I know I’ve shown these before, but I have this feeling that it shouldn’t be left out of any eye month. Someone is bound to ask for these, so here: My MAC Eyeshadows.

MAC eyeshadows seem to be the gateway to makeup madness. It’s a phenomenon quite unlike anything I’ve seen—anyone who’s at least knee-deep in the business of beauty knows what Satin Taupe, Woodwinked, and All That Glitters all mean.

I don’t have a lot of MAC shadows and I don’t have a special relationship with them. I bought my first two eyeshadows in October 2012, and bought the rest in one go. Today, I’ll show you my MAC eyeshadow palette (plus, 2 that don’t fit), and give you a rundown of what they look like and how I use them.

Here’s a pretty short video, if you want to see the swatches in action (different angles, etc):

Here are the two out-of-palette stragglers.

The Runaways: Amber Lights, and Trax
— Amber Lights is a “peachy brown with shimmer” and has a frost finish. This is beautiful all over the lid
— Trax is a “burgundy-plum with shimmer” and has a velvet finish. I don’t see any burgundy in here, and the shimmer is a really pretty warm gold.

I used Amber Lights for this look:

And then here is ze palette!

As you can see, I have a 15-pan eyeshadow insert, and I’ve arranged these in some kind of order (more on that as you read along) that works for me.

In my top row, I have my matte/satin light shades: Cork, Quarry, and Malt. In my second row, I have shimmery lid colors/highlights: Naked Lunch, All That Glitters, and Soba.
— Cork is a “muted golden brown” with a satin finish. I like it in my crease, as my transition shade, or as a darker lid color.
— Quarry is a “soft muted plum-brown” with a matte finish. I like this all over the lid or as a darker transition/gradient shade for Malt.
— Malt is a “soft pinkish-beige” with a matte finish. I like this all over the lid or as a cool highlight

L: Soba all over, smoked out with Smut.

— Soba is a “gold brown with gold shimmer” and has a satin finish. I feel like it’s just a more golden, happier version of cork. This is great all over the lids for a wash-and-wear kind of look.
— All That Glitters is a “beige with gold pearl” and has a Veluxe Pearl finish. It kind of reminds me of a frost, texture-wise, and it’s kind of close to “Naked Lunch,” though it’s warmer/pinker on me. Great for the lids and as a highlight.
— Naked Lunch is a “minimal pink with shimmer” and has a frost finish. It’s beautiful on the lids.

L: All That Glitters as inner corner highlight, Smut as liner.

In my middle row, I have the “wilder” colors: Fig 1, Mythology, and Da Bling. Below that, I have my neutral midtones: Mystery, Sable, and Satin Taupe.
— Fig 1 is an “eggplant purple” and has a matte² finish, which just means that it’s a creamier matte shade. I have, sadly, rarely worn this but this calls for a change in plans.
— Mythology is a “copper” and it has a lustre finish, which means that it has chunky glitter and intense pan fallout. On the eyes, it’s okay, and I like it a lot all over the lid when I want to feel a little glitzy. 🙂
— Da Bling is a “pink with gold pearl” and has a Veluxe Pearl finish. It’s quite cool on me, and I’ve worn it a few times all over the lid.

L: Da Bling all over the lid, Mystery in the outer corner.

— Mystery is a “muted plum-brown” with a satin finish. I like to use it when I need a cool brown color.
— Sable is a “gold plum with bronze pearl” and has a velvet finish. It is one of my most favorite MAC eyeshadows and it’s gorgeous on the lid, partnered with Sketch in the crease.
— Satin Taupe is a “taupe with silver shimmer” with a frost finish. It’s one of MAC’s cult eyeshadows. I like to use it all over the lid for a quick look.

L: Satin Taupe all over the lid, with Handwritten in the crease. R: Sable, Sketch, and Handwritten

L: Sable in the crease/outer corner.

Last row is reserved for my darkest shades: Smut, Handwritten, and Sketch.
— Smut is a “muted black with red shimmer” and has a velvet finish. I bought this because I wanted a dark liner that wasn’t black. Pretty happy with it so far.
— Handwritten is a “rich chocolate brown” with a matte² finish. I use this as a liner, an outer ‘v’ color. I think it would be perfect for a brown, smoky eye, too.
— Sketch is a “burgundy with red shimmer” with a velvet finish. Along with Sable, this is one of my favorite MAC eyeshadows as well. It’s so beautiful in the crease and outer corner, even though it’s a red (???) and ugh, I just love wearing it.

Here’s a couple more looks, just to give you an idea of their versatility!

L: I used Quarry, Satin Taupe, Sketch, and Smut. R: Handwritten in the crease/outer corner.

I also have two posts on breaking my palette up into selections of 4, if you feel like just investing in 4 MAC eyeshadows for now:
— So You Want to Build a MAC Quad, Part I
— So You Want to Build a MAC Quad, Part II

I include looks for all of the rearrangements, in both posts. 🙂 Part III is in the works!

My favorites so far are Quarry, Naked Lunch, Sable, Mystery, Sketch, and Handwritten. And, fine, Smut, too.

I have my eye on a million other MAC shades, but I have been restraining myself since I got these. Although, every time I find myself in the vicinity of a MAC counter, I swatch Woodwinked, Sumptuous Olive, Twinks, and Espresso. Sometimes, I throw in Humid into the mix, too. LOL.

What are your favorite MAC eyeshadows? Share them in the comments below!

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