MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad Review, Photos, Swatches (Mickey Contractor)
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Mickey Contractor: Athma Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad ($36.00 for 0.21 oz.) is new and limited edition from MAC Mickey Contractor. It includes four shades: Jaan (light neutral with soft gold pearl), Folie (reddish-plum brown), Vivah (brown with gold pearl), and Carbon (matte black).
Jaan is a peachy beige with soft gold sparkle. The pigmentation was nice, but I did experience some fall out when applying this on my lid. This has a lustre finish. It is a darker, sparkly version of Bamboo; or a lighter, sparkly version of Soft Brown.
Folie is a red-toned medium-dark brown with a soft, pearly sheen. It never swatches very nicely, but it is quite nice when used. This has a satin finish and is permanent.
Vivah is a lightly warmed up medium-dark chocolate brown with peach-gold sparkle. There was nice color pay off, but like Jaan, I did experience noticeable fall out. This has a lustre finish. It has a less frosted finish and less red undertones, but it is somewhat similar to Sable. It is a warmer, sparkly version of Courduroy. It also seems similar to Bobbi Brown Copper Sand (which I don’t own).
Carbon is a medium black. It works nicely to darken shades, even though it doesn’t swatch very well. It’s one of those better-in-practice mattes. This has a matte finish and is permanent.
I don’t typically like lustre eyeshadows, because the glittery bits are prone to ending up under your eye rather than on it, and these don’t do much to convince me otherwise. I recommend patting, rather than sweeping, on lustre eyeshadows, possibly with a damp brush for particularly fussy shades, to minimize fall out. If you do your eye makeup before your face makeup, then it will be easier to clean-up, too.
Initially, I thought this might be similar to Urban Decay’s Naked Palette, but there is not much shade overlap. They’re both neutral palettes, but there are not any direct dupes.
MAC Mickey Contractor will be available on January 6th at select North American stores and January 2011 for select international stores. It will be available online on approximately January 4th but may not be available until the 6th.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! 🙂
- Product: 25/30
- Value: 10/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS: With two lustres that did prove to have some fall out along with two permanent shades, I can’t comfortably recommend this eyeshadow quad, as much as I do feel these are very flattering, easy-to-wear neutrals. I’m happy that both lustres are rather pigmented and don’t also suffer from sheerness like some lustre-finish shadows do. (Please note that this product scores high on value, which boosts up the overall rating by a third of a grade.)
WHERE TO BUY: maccosmetics.com
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad: Jaan, Folie, Vivah, Carbon
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad: Jaan, Folie
MAC Athma Eyeshadow Quad: Vivah, Carbon
meh. im a little disappointed with the quad :/
Interesting… Thanks for your honest review! I’m new to MAC finishes and I’m still trying to figure out the best way to make lustre finishes work. Any suggestions?
Stickier base, damp brush, tap the brush against your forearm before applying… those might work!
I feel like this is a great quad to own. The colors are lovely and work so nicely together, however, I don’t feel like this is going to be one of my purchases from the collection, which i’m slowly falling in love with 🙁 Damn, gotta save.
I am torn, i like the sleek packaging and some of the colors, but the clear top also shows all the dirt and that would drive me crazy…
I’ve never had a problem with my packaging showing dirt, even on the ones I’ve had forever! Plus, it’s really easy to clean if it bothers you.
Seems so dry and blaah, and I don’t understand the color scheme.
Has Carbon always been so sheer? Looks kinda soot-y
The colours never appealed to me. What a shame, I loved the neutral quad from Spring Colour Forecast last spring and was hoping for another – but – different variety of one!
Hmm…it doesn’t seem like a neutral set of colors…but still a natural set of colors. I’d put it in an autumn color scheme. It reminds me of leaves turned colors.
I thought I’d like this because I like neutrals, but aside from jaan these are too dark to be lid colors for me.
I already own carbon, I really don’t like it when they use permanent shades in quads…
I was so going to buy this palette, but then I saw it had Carbon in it, and I already have Carbon. I find that Carbon is featured in so many palettes!
The texture looks terrible!
Two crappy lustres and two permanent shades??? Definite skip for me!
I love Folie but I already own that and some good blacks. Can’t justify getting this.
Christine, if you absolutely had to choose between this quad and the one from Cham-Pale (Caviar Dreams) for your skin tone and a bit lighter, which one would you suggest, quality wise? I do like both colour schemes, but I don’t really want to get both quads and be disappointed with the quality. Or would you just recommend leaving both?
This one definitely over Caviar Dreams, but I don’t know if I’d get either.
Do you have either Folie/Carbon? If not, it’s not a bad deal. Regular potted shadow is $14.50, so the quad is well priced.
Hm, I have neither Folie nor Carbon (just starting out) and I definitely am thinking I might get the Athma quad. Caviar Dreams just seems too glittery for my taste..
Thanks for replying!
This palette definitely seems less glittery, IMO! 🙂 If you don’t have either, then it’s not a bad deal and you may find yourself enjoying it quite a bit! Generally speaking, as long as you like 2.5 of the shadows of a quad, it’s a good deal ($11 per pan shadow x4 = $44 + $5 for the quad = $49 otherwise).
I think this is quite nice, and small enough to be a neutral palete to take around with me. Out of interest, do these eyeshadows come out easily like in the pro paletes? Or would I need to depot them with flat irons or something? I was wondering if it would be possible to put them in my pro palete and then use the quad as a travel palete which I could put any 4 colour into?
You’d need to depot them as far as I know – they seemed glued in when I tried to pry them out.
In saw this palette last night at the MAC pro store in frisco. I thought the two luster shades were beautiful in person, online they don’t look to hot.
I know this is a huge gap between these two, but should I but this quad or the new “Cold Heart” palette from Sugarpill? The colors here look beautiful, but Sugarpill looks amazing too!
lol, couldn’t tell you – they have no similarities at all!
Pass!! I think I prefer my L’Oreal ColorRiche Star Secrets eyeshadow Quad – Hazel Eyes…and it’s super pigmented, not much fall outs and quite cheap!
I actually love this quad, even though so many people seem to be ‘passing’ on it.
I have a fairly large MAC shadow collection yet don’t have carbon! It’s been one i have been meaning to get for a while now so that is an added incentive for me to buy this quad.
I can see it being used like my Notoriety Eyeshadow Quad… one I reach for almost every day, used over a primer/base/shadestick. 🙂
Is athma similar to evening aura from sci fi collection (summer 08)?
Sorry, what do you mean? Athma is the name of the eyeshadow quad.
One of those quads that just look better in the pan it appears…
hi, do you know if this will be out in ALL mac stores soon or if its only available at selected stores?
Just selected stores.
lol at the swatch of carbon 😀
(it looks like: “lets get done with that quickly!!”)
No, i don’t like that quad either. Still happy with burmese beauty ^-^
i love the colors!!
Just wondering, are the LE colors available in pan form? I’m really loving Jaan and vivah. Whata bout the other single shadows? Are they available in pan form?
Just in the quad.
I don’t know… I am already dissapointed with caviar dreams quad.. and now this..IDN. Is jaan sparkly in person?
It loses some of it as fall out.
Can you take the eyeshadows out?
Like if you want to put the ones in there in a bigger pallete,
and put your favourite 4 into this one?