If you thought your super light-up, 20x magnifying mirror was harsh on your pores, your not-so-perfect eyeliner, your wrinkles or your slightly-shiny forehead, you haven’t stepped in front of a high definition camera. While we may be thankful for our DVRs, our DVDs, our MP3s and our LCDs, makeup artists and aficionados weren’t necessarily so pleased when every tiny imperfection was suddenly impossible to hide. In response, makeup brands have begun to come up with products and methods that accommodate a technological age that’s moving faster forward than a 4 train heading downtown.

“High def makeup for us is makeup that’s actually produced in front of a high def camera,” said Sheila McKenna, founder and creator of Kett Cosmetics. Created in 2000 but officially launched in 2003, Kett has gained momentum in recent years as its products have become more in demand by artists, filmmakers, celebrities and TV producers. This year, McKenna led a team of eight artists as they designed and applied the makeup for the Miss USA pageant, held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on Friday, April 11, and judged by such up-and-coming celebs like Christian Siriano from Project Runway. McKenna’s company is being commissioned more and more for such jobs as companies begin to realize the demands of technology.

Tattoo You
L.A. Ink hottie Kat Von D collaborates with our friends at Sephora this June, launching a gorgeous collection of ink inspired makeup. We’re loving both eyeshadow palettes, dubbed Ludvig and Beethoven after Von D’s Sphynx (that’s cat speak for hairless, loves) kitty and favorite classical composer. With eight bold shades each, they’ll satiate your urge for color – no needle required. Available at Sephora stores and via www.sephora.com.

More MJ to Love
The Sephora team are busy bees this season, also signing up darling Marc Jacobs for an exclusive assortment of Daisy branded beauty accessories. The Cushy Brush Set is perfect for travel with six full sized brushes zippered in a sweet gold and white case while the Daisy Luxe Vanity Case will hold all the makeup most glamour girls need – this editor excluded. Get ‘em at Sephora stores or www.sephora.com.

Time Will Tell
The slick new extreme sheen lip glosses from luxe Hourglass Cosmetics make spring puckers super powered with stick-free shine and color. They say vitamin E offers shelter from free radical activity while anti-aging Laminactine, proprietary to Hourglass, repairs UV damage and boosts the production of necessary collagen and elastin. We say, kiss those signs of aging goodbye. Available at Sephora stores and via www.sephora.com.

Raychel Wade of Cheek to Chic, at work with a private client

Teal eyeshadow. Purple mascara. And did you really need that 40th coral lipgloss? You long for someone to look in your makeup bag and know instantly what belongs. Luckily, that person is Raychel Wade of cosmetic consulting company Cheek to Chic. This spunky brunette is intent on finding the cosmetics that really work for you. She wants to know whether you’ve got two hours to apply makeup or five minutes – and either way, she’ll find the products, brands and colors that fit the bill.

But she knows that throwing away that powder blue eyeshadow you bought and never wore can be scary. “The person needs to hold my hand and we need to jump off the cliff together,” she says with a smile as she leads me around the Barneys New York makeup counters one rainy Thursday afternoon. Her rules for finding and using the perfect products are simple:

1) If you haven’t used a product in two years, toss it.
2) With any trendy color, “you don’t want to scream it,” she says. “Have a few in your repertoire, but they’re not the basic jean or the basic white shirt.”
3) When trying products, first gingerly put your finger in it to test its richness, then see how well it blends.

To that end, Wade has some “Hall of Fame” products that she believes should find a home in everyone’s collection. And since she doesn’t work for a specific brand, she’s got tons of goodies up her sleeve!

With twenty years to her credit as a professional makeup artist, Susan Posnick has worked with supermodels, celebrities and legendary photographers. But when she was diagnosed with skin cancer in the late ‘90’s, Posnick’s true calling came into focus – the development of her signature cosmetics line, best known for its high SPF COLORFLO Foundation. Available in 13 shades suited to nearly every skintone, the powder foundation – formulated with just nine natural ingredients - is dispersed from a handy self-dispensing refillable brush. After testing it, we at BN fell in love and knew that we just had to learn more about the line and the woman behind it.

BN: Can you tell us a bit about what inspired you to become a makeup artist?
SP: My inspiration for becoming a makeup artist was my love and fascination with shapes and color, and my passion for fashion. Fortunately, I was blessed with a “6th sense” of sorts, enabling me to know what colors best bring out a persons features—and I developed a strong understanding of how to shape a face using light and shadow. When I realized how I could completely transform someone’s looks using just color along with the concept of shadow and light—I was hooked!

BN: What’s your most memorable experience as a makeup artist?
SP: Without a doubt, having the opportunity to work with Francesco Scavullo —way back when…

Much like the Material Girl herself, there are beauty products high and low that make their way into our collective consciousness (and makeup bags.) Classics for formulation, color or payoff, this month, we salute these must-haves by asking the experts – makeup artists – and the companies themselves what exactly makes these icons so special.

MAC Prrr Lipglass
What They Say: “Prrr has become a classic because it never goes out of style: One of the originals out of the ‘Lipglass’ line-up; It’s that perfect natural pinky-peach that works on every skintone, and blends beautifully with a handful of lip pencils to switch it up from time to time. Prrr is also timeless texture wise; it sparkles just the right amount, giving the perfect glossy pout without trying too hard…” - Bianca Alexander, Director of Makeup Artistry, MAC

What the Expert Says: “Everyone loves a gloss! MAC Prrr Lipglass is a pretty universal color that can be worn as a full on wet, high shine lip gloss if you choose to load it up or as a soft sheen if you just dab it over the lip using only a touch of product. Icon status worthy!” – Jenna Menard, Makeup Artist, www.jmenardstudio.com