Prabal Gurung Thinks Real Girls Should Avoid the No-Makeup Look

POPSUGAR: How did the MAC partnership come to be? Who courted who?

Prabal Gurung: My relationship with MAC started from my first collection in itself. They've been supportive from day one without knowing me, and two years ago they came to me and said, "Would you be interested in doing a collaboration? We're thinking about it." And I was like, "Sure." It was a casual conversation over dinner.

PS: What was the inspiration for this collection? How would you sum up the look and feel of it?

PG: The inspiration was to inspire, whether through the packaging or the product in itself. I wanted it to have some kind of substance because that's the kind of women that I design for. It's never been a celebration of beauty on its own — it's been a beauty with some kind of substance.

PS: How did you choose the color palette and types of products to take on? Are the hues inspired by your collection or any recent pieces?

PG: I wanted to start off with a red lip. We went from there and started to build a look, whether it was a little coral for your cheeks, or bronzer or eyeliner. It was not inspired by a specific piece, but rather the basic philosophy that I've always believed in. It's like femininity with a bite. Beauty with substance. It's always that idea of creating beauty that has more intrigue.

PS: The packaging is superluxe! How did you come up with the design?

PG: The inspiration started with the idea of creating a packaging that could stand on its own, whether it's in your bag or your bathroom. It just needed to feel like something that, once the product inside was gone, you wanted to keep it and hold on to it.

PS: It seems as if the shades have an everyday, glamour, career woman feel. Was there one woman you had in mind when making them?

PG: It is very glamorous. It feels rich. I wanted to create something that was luxe. This girl may not be able to afford my clothes. I think it is for a kind of woman who is unafraid to embrace her femininity and the strength that comes with it.

PS: Now that you've done MAC, would you take on your own makeup line? Fragrance? Hair?

PG: You know, the world is a playing field, and when it's the right time you'll get into it. Obviously the dream is to do everything that feels right.

PS: What's the biggest beauty mistake you think women make?

PG: The biggest beauty mistake I see women making is [wearing] almost no makeup. They look at the runways and look at these girls who are 15, 16, 17 years old looking like they have no makeup on, but three hours of hair and makeup have gone into making them look like there's no makeup. If you're a real girl, it never looks right and that is the bottom line, like it or not. That is runway. That's not reality.

PS: What beauty trends are you loving for holiday?

PG: A red lip, because I think it takes quite a lot of courage and confidence to wear it.

From Left: Soft Pale White Gold, Coral Orange

From Left: Shimmering Neutral Beige, Mid-tone Warm Brown

From Left: Smoky Cool Grey, Dark Charcoal