MAC Eye Shadow Collection: Review & Swatches

Everyone loves a Mac collection post don’t they? Whether it’s eyeshadows or lipsticks, I love thoroughly reading the reviews but especially gawping at the up close and personal photos of beautiful swatches which never fail to have me lusting over what my next Mac purchase is to be (Mac Half n Half or Viva Glam II?). Just when I think I’m content with what I’ve got and happy I’ve definitely got the best of the shades out there for me, I seem to stumble on yet another shade that I’ve somehow not seen before, or have seen before but totally disregarded it, OR Mac goes and releases yet another product that’s got my name written all over it. Suddenly it’s more of a case of NEED than WANT and I make it my mission to get down to the nearest Mac counter pronto. No beating around the bush.

Without further ado, I bring to you my collection of Mac eye shadows; a little description along with swatches. If you’re new to Mac eyeshadows, the finish of it is indicated in the brackets after the name of the colour.

Naked Lunch (Frost)  is described as a “Minimal pink with shimmer”. On paper, this does not translate well. Pink glitter on your eyes? Unless you were going to a carnival or fancy dress party, I wouldn’t touch this with a barge pole. In reality, this shade is a barely there pink with a frost finish. It makes for a great all over lid shade pre contour/crease work. When I first swatched it, I dismissed it and went for All That Glitters instead. Obviously it was still in the back of my mind and for some time too and it only made it into my collection earlier on this year.

Nylon (Frost) it’s description of being a “pale gold with icy shimmer” is pretty much on point. I tend to reserve this for nights out where I feel I can get away with going to town with quite a stark (in a pretty way) inner corner highlight. It is a very pale gold that I’d consider it to be an off white so you get the gist of how stark it is and so I would go in with a light hand and with the tiniest bit of product on a pencil brush and build up from there (if needed).

Haux (Satin) If there was a description that I disagreed with more then it’s this one. Described firstly as a “satin” finish, I think it’s definitely more of a matte (although I do get confused with Mac’s finishes). Secondly, Mac describes it as a “soft muted rosy brown”. Whilst I agree with the “soft muted rosy” part, it’s certainly not a brown. In my opinion, it’s a dull, dusky pink with a hint of lilac and works brilliantly as a transitional shade or to add that bit of depth in the crease. I must admit that this was an enabled purchase spurred on by none other than Tanya Burr. She teams this with By Terry’s Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock (which of course I also purchased), for a feminine, romantic look.

Carbon (Matte) is an “intense black” with a matte finish and great for creating a soft but defined eye by running it close along the lash line and smudging it in so you get a hazy effect. Also great for intensifying any eye look and a staple for a dark, smokey eye.

All That Glitters  (Veluxe Pearl) was the shade I chose when deciding between it and Naked Lunch. Don’t be fooled by the name as it ‘s less glitter and more of a sheeny, shimmery metallic. Described by Mac as a “Beige with gold pearl” doesn’t do it justice as putting the word beige into any name/sentence/description just makes it sound oh so bland. It’s less of a beige and more of a light, sandy gold with a pearlised finish. This works well as a solo shade on the lids just to add that polished look to a simple makeup look or partnered with a couple of darker bronzes and browns to create a smokey eye in a golden goddess sort of way.

Woodwinked (Veluxe Pearl) is described as ” a warm, red-toned brown with a metallic shine”. I’d say it’s more of a warm golden brown, more gold and less brown though. Easily one that you can wear alone and an amazing shade against tanned skin. Because of it’s neutral tone, you can get away with wearing a shiny metallic in the daytime. I do like to smoke it up a little and add a darker drown shade on the outer third of the eye and slightly into the crease as well.

Mulch (Velvet) is a warm, bronzey-brown with a metallic sheen. This is definitely a staple shade and would suit all eye colours. I like to pair this with All That Glitters or Woodwinked just to add depth and dimension and to enhance the contours of the eye.

Mystery (Satin) If you’re after a cool toned, dark brown, then this is it. Mystery is a dark brown with a tinge of grey to it which makes it a perfect brow shade for those with dark hair. This is also my go to shade to add more smoke and drama to a neutral palette and is also one I like to run along my bottom lash line for balance and definition.

Smut  (Velvet) is a great shade for when you want to add darkness i.e. along the lash lines but where black is a tad to dark/harsh. This is described by Mac as a “Muted black with red shimmer”. Say what? Yes I know it sounds a lil’ cray but actually it’s quite a practical shade and a replacement for black when you want definition but without it looking too harsh or too bold. For me, I think it’s more of a cool toned dark grey and where the “red shimmer” is negligable.

Patina (Frost) is probably one of my first Mac eye shadows and I still have a lot of love for it to this day. Described as a “taupe brown with golden pearl”, I find that this is one of the most unique eye colours I’ve ever come across. Personally I would describe it as more of a sandy taupe or a muted, dirty gold with an ever so slight hint of pink pearlescent sheen (very subtle). Back in the day I would wear this as a solo shade on the lids to add that subtle bit of interest on casual, low-key days. Nowadays, I like to team it with something like Satin Taupe on the outer corner for added definition.

Satin Taupe (Frost) Speaking of Satin Taupe, this is a “dark taupe with a frost finish”. If theres one eye shadow that Mac is well known for, it’s probably this little fella. It’s very cool in tone, a mish-mash of taupe, plum and silvery grey with a pretty sheen rather than a stark frost.

Shale (Satin) is a pearlescent, muted, lilacy-grey, which is very pretty and makes purple a not- so-scary colour to wear on the eyes. You can see that it sits well in this palette and paired with something like Satin Taupe and Smut, it neutralises it and stops things looking too purple if you’re after something for everyday.

Sable (Frost) is described by Mac as a “Gold-plum with bronze pearl” which kind of suggests that this is not a straight up, straight forward kind of shade. It’s a mash up of colours that come together to produce a stunning shade; a medium-dark, bronzey brown with a tinge of plum as I would describe it. It’s just one of the many shades that can be worn on it’s own.

Soba (Satin) reminds me of golden sand with tiny specks of shimmer when it catches the light. On my complexion, it struggles to make an impact but it’s the perfect base for a golden smokey eye. It’s one of those shades that provides a little something to the eyes if you don’t fancy going completely bare and perfect for a natural, everyday look.

Wedge (Matte) is a shade of come across many a time in blogs and videos and was surprised at how light it actually was when I came face to face with it in store. In one particular blog post, although I can’t remember which one, it was suggested that Wedge and Cork where of a similar kettle of fish and if you had one, you wouldn’t need the other. I’d have to disagree as Cork is far darker than Wedge. Wedge is not far off from my complexion when tanned, more of a dark beige, and I would use it as a blending shade to bridge a lighter colour to a darker one whilst with Cork, I can pretty much use it as a crease colour.

Era (Satin) I’d not heard much about Era and it was when I was searching for another shade (Grain I think) that I stumbled across it. I agree with Mac in that it is a “Soft golden beige” with a hint of shimmer and I like to wear this as a neutral base for everyday and with a darker shade in the crease for a natural eye look.

Sketch (Velvet ) is described as a “burgundy with red shimmer”. On paper it’s sounds rather scary, I mean why would you want to wear red on your eyes unless of course you’re off as Count Dracula to a Halloween party. This is a burgundy-brown, where the red shimmer is barely there, and where it’s the brown bit that makes this wearable although I have to admit that I have yet to wear this. There’s a reason why this and Copperplate are in a Mac Pro Palette x2 on their own because I’m not sure that they work on me (yes, even though I purchased them, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Alway does). However, after swatching Sketch again, I feel inclined to give it another go (makeup deserves a second chance right?).

Copperplate (Matte2) This is a straight up, mid-toned grey. I don’t have much to say about it apart from it’s probably the most boring shade from my collection probably because I don’t quite know how to wear it and god even knows why I picked it up. It’s just too cool for me I think.

Cork (Satin)  is a warm, medium brown with a satin finish and a shade that has a lot of love from me. This is my go to everyday crease shade and one that can be paired with most of the lighter shades in my collection; Naked Lunch, All That Glitters, Era, Soba…I think you get the gist. Definitely considered a staple in my eyes.

Espresso (Matte) is a neutral, dark brown with a matte finish although Mac calls it “golden brown” but I’m not sure where the “golden” element comes from. Again, another one that has had a lot of love from me and was my go-to brow shade for the longest time until I discovered “Mystery” which is cooler in tone and therefore ideal for dark brows.

Brule (Satin)is a soft creamy beige. It’s a very light beige, I’d say more of an ivory white with a satin finish that borders almost matte. I picked this shade with a brow bone highlight in mind. For everyday, this is great but for evenings I think you can afford to go a bit more pearlescent under the brows (but not too frosty as I find that it can look quite dated) of which I’ve yet to find.

Bronze (Frost) is a rich, dark bronze with a warm, golden sheen. It’s another shade that I think looks great worn as a solo shade on the eyes. Side by side it doesn’t look too dissimilar to Mulch but when swatched, the golden sheen is more prevalent and therefore makes it a tad lighter than Mulch.

There you have it, my entire Mac eye shadow collection. Do I need anymore? If so, what shade? Answers on a postcard, or rather in the comments section below. Until next time, ciao! x

P.S. I’ve just recently added three more eye shadows to my Mac collection; Handwritten, a rich, chocolate brown, Soft Brown, a peachy brown, and Swiss Chocolate, a muted reddish brown. All are matte finishes but by Mac description, their either Matte or Matte2 (not that I know the difference between the two). I love wearing all three together along with an all-over-the-lid shade, to create a warm yet soft, smokey eye; Soft Brown as my transition shade, Swiss Chocolate in the crease and Handwritten in the outer v and along the lash lines. Check out this Warm Smokey Winged Eyes with a Neutral Lip Tutorial  to see how I create my smokey eye.

So out of the 22 eyeshadows, what’s my top 5 favourite I hear you ask? Well look no further for I just recently filmed My Top 5 Favourite MAC Eyeshadows (it was a long time coming).

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