MAC Eyeshadow Swatches - Burgundy & Brown
MAC Sketch Eyeshadow
MAC Eyeshadow Swatches – Burgundy & Brown
I’m trying to get these up sooner rather than later so that I can be sure to include permanent MAC dupes when and where possible, as it’s the most requested brand when someone is looking for a dupe. MAC Eyeshadows ($14.50 for 0.05 oz.) are so numerous, and the amount of browns and neutrals the brand has is insane.
Sketch is a dark burgundy brown with a velvet finish.
Deep Damson is a dark burgundy brown with red undertones and a matte finish. It’s slightly richer in color with a stronger red undertone than Sketch, but ultimately, it’s a much better formula to work with. This is a PRO shade.
Star Violet is a frosted, medium-dark burgundy brown with a veluxe pearl finish.
Embark is a rich, intense brown with a red undertone. It has a matte finish.
Shale is a dirty plum-gray with a satin finish (though it feels more like a frost or veluxe pearl than it does a satin–the sheen is too frosted).
Brown Down is a dark, chocolate brown with subtle warm undertones and a veluxe finish. It has this grayish cast to it that makes it not quite your typical brown.
Twinks is a medium-dark, golden brown with bronzed shimmer. It has a veluxe pearl finish. MAC describes it as a deep plum with pearl, but it’s very brown on me–at most, a hint of plum.
Sable is a medium-dark, bronzy brown with a tinge of plum. It’s very similar in color to Twinks, but their finishes make them look different.
Antiqued is a rich, coppery brown with a veluxe pearl finish.
Swiss Chocolate is a warm, medium-dark brown with a matte finish.
Brown Script is a warm, red-toned, medium brown with a Matte2 finish.
Texture is a warmed-up, light-medium brown with a yellowness and a velvet finish. It is a bit like Inglot #357.
A lot of the shades featured in this post are really lovely to work with.  Sketch is the only so-so shade; it can be temperamental and not always blend out with ease, which makes Deep Damson a much better choice if one has access to a PRO store/willingness to purchase via phone.  Shale is a shade that often looks just a bit different, because skin tone often shifts it to gray, plum, mauve, or even brown.  I’m a big fan of Twinks, Sable, Antiqued, and Brown Script–all rich and smooth formulas.
See more swatches!
MAC Sketch Eyeshadow
MAC Deep Damson Eyeshadow
MAC Star Violet Eyeshadow
MAC Embark Eyeshadow
MAC Shale Eyeshadow
MAC Brown Down Eyeshadow
MAC Twinks Eyeshadow
MAC Sable Eyeshadow
MAC Antiqued Eyeshadow
MAC Swiss Chocolate Eyeshadow
MAC Brown Script Eyeshadow
MAC Texture Eyeshadow
YAY!!! Thank you!
Hmmm I wonder how close Deep Damson compares to the pigment Burnt Burgundy…
Thanks for the swatches!
I would like to know also! I’ve been looking for burnt burgundy piggie for so long, and hope this is the exact dupe of the shade.
Man, I love Twinks. I want to do more with it, but summer is here and I don’t really do smokey eyes during this season. I know I’ll think of some way to use it!
Maybe use it as liner?
Try it smudged just under your lower lash and keep the top lid nude. twinks or antiqued look gorg this way 🙂
Star Violet looks pretty 😀
I would have loved to get Brown Script, I think it could be a good crease color with oranges and reds. I got Antiqued instead 🙂
You read my mind! I’ve just started shopping around for a deep brown shadow and your swatches really helped! I’ll be getting Embark this weekend! Thanks for taking the time to do the swatches!
Too red for me.
thank you, I’ve been waiting for this post. I love brown eyeshadows and needed more to pick up from MAC, but I didn’t know which ones to get. i really like swiss chocolate.
Loving shale…but brown script with malt is a great eye shaper before colors for light skin
Great swatches! Just to let you know, you misspelled “Swiss Chocolate” under the swatch 🙂
I have star violet and feel that it just does not get enough love! Absolutely gorgeous 🙂
Weird – my Shale looks more purple/lavender than the swatch and I’d never think of grouping it with browns – I think of it as more in the purple family (or grey).
It’s a silvery purple on me as well and I keep it in my cool purples palette. 🙂
Oh – I’m surprised not to see Mulch in with the others. I haven’t purchased Sable or Bronze because Mulch seems so close to both of those shades that you can’t really see much of a difference when they’re on your eye (at least I can’t see much, esp. once they are blended out). My daughter talked me into getting Mulch and I’m glad I listened.
I have about half of these on my list to get, but I keep searching around online for dupes… certainly wouldn’t want to pay $14.50 for an eyeshadow and find that there is a much cheaper dupe elsewhere.
But still, they are so pretty! I love the way Shale looks on you, I certainly hope that it would look like that on me if I swatched it.
Seeing all these shadows that I have swatched
…on your arm makes me realize how different colors look on you than on me. Even swatched on my arm, my skin will make any brown look red.
I think it’s very interesting how our skintones make us see colors differently. Most of these colors pull very red on me. Swiss Chocolate for instance which looks like a pretty regular brown on you looks so so red on me (close to the way brown script looks on you) that it makes me look sick . Brown Down on the other hand is a very warm brown on me and I can’t see a grey cast at all in the pan nor swatched on my skin.
One of my favorite browns that was not mentioned is Handwritten.
Sketch is my most loved MAC e\s <333 U can use it as a liner \ lid color and a VERY beautiful crease color . it is #1 in my smoky looks =D
Ahh sable, my all time favourite MAC shadow ♥ I love you!
I absolutely love Sable and Antiqued! And Handwritten is my go to outer v colour and lower lash colour.
Christine, do you think I still need Shale if I already have Satin Taupe ? Thx 🙂
i use sketch as a liner cause it is hard to blend. works beautifully as a liner.
You know, it’s funny really..
Swiss Chocolate swatched like that really does *look* like chocolate. Melted chocolate to me, actually. Haha. Sorry – I’m easily amused when I’m so tired. 🙂
what category is satin taupe a part of? Isnt that a brown shade also?
How does Handwritten compare to Sketch? I know it’s softer and more blendable. But what is the difference in color?
Sketch is darker and more burgundy I would say 🙂
deep damson isn’t in your database in case you keep track of missing colors.