MAC Cosmetics presents the May issue of MACzine with Olandria Carthen as cover star. The issue centers on blush and places Carthen in a full MAC beauty look created by makeup artist Painted By Esther. The glam features Esther’s signature gradient blush technique, connecting the cover story to the launch of Skinfinish Colourstruck Blush.
MAKEUP
Painted By Esther brings her recognizable approach to Carthen’s look. Her gradient blush technique gives the face dimension through controlled placement and color movement, allowing blush to shape the full makeup direction. MACzine uses the May issue to examine her beauty philosophy and her role in changing how audiences look at blush. The focus stays on glow, skin, and individuality, with makeup serving the person wearing it.
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“My goal is always to bring out the glow from within and never let makeup mask the person underneath,” Painted By Esther says. “I want inner beauty to shine through in its most elevated form while celebrating every shade, feature and expression of Black women.” Her words frame the issue’s beauty direction with clarity. She approaches makeup as a way to reveal presence, warmth, and character, placing the wearer ahead of product or trend.
Olandria Carthen brings a personal connection to the story. As a long-time client of Painted By Esther, she has made blush part of her signature beauty aesthetic. Her relationship with the makeup artist gives the MACzine feature a stronger sense of continuity, as the look comes from a collaboration already shaped through trust, repetition, and shared visual language. In this issue, that relationship moves into a broader conversation about how blush works on deep and dark skin tones.
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“I truly feel like blush brings out my features and I really want a lot of women with deep, dark skin tones to not be scared to put blush on. It’s beautiful and it highlights our beauty that we already have within,” Carthen says.
The issue also considers Painted By Esther’s influence within the makeup community. Her work has helped push blush into a more expressive space, especially for women with deeper complexions.
