest is.
Lipstick or Mascara? Lipstick.
Pick two – Good looking, Intelligent, Emotionally Stable: Good looking… And Emotionally Stable.

What’s the most common mistake people make with makeup? 
They use too much! People treat it as a safety net. [To Maddy:] You’ve got such great brows.

Maddy has great everything.
Such amazing eyes and skin.

Enough about her. What’s the best part of your job? 
Constantly being engaged – it’s never boring.

What’s the worst part of your job? 
Jetlag.

Most exciting thing you’ve done so far in your job?
Working with Alexander McQueen. Hands down.

What’s the last thing you bought?
Actually, this Stolen Girlfriends Club necklace.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? 
To put a positive spin on everything, avoid the negatives.

For those who are into matchy-matchy (and, really, who isn’t?) MAC’s ‘Fashion Sets’ are available in MAC stores now – lipsticks retail at NZ$40.00, lipglosses NZ$38.00 and nail polishes NZ$26.00, in 7 different shades. Holla.