Softly Special: All About the Eyes, This or That, Vlogs
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My MAC Eyeshadow Palette (Swatches, Looks & Video)

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.

MAC Eyeshadow - Amber Lights, Trax, Swatches
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!

MAC Cosmetics does not test on animals, unless required by law.

12 Comments

  1. Love the vid! Shempre the first thing I noticed was your polish, hehe. What did you use there? It looked like my kind of green. I would love to start a MAC shadow collection as well, especially now that I’ve seen your swatches. My favorites in your set are Trax and Soba.

    • Thanks! The dark green is “Ceasefire” by Scotch Naturals, the light green is Butter London’s “Bossy Boots”. 🙂 I actually put the info in the YT info box, just in case you find something you like again in the future!

      If you can get someone to get you some eyeshadows from the States and don’t really care about packaging/depotting, try to get the shadows in the refill pans. Actually, if you can get them elsewhere, try to! The markup here is a bit high.

      • I have yet to try Butter London, but it’s in my sights.

        Ooh yeah I have some contacts from the US, maybe I can get them to grab me some! Thanks for the tip!

  2. My favorite is the Amber Lights look! IDK if you have TOO good photography but I like all your color choices. You have a healthy dose of neutrals and mattes, yet at the same time, there’s the occasional pops of color or unique finish. Love!

    • Yay! 🙂 LOL that’s one of my fiiiiirst posts. Glad you liked my picks! I think I’m missing greens and blues, but they’re not “priority.”

  3. I like the quality of this video, ang pro ng dating. Hihi.

    Natawa ako when you said..”this is my Favorite.. (pause) one of my favorites.”

    Carina, you make me want eyeshadows. Erm that’s not good for me. Haha. Joke.

  4. I havr serious palette envy right now! I love all of your picks! I only have two MAC eyeshadows right now and I’m looking for two more colors to make a quad. I have Satin Taupe and Silvertorn but I want to but neutrals for a daily look.

    • What kind of neutrals are you looking for? Cork/Soba is great for everyday, but IDK your skin tone/undertone! Soft Brown is a nice one, too. I don’t have it, but my sister uses it on her lids almost everyday. 🙂 I’ll stand by Sketch forever. It’s really one of my faves.

  5. Pingback: September’s Softly Special: All About the Eyes (Master List of Posts) | Softly Sometimes

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