MAC Eyeshadow Swatches – Purples

Here are several swatches of MAC eyeshadows from the purple family (mostly permanent shades) that are now part of The Swatch Gallery.

• Parfait Amour is a cool-toned, blue-based purple with a frost finish. It’s hard to work with, just because the color payoff is low. Inglot #379 is similar in color but it has a matte finish.
• Cobalt is a bright blue-indigo with a matte finish. It was a PRO shade but is no longer available. It is a powdery shade. It’s a lighter version of Atlantic Blue.
• Beautiful Iris is a soft lilac with a veluxe pearl finish. Such a lovely inner corner highlight shade!
• Digit is an ultra pale lilac with a satin finish. It’s much lighter than Beautiful Iris. Inglot #440 is similar, not quite as light, and it has more of a metallic finish in comparison.
• Indian Ink is a dark purple with strong, cool undertones and a matte finish. This is a PRO shade.
• Graphology is a blackened bluish-purple with a Matte2 finish. It reads more purple in the pan than it does when swatched. It has been discontinued.
• Fig. 1 is a plummy eggplant purple with a Matte2 finish.
• Vibrant Grape is a brightened raspberry-tinged plum with a satin finish.
• Plum Dressing is a raspberry plum with a veluxe pearl finish.
• Hepcat is a raspberry pink with a fuchsia-purple sheen. It has a frost finish. It’s less red-based and cooler-toned in comparison to Plum Dressing.
• Seedy Pearl is an iridescent pinky-lilac with a frost finish.
• Stars ‘n Rockets is a fuchsia-pink with an iridescent violet sheen. It has a veluxe pearl finish. It is similar to Urban Decay Fishnet, which is more pigmented.

The best shades in this selection of purples are Beautiful Iris, Digit, Fig. 1., Plum Dressing, and Seedy Pearl.  I am a huge fan of Stars ‘n Rockets, but Urban Decay’s Fishnet is a more pigmented version–so it’s a good shade but not the best.   Vibrant Grape is finicky, so it can be difficult to work with, as it is a drier matte.  Parfait Amour is the worst of the purples swatched in this post.  You can check out the progress made on the MAC Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatch Gallery–I think it’s really coming along.  I have a few more palettes to go through of mostly permanent shades, which at this point are browns/neutrals overall.  After that, I’ll move on to re-swatching limited edition shades.

The Glossover

	MAC Eyeshadow Swatches - Purples B
	Several of MAC's purples have this gorgeous iridescent sheen--like Beautiful Iris, Digit, and Seedy Pearl--that work well to brighten the eyes.
	Product 8/10 Pigmentation 8/10 Texture 8.5/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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MAC Parfait Amour Eyeshadow

MAC Cobalt Eyeshadow

MAC Beautiful Iris Eyeshadow

MAC Digit Eyeshadow

MAC Indian Ink Eyeshadow

MAC Graphology Eyeshadow

MAC Fig 1 Eyeshadow

MAC Vibrant Grape Eyeshadow

MAC Plum Dressing Eyeshadow

MAC Hepcat Eyeshadow

MAC Seedy Pearl Eyeshadow

MAC Stars ‘n Rockets Eyeshadow

Soft Makeup: Sweet with Sugar Plums

Super soft look I did for Mother’s Day!   Quick, easy, and wearable.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Benefit Stay Don’t Stray (neutral beige base), MAC Seedy Pearl Eyeshadow (iridescent white-pink), MAC Shale Eyeshadow (gray-mauve), MAC Plum Dressing Eyeshadow (reddened plum), MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow (soft white highlighter), MAC Almost Noir Pearlglide Liner (dark burgundy), MAC Opulash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: MAC Pink Rebel Lustre Drops (peach-gold liquid highlighter), MAC Hipness Blush (coral pink)
• Lips: MAC Sweetie Lipstick (soft pink), Dior Mauve Accent Ultra Gloss (plummy pink)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Pink Rebel = Benefit High Beam; Hipness = Benefit Coralista

For eyes, start by applying Stay Don’t Stray as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Seedy Pearl eyeshadow on the lower lid. Next, apply Shale eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending outwards and upwards to fade to the brow bone. With the 239, apply Plum Dressing eyeshadow into the crease directly and then blended towards the outer corner and lid. Blend Vanilla eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Almost Noir eyeliner on the lower lash line and finish by sweeping lashes with Opulash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Pink Rebels lustre drops on the apples and upper cheekbones. Then, lightly apply Hipness blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Sweetie lipstick first, and then layer Mauve Accent ultra gloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

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.