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.

Najm el Lail is a blackened brown with a matte finish. The swatch tells the majority of the story: dry, patchy, so-so color payoff. It’s not as easy to blend as a softer eyeshadow, as it tends to stick and be stubborn about softening along the edges. Too Faced Licorice is grayer/blacker. Dior Night Golds #3 is shimmery. MAC Bad Lieutenant is very similar. theBalm Matt Ramirez is also rather similar but has a slightly redder base. MAC Diamond Dove is similar. Tarina Tarantino Wonderful is slightly browner. MAC Brun is a bit lighter and cooler-toned. MAC Midnight Flurry is also similar. MAC Legendary Black is darker, grayer. Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone has a satin finish.

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.

The Glossover

	Rimal Dahabia B+
	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
	Loading ... Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Rimal Dahabia Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Rimal Dahabia Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Rimal Dahabia Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Rimal Dahabia Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Rimal Dahabia Eyeshadow Quad

MAC Shroom Eyeshadow

MAC Shroom Eyeshadow

MAC Soft Brown Eyeshadow

MAC Soft Brown Eyeshadow

MAC Beautyburst Eyeshadow

MAC Beautyburst Eyeshadow

MAC Najm el Lail Eyeshadow

MAC Najm el Lail Eyeshadow

MAC Eyeshadows: Shroom (inner lid, brow bone), Soft Brown (middle of lid), Beautyburst (outer lid), Najm el Lail (crease)

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette ($38.00 for 0.19 oz.) includes: Shroom (soft beige with shimmer), Naked Lunch (minimal pink with shimmer), Tempting (sinfully rich coco), Greensmoke (tarnished olive), Stormy Love (dirty brown with green frost), and Showstopper (deep blackened brown). Stormy Love is the only new and exclusive shade here, while Showstopper isn’t available in the permanent range, it has been released several times in the past (it is a favorite to be repromoted).

• Shroom is a pale, soft beige with a soft frost finish. It’s a slightly sheered shade and popular highlighter color. This has a satin finish and is part of the permanent range.
• Naked Lunch is a pinked beige with a smooth, frost finish. This has a frost finish and is part of the permanent range.
• Tempting is a warm, golden bronze. This has a lustre finish and is part of the permanent range. It is one of the few lustres that I like, because it has a smooth texture and doesn’t have lots of glittery bits.
• Greensmoke is a blackened olive green with subtle gold shimmer, and it is rather sheer and stiff here. This has a lustre finish and is part of the permanent range.
• Stormy Love is a duochrome of teal and brown–it’s like a richer, tealer version of Blue Brown pigment… Club on steroids. This has a frost finish and is exclusive to this palette.
• Showstopper is a dark, cool-toned brown. It has a matte finish, and it has been out in several other collections.

If you’re familiar with MAC’s holiday palettes from last year, the packaging is very similar–this palette is just all black and has no special design on the outside. The palette contains $55.10 worth of eyeshadow ($14.50 for 0.05 oz. for individual eyeshadows), so unlike the lip/face palette, this one is a much better deal.

The Glossover

	MAC Packed to Go Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches B+
	For a "warm" palette, I actually felt the color selection was more neutral to slightly cool. Shades like Stormy Love and Showstopper are cool-toned, while Tempting is the only really warmed over shade here. It's a nice color selection, and it's a shame that a shade like Stormy Love is only available with four permanent shades and the ever-repromoted Showstopper! Greensmoke is the only dud in this palette.
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4/5
	Loading ... Where to Buy
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!

See more photos & swatches!

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Packed to Go: Warm Smokey Eyeshadow Palette

Quick & Easy Natural Smoky Eye

This is a super quick, super easy smoky eye that’s not too dramatic and still natural.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Satin Taupe Eyeshadow (dark brown), MAC Soft Brown Eyeshadow (medium brown), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow (highlighter), Urban Decay Zero 24/7 Liner (black), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Korres #15 Natural Blush (natural brown)
• Lips: MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick (nude), MAC Nymphette Lipglass (soft pink)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Satin Taupe eyeshadow on the bottom third of the lid along the upper lash line. Lightly blend Soft Brown eyeshadow on the middle of the lid with the 239 and blend into and above the crease. Blend Shroom eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Zero liner on the lower lash line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply #15 Natural blush on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Velvet Teddy lipstick first, and then layer Nymphette lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Video Makeup Tutorial: MAC Dare to Wear Blues

Here’s a video tutorial of this blue look I did yesterday!   I hope you enjoy it!

I keep forgetting to mention in a video as a fun fact, so I’m at least going to write it here since I am remembering…

FUN FACT: I don’t plan the look!  I usually have an idea of what I want (e.g. I want to do a blue look, or use X product, or do green and blue or brown and gold), but I don’t have anything picked out yet.  What you see in the video is me doing the look for the first time – I don’t even do one eye before the other. I do them both simultaneously (but we edit out when I do the other eye, since I’m out of the frame anyway). This is why you’ll often see me give suggestions or modifications, based on how it turns out

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Aqua Eyeshadow (pale aqua-green), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (deep blue with violet), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow, MAC Royal Wink Fluidline (royal blue), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes Liner (periwinkle), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush (peachy pink)
• Lips: MAC Beachbound Lipstick (peachy-melon), Le Metier de Beaute Manhattan Lip Gloss (sheer beige), MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass (coral)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Beachbound = Melon pigment

MAC Dare to Wear Look:  Aqua, Winkle, & Atlantic Blue

MAC Dare to Wear may be eons away (okay, a couple of months), but given the amount of repromotes/permanent shades in the collection, I got a little inspired to create a look out of the ones I do already own. I went with a shimmery highlighter, rather than a matte one, because matte highlighters have a tendency to photograph poorly (they always look chalky, even if you can barely see them in real life). Well, it’s probably I just haven’t mastered the art of photographing matte brow highlighters… Anyway!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Aqua Eyeshadow (pale aqua-green), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (deep blue with violet), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow, MAC Royal Wink Fluidline (royal blue), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes Liner (periwinkle), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush (peachy pink)
• Lips: MAC Beachbound Lipstick (peachy-melon), Le Metier de Beaute Manhattan Lip Gloss (sheer beige), MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass (coral)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Beachbound = Melon pigment

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Aqua eyeshadow on the inner third of the lid and pull upwards along the inner crease. Lightly blend Winkle eyeshadow on the outer two-thirds of the lid with the 239. Next, apply Atlantic Blue eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Blend Shroom eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying #15L aqua eyes dipped in Royal Wink fluidline on the lower lash line, and then lightly dust Aqua eyeshadow underneath with the 219. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Peach Nuance blush very lightly on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Beachbound lipstick first, and then layer Manhattan lipgloss to lighten, and the finally add just a touch of Lychee Luxe lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Bright Makeup: Sky Blues

I got the BLUES! At least, when it comes to the next week… because it’s study, study, STUDY! I feel like my focus is off, too, which is very annoying and frustrating. I managed to get through one outline yesterday, and today, I hope to get through another today… and then start memorizing both!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot (neutral beige base), MAC Frost Pigment (teal), MAC Vellum Eyeshadow (white with purple flash), MAC Sky Blue Eyeshadow (PRO) (sky blue), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle blue), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (PRO) (brightened dark blue), MAC Electric Eel Eyeshadow (bright blue), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow (highlighter), YSL Oriental Blue Dessin du Regard Eyeliner (navy blue), YSL Turquoise Dessin du Regard Eyeliner (teal), MAC NC15/NW20 Chromagraphic Pencil (nude), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140)
• Cheeks: Dolce & Gabbana Peach Blush (soft beige-pink), Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer (golden highlight)
• Lips: Cle de Peau #101 Extra Silky Lipstick (coral), MAC C-Thru Lipglass (creamy nude), Guerlain Brit Rouge G Lipstick, Guerlain #01 Terracotta Gloss (sheer champagne)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: N/A

For eyes, start by applying Soft Ochre paint pot as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. With the 239 and water-based mixing medium (or water), apply Frost pigment all over the lid area. Using the 239, apply Vellum eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply Sky Blue eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Winkle eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend Atlantic Blue eyeshadow, with the 226, into the outer crease and corner. Define the crease by sweeping Electric Eel eyeshadow into the lower crease with the 219. Lightly tap and brush Vellum eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Shroom eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Oriental Blue eyeliner on the outer half of the lower lash line and Turquoise eyeliner on the inner half of the lower lash line. Apply NC15/NW20 pencil on the lower waterline to make eyes pop. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Peach blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116. Then, highlight cheekbones by sweeping Amber Diamond with the 165.

For lips, apply #101 lipstick first, and then layer C-thru lipiglass for a complementing lip. An alternative lip could be created by first applying Brit lipstick layered with #01 gloss.

Check out more photos!

Cle de Peau #101 + MAC C-Thru

Guerlain Brit + Guerlain #01

Cle de Peau #101 + MAC C-Thru

Cle de Peau #101 + MAC C-Thru

Guerlain Brit + Guerlain #01

Guerlain Brit + Guerlain #01