MAC Bao Bao's Jewels Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette ($44.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a mix of warmer-toned neutrals with a splash of bluish-gray. I think this could have been such a great combo with a richer blue or emerald green (jewel tones!). In case you’re unfamiliar with MAC’s Veluxe Pearlfusion formula, it’s a wet/dry product where dry application results in “sheer coverage with a soft, sparkling finish,” while damp application results in “super saturation of colour with metallic brilliance.” Some shades are true to this, others are pigmented either way (which you may find is a good thing, depending on how you like to apply your eyeshadows). If you love a lot of sparkle or metallic finishes, you may like this formula, but it isn’t the easiest to work with as it tends to have a slightly dry texture that doesn’t bind together without a tacky base or damp application. The more sparkly shades tend to have some fall out during wear, though the color portions tend to wear eight to nine hours on me.
Bao Bao’s Jewels #1 is described as a “pale pink shimmer.” It’s a champagne beige with larger pink sparkle and glitter. This is a very glittery shade that is very dry, so it gets everywhere if you use it dry. When I used it with a damp brush, it was better, but it still had a lot of glittery fall out during application as well as during wear. The color part of it lasted for eight hours before creasing. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Bao Bao’s Jewels #2 is described as a “gold shimmer.” It’s a brightened, coppery gold with warm, brown undertones and a bright, metallic finish. It’s pretty pigmented regardless of dry or damp application, though dampened application is smoother and more brilliant. It wore well for eight and a half hours on me before fading. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Bao Bao’s Jewels #3 is described as a “dark rose bronze.” It’s a coppery bronze brown with warm undertones and a frosted, metallic finish. This is another shade that was richly pigmented both wet and dry, which may be a happy accident for those who don’t want to have to use them damp to get the more opaque payoff, but it’s by no means “sheer” dry. The color wore well for nine hours but there was a bit of fall out from the sparkle in it. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Bao Bao’s Jewels #4 is described as a “dark brown with silver pearl.” It’s a taupe brown with warm, yellow undertones and and silver sparkle and smaller shimmers. It had semi-opaque coverage applied dry and fully opaque coverage applied damp, but the damp application makes it much easier to use, as it is smoother and the product holds together better. When I used it dry, the texture is drier and doesn’t bind as well, so there is a ton of fall out during application, and it just doesn’t wear as well dry for this shade–six hours with fall out–whereas damp application helps the powder bind and adhere to the skin and lasts eight hours with minor fall out. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Bao Bao’s Jewels #5 is described as a “steel grey shimmer.” It’s a cool-toned, medium-dark bluish-gray with a frosted, metallic sheen. It had sheer coverage applied dry (yay! just as described!) and mostly opaque when applied damp. This shade wore well for eight hours before fading. See comparison swatches / view dupes.
Bao Bao's Jewels
LELimited Edition. $32.00.
Bao Bao's Jewels #1
LELimited Edition.
Bao Bao's Jewels #2
LELimited Edition.
Bao Bao's Jewels #3
LELimited Edition.
Bao Bao's Jewels #4
LELimited Edition.
Bao Bao's Jewels #5
LELimited Edition.
See more photos & swatches!
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #1 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #1 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #2 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #2 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #3 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #3 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #4 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #4 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #5 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels #5 Eyeshadow
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette, Sephora Surfer Babe Eyeliner
MAC Bao Bao’s Jewels Eyeshadow Palette, Sephora Surfer Babe Eyeliner
I ordered this and haven’t received it yet. I’m sad to read about all the fallout of the product. I was hoping for a better quality from M.A.C.
Try using a tacky base – it should help! This formula tends to be shimmer/sparkle overload.
That looks like one of my old cheap Victoria Secret Palettes…. and by old, I mean old. VS doesn’t even sell makeup any more. Packaging nor product attracts me. If the gold is the only A of the bunch, I’ll pass. I have a billion pretty UD gold eye shadows.
It’s a pretty, but luckily, dupable palette!
Oooh, I like it, especially the middle shades, so lovely!
They are nice colors!
This is a really pretty palette.
The colors worked well together!
The shades are super gorgeous!! Especially the shade No.2
They are pretty!
Every time I see a blue-grey shade like #5, I immediately lose all interest. It’s the only shade I have no idea how to use from the Naked palette, and it’s why I’ve put off getting the Lorac Pro. Any ideas for a way to make it work in the daytime for a pale skin tone, Christine?
Have you tried it as an eyeliner? That’s how I used it here, because it IS a bit hard to pair with some of the warmer golds/coppers. Another way is to do more of a halo eye with the lightest shade on the center of the lid, then use the darker gray on the outer lid/crease and a warmer shade on the inner lid.
Great ideas. Thanks!
Since she designs jewelry, I like the gold/silver/metallic theme of the kit, but I swatched this in store, and wasn’t too impressed, the colors felt hit-or-miss for me. The misses felt dry and/or had fallout. The shades are very metallic or glittery. For $44, this palette needs to perform better, and I think there are better options out there.
I wish they had included a bolder jewel-tone instead of the gray.
Really reminds me of the first naked palette for some reason, minus the mattes and a few others of course!
And add about a half ton of sparkle, haha!
The colors are gorgeous! do you think it’s worth the purchase? this and the polishes were the only things i didn’t buy
If you don’t mind using them wet, they can be nice, but if you prefer using them dry, then not at all!
Would it be wrong to get this palette if I already have the NARS Naked2 palette?
If you’d use it a lot, no! 🙂
I don’t own any Veluxe Pearlfusion products from MAC, but I did order this palette because I thought it looked gorgeous. I am expecting to use it wet, which seems to be common with these shadows to reduce fallout. I’m really looking forward to it! 😀
I think if you use it wet, you’ll like it!
I love metallics, Except for the first shade, these are very pretty. I recently caved and bought the LORAC Unzipped Gold, plus I have a few other metallic gold and silver singles. I passed on this, even though my Macy’s had it.
The first shade was a let-down, if only even damp application didn’t fix all the problems!
The middle three remind me a lot of the Guerlain Petrouchka palette. Which I have and love, so I’m not at all sad to have missed this one!
They are somewhat similar — warmer metallics!
Shades 2 and 3 are gorgeous! I love using shades like these as a pop in the center of the lid with matte shade in crease. I would buy this, but just can’t justify it! I have so many extra dimension eyeshadows and Colour Pop shades and Makeup Geek foils already I just don’t need more. But I will probably always lust over this shade number 2!!
You are totally covered 😉
I don’t typically care for these kind of palettes I really like the colors. This is probably the best VPF palette I’ve seen yet
It is a nice mix of shades!
I must admit I love the colours in this palette and I normally do not like MAC’s palettes. Those golds and coppers are very pretty, but my favourite colour is the grey. The eye look you did was stunning Christine and adding the Sephora Surfer Babe eyeliner in blue really makes the look.
Surprise 😀
Is this formula similar to Marc Jacobs’ eyeshadows?
Nope!