MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette ($36.00) is a colorful palette with a slight cool tone running through it.

This palette includes six eyeshadows: Lady’s Prance (clay), Rolled Gold (gold), High Spirits (shimmered avocado), Vainglorious (metallic maroon), Set to Dance (dark royal blue), and Bows & Curtseys (metallic hunter green).

• Lady’s Prance is a dirty gray-beige. It has a matte finish, but it doesn’t look like 100% matte to me.   The pigmentation on this shade was really nice, as it went on solid without having to layer on a ton.  It’s a lighter version of Omega.
• Rolled Gold is a smooth antique gold with subtle green-gold flash.  It has a lustre finish, but it feels a lot smoother and integrated than other lustres.  Patina would be the closest in the permanent range, but it’s not that close.
• High Spirits is a medium grassy green with darker green shimmer.  It has a frost finish.  As pretty as this looked in the pan, it just didn’t swatch very intensely for me.   It’s like a darker version of Swimming–like a cross between Swimming and Humid.
• Vainglorious is reddened burgundy with soft sheen. It has a frost finish.  Now, this was originally released as part of Venomous Villains, but the one in this palette swatched on the sheer side.  I barely had to get any product when it was sold individually to get a really rich, pigmented swatch, but I felt like I had to work hard to get it to show up from this palette. What gives?  It’s pretty close to Star Violet.
• Set to Dance is a dark indigo blue. It has a matte finish, and it does suffer from some chalkiness and overall sheerness.   Naval (PRO) probably comes closest to this shade, but it’s bluer.
• Bows & Curtseys is a darkened green that leans quite gray-black. It has a satin finish.  For as dark as this shade looks in the pan, it swatched something awful.  I just could not get it to show–it reminded me of Deep Blue Green pigment, except, you know, with 10% of the pigmentation.

The palette contains 0.19 oz. worth of eyeshadow along with a tiny 213 brush, which means you’re paying $190/oz. In comparison, if you were to buy potted eyeshadows, MAC eyeshadows run at $290/oz. and pans run at $230/oz. These palettes do offer a little more bang for your buck than if you were to buy shades individually.

Despite loving how colorful this palette is upon first glance, the pigmentation leaves something to be desired.  There is just a lack of it in the majority of these shades (all but the gold and beige), and I really can’t understand why.  I had some textural issues with half the shades–Lady’s Prance and Rolled Gold have a lovely smooth texture, but Set to Dance and Bows & Curtseys had a much chalkier texture.  Overall, I’m not too keen on this palette.

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• Product: 23/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

RECOMMENDATION: It’s definitely a palette geared towards those who love to wear color, but the lack of pigmentation makes it more appropriate to those who prefer their color sheer!

AVAILABILITY: October 28th at MAC Stores/Counters

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Tartan Tale: Twists of Tartan Eyeshadow Palette

Top row: Lady’s Prance, Rolled Gold, High Spirits; Bottom row: Vainglorious, Set to Dance, Bows & Curtseys

Top row: Lady’s Prance, Rolled Gold, High Spirits; Bottom row: Vainglorious, Set to Dance, Bows & Curtseys

Left to right, top to bottom:  High Spirits, Bows & Curtseys; Rolled Gold, Set to Dance; Lady’s Prance, Vainglorious

Lady’s Prance, Rolled Gold, High Spirits

Vainglorious, Set to Dance, Bows & Curtseys