New IUE observations confirm the differences between the Galactic and LMC ultraviolet extinction curves and show some evidence for variations within the LMC. Visual and infrared photometry and polarimetry show that the anomalous properties of the LMC dust do not extend to longer wavelengths. Despite the much different dust to gas ratios in the Galaxy and the Magellanic clouds, the dust formation efficiency is similar when the abundances are included.