It is said the best makeup makes one look as if she’s not really wearing anything at all. Brands such as Almay and Cover Girl have capitalized on this concept with special cosmetic collections targeted toward select skin tones and hair colors that flatter your natural hues.

MAC Cosmetics (www.maccosmetics.com) has now tapped this trend with the new MAC Brunette collection for 2009, along with a Blonde and Redhead set of products.

According to the company, the line was designed to play-up the most potent and powerful accessory a girl has—her hair. HAPPI decided to check out the Brunette collection.

The Henna eyeshadow ($14.50) is a rich olive-y gold pearl with strong metallic undertones. MAC’s shimmer shadows are a staple in my repertoire.  This is comparable to the gold-flecked Tempting eyeshadow from the Fall 2008 Cult of Cherry collection, and equally as flattering. Wear is strong, as with most MAC shadows, fading out gracefully over the day to a light shimmer. Talc, zinc stearate and nylon-12 are the main ingredients on the label – surprisingly (I never read the labels of MAC before), the product also features soybean, wheat germ and barley extract.

The next eyeshadow, Deep Shade, ($14.50), is a midnight blue with a heavy shimmer. At first, looks ideal as a layer to eyeliner but also works as a bold nighttime look. It reminds me of a blue-purple shimmer shadows I wore from MAC in the late 90s.

Interestingly enough, the Chignon lipstick ($14) is a warmer, plummier version of another 90s MAC lipstick favorite, Grid. The fuschia flecks of shimmer make it very flattering and the wear, as in all MAC lipsticks, is durable yet light. Castor seed oil as a main ingredient is very moisturizing. Since it is a “glaze” formulation, the pigment is strong but not cake-y.

There is also a customized Mineralize Skinfinish powder in Brunette ($28) that is a rosy copper gold hue. Looks like a great summertime shimmer product for cheekbones—a little bold for a brunette without a suntan. This is MAC’s take on mineral all-over face powders packaged in a portable and mess-free compact.

Saving the best for last, the Soft Wave lipglass is a sister shade to one of my all-time favorite MAC glosses, Oh Baby, without the rainbow flecks. This gold stunner provides a subtle sheen and decent longwear. Jojoba seed oil is listed as the second ingredient after hydrogenated polyisobutene – again another natural ingredients surprise.

This range is a parallel universe to some of my staple MAC colors from the past, but more on the warmer side of the spectrum. This could be a collection ideal for a shopper who wants an easy set of regulars for the makeup rotation as opposed to experimenting with trendy hues of the season. But yet, can you really go wrong with plums and golds?

More info: www.maccosmetics.com