MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review & Photos
MAC Palladium Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow
MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review & Photos
MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow ($20.00 for 0.08 oz.) may sound new to some, but it originally debuted way back in 2007 (see my original “review” here–and I called that a review? For shame!) and were repromoted in 2008 as “Brushed Metal-x.” I kind of think the shades from the first launch were more fun–I still have Plum Electric (vibrant grape purple), though I don’t think I used it but a couple of times, because it looks nearly new. Cyber, Fusion Gold, and Virgin Silver have been relaunched as part of this year’s offerings.
In two separate posts, I will go through the individual shades regarding their pros/cons, possible dupes, and so forth, but I did as much testing as I could in time that I’ve had these, which is about 24 hours by the time this post is published. Lucky for me, because these crease nearly instantaneously, it was easy to test multiple shades.
Worn alone, none of the shades I tested (two are photographed below–Palladium and Venetian Tarnish–but I also tested Fusion Gold, Rusty, and Vintage Coin) could make it from application to camera (and I hurried!) without some creasing, and then, after fifteen minutes or so, significant creasing. Worn over an eyeshadow base (I used MAC Paint Pots and NARS Smudgeproof), it didn’t seem to make much of a difference–still creased within minutes and worsened by fifteen.
I did, however, have luck when I wore a single shade layered over an eyeshadow base with several powder eyeshadows on top. I used all MAC products, for the sake of giving MAC the best chance it could, and for me, everything managed to wear well enough for five hours. There was some fading of the colors overall, but I didn’t experience creasing up until that point. By eight, though, it had faded a bit more and had some noticeable creasing. However, a word of caution, I have drier lids, and I really packed on the powder products.
I also tested the wear on both cheeks and lips. They had a funny taste, so I don’t think I’d wear them again as a lip product, and they are very drying. They’re like a matte frost finish–the drying, clingy feel of a matte coupled with a really high frost finish. On the lips, I tried Red Hot Copper, which only lasted for an hour (no eating/drinking) before fading unevenly. It’s uncomfortable and doesn’t wear well.
On cheeks, I used Rusty to highlight and Red Hot Copper to add color. Because of the higher frost content, it does emphasize pores somewhat, and depending on the temperature of your workspace, these may be difficult to apply evenly. I found fingers to be the best applicator with these in general, because the cream surface is very hard and almost powdery–it balls up and takes the warmth from your fingertip to be able to work it out into a smooth, even finish. The wear was so-so; it was noticeably faded and, unfortunately, patchy, after three hours of wear without a setting powder and five hours of wear with a setting powder. Of all the ways I tried it, I liked it best on the cheeks, just because I didn’t have to worry about creasing. It wears similarly on the brow bone and decolletage.
This is really not a consumer-friendly formula; it will take some effort, work, practice, and the right skin type to get these to work well. In 2007, maybe it was acceptable, maybe other brands hadn’t created technology to yield this kind of finish and color payoff, but in 2011, I don’t think it is. If you have drier lids or tend not to have problems with your cream products creasing on you, these may work out for you. If you have oilier lids, I really do recommend–if these are just tempting you beyond belief–to try one and see how it works for you or else buy from a store with a good return policy. These weren’t well-received in 2007, so I’m kind of baffled as to why MAC would bring thes back without some reformulation. Sure, they bring back a product that seemed to receive mostly negative reviews, but last year’s Mega Metals (just as metallic as these) were a complete homerun and those remain a one-time wonder.
At $20 a pop, if the only way I can use it is as an eyeshadow base, it’s not the most useful product in my stash. When you use a translucent powder on top, while you retain some of the original shade, you do mute it a bit and definitely tone down the frosted/metallic finish, so it seems to defeat the purpose of these–which is that really high-shine, metallic-like finish (though some of these read frosty, less metallic). I could see picking up one or two for editorial work, though I think MAC’s Metal Pigments have a much better metallic finish and work better, plus some of their pigments that have more of a frosted/metallic shine. Like Big Bounce, I don’t know why these are marketed towards consumers, because realistically, I’m not sure how one would wear it except if you 1) wanted your eye makeup to crease or 2) you were only going somewhere for an hour or so.
We’ve seen MAC put out metallic fluidlines and paint pots, which work fantastically alone or as an eyeshadow base. I’d much rather put my money towards products with similar textures, finishes, and even shades, that perform better like Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows, Chanel Illusion d’Ombres, Bare Escentuals Stay-There Eyeshadow, or L’Oreal’s Infallible Eyeshadows (which finally hit the states!)–the latter two don’t wear as well as the first two, but they’ll manage to six hours to eight hours or so without an eyeshadow base. Even Estee Lauder’s new eyeshadows have a really cool, metallic-like finish, but they’re powder (and I suspect we’ll see something similar by MAC in the next six months).
So while MAC doesn’t tout these as long-wearing, they still fall short of just wearing. I thought long and hard about that one, but if it takes both an eyeshadow base, plus packing of powder eyeshadows on top, to make it more than fifteen minutes–we’re just not functioning. I’d let it slide if it just didn’t wear to six or eight hours, because long-wear tends to be more like eight to twelve hours, but I can’t even achieve eight with all the bells and whistles without both fading and creasing on the eyes; fading and patchiness on the cheeks (after four hours) and lips (after an hour). A C- feels generous to me, personally, but that is how the numbers worked out–I’m sure you can sense my disappointment and frustration on this product. Did we really need two collections of crease city products this year?
MAC Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow Review & Photos
MAC Palladium Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, no base – 2 minutes after application
MAC Palladium Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, no base – 15 minutes after application
MAC Palladium Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, with base – 2 minutes after application
MAC Palladium Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, with base – 15 minutes after application
MAC Venetian Tarnish Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, no base – 2 minutes after application
MAC Venetian Tarnish Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, no base – 15 minutes after application
MAC Venetian Tarnish Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, with base – 2 minutes after application
MAC Venetian Tarnish Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow, with base – 15 minutes after application
MAC Fusion Gold as a base, MAC Nylon eyeshadow packed on two-thirds,
MAC Greensmoke eyeshadow in crease and outer corner, MAC Antiqued eyeshadow
on outer third of lid, with base – 2 minutes after application
MAC Fusion Gold as a base, MAC Nylon eyeshadow packed on two-thirds,
MAC Greensmoke eyeshadow in crease and outer corner, MAC Antiqued eyeshadow
on outer third of lid, with base – 4 hours after application
MAC Fusion Gold as a base, MAC Nylon eyeshadow packed on two-thirds,
MAC Greensmoke eyeshadow in crease and outer corner, MAC Antiqued eyeshadow
on outer third of lid, with base – 8 hours after application
Ingredients
MAC Red Hot Copper Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow
MAC Red Hot Copper Metal-x Cream Eyeshadow
OMG! the Maybeline 24H Tatoo cream shadows are 8.79 Cnd $$ and don’t move at all. Gotta be quick to blend…..but trust me, I usually only buy high end.. they are sooooooooo worth it…
I agree I have both they Maybeline 24H Tatoo cream shadows (paint pot style) and the L’oreal Infallible shadows which is what the Metal X would be like.
It’s pretty bad MAC when drug store brands can formulate a better cream metal shadow then you. I thought you would have learned with Big Bounce (and the fact that none of THOSE have sold out online.)
I agree. I love Maybelline Colot Tattoo and it doesn’t fade or crease at all!
Agreed! I’m really impressed with the Color Tattoo pots. I hope they bring out some more matte shades, and hopefully a nude shade that would be comparable to the Painterly paint pot.
yessss… more matte shades as I love Tough as Taupe.
Whoa crease central! I’ll pass!
I was trying some of the shadows on my eyes and i could tell it faded minutes after coz i wasnt done with my look yet.
I’ve heard both negative and positive things about the first bunch that came out, I think 3 years ago, but seeing this just makes me NOT want to buy them at all… :/
Who likes creased eyeshadow anyway?!
I watched a pixiwoo video-named something like grunge eyes I think-and she said that she loved creasing,at least with an extravagant look like the one she did in that video.Sounded funny at first but it makes sense at the same time:)
You can get that grunge look without these just fine. Mix a pigment into a cream or gel and apply it will crease like this. 😉
I love the look of creased eyeshadow in some specific situations. If I’m doing an effortless rock chick/heroin chic style look, then I want the makeup to look somewhat slept in, like I really didn’t care about the state of it but it still looks effortlessly sexy.
What a bust! Thank you so much for your review, it will definitely save me some money, because they look ed so pretty I probably would have bought at least 3 of these if they wore well. Actually I am surprised you gave them a C- and not an F. Thanks again
Well… ew.
Haha! This is how I feel too. I think it’s the metallic-ness of these that makes creasing look even worse than normal.
Money saved. Thank you Christine! 🙂
Why does MAC keep releasing these things every year? They are worthless, how about bringing back freakin tender tones instead? These eyeshadows make me sad.
This is the only second time they’ve released these in 4 years 🙂
So disappointing. Venetian Tarnish looks pretty when first applied. 🙁
this looks annoying because I loved the color and finish.The funny thing is that a long wearing eyeshadow(powder or cream) does not exist for me.My eyelids are really oily and nothing lasts more than 30 minutes without a good base(udpp that is).So any claim abot being long wearing sounds meaningless to me.Maybe the brands should make their longwearing products wear long for everyone or add a fine print that says ” sorry we didn’t include the oily-lid gals”.Talking to you my new Illusion d’Ombre and eyes to kill intense.passing these too.
Your mileage will always vary for makeup – because it’s your skin, which can react differently to ingredients, compositions, etc. For instance, some people can’t keep their lipstick on for longer than an hour, but I personally find most lipsticks to last between three and four hours no problem. It’s important to understand your skin and body so you can personally evaluate what claims are important to you and whether they’re likely to work for you. My friend has super oily lids but has no problem with either Chanel or Giorgio Armani’s, so I’m sorry you had issues!
I definetely agree with you however the marketing is the part that doesn’t work for me because when a brand comes out with a long wearing formula people think that it is so for everyone.For example I wouldn’t give a low rate to GA or Chanel’s because as you said I know about my skin and they are gorgeous products.Still there is some not totally honest marketing is going on ,at least for me.
btw your cheeks(and you) really glow! Too bad that they didn’t work that way either:/
There is always an exception to the rule as Mineral oil is the only effective way to remove long wear products. It unfortunately make sense that if your skin is very oily it will separate the product from your skin as your natural oil will float the product off.If it effect on mosst of the populations and not effective for the 15% of the people that have extremely oily lids they can still make the claim.
The only thing that can combat oil skin is AA (Alcohol Activated) makeup. It however being alcohol based and NEEDS 99% alcohol to remove is very drying and extremely irritating to the delicate eye area skin.
If you really gun-ho about using something like that I recommend trying the Dinair Paramedical line of shades to see if you can create a neutral matte eye look first.
http://www.airbrushmakeup.com/paramedical/
It become the norm in body paint as it will not budge with out pure alcohol or your skin sheds in a months time.
I am a bit surpriced reading this since I am in love with these shadows and I do not think they compare to the other release since they were much more creamy.
I put on 2 layers of this and it lasted the whole day and after about 7 hours I saw some slight creasing but I will seattle for that for the beauty of them.
I put on a light shade of this and I looked so fresh and I have never received so many compliments on my make up (even from my brother!!) and everyone wanted to know what eyeshadow I was using….
Maybe you just need to let them dry a little bit between application?
I do think they are foolproof for the average consumer since I can just put them on my eyes with my fingers, some mascara and my look is perfect!
Hi Lilly,
The consistency feels the same the same to me – perhaps a touch drier for the old one, which is four years old and not in an air-tight container, but they felt the same to me when applied and used. I specifically asked MAC corporate if these were reformulated, and they confirmed and said they had not and were the same as the original launch. I can’t really give you better information than when it is straight from the source. When I applied them alone – I didn’t do anything but let them dry and they couldn’t make it from the bathroom to the hallway to photograph without creasing. Unfortunately, I didn’t share your experience – which is why I provided photos of every step of the process and way I tried to make these work. I’m glad they worked for you – as I said, buyer beware, use caution, as they’re actually not supposed to be long-wearing products, which means MAC has already gone through testing and development and knows that they will not wear all day.
Actually what the chemetry of you eye skin Lilly? if you mostly bone dry/not oily then a grease/cream base like these won’t migrate on you.
In all honestly I have better lucky with my MUFE Flash Colors as a base over theses and they retail for the same price.
Why oh why MAC?!? Such lovely shades…such poor quality! More money in my pocket!
Wow, those are astonishingly bad. I was planning to purchase a couple–thanks for the words of warning!
Why is MAC so dang inconsistent? I used to love their products but I’ve sworn them off because after years of trial and error with beauty products, I’ve found it’s worth it to spend a few dollars more and get a significantly more effective product.
Thanks for always giving great reviews! I check Temptalia daily.
Thank you, Jessica!
I think I’ll pass on these. I still have my Plum Electric and I wasn’t a huge fan of it. I loved the pigmentation of it, but when I purchased it, it was dry instead of creamy and when I use it, it looks like a bruise.
Thanks Christine for another wonderful and detailed review 🙂
No prob, Bernice!
HIghly dissapointing!! Thank you for this , i dont have a mac near at all so i order online and it would have been a great hassle to return , ill be sticking to the maybelline tattoo eyeshadow for $5.50 a shadow!!
I know this sounds crazy, but when we did training this season, the trainer had us use these on the TOP of everything. Not as a base. We did a full face, dark smokey blue eyes with liner and then popped Venetian Tarnish in the middle of the lid and low, close to the lash line so it doesn’t hit the crease and BAM! it popped so brightly. Same with the tear duct, brow bone and cheek highlight. I just don’t think these are meant to be worn from lash to brow like you are testing them..
I do agree though the colors are so stunning, I would have liked them in a more useable format.
I tried it as a highlight on the brow and on the cheek – did not work – disappeared within an hour or two on the brow bone and was faded/patchy on cheeks after a few hours unfortunately! I tested them in multiple ways (eyes, brow, cheek, lips, decolletage) – not just as an eyeshadow base 🙂
Too bad they didn’t hold up there either!!…I was just as surprised as you were to see them as a whole collection again at Update, considering the Big Bounce fiasco so soon before.
Such pretty colors, the olive one had me at “hello.”
Like of all products they repromote, I’m surprised Metal-x sold so well they’d do it again… They always look gorgeous, though – which I guess is why the disappointment is so hard to take! Any other tips on making these work, Brian?
Christine, I love your reviews!! Do you believe that I can wear a very good eye shadow with a wonderful eye shadow base (like urban decay) and still into 5 hours they crease? My lids are very oily and I live in Rio de Janeiro / Brazil: hot hot hot!!!!!!
With these I am sure it will crease in seconds. Glad I will not spend my money with these.
I can only imagine with oily lids + heat of Brazil being a recipe for disaster with eyeshadows! When I was in NYC and it was all humid, I felt so out of whack!
sad to hear it doesn’t work well even as a lipstick. I was so in love with the model’s lips on the ad. 🙁
Maybe if you don’t reapplying all the time 🙁
Haha what a freaking joke. These would get -6.5 from me!
Thanks for the extensive review, I will NOT be getting any of those. Well MAC Red Hot Copper does looks awsome on the lips tough.
NYX has some super frost-tastic metallic lipsticks that look about the same on the lips but wear better!
And some of the new Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick.
I just don’t understand what exactly MAC is doing. Granted, I haven’t been shopping there for more than a couple of months but already I’m frustrated! Sure, it’s all fine and dandy to make limited editions collections, that’s a great way to boost sales and whatnot. But have they forgotten that in order to get sales they need to make products that are worth the price? It really seems so. o___o;
Not buying any of these, even though Fusion Gold, Venetian Tarnish, and that forest green one are gorgeous colors. If it weren’t for the fact that I want Vintage Grape, MAC wouldn’t be getting any more of my money this year.
I can’t remember the last MAC collection I purchased it’s been so long. I get excited to hear about things but Christine has saved me a lot of money with her swatches and reviews. I just don’t think what they have been releasing is up to the standard of what they are charging you for.
Thank you for the review. I wasn’t sure about this collection, but now I can safely skip it and give my wallet a break. I need more eye shadow like I need a hole in the head. 🙂
I don’t know about THIS launch specifically, but the last time they released the Cream Metal-X Eyeshadows, I’ve had a lot of success if I apply them after a clear primer, like UDPP or Painterly Paint Pot. I always put bases (cream eyeshadows, colored bases, ect) on AFTER a primer (UDPP, TFSI, MAC PP’s) and it results in better application.
Hi Sam,
Not sure if you read the post yet, but I walked through how I tested these, including the fact that I used two different primers – NARS Smudgeproof and MAC Paint Pots (Soft Ochre), and the results were the same!
What was going through MAC execs’ heads when they released these? I get that not every product can be a slam dunk, but if it can’t last five minutes? You would think that they’d actually save money by scraping the whole thing.
What a dissappointment! Venician Tarnish looked so sweet. I was really looking forward to that but sadly I am an oily lid girl and need to use UDPP under EVERYTHING.
Thanks so very much for the incredibly detailed review, these would look like slime on me. I’ll be looking at the GA Eyes to Kill instead. Never tried GA, I guess this is my chance!
I bought Venetian Tarnish and found it creased a lot unless I patted it onto a powder shadow as the MAC artist in the shop suggested. Patted onto UD Sin or Sidecar it looks lovely. For Christmas Day I will probably pack it over UD Cobra. Vintage Coin is next on my list, it’s beautiful. These have been out in the UK for a little while.
I wish it worked better for me – when I set with powder, it held up for a few hours but not entirely!
I’ll pass on these as they look too creamy. In terms of comparing them via creasiness to the Big Bounce Shadows I had no problems with them, now they’re a few months old they are the spongey mousse as promised, and when allowed to dry over UDPP I get 8 hours wear, so anyone who despaired and put them to the back of the cupboard give them another chance!
Does anyone know of a lipstick dupe for Red Hot Copper?
I finally sprung for Mirifique and honestly I sorta hate admitting it is totally worth the price, since doing so exposes a slippery slope for me. So MAC we’ve been tapping our feet and checking our watches for awhile here. You raise the price, increase the shadow size and still produce an incredibly mediocre product. This isn’t 1999, and we’re much more savvy and informed then we ever were before. You can’t just skate anymore.
Yep – exactly! Competition is FIERCE! And consumers are more and more informed about their choices.
Most of the times I agree with your reviews, but this time I don’t. The eyeshadows are already out in Europe and I bought Venetian Tarnish and Rusty and I love them! I put a Paint Pot as a base underneath and it lasted all day!
Oh, but I just checked the ingredients of my two eyeshadows and they seem different from the your ingredients. I just took a picture with my mobile so you can see the differnce (it’s here: http://tinypic.com/r/15s62js/5)
I use MAC Paint Pot as a base, and it was just as bad as applying alone! With a paint pot + eyeshadow on top, it did last a few hours but not all day 🙁
The ingredient lists are definitely different – I thought maybe the names would be different at most, but there are some really out of place ingredients – particularly silica which is first for me but way down on the list for you. I already threw away all my boxes, but are the ingredient lists the same on both of yours? It would be odd to have dramatically different ingredients from shade to shade, since the majority of shade differences is in the pigmentation – so the +/- section.
Yes, the ingredients are the same on both of my boxes. That’s really strange! So maybe they just produced two different kinds of the Metal X Eyeshadows, one for the US and one for international buyers.
Thanks for sharing your ingredient list – that’s a completely different product that what Christine got!
Wow the colors are gorgeous, it’s really disappointing that they don’t seem to perform very well.
I’m seriously wondering what I should use a creasing eyeshadow for. So… yeah, miss. Totally miss on this collection…
Just wanted to say a big mahaloz to you! It takes a lot of time, effort, and not to mention $$$! to do accurate reviews like this-so thanks! I will def be avoiding these and save my money for something else.
Thanki you, Kawai!
I’m not sure why they came out with these…again? 15 minute creasing? It doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t they want to improve? What is going on with MAC???
I love your blog, your reviews are so in depth and honest even when something is sent to you. That’s not as common as it should be these days. I had been tempted by that gold shade, I don’t like gold but the champagne-y colour of it is so pretty.
Sadly I can’t say I’m surprised, it can’t be argued- MAC has some amaaazing products, but they slowly keep slipping away from respectable in my eyes. Their product size decreases over time- their prices slowly slink up the scales. It’s just limited product after re-launched previously failed product.
Their permanent line isn’t bad at all- I don’t know anyone who dislikes carbon for example. If they would focus more on their permanent line instead, instead of the same colour with a different name released three times in a year with little to no colour difference in them.
Thank you, Alexandria! Though, I did buy all of the Metal-x eyeshadows in the post 🙂
I have no comprehension why I would be $20 for this eyeshadow to crease when my eyelids can crease any eyeshadow (without primer) for free!
In 2007 when I picked up the Metal-X eyeshadow in Cyber I was extremely disappointed with its terrible application. I can’t understand why MAC would re-release a product with substandard application. If this is geared more toward editorial/artistic work it would make more sense to be a PRO only release, as it’s obviously not suited for the average consumer.
Where the people clicking “love it” just trying to be contrary? There is no way anyone could read the review (thank you, btw, for that. I read the whole thing and completely agree), see the photos, and actually click “loving it” except by accident.
I’m really confused — how on earth did these manage to snag a 5/10 rating for “Longevity”? 5/10 would be average. Not really sure how you internalize your ranking system, but personally, anything that can’t last more than two minutes gets a 1/10 from me.
Hi Jilliterate,
MAC specifically they’re not long-wearing – which pretty much says you’re going to need to use it with some other product if you want it to last, so it’s to be expected to not be able to wear these on their own. It is, however, not expected that over a base or set with powder that they can’t last for a reasonable amount of time (6-8 hours). Also, because it is a multi-purpose product, it is NOT simply rated on how they perform on the eyes. For instance, on cheeks, the wear is better, even though not perfect. Make sure you read through the review and what the product is supposed to do – I tried very hard to be clear on both aspects here. 5/10 is an F – I am not sure where you are located that 50% is average. 75% is average – a C.
I read the review quite clearly, and nowhere in it can I see any statement regarding the product’s intended wear time, other than the vague sentence, “MAC doesn’t tout these as long-wearing” (I had taken that to mean that MAC simply hadn’t promoted them as long-wearing, rather than a deliberate statement that they had intentionally weak wear times). My comment was based on the information you made available in the review, which I had read thoroughly. Admittedly, I didn’t read the original, 2007 review, so maybe you’re referring to information included in that. I just found the 5/10 score surprisingly generous after the statement, “they still fall short of just wearing.”
(My use of the term “average” was referring to a literal, mathematical mean, as in the mean for the possible 1-10 score for longevity. Sorry if you misunderstood.)
Hi Jilliterate,
MAC gave no guidance as to wear because they’re not meant or expected to wear long – I’m sorry if I confused you, as this is what I was trying to convey! MAC specifically stated they are NOT long-wearing, not simply that they were not marketing them that way but affirmatively said they’re not long-wearing so they said there is no suggested/expected wear time.
The grading system is based on the American grading system (hence A, B, C, etc.), thanks!
Longevity – broken out –
Eyes: Lost points for creasing and fading over time; when used with powder + primer, 4-5 hours of decent to good wear (some fading but NO creasing) (would expect 8+ hours) but when used over a primer, still a mess; when used without primer but set with powder, 3 hours of decent to good wear – 4/10
Lips: Lost points for fading after an hour (would expect 3-4 hours) – 4/10
Cheeks: Lost points for fading after 3 hours (would expect 6-8 hours) without any setting powder; 5 hours with setting powder (would expect 8+ hours) – 7/10
I hope this clarifies it for you!
Oh dear, they are so horrible! I think it’s great you take time to make photos of the creasing, that’s why I like Temptalia the best for make-up and nail polish reviews!
What a shame…some of the colours are so appealing to me but the creasing – yuck! And even with a base, after 8 hours, the lovely look you created was a mess. Like I say, what a shame but the silver lining is that it’s something for me NOT to spend on or crave!
Gross. thanks Christine. You save me money. Well…… you did until I tried the Armani eyes to kill shadows. I’ll take another of those instead of this mess!
LOL! It all evens out!