Archived Post

MAC Cushy Life, Jealous Girl, Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadows Reviews, Photos, Swatches

MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow ($22.00 for 0.17 oz.) is described as a “light warm golden beige.” It’s a sparkling, medium copper with warm undertones. It had sheer to semi-sheer color payoff with a slightly drier texture that made it hard to apply it at anything more than wash of all-over color. It does make me concerned about how it might work over time, as it might get a little drier over months. The color lasted for ten hours and had faint fall out. Tarte Baby It's Gold Outside (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). Makeup Geek Asteroid (P, $12.00) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Pink Glow #2 (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). MAC Fool's Gold (LE, $17.00) is darker (90% similar). Dior Golden Snow #2 (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar). Benefit Gilt-y Pleasure (P, $20.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar). Bobbi Brown 24 Karat (LE, $28.00) is less shimmery (90% similar). Dior Phenix (545) (LE, $32.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Dior Rivage #4 (LE, ) is less shimmery (90% similar). Sleek MakeUP Gold Souk (LE, $9.99) is darker, warmer (85% similar). Chanel Vision (LE, $32.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar). Urban Decay Dirtysweet (PiP, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar). Urban Decay Interstellar (DC, $20.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar). Urban Decay Half Baked (DC, $19.00) is darker, brighter, warmer (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow ($22.00 for 0.17 oz.) is described as a “mint green.” It’s a light-medium green with warm undertones and a sparkling, golden sheen. It had sheer to semi-opaque color payoff with a fairly smooth consistency that was very blendable, but it tended to thicken on the lid and emphhasize the lid’s texture if attempted to be worn at more opaque coverage. The color lasted for ten hours with very minimal fall out. Makeup Geek Abracadabra (P, $12.00) is warmer (95% similar). Tarina Tarantino Wonderful #4 (DC, ) is less shimmery (90% similar). Huda Beauty Mint #8 (LE, ) is darker, warmer (90% similar). BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes #4 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar). City Color Hint of Mint (P, $6.99) is cooler (90% similar). YSL Indie Jasper #5 (LE, ) is less shimmery, lighter, brighter (90% similar). Sydney Grace Mint Chocolate Chip (LE, $6.25) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (85% similar). Melt Cosmetics Blue Dream (LE, ) is more shimmery, brighter, warmer (85% similar). Buxom Room Service (P, $12.00) is lighter, brighter (85% similar). Buxom Made of Jade (P, $12.00) is darker (85% similar). NABLA Cosmetics Atmosphere (P, $8.00) is warmer (85% similar). City Color Tide Pool (P, $6.99) is darker, more pigmented (85% similar). Cle de Peau Harmony (Right) (PiP, ) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). Makeup Geek Fantasy (P, $9.99) is darker, warmer (80% similar). MAC Zestful (LE, $20.00) is less shimmery, lighter, brighter (80% similar). NYX Glass Slipper (P, $6.00) is lighter (80% similar). Guerlain Coup de Foudre #3 (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar). Fyrinnae Electric Stardust (P, $6.80) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow ($22.00 for 0.17 oz.) is described as a “soft pastel blue.” It’s a muted, medium blue with cool undertones and a sparkling finish. It had sheer to semi-sheer pigmentation; it always appeared several shades lighter applied than it did in the pot. The texture was a smidgen dry but workable. This shade wore well for ten hours without fading or creasing. ColourPop REM (LE, $6.00) is lighter (90% similar). Linda Hallberg Cosmetics Abstract (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Too Faced Ice Queen (LE, $16.00) is lighter (90% similar). Urban Decay Dive Bar (DC, $19.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar). ColourPop Billie Jean (PiP, $4.50) is less shimmery, brighter (90% similar). JD Glow Sky (P, $7.50) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar). ColourPop Bassline (P, $4.50) is lighter (90% similar). MAC Hopper Blue (LE, $17.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar). NARS Pool Shark (LE, $29.00) is lighter, brighter (90% similar). Smashbox Steel (P, ) is more muted (85% similar). Anastasia Mediterranean (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar). Sydney Grace Cool Breeze (P, $8.00) is less shimmery, warmer (85% similar). Anastasia Blue Flash (LE, $12.00) is less shimmery, warmer (85% similar). Fenty Beauty Muva's Boy (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (85% similar). Sephora Charm (PiP, ) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar). Anastasia D2 (Norvina Vol. 1) (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar). Giorgio Armani #19 (P, $32.00) is less shimmery (90% similar). Sydney Grace Super Star (P, $6.25) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (80% similar). BH Cosmetics Club Tropicana #22 (LE, ) is darker, warmer (80% similar). ColourPop Lap Dog (LE, $6.00) is darker (80% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

FORMULA OVERVIEW | MAC Soft Serve Shadow ($22.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a new, limited edition cream eyeshadow formula that’s described as “buildable colour that’s long-wearing [and] non-creasing.” They are similar to formulas like ColourPop Super Shock, Dior Diorshow Fusion Mono, Chanel Illusion d’Ombres, and MAC’s own Electric Cool–it actually made me wonder why they didn’t continue to extend that range, but worth noting: these contain far more product than Electric Cool (those were only 0.07 oz.). I would say these are most like Chanel’s, as the majority are rather sparkly and offer less coverage than ColourPop or Electric Cool (on average). The texture is sponge-like, where you can press on the surface without leaving strong indentations with your brush, but if you pressed your fingertip in it, you would see a depression and even subtle fingerprints left behind. It’s not particularly emollient; it is one of the drier types of this kind of product that I’ve encountered. Most of them aren’t dry to the point where it would impede application. They are, as described, buildable, and I think the formula is best suited for someone who likes semi-sheer washes of lighter color with a fair amount of sparkle. I get all-day wear (10+ hours) with every shade–no creasing, fading, and very little fall out. I used MAC’s 242 brush to apply these, which applied most shades well enough, but some shades would thicken and bunch up, appearing uneven, if I attempted to build up the coverage. I think the finish and end result is similar to the Foiled Eyeshadows, which were a powder formula, but those were easier to work with overall (not as long-wearing, though). The collection launches online on May 26th, in-stores June 2nd.

MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Cushy Life Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Jealous Girl Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow
MAC Big Bad Blue Soft Serve Shadow

MAC Softened Up Soft Serve Shadow
Jealous Girl, Plead Gilty, So So Saucy, Softened Up Soft Shadows; Make Up For Ever I34, M30, I32 Aqua XL Pencils

MAC Softened Up Soft Serve Shadow
Jealous Girl, Plead Gilty, So So Saucy, Softened Up Soft Shadows; Make Up For Ever I34, M30, I32 Aqua XL Pencils

27 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
KJH Avatar

Off topic, but the MUFE liners always look quite good in your looks, compared to the swatch intro. Guess we have to see for ourselves.

Katherine T. Avatar

I’m thinking of using Jealous Girl and Big Bad as cream bases for powder shadows or as sparkly toppers, so their sheerness is a plus. I will be swatching these in store before making my final decision.

kellly Avatar

I’m sorry to hear that Cushy Life got a bad review because it was one of the colors I like. But thank you for saving me the money. Now I can spend it on something else!!

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!