MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:00:16 +0000

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Ice Parade: Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Cool Snowglobe Eyeshadow Palette ($38.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a limited edition holiday compact that features six eyeshadows: Snowball (frost white), Illegal Cargo (pale lavender), Idol Eyes (silvered violet with gold), Warm & Smoky (medium purple), Howzat (slate), and Set to Dance (dark royal blue). The MAC Ice Parade Collection launches October 27th, 2011 in-stores.

Snowball is a cool-toned white with a shimmery finish. It has a frost finish. The color payoff of this shade was lacking; it was sheer and didn’t apply smoothly. There are many other white eyeshadows that could work instead.
Illegal Cargo is a medium-dark, smoky purple with really poor pigmentation and a dry, stiff texture. It has a frost finish. MAC Parfait Amour is more vibrant and pigmented. Estee Lauder Untamed Violet is closer in color but more pigmented.
Idol Eyes is an ultra sheer smoky purple with chunky gold shimmer and silver flecks. It has a lustre finish and is part of the permanent range. MAC Parlor Smoke is similar in the base color but doesn’t have the gold sparkle. I don’t like Idol Eyes, because it’s sheer, chunky, and when worn, results in a ton of fall out.
Warm & Smoky is a rich, vibrant violet purple with good color payoff and a smooth texture. It has a veluxe pearl finish. It has a redder undertone than MAC Parfait Amour. Urban Decay Frigid is similar. MAC Grape pigment might be comparable as well.
Howzat is a purple-tinted gray with so-so pigmentation but a smoother texture. It has a satin finish and is a repromote. MAC Moody is darker, while NARS Delphes is lighter.
Set to Dance is a deep purple-tinted burgundy-brown. It has a matte finish and is a repromote. I have no idea how it’s described as a “royal blue,” because I couldn’t detect any blue in it at all. It had good color payoff and was rather workable for a matte finish by MAC. MAC Celestial Black is similar in base color but has shimmer. MAC Beauty Marked is redder and warmer.

For the past few years, I’ve crossed my fingers that MAC has taken note of reviews and customer feedback on their holiday palettes and amped up the quality and pigmentation of the shades they include in their eyeshadow palettes. They stand to be such a good deal with fun, pretty colors that are fun to receive or to give. I know because I remember my first set of holiday palettes by MAC; they were fantastic. Some of my favorite shades came from them–they were often better than permanent variations!

Two of the six shades had decent to good color payoff, while the other four were sheerer, and often, textures were a miss–either dry or chunky (see individual shades for specifics!). MAC can–and should–do better. It’s so painful for me to have paid $38.00 for this and have it be so lacking.

The packaging is all white with a “snowglobe” on the top of the compact. It will rain silver glitter (“snow”) if you shake and move the compact. I think it’s cute and fun, but I can’t help but point out that it makes the palette bulkier and harder to store (you can’t stack them).