There is something about MAC that is like catnip for makeup lovers. It inspires a love, a frenzy, an obsession unrivaled by any other brand.

But I can't put my finger on what it is.

For years I deliberately avoided MAC, because I saw what it had done to some of my friends. They hoarded MAC, only bought MAC, only talked about MAC, only understood makeup in terms of MAC. I thought this would be bad for my wallet and for my well-being, so I avoided the counter at all costs.

Then as I started to explore the blogosophere I realized that this phenomenon was not confined to my friends. I discovered entire sites dedicated to MAC, blogs where girls posted their "Face of the Day" using only MAC, pictures of MAC stashes. I reaffirmed this choice to stay away from MAC, for fear of insanity.

However, having this blog has forced me to break away from that policy; MAC has some really fun (and frequent!) color stories, a great selection of shades, and a huge presence at Fashion Week, so it would be foolish not to cover the brand. And it's not that I didn't like MAC before, it was a just a choice not to get sucked in.

But now, guess what? I've been sucked in. I find myself arranging and re-arranging my MAC products, doing my whole face using only MAC, and this is the worst part...storing the MAC separate from all my other makeup. I recently reorganized my stash, and while everything else was organized by type of product, I kept the MAC all together in its own bin.

Another strange thing? My mother is now doing this, too. I give her the sample colors that I don't like, and now I see her lining them up and admiring them, and keeping them separate from her other makeup.

This is scary! I swear, MAC is like crack. MAC is whack! (Not really.)

And I can't figure out what it is that makes us act this way.

So, you tell me. What is it about MAC? The packaging? The quality? The sheer variety of colors? Have you been sucked in, too? Post your thoughts in the comments!