MAC Magic, Mirth, & Mischief Review: Smoke & Mirrors Eye Shadows Photos, Swatches
6 Smoke & Mirrors Eye Shadows
MAC Magic, Mirth, & Mischief Review: Smoke & Mirrors Eye Shadows
A good smoky eye palette is never a bad thing to have on hand. It’s useful, easy to travel with, and it’s classic. I’m not loving this year’s version of the smoky eye palette, because it’s more of a brownish eye, and I’ve always felt the classic smoky eye is monochromatic. I still hold that last year’s was better. (And I still contend that you can make your own smoky eyeshadow quad with permanent MAC eyeshadows just as well.)
6 Smoke & Mirrors Eye Shadows ($36.00 U.S.)
- Fire In Her Eyes is a super soft, slightly sheer beige with a light frost finish. In the swatch, you can tell it hardly shows up on my skin without a base. It’ll make a nice highlight, though.
- Wide-Eyed Wonder is kind of a taupe-y brown with a reddish touch. There’s nothing about this shade that makes it jump off the page for me.
- Black Magique is a velvety smooth deep dark black with brown tones. It has slight gold shimmer, but it’s hardly noticeable.
- Spell No. 9 is a satiny neutral pink. It’s sheer, and it doesn’t do much for me.
- Deception is a sheer, glittery copper bronze. Even though it’s a frost finish, it had more of a lustre feel to me.
- Smoke & Mirrors is a cool-toned chocolate brown with a little gray sheen.
I”m not sold on this year’s. It reads more like a neutral eye palette than a smoky eye palette to me. It’s useful, and the colors are easily worn by many, so in that aspect, it’s a solid choice for those looking for a go-to palette.
- Product: 24/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
See photos and swatches…
6 Smoke & Mirrors Eye Shadows: Fire In Her Eyes, Wide-Eyed Wonder, Black Magique, Spell No. 9, Deception, Smoke & Mirrors
6 Smoke & Mirrors Eye Shadows: Fire In Her Eyes, Wide-Eyed Wonder, Black Magique
6 Smoke & Mirrors Eye Shadows: Spell No. 9, Deception, Smoke & Mirrors
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I had the MUA use this on me yesterday. I loved it but not enough to purchase it for myself (i have enough neutrals!). I bought it for a friend who’s new to makeup. I agree that it’s more of a neutral palette than a smokey one.
I’m so underwhelmed by all of the palettes… The colours looked great and fresh in the pictures though. I wanted all of them at first but now that I’ve seen your swatches, they just look kind of bland to me. The pigmentation doesn’t seem to be grand either! Idk why I lost my enthusiasm all of a sudden!
I agree, after looking at the swatches I think I have to agree with Christine One can definately create a smokey eye palette using permanent colours. I’m definately going to pass on all of the eye palettes. Last year’s palettes were a lot better and more pigmented than these.
Christine, I like most of the colors in this palette but not all. Can you recommend some dupes? Thanks!
When I was deliberating over the palettes, the MUA felt this palette was mostly easily duped with perm colours..Shale is a lot like the Wild Eyed Wonder (i think that’s it) and the black is nothing special..we swatched them to compare. its nothing really special and the colours seemed a bit washed out.
Gleam, Satin Taupe, Brun, Malt, Bronze
This is a good makeup kit building palette, but I would like this better if the shades are more on the gray side.
wide eyed wonder looks a bit like ‘satin taupe’ from the swatch to my eyes…maybe a bit pinker and maybe not as buttery…black magique looks a bit familiar too…
I got this one to keep in my purse, it’s a great neutral palette for switching looks on the go!
i think the too fced smokey eye pallet is much better than this!
yes this is totally NOT a smokey ee pallete! its more of a neutral brown palette….. mmm what a shame , i wish i had gotten the one from last year!
I really thought I wanted this but looking at it again I think I prob have most of the colors in some form already.
good neutral eye colors but nothing really stands out as being unique.
Certainly seems like more of a neutral eye palette. I feel the same way every year now about the holiday smoky eye palette: MAC seems scared to go dramatic/dark. It seems like they are always playing it safe with these. I love brown eye shadows but I find there are always too many of them in MAC’s holiday smoky eye palettes, therefore making them more of a neutral palette.
The 2007 Antiquitease smoky eye was just silly… it was like, even lighter than neutral. Hah. Very light greys and light browns. 2008’s Passions of Red smoky eye palette was pretty decent but I think it could have been darker too.
The only smoky holiday palette I have loved is 2006’s Velvet 6 Smoked Eyes Palette. Ironically, it was made up of mostly perm shades… so like you said, Christine, you can make an even better smoky palette with just perm shades! 😛
That being said, Spell No. 9 and Deception are gorgeous. I am really digging this palette but that is because I am obsessed with neutrals/browns. :p I would love to see a good smoky eye palette again too, Christine!
I remember that smoky eye palette – it was very nice. I also remember not digging it since it had so many permanent shades, anyway, ha!
I definitely think they should have just called this a neutral eye palette… weird, MAC doesn’t seem to put these out, actually. Not officially, at least.
I got this yesterday and used it today. I used Fire In Her Eyes for a highlight. Wide-Eyed Wonder all over the lid. Spell No. 9 above the crease. Black Magique in the crease and along the lower lash line. Then I took White Rabbit from the Sorceress palette in the tear duct.
I picked it since I thought it was a practical set of shadows I’d use. Surprisingly, I don’t have a lot of lighter brown shades from MAC, with the exception of Soft Brown. Also, if you try Deception over a base, it really goes BING! It reminded me of Satin Taupe but more brown when I did that.
Btw, are you doing a Zoom Fast Black Lash review?
I keep meaning to. I just haven’t worn it enough 🙁
wide-eyed monster appears similar to a shade from kat von d’s line which i love (the color not the line) called stryker. that little bit of green in a brown is very sexy somehow
I am quite disappointed in the pallet. They are not as pigmented as I would have liked them to be. I had high hopes for black magique, however it is not black at all. It is more of a dark brown. I will have to play around with it more. I was hoping it would have been more dramatic.
This seems similar to Bobbi Brown’s palettes which I love. I still think it’s pretty even though it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
this was the only palette i liked out of the collection.
all of the shades work well on me, and i created a smokey eye with them last night. however, i am super pale so medium shades on anyone else look fairly dark on me.
contrary to many of the posters here, i love this palette! i also felt this might be very blah because all the colors are neutrals but in actuality this works perfectly for me. the colors may not be as pigmented as others are used to i find them buildable. also its portable and i can throw it in my bag. thumbs up for me!
I just ordered this two nights ago because I thought it would be a good deal and a nice birthday gift. but it seems like it’s not getting good reviews so i’m kind of nervous. i wasn’t technically looking for a smokey eye palette since i’m younger…but i hope the colors at least show up. i’m medium skin tone with dark lashes, brows, and hair. write back and let me know if this was a mistake buy.
No, no! Not a mistake buy really… it’s just not REALLY a smoky eye palette – much more of a neutral eye palette, which doesn’t make it terrible. MAC also makes stellar neutral eyeshadows, so you don’t *have* to run out for this palette if you already have neutrals covered.
i love this palette but i’m already running out of some of the colors. any suggestions on what to replace each color with from the permanent collection?
Gleam, Satin Taupe, Brun, Malt, Bronze!
Hey there! I ADORE the palette, but I can’t seem to find any good dupes as it is a Holiday product. I really want a dupe for “Deception” mostly. Satin Taupe is close, but it doesn’t have the same finish. Is there any other eyeshadows that come close to “Deception”, MAC or other brands?