The Best Green Eyeshadows: MAC Must-Haves
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Must-Have MAC Green 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.
Swimming eyeshadow is a shimmery/glitter medium green. It’s a really great staple color to have, because its lightness in color makes it versatile. The only part they could improve on is by not making it a lustre finish!
Humid eyeshadow is an absolute must-have for anyone who wants to try their hand at a smokey green eye. Humid is a rich, pigmented deep green. It’s more of a forest green than an emerald green. The finish and texture are easy to work with, making this shadow extremely blendable.
Juxt eyeshadow is a light, pastel green. It’s not a cool green, but a slightly warmed up green. It’s kind of yellow-based, which is probably why it has noticeable warmth to its tone. It makes for an excellent all-over-the-lid color or even as a subtle highlighter when using other greens.
See three more must-haves, plus get pairing recommendations and limited edition recommendations!
Bitter eyeshadow is a bright pop of chartreuse (yellowed green). Although I prefer limited edition colors to this (e.g. Overgrown or PRO Sour Lemon), Bitter is a good replacement if you can’t get your hands on the others. It’s a satiny finish, which means the color goes on a little faded unless you have the proper base. The color is what makes it so different–this color works well with teals, blues, and other greens.
Greensmoke eyeshadow is a deep brown-olive green. It’s got a little bit of gray, brown, and olive to it, but it’s still not too dark. I love it for a smokey green eye.
Sumptuous Olive eyeshadow is blendable, smooth, and deliciously rich in pigmentation. It’s a nice olive green that just works with so many colors from golds to browns to greens.
Pair these shadows with…
white-golds (like Nylon), golds (like Gorgeous Gold), browns (like Woodwinked), blues (like Electric Eel), teals (like Shimmermoss), or grays/blacks (like Carbon)
Check your stash for a few awesome limited edition finds…
Wondergrass, Aquavert, Metamorph, Lucky Green, Guacamole, Eyepopping, Overgrown, Femme Noir, Velvet Moss, Scarab
What are your must-have green 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. I also only list permanent eyeshadow colors (and eyeshadows only–no other eye products, *just* eyeshadows for this list), which is why limited edition colors do not make the list. 
I would be grateful if you could tell me where to get Mac Green Smoke eye shadow.
Another great green that I like is Lucky Green.
I just picked up greensmoke and i really like it but I don't see anyone mentioning it here. Christine, I would like to do a smokey eye and a simple daytime look but nothing too drastic. Can you tell me what colors you think would look nice with it? I have olive complexion and it seems that I need to pickup quite abit of the color to show up. Help!
Last I heard, I think it was discontinued, which is one reason it wouldn't be on the list I gave here (only permanent shades). I love it with Humid, Gorgeous Gold, and Nylon!
Ha that just answered my question too, I just got greensmoke as well but was having trouble finding something it goes well with.
Hi Christine, would it be possible to comment on how different Swimming is from Spiritualize pigment (from Metal Urge collection)? If they are close enough, I'd rather get Spiritualize (which is still available at my MAC). thanks much
Swimming is a brighter, spring-y kind of green. Really just a medium green with brightness to it. Spirtualize is deeper, more of a subdued/grayed green. I don't think they're similar at all, IMO!
I wish I could find stuff like Lucky Green and Bottle Green, Emerald here because so far I haven't yet. :(
:( NYX has a green that is similar to Lucky Green, I think!
i love mink and sable for a green its a nice neutral green.
Good pick, Lauren!
i was wondering could u do a "MUST HAVE" on pro mac eyeshadows?? wen ever u had time that would be awsome great suggestions im already writing them all done :)
I will definitely do it when I can!
I love Humid and Sumptuous Olive
Me too :D
Christine do you know the closest color similar to guacamole? I've been on a search forever!!! It doesnt necessarily have to be from mac, could be urban decay or stila.
I believe Milani's Limbo Lime is a Guacamole dupe!
thanks so much!!
No prob, Ilona!
Magnetic Fields from Neo Scifi collection is green, to me. Like Mink and Sable. I think its magnetic fields LOL
Wow! LOL! That's insane. Magnetic Fields is DARK brown on me!
Lucky Green is my favorite green. Too bad it's LE and DC.
I wish they'd repromote it :(
If it's more on the green side... then I pick Henna as my fav LE green!
Would you guys consider Henna as a green.. or a gold? Hard to classify!
Both, LOL! I'd probably say more green than gold if I had to pick :)
My Fav greens are: Juxt, Lime (pro), and swimming.
Once the PRO colors came out, Lime just won't cut it for me :(
love love love Shimmermoss, Newly Minted and Steamy
Those are all teals in my book, Dawn! That's a whole 'nother post :P
club and humid , all the way, they were my first e/s back in 2002. but i only have like 6 green colors, so i need to start building mine up, thanx for the color suggestions. i dont have swimming, sumpious olive and greensmoke,. maybe ill add those to my list.
Club seems like a brown or gray to me. I don't know, I've never thought of it as a green, LOL! What other greens do you have?
i also have sumptuous olive, humid and swimming. i love them
SO glad you like those, Steffi! They're fab!
Great post, I love these posts! I really like the way you've given a 'Pair These Eyeshadows With' section - it's a really good extra wee thing to put in for inspiration for colour combinations. I have Bitter, Juxt and Humid out of the list (not tried Greensmoke or Sumptuous Olive before). I love the sound of Swimming. It's funny that I just read this post on green eyeshadows today, as I have green eyeshadow on :o) (Juxt on lid, UD Vert-Emerald Green-in crease and touch of Humid in outer v). Just got Aquavert last week - such a gorgeous minty green colour!
Glad you picked up Aquavert, Saira :) You might be able to skip a couple if you have UD shadows that are similar!
I am lacking greens. I need to get more of those olive toned shadows and I have had Humid on my wishlist for a year.! I have no excuse for why I haven't bought this shadow.
Ohh, yes, you have to get Humid, Arika! Which greens do you have?
Juxt, Swimming, and Humid is my all time favorite green smokey eye. I also add a little bit of NARS Night Porter to the outer V...its awesome.
I have to check out NARS Night Porter!
you forgot steamy. my hg green mac e/s.
Steamy is teal to me -- does it show up green for you?
It is described as bluish-green with a gold pearl. On me it looks like a forest green colour...
Wow! It definitely shows up teal for me :(
Lucky Green!!! This definitely needs to make a comeback!!!
I agree!
I would consider Gorgeous Gold a SUPER yellow green - I saw you use it as a highlighter on the browbone once in a look where you used jewel-tones greens and blues, and it looks much more green to me than gold.
I definitely consider Gorgeous Gold more gold than green, to be honest. It's gold based, even if it does have green tones to it. It'll be greener when you use it with greens/teals, but if you used it with browns, it would likely look yellower. :)
I have Bitter and it's pretty but I'm trying to find the perfect base for it. Also, I've heard so much about Humid! I must get that as well as Swimming,Sumptuous Olive and Juxt.
I've tried Bitter over a few paintpots (Painterly, Cashflow, Greenstroke) and it's looked really nice with them, in case this helps. Over Painterly, Bitter looks much more pale acid yellow-green; with Cashflow (gold paintpot), it brings out more of the gold/yellow tones; and over Greenstroke, it brings out more of the green tones in Bitter.
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