When I started to really get into makeup, a MAC palette was the first thing on my list. This was about three years ago, and I still can’t believe that I haven’t finished filling a whole palette in all that time!
MAC have hit the nail on the head with how customisable their palettes are. Being able to make your own combinations from their wide variety of shadows is great, but I think we all know that MAC’s shadows aren’t the best quality on the market. Saying that, they certainly are not the worst and some of my favourite shadows of all time sit in this palette.
As you can probably tell, I like my neutral, smokey shades, but I have also chosen some surprising pops of colour here too.
On the top row we have, from left to right, Charcoal Brown, Mulch, Sable, Woodwinked and Cranberry.
When I want to use a powder for filling in my brows Charcoal Brown is the colour I pick, being a completely matte, cool toned brown, not the most exciting shade of all time but an essential.
Next up is Mulch; one of my favourite MAC shades of all time, a very warm gold with red undertones. I often wear Mulch with a little of Sable blended into the crease of the eye, adding a pink tone. They are amazing if worn together and are equally as stunning on their own.
Woodwinked was the shadow I wore on my 20th birthday because of its perfect warm golden colour and eye catching shine. Out of all of my MAC shades this has to be the one that I most love wearing with black liquid liner, and on the plus side this has to be my favourite name for an eye shadow of all time.
And finally on this row we have Cranberry; a MAC classic, a gorgeous bright pomegranatey-cranberry shade that really makes a statement. I love Cranberry worn with Clinique’s Black Honey in the crease during the colder months.
Across the second row, from left to right, is firstly another colour that can be worn with Cranberry; Swiss Chocolate. It doesn’t look like much in the pan, but I think this is actually one of my favourite shades in the palette and I’ve got more much more wear out of it than I thought I would.I find Swiss Chocolate, as a matte shade surprising smooth and finely milled, I use it regularly to add some warmth to my eye look.
Now the next two shadows I brought as a combination and I think I have only actually used them together; Smut and Satin Taupe. Both are probably cult MAC shades and create a very dramatic look together.
Smut is a cool charcoal grey with a faint undertone of red, warming the colour up to make it more flattering on pale skin tones. Probably one of MAC’s most famous shadows is Satin Taupe, and for good reason! It is beautiful worn alone, which I regularly do for work, leaving a wash of frosty taupe across the lid but when mixed with Smut, that’s when the magic really happens. I can completely see why many makeup artists keep this one as a reference point in their collections.
Now we get to my only regret in my MAC palette; Wedge. After reading some great reviews of this shadow I was sure I needed it to blend out other colours, but alas, this definitely doesn’t work with my skin tone. Wedge pretty much matches my skin and so I might as well have used a face powder for anything I want to do with this shadow.
Finally on this row we have Trax, a brilliant lilac plum with a golden shimmer. This really is the wild card of my selection and I’m ashamed to say I have never used it. I brought it a little while ago now because of this Tanya Burr tutorial with every intention of recreating the look, but I haven’t found somewhere where I could wear such a statement eye yet! I really don’t regret buying Trax, it is a lovely shade that I’m sure I could get the wear out of if I pushed myself.
Onto the last row of the palette starting with Carbon from left to right. Carbon is your basic matte black, not the best for blendability on the market, but it does come in handy having it in there for setting liner and smoking out over shadows in the outer V of the eye.
Next is Handwritten, another matte that is let down by its blendability but it is the perfect matte chocolate brown so I find myself using this one regularly.
My final colour is my most recent purchase; Folie a warm chocolate with a hint of shimmer. Warmer in tone than Handwritten it is beautiful for the crease of the eye. The slight shimmer allows the shadow to blend more easily so I must say I reach for this over Handwritten the majority of the time.
There you go, my MAC palette from start to finish. I have included swatches here too, starting at my inner elbow; Charcoal Brown, Mulch, Sable, Wood-Winked, Cranberry, Swiss Chocolate, Smut, Satin Taupe, Wedge, Trax, Carbon, Handwritten and finishing with Folie at my wrist.
So how do you think I should fill those last slots in the palette? I currently have my eye on Nylon for an inner corner highlight and Sketch to use with Trax, what do you think? Let me know in the comments below.