Nude & Champagne Eyeliners: Your Guide

Two years ago, I went through and swatched every eyeliner I owned by color, so that they could easily be compared.  It’s time for a re-do, because we have so many more shades to add to our comparisons!  Our first part of this on-going series is a comparison of the various nude and champagne eyeliners I have on hand.  This shade is typically used on the lower lash line or water line to help brighten and open up eyes.

1. BAREMINERALS 5AM is a pewter–it’s a dirty, cool-toned gold with a silvered sheen. I didn’t expect it to be similar to anything here, but it didn’t fit well with golds either.
2. MAC GILDED WHITE is a warm white gold with a metallic sheen. (LE)
3. MAC NC15/NW20 is a light beige/fleshy shade. It is a hair darker than NARS Rue Bonaparte.
4. MAC NW25/NC30 is a darker version of NW15/NC20. Almost looks like a darkened peach.  It is very similar to Givenchy #2.
5. MAC NC42/NW35 is darker version of NW25/NC30. It looks a bit peachy/orange on me.
6. GIVENCHY #2 is a warm, peachy beige with yellow-beige undertones and a mostly matte finish. It is comparable to MAC NW25/NC30.
7. NARS RUE BONAPARTE is a soft beige with a matte finish. It is just barely lighter than MAC NC15/NW20.
8. MAC I GET NO KICK is a soft champagne nude with a metallic sheen. (LE) It is ever-so-slightly warmer than MUFE #23L but very comparable to UD Midnight Cowboy.
9. MAKE UP FOR EVER #23L is a shimmering golden champagne with a nearly metallic finish. This shade is slightly less warm compared to MAC I Get No Kick and UD Midnight Cowboy.
10. URBAN DECAY MIDNIGHT COWBOY is a shimmering champagne peach with a subtle metallic sheen. (LE) This is most comparable to MAC I Get No Kick.  An alternative to this shade would be Urban Decay’s Shadow Pencil of the same name.

TEMPTALIA PICKS:  #1 (high quality), #3-6 (good formula), #9 (versatile, readily available)

Behind-the-Series:  These swatches should not be used to judge the quality of an eyeliner.  Some eyeliners required one pass, some required five, and a few even more.  It was my intention to provide heavy, opaque swatches to provide an accurate color comparison.  When possible, the shade name (above) is linked to the original review.  If we’ve never done a review, there will be no link.  Shades that were limited edition will be marked with “(LE)” and shades that were discontinued will be marked with “(DC)” after the color description.  You can also find all comparisons on The Dupe List.

What’s your favorite champagne/nude eyeliner?

See more swatches!

Nude Eyeliners: bareMinerals 5AM, MAC Gilded White, MAC NC15/NW20, MAC NW25/NC30, MAC NC42/NW35, Givenchy #2, NARS Rue Bonaparte, MAC I Get No Kick, MUFE #23L, UD Midnight Cowboy

Nude Eyeliners: bareMinerals 5AM, MAC Gilded White, MAC NC15/NW20, MAC NW25/NC30, MAC NC42/NW35, Givenchy #2, NARS Rue Bonaparte, MAC I Get No Kick, MUFE #23L, UD Midnight Cowboy

Nude Eyeliners: bareMinerals 5AM, MAC Gilded White, MAC NC15/NW20, MAC NW25/NC30, MAC NC42/NW35, Givenchy #2, NARS Rue Bonaparte

Nude Eyeliners: NARS Rue Bonaparte, MAC I Get No Kick, MUFE #23L, UD Midnight Cowboy

MAC Chromagraphic Pencils: Review, Photos, Swatches

Last week, MAC PRO launched a full collection of Chromagraphic Pencils. Each retails for $14.50, and all the shades are permanent at PRO stores. This collection is only available at PRO stores, but anyone can shop at a PRO store. You can even call up your nearest PRO store, and you can place a phone order for a flat-rate shipping cost. Keep in mind that these are PRO products, which means they were designed with the makeup artist in mind, not necessarily consumers.

These may seem familiar because MAC released two of the flesh-toned shades with Pret-a-Papier (NC15/NW20 and NW25/NC30). The other eleven shades are new. Chromagraphic Pencils are creamy pencils that glide on easily and smoothly. According to PRO, they are meant for lining and defining, which makes sense as they have other products (like Chroma Cakes and Paint Sticks) more suitable for larger areas.

I do really like the flesh-toned shades for use on the lower waterline to open up the eye. I find that the NC15/NW20 achieves that the best (the others being a bit too dark on me) myself, and I’m about NC25. Black Black is really intense, and it is safe for usage everywhere but the lips, and that’s the one I chose to test-drive first. It stays pretty well on the waterline and lash line – it looks intense and dark from a normal viewing distance, but up close, I can see that it looks a little faded–but it hadn’t faded any more after the initial inspection and stayed on for about six hours for me (on the waterline, over eight on the lash line).

The following shades are not to be used in the lip area: Black Black, Marine Ultra, NC15/NW20, NW25/NC30, NC42/NW35
The following shades are not to be used in the eye area: Basic Red, Genuine Orange, Process Magenta
The following shades are not to be used in the inner rim of eye: Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow, Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple

The darker, more pigmented shades will stain the skin a little if worn for prolonged periods of time. I did not wear the swatches of these for very long, but it took quite a bit of elbow grease to remove them entirely.  I think these are certainly a quick and easy way to put detail on body/face painting efforts.  I’m not necessarily sure how much use most of us would get out of these, though (which is just fine–these weren’t made for us!).

• Pure White is a crystal clear creamy white.
• Basic Red is a primary red, subtle orange undertones.
• Process Magenta is a brightened pink, not quite fuchsia, definitely magenta.
• Genuine Orange is a rich, almost neon tangerine orange.
• Primary Yellow is exactly that–bright yellow.
• Landscape Green is a medium grass green.
• Marine Ultra is a darkened medium sea blue.
• Hi-Def Cyan is a creamy sky blue.
• Rich Purple is a darkened, red-toned purple.
• Black Black is an intense, almost wet-looking black.
• NC15/NW20 is a light beige/fleshy shade.
• NW25/NC30 is a darker version of NW15/NC20. Almost looks like a darkened peach.
• NC42/NW35 is darker version of NW25/NC30. It looks a bit peachy/orange on me.

See more photos & swatches!

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow,
Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black, NC42/NW35

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow,
Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black, NC42/NW35

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow,
Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black, NC42/NW35

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow,
Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black, NC42/NW35

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow,
Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black, NC42/NW35

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow,
Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black, NC42/NW35

Warning sheet!

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow, Landscape Green

Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow, Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple

Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black, NC42/NW35

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange

Primary Yellow, Landscape Green, Marine Ultra

Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black

Black Black, NC15/NW20, NC42/NW35

Pure White, Basic Red, Process Magenta, Genuine Orange, Primary Yellow,
Landscape Green, Marine Ultra, Hi-Def Cyan, Rich Purple, Black Black

NC15/NW20, NW25/NC30

Swiped once with a MAC Makeup Removing Wipe… tough suckers!