For MAC's big (and by big I mean that the collection was both hugely popular and also had a ton of items) spring collection this year they partnered with Sanrio to create a Helly Kitty line of cosmetics. Hello Kitty is normally white, but I'm guessing that due to MAC's signature black packaging and the fact that they were trying to make this somewhat sleek and sophisticated (about as sleek and sophisticated as Hello Kitty can be), they changed her coloring to black. All told, the collection contained 33 beauty items and 9 non-makeup accessories, bringing us to a grand total of 42 items. Alas, the Museum's budget could not accommodate all of these so I got what I thought were the most important.
(photos from maccosmetics.com)
Hello Kitty seems less out of place than other MAC collaborations that have been done in the past such as Disney Tint Toons and Barbie. While MAC took companies that primarily marketed to children and worked with them to create an adult makeup line, Hello Kitty is already heavily marketed to adults in some fashion or another. There are credit cards emblazoned with the Hello Kitty logo as well as a $600 leather shoulder bag – items clearly not meant for children. While some adult women certainly collect Disney memorabilia and Barbie dolls, these companies focus more on the kid market. So having Hello Kitty team up with an adult cosmetic line like MAC isn't too far out of left field.
Overall I'm pleased with the collection. I like that they modified Hello Kitty to reflect the spirit of MAC, both in packaging and in concept. MAC cosmetics allows the user to create many different looks, and this is embodied in both the video and the Mild vs. Wild collections. It'll be interesting to see who MAC will team up with next spring, as this will be a tough act to follow!