First it was Selena, now its Aaliyah. Thank you MAC!
Its been 17 years since we lost her but her legacy is alive and well. This summer, MAC cosmetics will be releasing a new makeup collection inspired by the late R&B singer.
The MAC Aaliyah Collection will feature signature products reminiscent of hip-hop’s late ‘Baby Girl’. The collection will include a nine-pan eyeshadow, featuring earth-tone shimmering colors such as metallic gold, cinnamon brown and deep purple, as well as a lightly-toned soft brown lipstick.
The collection was inspired by a petition that started two years ago on change.org called the #AaliyahforMAC . The movement urged the company to honor Aaliyah with her very own cosmetic line. It garnered over 27,000 signatures and it was personally backed by Aaliyah’s brother, Rashad Haughton, who says his sister was a huge fan of MAC. Her favorite products were reportedly the Chelsea lipstick ( a hot red color), Chestnut lip-liner, espresso eye shadow and biscuit eye shadow. The petition was also supported by some of Aaliyah’s close friends and inner circle, such as Missy Elliot, her glam squad, makeup artist Eric Ferrell, hairstylist Tre Major, and fashion stylist Derek Lee, as well as BET, MTV, The Source, JET and Seventeen Magazine.
The petition was strong enough for the makeup company to answer the call, announcing the limited collection for this summer.
Announcements about the collection were first made last year on Instagram. “Aaliyah is truly one in a million — an unstoppable icon whose groundbreaking work in R&B music and film inspires us all. Today we join her countless fans in celebrating her with the announcement of the M·A·C Aaliyah collection. You made it happen!”
The company made the official announcement on a launch date this past Monday, saying in part “Aaliyah super-fans everywhere-YOU made it happen! Inspired by your loyalty and love…”
To further honor the singer, last week, MAC launched a social media campaign on Instagram, inviting fans to participate in the A-Z of Aaliyah. To get involved, fans had to post a photo or video of themselves and explain how Aaliyah inspired them, using the hashtags #AtoZofAaliyah and #AaliyahForMAC. The top winners will be flown to New York and featured in the legacy video.
A premiere event for the product launch has yet to be announced.
Aaliyah was a actress and singer, best known for hits such as Back and Forth, “One in a Million”, “Are You That Somebody” and “More Than a Woman”. The double-platinum star also shined movies, starring alongside Jet-Li in 2001’s action flick Romeo Must Die and as the boss of the undead in “Queen of the Damned”.
She was killed in a tragic plane crash in the Bahamas on August 25, 2001 at the age of 22, while returning from her video shoot, “Rock The Boat”. Her last album, self-titled “Aaliyah”, topped the Billboard 200 charts at number one for months after her death.
This isn’t the first time MAC has honored a fallen star. In 2016, the company released the MAC Selena products, inspired by Selena Quintanilla, a Tejano singer who was killed at the age of 25 by her fan club manager in 1995. Side note: if you haven’t seen the movie “Selena” starring Jennifer Lopez, you are missing out on LIFE! Selena’s collection featured lots of purple palettes, which we could only assume was a favorite color of hers. The products sold out immediately and the same traffic is expected for Aaliyah’s.
Aaliyah reflects what’s missing in today’s millennials, natural beauty. She embodies that 90s-early 2000s beauty of a black woman we don’t see too much of anymore.
The MAC Aaliyah Collection will be available online June 20th and in stores on June 21st.
