Inspired By a Superstar! MAC Cosmetics Releases Whitney Houston Limited Edition Makeup Line

In celebration of Whitney Houston‘s trendsetting style and beauty, MAC has announced its latest offering of all-new, limited edition products to create your own superstar look.

The cosmetics giant collaborated with the Estate of Whitney E. Houston to amplify the late icon’s glamorous and signature glow in the MAC x Whitney Houston collection.

“She grew up around glamour,” said Pat Houston, Executor of the Estate, in a prrss briefing. “She had a love for beauty in so many ways.”

“Whitney was always a champion of women feeling beautiful, whether it was a major event or just for
everyday wear,” Houston added. “Our work with MAC is about creating a line that can meet all of those needs. The line will be true to the eye and lip colors that she loved to work with.”

In order to stay true to Houston’s fabulousness, her estate and MAC Cosmetics scoured through personal and professional photographs as well as stage performances and interviews to ensure her personal style would be personified in the products featuring her childhood nickname.

The special collection includes four lipsticks (Nippy’s Moody Nude, Nippy’s Rose, Nippy’s Feisty Red, and Nippy’s Sensual Red). They feature alongside two starlit Lipglass shades (Nippy’s Shimmery Gold and Nippy’s Shimmery Cinnamon).

In honor of Houston’s iconic glow, MAC brings on a pair of shimmer blush shades and a golden bronze extra dimension skin finish hue. The full-on collection also includes a set of wispy, flared lashes and a travel-friendly clutch.

Janina Lee, one of Houston’s makeup artists, recalled what it was like preparing the day with the “glamour girl when she wanted to be a glamour girl.” From gospel music playing to candles burning, the vibe was a moment.

“She loved her red lipstick,” Lee said in a press briefing. “I would always give her a bag of reds to her lap. She would dig through and before I started the look, she’d put her red on. For her, that was her moment. She was made up.”

This honor accompanies the highly-anticipated Dec. 23 release of I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the biopic that tells the triumphant story of the incomparable songstress who arose to international fame in the 1980s to become one of the greatest of her generation. BAFTA Award winner Naomi Ackie is in the lead, commanding the stage with looks inspired by Houston herself.

For Tisa Howard, the film’s head of makeup, Ackie was a “perfect canvas” and the limited-edition line was especially effective in capturing Houston through the actress’s eyes.

Additionally, it was very important to MAC and Houston’s estate to create a collection that would connect to her community and her impact. Most recently, her team relaunched the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation to continue her philanthropic endeavors.

MAC is donating $25,000 to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Houston’s hometown of Newark to ensure future generations of music icons gain access and exposure to music education programs.