Beauty news: Isabel and Ruben Toledo join forces for M.A.C

Artist Ruben Toledo fell in love with his wife Isabel when the pair was just 13 years old, and they are amongst the most romantic personalities in the art and fashion sphere. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that M.A.C decided to celebrate their romance and brilliance sense of style with the new M.A.C Toledo Makeup Collection, a colourful, collaborated work between Isabel and Ruben that reflects all the quirk, style and fun of their relationship.

Isabel (a Tony-nominated designer who devised Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Day ensemble) and Ruben (a renowned artist commissioned by the likes of Louis Vuitton) told Style.com that when they met, it was love at first lipstick. “Have you ever not seen me in red?” Isabel asked her husband and collaborator when talking to the press about the vast range of 45 products in the collection, to which he answered: “she can define the whole world in red, but different reds—different intensities of red. She really has her vocabulary of reds down”. It should come as no surprise, then, that the collection includes not just one crimson bullet, but six variations on the shade. Matching glosses were also a must-have for Isabel - helping women create a multidimensional look via layering (a trend spotted on the Spring ’15 runways). “You’re putting on the same coloration, but a different texture of it, which is very close to fashion, to clothing,” she noted. “You could choose to do matte [lipstick] on the bottom and shine on the top. It’s almost like how you put fabrics together.”

Their extensive palette includes soft lilacs, neutral browns, true blues, and a pop of lime for eyes, and the black-white-and-red packaging designed by Ruben is as eye-catching as the colours inside. His long-time muse (his wife and her signature ruby mouth) inspired the illustration scrawled across shadow cases and nail polish bottles. “Who else?” he quipped. “It’s the face I draw again and again and always. It’s just in the flow of my hand, Isabel’s face.” Gorgeous!

I’m a red lip obsessive, and the lineup is incredible. Lip shades are:

Oxblood - light peachy nude (matte)

Barbeque - vivid orange red (matte)

Victoriana - mid-tone pink red (matte)

Tenor Voice - true classic red (matte)

Opera - dark red (matte)

Sin - deep blood red (matte)

I am also crushing big time on the M.A.C Toledo Blush Ombre trio, which is almost too pretty to use and made up of Ripe Peach (a light coral), Azalea Blossom (light cool pink) and Kindergarten Red - crimson into pale nude.

The entire collection hits M.A.C counters on March 2 so get saving your pennies and making your choices now!