MAC Fabulousness / Neutral Eye Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:00:12 +0000

MAC Fabulousness / Neutral Eye Palette

Fabulous This is Not

MAC Fabulousness / Neutral Eye Palette ($39.50 for 0.14 oz.) contains five eyeshadows: Blonde Mink (grey taupe frost), Magical Mist (metallic taupe), Brun (muted blackish-brown), Enviable (cool mint green with pearl), and Smut (muted black with red shimmer). Heads up–Brun and Smut are both part of the permanent range, and Magical Mist has made its way into a couple of past holiday palettes, too.

Whew! There is not a lot of product in this palette! For reference, MAC eyeshadow quads ($38.00) typically contain 0.19 to 0.20 oz. (about 0.05 oz. per eyeshadow). Last year’s holiday eyeshadow palettes contained 0.21 oz. (and retailed for $38.00). The prior year’s holiday palettes contained 0.19 oz. (and retailed for $36.00). You used to get six shades, but with this year’s design, you’re getting five.

Blonde Mink is a sheer, cool-toned, pale white-gray with a soft, frosted finish. It is supposed to have a Lustre finish. It looks grayer in the pan, but swatched, it’s very light and looks rather white. It had a very stiff, firm texture and didn’t yield much color. NARS Vent Glace is similar. Chanel Fantasme is a little reminiscent of this color, but Fantasme is more sparkly.

Magical Mist is a medium-dark brown with copper sparkle. It’s just barely warm. This shade has a lustre finish. The color payoff was decent, but it does have some loose sparkle, so it may be prone to fall out. Urban Decay Nevermind is warmer. MAC Earthly is more cool-toned. Buxom Mutt is barely warmer.

Brun is a dark black-brown, but you wouldn’t know it based on this palette. The texture was so, so dry and stiff. The finish is satin, though Brun tends to look more matte to me. I have it in the full-size, permanent pot, and it’s a dream to work with. Even when I applied this to the eye, it wasn’t easily blended out, and I definitely had to pick up the pigment, place it, and go back for more. For a real look at Brun, check out this swatch. MAC Diamond Dove is similar. MAC Twilight Falls is more taupe. theBalm Matt Ramirez is similar.

Enviable is a smoky forest green with a very subdued quality to it, color-wise. The texture was softer and smoother than the four other shades in the palette, and the color payoff was good. NARS High Society is similar but matte, so it appears darker. Tarina Tarantino Very Wicked is greener, darker. MAC Lady Grey is warmer. Make Up For Ever #84 is darker.

Smut is a red-toned, medium-dark brown with a satin finish. Here, too, Smut is a pale imitation of the permanent version (seen here. I was able to get a little more bang out of it when applied with a brush. Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone is similar. MAC Legendary Black is cooler-toned. Tarina Tarantino Saw Dust Heart is similar but has no shimmer.

I had to use an eyeshadow primer to get the colors to show up in a look. When I tried to use and test them without a base, there was so little color payoff. I had some fall out with Blonde Mink when I used it on the center of the lid, but it was not terrible. Out of the palette, I used Enviable on the inner lid, Blonde Mink on the center of the lid, Brun on the outer lid, and Smut in the crease. The reality of this palette is Enviable is the best shade, but on its own, it’s just a so-so shade. The other four eyeshadows are sheer, dry, and stiff–and two have some fall out during wear. I will go ahead and say that of the three eyeshadow palettes, this one was the worst performing (this just happened to be the one that came alphabetically, so it was the first to be reviewed!).

I’m actually just really sad when it comes to MAC holiday palettes now. There are so many options for palettes during the holidays, and I’ve already tested at least a dozen of them (reviews are still forthcoming for many) and MAC’s wouldn’t be where I’d go this year. I’d take my money and check out brands like Bare Escentuals (the Ready palettes for the holidays are incredible!), Tarte (reader reviews have been very positive), and Too Faced–just to name some comparably priced palettes. Not to mention, Urban Decay released three palettes recently for $36 each with more product than these.