MAC Stroke of Midnight/Smoky Eyeshadow Palette ($39.50 for 0.14 oz.) features five shades in a mix of cool and warm tones to create a smoky eye. Worth noting, Retrospeck and Carbon are both part of the permanent range, so if you like either of those, you can find them individually as well. Chillproof and Gaelic Gold have been released previously as limited edition shades.  Carbon was quite impressive, given it’s horrid texture and payoff in palettes over the years, so that was a surprise.  Well Put Together was the big miss, though, as it was sheer, stiff, and dry–so a pain to work with and apply.  Retrospeck had some fall out during wear as well as during application, and the texture was a little chunky.  Gaelic Gold and Chillproof were pretty good and were the standouts of the palette.

Chillproof is described as a “frosty white [with a Frost finish].” It’s a brightened, neutral white–not too stark or cool-toned with a frosted, slightly metallic, finish. It had good color payoff, and the texture was soft and smooth. Dior Lune (001) (P, $30.00) is a cream product. Disney by Sephora Midnight Hour #1 (LE) is similar. Urban Decay Zephyr (LE, $18.00) is yellower. NARS Flowers 1 #1 (LE, $24.00) is similar. See comparison swatches.

Retrospeck is described as a “beached blonde [with a Lustre finish].” It’s a muted, orange-gold with a frosted finish and champagne and gold glitter. It has a chunkier consistency, so it feels a little dry and loose when used. MAC Until Dawn #2 (LE, $21.00) is smoother. Sleek MakeUP Meet in Madrid (LE, $9.99) is similar. L’Oreal Eternal Sunshine (P, $7.99) is yellower. Chanel Harmonie du Soir #1 (LE) is similar. See comparison swatches.

Gaelic Gold is described as a “metallic gold [with a Veluxe Pearl finish].” It’s a deeper, more molten yellow gold with a frosted, partially metallic finish. It had fairly good color payoff, and the texture was soft and applied smoothly for the most part. Too Faced Twinkle (LE) is darker. NARS Iskandar (P, $25.00) is a cream product. Too Faced Instigator (LE) is similar. Sephora Collection Girls Night Out (03) (P, $13.00) is similar. NARS Paramaribo #1 is cooler-toned. MAC Goldmine (P, $15.00) is lighter, yellower. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Triptych (P, $14.00) is brighter. Inglot #430 (P, $6.00) is yellower. See comparison swatches.

Well Put Together is described as a “black with gold frost [with a Velvet finish].” It appears as a blackened brown with a faint dusting of copper and gold micro-shimmer in the pan, but it swatches lighter–it’s like a dark brown with subtle warm undertones and a satin finish. The texture was dry and stiff, so the resulting color payoff was weak. MAC Carbonized (LE, $15.00) is lighter, warmer. Bobbi Brown Cocoa Berry (LE, $21.00) is warmer. See comparison swatches.

Carbon is described as an “intense black [with a Matte finish].” It’s a medium-dark black with neutral to warm undertones and a matte finish. This is likely the best version of Carbon I’ve seen in years; it actually swatches and applies surprisingly nicely and with good color payoff. You can see how it stacks up to a myriad of matte blacks in these swatch comparisons.

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Smoky Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Smoky Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Smoky Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Smoky Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Smoky Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Chillproof Eyeshadow

MAC Chillproof Eyeshadow

MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow

MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow

MAC Gaelic Gold Eyeshadow

MAC Gaelic Gold Eyeshadow

MAC Well Put Together Eyeshadow

MAC Well Put Together Eyeshadow

MAC Carbon Eyeshadow

MAC Carbon Eyeshadow

MAC Eyeshadows: Well Put Together (inner lid), Retrospeck (middle of lid), Gaelic Gold (outer lid),
Carbon (crease), Chillproof (inner tear duct)

MAC Eyeshadows: Well Put Together (inner lid), Retrospeck (middle of lid), Gaelic Gold (outer lid),
Carbon (crease), Chillproof (inner tear duct)