9 Must-Have Purple MAC Eyeshadows

About the Temptalia Must-Haves Series

A series of posts showcasing must-have products from MAC Cosmetics’ permanent line of products. Selections are based on quality, universality, uniqueness amongst the line, and the like. Limited edition shades are deliberately excluded to make buying easier. Readers’ comments act as a supplement to these lists of their favorites and must-haves. You can find the entire series here.

Stars ‘n Rockets eyeshadow is one of my all-time favorite eyeshadows–from any brand, any color family–because it is absolutely stunning. It’s a vibrant fuchsia-purple color with soft shimmer. The sheen of it is both fuchsia and purple, which makes it very much like a duochrome. Seriously, if you do not have this in your collection, move it to the TOP of your list. I don’t care what new collection is coming out next, THIS outranks it!

Plum Dressing eyeshadow is a pretty mauvey-purple color. It has a little bit of red tones to it, which makes it not just a cool-toned purple. If you find cool-tones hard to work with on your skin tone, consider mauve/red-based purples instead. Let me make a note and say that Plum Dressing and Hepcat are very similar, and you probably only need one. I prefer Plum Dressing’s texture, but I love Hepcat’s name

Hepcat eyeshadow is similar to Plum Dressing (read above!), though I’d say it runs a little redder. It’s a very pretty shade of mauve-purple with warm red tones in it. It looks awesome with Stars ‘n Rockets!

Parfait Amour eyeshadow is a medium-bright blue-purple, almost a violet shade. It’s fairly cool in tone, but it’s not overly cool. I love to wear this with golds, pinks, and silvers. It’s a well-pigmented shadow with a frost finish.

See five more must-have purple eyeshadows, plus get pairing ideas and some limited edition recommendations!

Satellite Dreams eyeshadow is a warmer medium purple shade. It has more plumminess to it, and the texture is a veluxe pearl, so the finish is smooth and the color extremely blendable.

Beautiful Iris eyeshadow is a pearly lavender-purple color. Overall, it leans on the cool side, but it’s not too cool for warmer skin tones to use without much trouble. I love the pigmentation and texture of this particular shade; it’s incredibly easy to blend.

Nocturnelle eyeshadow is deep plummy purple color with a frost finish. It’s a nice shade to darken the crease with, or use all over the lid for a really dramatic look. It also works well as liner.

Contrast eyeshadow is an absolute must, must, MUST haves when it comes to dark colors. It’s a deep purple-blue shade that reflects differently depending what it’s layered with. It’s extremely rich in color and very soft when used. If you find it’s too pigmented, try using a crease brush (like the 222, 224, 226) with it.

Crystal eyeshadow is a soft, barely-there purple shade. It’s a duochrome, which means it’s fascinating in how it plays with different lights. I think this is a great color for highlighting the inner lid or brow bone, especially with other purple shadows. Digit eyeshadow is similar to Crystal, though slightly softer but purpler at the same time. I’d recommend either or, but you don’t have to have both.

Pair these shadows with…

pinks (like Passionate), golds (like Goldmine), silvers (like Electra), teals (like Shimmermoss), grays/blacks (like Carbon)

Check your stash for a few awesome limited edition finds…

Cinders, Purple Shower, Romping, Mancatcher, Stomp, Endless Love, Fertile

What are your favorite purple eyeshadows?

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of great eyeshadows — these are shades I personally think are worth getting as a whole.