BY AMY ROSE HARTE
THE last time I checked, there were 30 Barbies gathering serious dust in my attic.
They're in safe hands, cosying up alongside Doctor Barbie and Shaving Fun Ken who are still having that sordid affair. A few Sindys are hanging around there too, but being the flat-footed fool that she was, I couldn't care less. She was a always a second-rater in comparison to Barbie. Everyone was back then.
Despite the sentiment, I thought I'd grown out of Barbie. I thought everyone had. Her manufactured, cliched image - size zero, pert boobs, plump lips - gave the world one collective headache, I thought, which led to the momentous rise of her grittier, 21st century replacement, the Bratz doll. The kitsch had killed her, I guess.
But then she goes and does something like this. She comes out with a limited edition make-up collection specially created for all you living dolls. It all very, very of the moment. Now barbie-doll beauty is in.
Setting the world ablaze this Spring is Barbie Loves MAC, a cosmetic creation of the world's leading make-up brand, MAC and Mattel, the Barbie makers. The brands collaboration with MAC marks the first time that Barbie has partnered with an adult cosmetic company to bring us a collection that simply vibrates with youthful yumminess. From glossy pink lipsticks, rosy bronzed blushers and acid-bright eyeshadows - Barbie Loves MAC is gloriously glam. The collection also boasts candy-coloured palettes, make-up bags, nail polishes and eyeliners, each emblazoned with the famous Barbie logo with prices starting at around ¤12.50.
Since going on sale March 1st, Barbie Loves MAC products have been selling out like hotcakes across the world, as every girl wants to be a real-life living doll. Favourites are Springtime Skipper, a tart, lime-green eyeshadow and Malibu Barbie, a succulent cyclamen lip gloss. Dolly Mix is a compact of four MAC Eye Shadows - two playful pastels and two warm mid-tones - in a range of finishes, shine-rich Satin, Veluxe Pearl and Lustre. There's even a limited edition Barbie doll, who is MAC'd out in pink lipstick, black eyeliner and green eyeshadow. Wannabe-beautiful dolls can access the products online at www.mac-cosmetics.co.uk, but get surfing because this stuff is on the fly.
For the record, Barbie is no stranger to haute couture. The iconic doll has been dressed by over 60 designers, including Gucci, Christian Dior, Versace and Diane Von Furstenberg. In fact, designer Anna Sui wrote to Mattel when she was eight, asking them for a job.
You would still wonder though why MAC, the pioneers of radical, revolutionary make-up, would want to collaborate with the slapstick Mattel?
And then it all makes sense. Many women's first experience of fashion and beauty are playing with Barbie, so this gives them a chance to rediscover their inner girl. She is a timeless symbol for beauty, fashion and femininity for girls of all ages. And a hell of a lot more graceful than those Bratz brats.
"MAC and Mattel share more in common than you might expect. We are both creatively driven companies that have remianed true to our inherent culture and DNA," said James Gager, Senior Vice President and Creative Director for MAC.
"We both embrace and create products for women and men of all races, all sexes and all ages. Barbie is multicultural and global, representing more than 45 countries and sold in over 150 countries. Our creative collaboration and staging the beaty image of Barbie around the world is something that I am personally very excited about".
Hip. Fashionable. Ever happening. Iconoclastic. In every way, an idol. This Summer, Barbie is all MAC'd out with a smooth, rebel attitude and smart indie style. Bursting with sweet factory fantasy, the candy-coloured collection is just waiting to turn you into a Donegal living doll.
