MAC Dark Energy Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad Review, Photos, Swatches
MAC Dark Energy Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Dark Energy Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad ($46.00 for 0.04 oz.) is a bluish take on a smoky eye–a mix of silvery white, pale blue, light-medium blue, and black. The first three shades were decent, while the last shade was a pain to work with for a myriad of reasons. The Mineralize Eyeshadow formula is wet/dry, and it is designed to have sheerer coverage applied dry while stronger color payoff requires working with the product using a damp brush; this isn’t always an extra step everyone wants to do, but it’s absolutely necessary with this palette if you want opaque coverage, so keep that in mind!
Dark Energy #1 is a bright, silvery white with cool undertones and a frosted finish. It had semi-opaque coverage both dry and damp; the only difference seemed to be that the finish became more metallic when applied damp. The texture was soft, smooth, and blendable. The color lasted for six and a half hours dry, seven hours damp. Guerlain Cygne Blanc #2 (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar). NARS Rue Allent (Left) (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar). MAC Holy, Holy (LE, $22.00) is lighter (95% similar). Make Up For Ever ME122 Snow (DC, $21.00) is lighter (95% similar). MAC Letty Lynton (LE, $18.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Cle de Peau Les Annees Folles #8 (LE, ) is more shimmery (95% similar). MAC Treasure Me (LE, $20.00) is cooler (95% similar). Buxom Velvet Snow (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery, lighter (95% similar). BH Cosmetics Club Tropicana #14 (LE, ) is cooler (90% similar). Chanel Tisse Jazz #2 (LE, ) is cooler (90% similar). Sephora + Pantone Universe Antique White (LE, ) is less shimmery (90% similar). ColourPop Tassel (LE, $6.00) is lighter (90% similar). MAC A Party of Pastels #1 (PiP, $21.00) is darker (90% similar). Tom Ford Beauty First Frost #1 (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar). Guerlain Les Nuees #2 (LE, ) is brighter (90% similar). NARS Silver Screen #4 (PiP, $19.00) is less shimmery, warmer (90% similar). Clarins Garden Escape #1 (LE, ) is warmer (90% similar). Make Up For Ever ME202 Iceberg Blue (DC, $21.00) is darker, brighter (90% similar). MAC Pretty Punk'd (PiP, ) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar). NYX Frostbite (P, $6.00) is cooler (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Dark Energy #2 is a muted, light cloudy blue with subtle, cool undertones and a frosted sheen. Applied dry, it had sheer coverage and looked more white than blue; it also wore for six hours before fading. Applied damp, it had mostly opaque coverage with a stronger blue tint, and it started to fade after seven hours of wear. Make Up For Ever ME202 Iceberg Blue (DC, $17.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Dior Blue Garden #3 (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker (95% similar). theBalm #34 (P, $6.50) is lighter (90% similar). ColourPop Daze (LE, $6.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar). Wet 'n' Wild Water (LE, $6.99) is darker (90% similar). ColourPop A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes (LE, $6.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar). ColourPop Talented (LE, $4.50) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar). ColourPop Hot Copic (LE, $4.50) is warmer (90% similar). Dior Blue Beat #3 (LE, ) is less shimmery, cooler (90% similar). ColourPop Astromech (LE, $9.00) is darker (90% similar). Dior Parisian Sky #4 (LE, ) is warmer (90% similar). ColourPop Ember (LE, $6.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar). ColourPop Feelin' Wavy (PiP, $4.50) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (85% similar). Glaminatrix Mermaid Scales (P, ) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar). ColourPop Dime Piece (PiP, $4.50) is more shimmery (85% similar). Smashbox Sky (P, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar). MAC Rondelle (LE, $17.00) is less shimmery, darker, more muted (85% similar). ColourPop Fluffy (LE, $4.50) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). Sephora Sweet Dreams (17) (DC, $10.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Starry Night #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker, more muted (85% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Dark Energy #3 is a light-medium blue with cool undertones and a frosted finish. It had semi-sheer pigmentation and six-hour wear when applied dry. Applying the eyeshadow damp yielded more opaque coverage with a stronger sheen, and it stayed on better at seven hours of wear. The texture was soft, smooth, and blendable. ColourPop Bassline (P, $4.50) is more muted (95% similar). Fenty Beauty Muva's Boy (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (95% similar). BH Cosmetics Foil Eyes 2 #22 (PiP, ) is warmer (90% similar). Anastasia Blue Moon (LE, ) is lighter (95% similar). Sephora Blue Rhythm (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). NABLA Cosmetics Freestyler (P, $8.00) is darker, more muted (85% similar). Inglot #429 (P, $7.00) is darker, brighter (85% similar). Smashbox Sky (P, ) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (85% similar). MAC Hopper Blue (LE, $17.00) is darker, more muted (85% similar). Sephora + Pantone Universe Citadel (LE, ) is less shimmery, darker, more muted (85% similar). Sephora Sweet Dreams (17) (DC, $10.00) is warmer (85% similar). Milani Bella Sky (08) (P, $4.49) is less shimmery, darker (80% similar). MAC Bright Moon (LE, $21.00) is less shimmery, darker (80% similar). Urban Decay Seattle (LE, $19.00) is darker, warmer (80% similar). CoverGirl Ice Flame (345) (P, $7.99) is less shimmery, darker (80% similar). Bobbi Brown Iced Blue (LE, $22.00) is lighter (85% similar). MAC Water & Ice #1 (P, $21.00) is more shimmery, darker (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Dark Energy #4 is a sooty black with cool undertones and a satin finish. Unfortunately, while the rest of the palette was decent, this one was a major let-down due to a very dusty, thin texture that was hard to apply and blend out on the skin, as it would adhere to some places but not others. Tarte Black Tie Beauty (LE, ) is less shimmery, warmer (95% similar). Kevyn Aucoin Black (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar). Tarte Black Velvet (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar). MAC Nutcracker (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Lancome It list (PiP, $19.00) is darker (90% similar). Chanel Tisse Jazz #4 (LE, ) is darker (90% similar). ColourPop The Capricorn (P, $4.50) is warmer (90% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty Catwalks (LE, ) is darker, warmer (85% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Mink Mirage #4 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Dark Energy
LELimited Edition. $46.00.
Dark Energy #1
LELimited Edition. $21.00.
Dark Energy #2
LELimited Edition. $21.00.
Dark Energy #3
LELimited Edition. $21.00.
Dark Energy #4
LELimited Edition. $21.00.
MAC Dark Energy Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Dark Energy Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Dark Energy Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Dark Energy #1 Mineralize Eyeshadow
MAC Dark Energy #1 Mineralize Eyeshadow
MAC Dark Energy #2 Mineralize Eyeshadow
MAC Dark Energy #2 Mineralize Eyeshadow
MAC Dark Energy #3 Mineralize Eyeshadow
MAC Dark Energy #3 Mineralize Eyeshadow
MAC Dark Energy #4 Mineralize Eyeshadow
MAC Dark Energy #4 Mineralize Eyeshadow
I really love those blues, especially #3. Since I rarely use black anyway, I’m going to think about this one. I really need to consider how willing I am to work with them damp, both for this and for Full Orbit. It’s just so rare to see two palettes in the same collection with mostly my colors in them! Somehow I picture them mixing with my primer and ending up with a mess when I apply them damp, but I suspect that isn’t really going to happen.
LOL! It should be okay with most primers so long as the primer dries down 🙂
Total pass for me. I don’t mind a frosty white on my inner corner, but not 3 shades of it on my lids, and that’s a horrible-looking black (is that Carbon in disguise??). I think MAC also needs to re-think the price of their quads. At $6 for an individual shadow, I could build a much better custom quad for $24, don’t have to pay $46 for this crappy one.
Better than the most recent iteration of Carbon, LOL!
Frosty baby blue and a bad gray make this a big “NO” for me. I look awful in frosty light blues.
Your wallet can breathe a sigh of relief!
What a bummer. This could be a really pretty palette. But, the black is ruining it. This is reminding me of that Chanel Blues jazz palette (or whatever it was called) . I don’t do blues a lot. But, I feel with something subdued and smokey like this, I may actually take the leap. But, if it’s a pain in the rear-I’m out.
The black is so disappointing!
I can’t say anything to people that actually purchase these mac mineralize quads :/
but dangggg 🙁
Aww!
Bizarrely, I don’t feel sad over this 60’s and early 2000’s/very late 90’s throwback palette failing miserably…. I stepped away from pale, frosty blue eyeshadow ages ago. Basically because those shades really looks atrocious on me! Well,all except for UD Roadstripe!
Easy skip 🙂
Shade #3 is ok.
Guess that’s a skip!
Oh- oh – these are awful, sorry MAC, but they are. I love these shades, but 2 and 3 are very similar to each other. 4 is a fail and 1 is way too glittery. Nope.
Wish it was better!
Like the other quads in this issue, most have little variation, and in this case, the fourth shade is useless. Well, if you like it, get it, but pull out the darkest shade from UDNB 1 or2, or your MUFE black. Easy to solve, but why have to? These have been underwhelming, and I see CCO in their future. The lips look like early 60s, something pre-Beatles, kind of been there, done that, and hardly futuristic to me. The MSFs: big shame about the dark one, the rest, kind of meh. Not MAC’s best work.
The eyeshadows this time around leave something to be desired!
What a pity. This quad looked quite tempting.
I liked the idea of a cool blue, almost icy shade for spring and summer. Sort of cooling in the heat.
The collection has been fun to see as an alternative to your more typical pastels!