Here's Your First Look at Padma Lakshmi's New MAC Cosmetics Collection

Padma Lakshmi is a pro at finding spices that bring just the right flavor to a dish. And, as it turns out, the Top Chef judge also has a way with using color to make facial features shine. When we first heard that Padma was teaming up with MAC Cosmetics, we were more giddy than a quickfire challenge winner — and, of course, we were desparate to learn more. Well, we finally have some answers! 

First, we now know the launch date for the line. On March 15, the capsule collection that we've ogled in Instagram snaps will finally be available for swiping and brushing on in the flesh. When chatting with Allure, Padma shared more details on what inspired her most beautiful project to date. 

First, here's a fun fact about the capsule collection's gilded packaging: It has roots in Padma's kitchen! "I want [the collection] to feel luxurious, and that pattern on the compact was directly ripped off from my Turkish plates, which are handspun and have gold leaf on the back," Padma shared. "I always thought that the design was beautiful, and the MAC team actually came to my house for one of the meetings, and they were just looking around at all my bric-a-brac and they loved it too." 

What's inside the compacts is deeply personal to Padma, too. "My interest in makeup long preceded the age where I even had my first makeup artist," said the model and actress. "I think part of it is because if you're a woman of color, you don't find those shades. You just become very creative in mixing them yourself ... I think I also just had a propensity for mixing colors. Mixing colors is not unlike mixing spices or cooking. I also think that there's a lot of self-adornment in the rituals of Indian culture."

She added: "I think of the beauty companies that exist over the last couple of decades, and MAC has probably been the best at providing colors that are super saturated and work on a variety of pigments."

The #MACPadma line comprises two eyeshadow quads, six lipstick hues, three Powerpoint Eye pencils with dual ends, two Powder Blush duos, and brushes for shadows and blush. The collection's color palette contains lots of peachy nudes and pinks, but also dips into bright fuchsia, mossy green, and different shades of plum.

                                            Photo: Courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

So basically, we'll take one of everything, in every hue. Now, how do we bide our time till March 15?