New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.
MAC stands for Making a Comeback.
Everything old is new again, after all. On March 2, for the first time in the brand’s 40-plus-year history, fans in the U.S. can literally walk into any Sephora and shop MAC on the shelf, not just online or at its own counters.
I still remember those early days when a trip to the MAC counter was a thing. You’d stand there under those bright lights, swatching lipsticks like “Russian Red” and “Ruby Woo,” trading shade names with your friends and watching makeup tutorials from YouTube beauty gurus back in the late 2000s and early 2010s as if they were gospel.
Those videos helped make MAC more than makeup; it was an identity. It was the era when a Paint Pot or Studio Fix purchase felt like joining a club that only true beauty fans really got. For so many of us, a MAC haul was a rite of passage into that world of unapologetic color.
So why is MAC showing up at Sephora now?
It’s less for shopper convenience and more about strategy. Estée Lauder Companies, MAC’s parent, has been deep into its “Beauty Reimagined” turnaround plan, and part of that is meeting customers where they already are — from TikTok Shop and pop-ups to, now, Sephora.
MAC Cosmetics
Sephora has proven itself a cultural epicenter for Gen Z beauty exploration. And, as today’s shopper isn’t fiercely loyal to one brand the way we used to be, being housed at Sephora puts MAC right alongside the likes of Fenty, Rare Beauty and buzzy new brands.
And Sephora is thrilled, too. Their merchandisers have said the brand’s artistry assortment truly feels incomplete without MAC in the mix, especially now that makeup is swinging back into the spotlight after years of skincare dominance.
“Our clients have been asking for us to carry [MAC] in the U.S. for a long time — and I think the time was right,” Amy Abrams, SVP of makeup merchandising at Sephora, shared with Glossy. “We’re super focused on building out our artistry assortment. And it really doesn’t feel complete without having MAC be a part of it.”
Today, when you wander over to that sleek Sephora display with Paint Pots and flagship foundations, maybe take a moment to grin. As MAC courts Gen Z, its arrival in Sephora’s black-and-white aisles feels like a full-circle moment — a moment that nods to all those years we spent obsessing over the perfect lip combo and the one brush we absolutely had to own.
Beauty trends come and go, but some classics really do just keep glamming. Read on for some of my tried-and-true (some, under-the-radar) favorites after more than a decade of brushing and applying the brand’s curated formulas.
This article was written by Victoria McDonnell, New York Post Commerce Journalist & Content Strategist, who has spent countless hours researching, testing hundreds of products and comparing the latest makeup, skincare, hair and beauty items and trends to determine what’s truly worth your hard-earned cash. She evaluates formulas, textures, ingredients and more, in addition to consulting medical and industry experts. Some of Victoria’s latest conquests include testing the best sheet masks on the market, and a rinse-and-repeat review of the best shampoos for all hair types and budgets. Victoria, who received a beauty industry essentials certification from the Fashion Institute of Technology, has been creating shopping guides for the New York Post since 2021 and previously held positions at Insider Reviews and CNN Underscored.
