MAC Temperature Rising Eyeshadow Quad ($44.00 for 0.19 oz.) includes these shades: Performance Art (frosted gold mauve, Veluxe Pearl)), Temperature Rising (light warm tanned peach, Lustre), Swelter (mid-tone grey violet, Frost), and Beautymarked (charcoal black with red pearl, Velvet). Beautymarked is part of the permanent range. The quad will be available online on May 16th and in-stores May 23rd (of course, it usually is online earlier than the stated date). It is packaged in a matte bronze with a rubbery texture–if you’re familiar with NARS’ packaging, it’s very much like that, only bronze in color.
Temperature Rising is copper-shimmered peach with a soft, frosted sheen. It was very stiff to work with, and it really needed to be layered and packed on to get visible, even color both swatched and on the eye. Estee Lauder Pink Zinc is lighter (and a cream product). Chanel Complice is lighter. MAC Seaside is more coppery. Chanel Emerveille is a cream product and is less coppery. MAC Expensive Pink is pinker, darker.
Swelter is a muted, medium-dark purple with subtle red undertones and a satiny sheen. It had decent to good color payoff, but it was a little stiff to work with. When I jabbed at it with a stiffer brush, I was able to get better color payoff. MAC Smoky Mauve is more frosted. Jasmine Carpet is very similar. NARS 413 BLKR #1 is grayer, cooler-toned. MAC Circa Plum is extremely similar.
Beautymarked is a blackened brown with burgundy and copper micro-shimmer. It was dry, somewhat chalky, and generally stiff and difficult to blend. Applied, it looks mostly like a matte black, but if you mix it or blend it with Swelter, you can bring out more of the shimmer in Beautymarked. Giorgio Armani #2 is similar in concept but has a much more pronounced shimmer/sparkle. L’Oreal Smoldering Plum is purpler. MAC Young Punk has more purple shimmer.
The real miss here was Beautymarked, which had a rather undesirable texture that made it a problematic shade to use. It’s also the kind of shade that looks incredibly complex in the pan but when used, it can be difficult to pull out those nuances and see the complexities. Performance Art was the best eyeshadow in this quad, because it had good pigmentation and a softer, smoother texture and application. Temperature Rising needs to be packed on for a smooth, even application. I wish it performed better overall, because the color combination works well together and would flatter a variety of skin tones. The eyeshadows did wear for eight hours with no creasing and only very minor fading with minor fading occurring after nine hours.
I wish it performed better overall, because the color combination works well together and would flatter a variety of skin tones.
Product
8/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
8/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC, May 16th online (approximately), May 23rd in-stores; $44.00
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC Bare My Soul Eyeshadow Quad ($44.00 for 0.19 oz.) includes these shades: Romantico (light taupe bronze, Veluxe Pearl), Bare My Soul (frosted gold, Lustre), Friendly (deep bronze chocolate, Veluxe Pearl), and When in Rio (deep green with copper pearl, Frost). The quad will be available online on May 16th and in-stores May 23rd (of course, it usually is online earlier than the stated date). It is packaged in a matte bronze with a rubbery texture–if you’re familiar with NARS’ packaging, it’s very much like that, only bronze in color.
Friendly is a rich, chocolatly brown with subtly warm undertones and a frosted sheen. It had fantastic color payoff, and it applied incredibly smoothly, too. Inglot #421 is slightly more coppery. Laura Mercier Cedar is more matte. MAC Make Your Mark is not quite as intense. MAC Mulch is redder.
When in Rio is a deep, red-brown base with a greenish-teal sheen. It had good color payoff when layered, but it was a little on the drier side and slightly stiff when I tried blending it out on the lid. It’s workable, but it’s not as nice as Romantico or Friendly. Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone #8 has a much redder base. bareMinerals Mirage is browner. MAC Double Feature #5 #2 is similar in design but much redder in practice. Tarte Exquisite Emerlad is similar though not as intense. MAC Woodsmoke is bluer. Inglot #414 is greener. MAC Club would also be similar, though I think the duochrome is not quite as obvious (and also Blue Brown pigment).
Initially, it reminded me of the Burmese Beauty quad from a few years ago, but they’re definitely not one-for-one. Burmese Beauty had a more golden, rather than copper-toned, shade, but it did have a similarly duochrome blue-brown shade (Burmese Beauty). The other two eyeshadows are not similar to the other two found in this quad.
I liked the quad overall, but at this price point, I really wish When in Rio was softer, more pigmented, and more blendable. In the world of MAC eyeshadow quads, this is certainly one of the better ones in the past few years. I wore all four eyeshadows together yesterday, and I didn’t have any issues with creasing or fading after nine hours of wear (no primer).
I liked the quad overall, but at this price point, I really wish When in Rio was softer, more pigmented, and more blendable. In the world of MAC eyeshadow quads, this is certainly one of the better ones in the past few years.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC Rimal Dahabia Eyeshadow Quad ($40.00 for 0.21 oz.) contains these shades: Shroom (soft beige with shimmer), Soft Brown (soft golden peachy brown), Beautyburst (rich reddish brown), and Najm el Lail (blackened deep brown). Shroom and Soft Brown are permanent, while Beautyburst came out with Barbie Loves MAC in 2007.
Shroom is soft, light beige with a hint of warmth and a lightly frosted finish (though it’s officially a satin). It’s soft, smooth, and easy to blend out. It also has lovely color payoff. This used to be a go-to brow bone highlighter for me, because it wasn’t too stark or too cool/warm. Make Up For Ever #126 is darker, slightly shimmery. Urban Decay Anonymous is more matte and less beige. Cinderella A Wish is more matte. Giorgio Armani #1 Madreperla #1 is similar, but a touch more frosted. Urban Decay Skimp is a touch warmer and more shimmery. bareMinerals Serendipitous is very similar. MAC Brule is matte.
Soft Brown is a light-medium brown with warm, subtly red undertones and a matte finish. It is soft, silky-smooth, and nicely pigmented. It’s a great go-to neutral for outer lid and crease work on many skin tones, and then it can work as an all-over lid shade on darker complexions, too. MAC Exposed is darker and redder. MAC Body Conscious is more orange. MAC Glimpse of Flesh is shimmery and lighter. MAC Indie Spirit is a bit darker.
Beautyburst is a warm-toned, reddened, medium-dark brown with a matte finish (though it is listed as a satin). It had good color payoff, and the texture was soft and smooth. It blended nicely on the lid when I applied it. MAC Deep Fixation is more orange and more shimmery. Guerlain Les Fauves #2 is a touch lighter. MAC Brown Script is a bit darker and browner. theBalm Racy Kacy is warmer and shimmery.
Three of the four are good or better (and two of the three are great), while the one shade that dropped the ball was Najm el Lail. I’m not sure why MAC seems to have issues with making a soft, buttery black-brown eyeshadow–above, you’ll see I noted several limited edition black-brown shades (mostly found in quads) from MAC over the years and they all have the same issues (dry, stiff). Like the other quad, I’m testing the wear of these today and will update this post with that information later this afternoon. Based on the textures/payoffs/finishes, I’ve given it a longevity grade based off of years of testing MAC eyeshadows.
Just to do a little math, since the palette contains two permanent shades, here’s how the value works out to be: 1) pan eyeshadows cost $12 each (so $48 in eyeshadows), and the 2) the price of the quad is $9. So, if you purchase everything individually, you would be spending $57–compared to $40 to purchase a pre-made quad (in standard packaging), which means you pay $17 for choice. If you already have a palette to put them in, then you might consider the cost of choice $8. I find this is helpful to put it into perspective, though as a long-time MAC collector, I completely understand when you remember paying $34 for quads! On the other hand, at $40, I really think it should be fantastic–there are too many $30-50 palettes on the market that are standouts these days.
Three of the four shades are good or better, but Najm el Lail is a let-down! It was so stiff and dry, which made it hard to get good color payoff as well as made blending rather difficult.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC Masat al Lail Eyeshadow Quad ($40.00 for 0.21 oz.) contains these shades: Rondelle (platinum silver frost), Waft (deep navy with pearl), Gentle Fume (dirty concrete grey with silver pearl), and Carbon (intense black). Long-time MAC collectors may remember this composition, as it was originally launched in Smoke Signals (2007) as the Gentle Fume quad.
Rondelle is a gray-tinged white with a frosted finish. It had decent to good color payoff, but it was a little dusty, though I was able to get it to apply smoothly for the most part. Tarte Silver Burst is brighter, whiter. Guerlain Les Aquas #4 is more metallic. Bobbi Brown Iced Blue is cooler-toned.
Waft is a dark, bluish-gray with a subtle, frosted finish. The texture is rather dry, which is why this shade looks a bit patchy (and it does look dry, too) when swatched. It has so-so color payoff, but it was buildable and when used with a soft, fluffier brush, it did seem to apply better and more smoothly. theBalm Matt McDonald is very similar. MAC Warm Thunder is more metallic. Tarina Tarantino DIamond DUsk is more metallic, lighter. MAC Weathered is bluer.
Gentle Fume is a medium-dark matte gray base with silver sparkle. The silver sparkle doesn’t adhere or bind with the base color very well, so it flakes and disappears the moment you go to blend out the color. If you want any sparkle to survive, pat the color on, and then leave it alone. There will be fall out during the day, though. MAC Fabulous Fit doesn’t have the sparkle and is a touch lighter. MAC Silver Gull is much lighter. NARS Delphes #2 is close to the base color but doesn’t have the silver sparkle. Chanel Gris Exquis is a darker gray with no silver sparkle.
Carbon is a medium-dark black with a matte finish. It is part of the permanent range, and it varies in its dryness. This isn’t the worst iteration I’ve seen of it, but it’s certainly not the best and is by no means a favorite of mine to use. The beauty world can do better black eyeshadows now, so Carbon could use a reformulation to put it on par with current black eyeshadows. It’s just so dry and stiff, so the color payoff is sheerer and patchy–even applied on the lid, it can be a pain to blend out. You can find numerous black eyeshadows that compare to this (in terms of color).
It is a cool-toned, silver-and-gray smoky eye palette. Over the years, I’ve grown frustrated with Carbon, so the inclusion of it in the quad is tiresome, as it is so often released in quads and palettes, so you very likely have one already (and it’s just not a great quality eyeshadow to begin with, so why have doubles or triples of it?). I think the color of Waft is the most interesting, but it turns out that Weathered ends up looking more nuanced on the lid because it is bluer. I wish the silver sparkle stuck to Gentle Fume, because then it would be something harder to dupe or find, but it just disappears and gets everywhere else. Rondelle is the best performing shade in the palette. I’m going to be wearing this quad for wear today, so I’ll report back with the results this afternoon–based on my experience with MAC’s drier/sheerer shades, I don’t get great wear (between seven and eight hours, some fading), I’ve assessed a rating but if it is better/worse, I’ll be sure to let you know.
The quad just requires too much work. I think that eyeshadows have significantly improved over the past five years, and I feel like these are too dry and stiff and lack color payoff.
Product
7.5/10
Pigmentation
7.5/10
Texture
7.5/10
Longevity
7.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC Art of the Eye Eyeshadows ($15.00 for 0.05 oz.) include five shades, and they are: Banafsaji (deep purple blue), Farasha (bright deep orange), Gameela (deep pink magenta), Hajar Karim (clean warm green), and Parrot (deep aqua blue with bright green and blue pearl). Parrot is a repromote.
Farasha is a brightened, medium-dark orange with a matte finish. This looks lighter in the pan than it does on; consistently, whether on the lid or on my arm, it was darker swatched. It has fairly good pigmentation, but it is more buildable than it is incredibly intense right out of the pan, so I did need to pack it on the lid to get opaque, even color payoff. NARS Persia is darker, redder. Jasmine Rajah is shimmery, so it is a little lighter. MAC Rule is more muted. MAC Orange is darker, redder.
Gameela is a bold, bright medium-dark pink with subtle cool undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff and was buildable to fully opaque color. The texture is soft but a little dry; it’s not MAC’s best matte eyeshadow though decent to good. I recommend patting and packing the color on (and use a primer, if you have one) for best results. Chanel Rose Favorite is lighter. MAC Embrace Me is darker (between the two, since they both are recent releases, I’d get this all day long over Gameela). MAC More AMour is redder, more subdued. MAC Tease With Ease is more fuchsia. MAC Passionate is a bit richer and darker.
Hajar Karim is a grassy, medium-dark green with a matte finish and a dusty quality to it. It had so-so color payoff that required building to get to opaque color, but it is possible to get there. Again, patting the color on rather than sweeping will go a long way, and if you use a primer or white eyeshadow base, you’ll get true-to-pan color with less layering. NARS Self Portrait 1 #3 is yellower. Illamasqua Fledgling is brighter, bolder. MAC Feeling Fresh is shimmery and a bit darker. MAC Fresh Flare is shimmery and warmer. Inglot #384 is richer and yellower (in tone).
Parrot is a medium-dark blue with a hint of aqua/teal that is layered with green and gold shimmer; it’s not a strong duochrome, but there’s a slight tint and sheen to it at certain angles. I think this shade was interesting and unique three or four years ago, but now, there are so many options that are similar to it. The texture is a smidgen dry (I’ve been noticing all of the recent Veluxe Pearls have this dryness) that doesn’t seem to impede application or color payoff, but it’s there. Jasmine Diamond is darker. Tom Ford Emerald Lust is tealer. Urban Decay Unhinged is bluer. Urban Decay Deep End is darker. Tarina Tarantino Ozma is similar. theBalm Open to Offers Olwen is slightly darker. Urban Decay Haight is bluer. Inglot #415 is lighter, more metallic (but has a stronger golden sheen). Make Up For Ever #83 is brighter.
On the whole, they’re decent to good, but a few of them require some work to get them applied with full, rich color, as well as extra effort to blend them out. I had the best luck with Parrot, which had good color payoff without having to build and layer it on. The worst performer was Hajar Karim, which really needs to be packed on (three or four layers). Farasha and Gameela were in the middle of the pack; they both require two or three layers of product to be packed on, but the textures are soft enough that they’re still blendable. Banafsaji had better pigmentation than some, but it was a bit stiff to blend. I wore all five yesterday (three on one eye, two on the other), and Hajar Karim was the first to show signs of fading (after seven hours), while Farasha and Gameela lasted nine hours without fading or creasing but Gameela stained my lids. Banafsaji had slight fading after eight hours, while Parrot didn’t show any signs of fading after nine hours.
On the whole, they're decent to good, but a few of them require some work to get them applied with full, rich color, as well as extra effort to blend them out. I had the best luck with Parrot, which had good color payoff without having to build and layer it on.
Product
8.5/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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MAC Nudes & Metallics Eyeshadows ($15.00 for 0.05 oz.) include eight shades in total, and these are three of them. I grouped these three together as they were all in the Metallics family. This post features: Brazenly (deep metallic purple), Crimson Tryst (deep metallic dirty berry), Deep Fixation (metallic brown). I do not have Love’s Lure (heavily metallic deep red) at this time.
Brazenly is described as a is a purple-berry with a frosted finish and red undertones. It had good color payoff, and the texture was blendable and applied smoothly. There was a smidgen of dryness to it that didn’t seem to impair the overall quality, though. Jasmine Master is purpler. OCC Overlook is lighter and less berry (purpler). Urban Decay Last Call is not as dark but similar. NARS Caravaggio #2 is more violet, less berry. Le Metier de Beaute Fig is not as red but is similar. Inglot #446 is purpler but similar in finish.
Crimson Tryst is described as a “deep metallic dirty berry.” It’s a deepened red with berry hues and a pearly sheen. The pigmentation was excellent, and the texture was soft and smooth. MAC Cranberry is darker, less red. Le Metier de Beaute Fire Lily is redder and warmer. NARS Douce France #3 is similar in color but is matte. Inglot #450 is very similar–even a bit more metallic.
Deep Fixation is described as a “metallic brown.” It is a darkened, coppery brown with a pearly sheen. It is incredibly pigmented with a rich, smooth texture. MAC Ever Elegant is darker, browner. Guerlain Les Fauves #1 is much browner. MAC Faux Gold isn’t as coppery, slightly browner. MAC Antiqued is much browner. theBalm Racy Kacy is very similar, perhaps not quite as warm-toned. NARS California is not quite as intense but is rather close in color.
All three shades had good color payoff, while Deep Fixation was particularly intense and opaque. There was a very slight dryness to Brazenly, and none of the three I tried felt as buttery as MAC’s best Veluxe Pearls (think Freshwater). Each applied well on the lid with true-to-pan intensity and was blendable. When I wore them together, they lasted for a full eight hours without fading or creasing; after nine hours, there was a hint of fading. I’m so sad that this collection is PRO only and not easily accessible, because it’s such a solid set of products. Some shades are more or less dupable, but they’re still shades that I could see a lot of people gravitating towards.
P.S. — The Nudes & Metallics Collection may be frustrating to find. When it launched in PRO stores on the 18th, every store I called was sold out of over half the collection already. The online launch date has been pushed to mid-June (no specific date was given). It is supposed to be for PRO only, which may mean that it is restricted to PROs only even online, but you should be able to call MAC PRO at 1-800-387-6707 and order (for anyone, PRO and non-PRO alike) per a LiveChat I did this morning.
The three eyeshadows I tried were nicely pigmented, easy to apply and blend out on the lid, and wore well. I only wish MAC made this a full-scale release.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
MAC PRO Online, June 2013
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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