Exclusive! Mariah Carey Launches a '90s Throwback Lipstick For MAC

POPSUGAR: How did you pick this particular name for the lipstick? You have so many songs to choose from.

Mariah Carey: Well, I wanted something different for the holidays. It's not a red lip; it's actually a champagne shimmer with a frost texture. I wanted to go away from the typical red lip that everybody usually does for Christmas. It's really beautiful. "All I Want" is such an evergreen song for me, and it's a natural name for the lipstick.

PS: It's such a major song — I know people who listen to it in July! Did you have any idea that it was going to be such a huge hit?

MC: No, I really didn't! I was writing it in this little, tiny room with a little keyboard by myself years ago, and then I just sang it. It was a process, but I was sitting in the middle of Summer with Christmas trees in the room having fun. I never knew it would be one of my most famous songs. Here we are, all this time later. Every year I hear it, and it actually makes me really happy. It makes me happier to hear than any of my other songs because I love Christmas so much.

PS: Let's talk about the shimmery nude color.

MC: Well I've always loved the frosty lip for Winter, because I think it blends in with the tone of the season. Even growing up, [the shade is] something that I would gravitate towards. I don't look good in a red lip, and I wanted to be able to wear the color. I know a lot of people who don't care for red lipstick, either. We ended up going with this really beautiful champagne shimmer.

PS: Sounds lovely. That shimmery lip texture feels like a throwback to those '90s MAC lipsticks.

MC: Even a throwback to ones from before that. It's something that I've always loved, that color. So it is sort of a throwback, but I think it's going to feel modern, too.

PS: What are some tips you have for styling the lipstick, beauty-wise?

MC: Well, I'm not sure how much we're supposed to talk about, because we're still in the early planning stages, but did you hear that MAC asked me to be the next collaborator for its Beauty Icon collection?

PS: That's very exciting, congrats! I did hear that there was more to come, but I don't know too much about it yet.

MC: We're not talking about it too much yet. [The products are] going to work with that lip, and they're all kind of in that vein. But I can't talk too much about it or they'll kill me.

PS: How did this collaboration with MAC come to be?

MC: I've been a huge fan of MAC Cosmetics for forever, and it's been my go-to makeup for stage and off-stage. I don't keep that much makeup on me, but there are a couple of MAC colors that I really love and that I've been loyal to for years. MAC is great because it's an inclusive brand. They have a long history of diverse collaborations, and I'm a different-looking person. When I say different, I mean I'm an ambiguous-looking person. Most people have a difficult time being like, "What is she?" This is going to be something that a lot of different people will be able to feel like they can wear, and it will look good on them because I kept that in mind when we were working on it.

PS: What's your best beauty advice for biracial women when it comes to finding makeup?

MC: Stay closest to your natural color of your skin because we range in color, us biracial women. I would just say: be yourself and go with the colors that really work for you. It's really hard to just lump all biracial people into one category because some of us have light eyes, some of us have dark eyes, some of us are darker and lighter. We're a mixed group of people, and MAC has so many great color options for biracial people.

PS: We definitely agree and we celebrate diversity at POPSUGAR. How do you think that the face of beauty has changed in 2015?

MC: More exotic people are being embraced as beauty icons. And people have opened their minds from the very traditional, typical, middle-American beauty — which is still a great thing to be and we love that — it's just that now people have grown to embrace more of the exotic looks. A lot more children growing up don't have to feel excluded and left out. It's a good thing to progress in a nice way.

PS: Agreed. What are some beauty trends from earlier in your career that you wish would come back?

MC: I don't know. I don't really have any. I always try to stay simple. Sometimes in the beginning of my career, people didn't know how to do my makeup very well. I have very unique features and if you don't know me, you might try to take it one way and it may not work out that well. Back in the day, they would do that heroin-chic look — which is great for someone who doesn't need more of a structured makeup look — but I was never really a big fan of it. I'm glad we've migrated away from that.

PS: What beauty advice will you pass down to your daughter?

MC: I'm already trying with her hair. Just trying to keep her so she knows how to comb through it because it's curly. She'll never cut it. That's what my hope is for her. It's a mistake when those of us with curly hair cut it and don't realize it doesn't always grow back that quickly. She's already got a natural ombré going on with her hair, so it's really interesting to watch her. I would just have her take really good care of her skin — that's the most important thing.

PS: How do you take care of your skin? You go from stage to street and still keep your skin so clear and glowy.

MC: Well, thank you. It's really a process. Every day I have to really be careful because my skin is super sensitive. I have to keep it clean as much as possible. Makeup artists need to have really clean brushes. I try my best to stay out of the sun and wear sunblock as much as possible.

PS: What makes you feel beautiful?

MC: I'm kind of an insecure person, so not that many things. I love a day when I can feel relaxed and just have on casual clothes and not too much makeup and feel at ease around people who I love. That's a beautiful feeling.