Cosmetics to make you look comic - in a good way

The cosmetics encapsulate the all-American spirit of the 'Archie' comics

Comic-book capers abound on the big screen, but MAC has being doing good work on bringing them to the beauty counter, too. The cosmetics brand’s latest limited-edition collection is inspired by the characters of Archie comics. Two contrasting colour stories are inspired by the bubbly girl-next-door Betty and vampy rich girl Veronica.

Love hearts and cartoon faces adorn the limited-edition collection that features contrasting shades of dark and light, playing Betty’s blond hair and peaches-and-cream complexion off against Veronica’s blue-black Bettie Page pin-up fringe. With names like “girl next door”, “summer sweetheart” and “past curfew” the cosmetics – including lipsticks, eye make-up, nail polishes and powder – encapsulate the all-American spirit of the comic that, although first drawn in the early Forties and since modernised, evokes the tight sweaters, bobby socks and saddle shoes of the teens that emerged in the Fifties.

This is only the most recent in a long line of colourful collaborations – MAC has previously devised collections featuring Wonder Woman, Disney villains, Miss Piggy, Barbie and Hello Kitty from the world of illustration. Collaboration-happy MAC has also called on the talents of IRL contributors Cindy Sherman, Iris Apfel, Beth Ditto and Gareth Pugh.

British audiences may not be the most familiar with Archie, so perhaps a collaboration with the home-grown talent of Dennis the Menace would be more fitting – especially considering the monochrome mania that the fashion world is in the grips of this season.