Archived Post

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette ($39.50 for 0.14 oz.) features five shades with warm undertones. Amber Lights and Mulch are both part of the permanent range, while the other three are all repromotes.  Femme-fi is a repromote of a limited edition shade, while the other two are new (I do believe!).  Midnight Hour was the only miss in the palette, and it was a soft miss; because it is a darker color, with a soft, fluffy brush, it can still be usable–it’s just not ideal because it lacks a softer texture that would deliver better color payoff and blendability.  Femme-Fi and Amber Lights were a smidgen powdery at times, but they were quite pigmented and easy to blend.  Mulch could have been softer, denser, but it had fairly good color payoff and was fairly easy to blend.  All of the shades except Midnight Hour wore well for eight hours without fading or creasing; Midnight Hour was slightly faded after eight hours of wear.  This is a nice palette overall, especially given past years’ palettes from MAC at holiday, but the competition on palettes during the holiday is stiff–$40 for 5 shades isn’t the best deal around, so since it’s not a total home run, I’m not sold.

Femme-Fi is described as a “frosty golden cream [with a Veluxe Pearl].” It’s a soft, golden beige with a frosted finish. It had a soft, buttery texture and really nice color payoff. Kat Von D Galore (LE) is similar. Disney by Sephora Sea Shells (LE) is lighter. Estee Lauder Halo (P, $24.00) is a cream product. See comparison swatches.

Amber Lights is described as a “peachy brown with shimmer [with a Frost finish].” It’s a warm-toned, medium copper with strong orange undertones and a frosted, metallic finish. It had really intense pigmentation, and the texture was soft and smooth. There are quite a few near-identical dupes for this–see comparison swatches.

Mulch is described as a “red-brown with bronze pearl [with a Velvet finish].” It’s a medium-dark, reddish-toned brown with a golden sheen and warm undertones. It had a pearly finish. The consistency was soft, and it applied smoothly, but it did seem a little lighter/weaker compared to the permanent shade. Too Faced Chestnut (LE) is less red-toned. MAC Eclair (LE, $18.50) is a cream product. MAC Lie Low (P, $21.00) is similar. See comparison swatches.

Socialite is described as a “warm copper [with a Satin finish].” It’s a warm-toned, mustard-y color. This one is a color that I found hard to describe, as it’s a mix of brown, orange, and yellow with a barely-there satin finish. It had excellent color payoff and applied very smoothly. MAC Juiced was the only similar shade that came to mind, but it is yellower. See comparison swatches.

Midnight Hour is described as a “warm blackened plum [with a Velvet finish].” It’s a dark brown with neutral-to-warm undertones and a barely-there satin finish. The texture was a bit dry to work with, but a soft, fluffy brush (like a good crease brush) helped out during application quite a bit. Tom Ford Beauty She Wolf #1 is cooler-toned. (LE) MAC Diamond Dove (LE, $15.00) is similar, more matte.Benefit Quick, Look Busy (P, $20.00) is a touch lighter. See comparison swatches.

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Femme-Fi Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Femme-Fi Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Amber Lights Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Amber Lights Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Mulch Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Mulch Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Socialite Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Socialite Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Midnight Hour Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Midnight Hour Eyeshadow

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Eyeshadows: Socialite (inner lid), Amber Lights (middle of lid), Mulch (outer lid),
Midnight Hour (crease), Femme-Fi (inner tear duct)

MAC Stroke of Midnight/Warm Eyeshadow Palette
MAC Eyeshadows: Socialite (inner lid), Amber Lights (middle of lid), Mulch (outer lid),
Midnight Hour (crease), Femme-Fi (inner tear duct)

23 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Mariella Avatar

Am I the only one having trouble with these MAC Sneak Peeks? My “love it or leave it” votes aren’t “sticking” and when I click to reveal more “glossovers”, nothing more appears. Midnight Hour is really tempting, as is Femme Fi but I already have Mulch (though mine looks less red and more pigmented than the version here) and I’m not wild for the other shades so I’m probably better to buy Quick, Look Busy (I love that name).

Mariella Avatar

Thanks, Christine. Your ratings are now showing (they weren’t before, either, I think) and my “votes” and the votes of others are also showing. Hope the other glitches aren’t too much of a pain for you to have to fix!

Christine Avatar

Hey Mariella!

The actual ratings don’t go up until the review is ready – so in particular with a lot of the MAC posts, I will put up what I can, but because the actual *wearing* takes way, way longer, the ratings aren’t available (or even finalized!) until that’s done, so that was proper – the grades and numbers wouldn’t show. It should load everything when you click load more! We had to change the way it loads so that it’s only loading when someone actually wants to see it – the site was dying when it was loading like 40 Glossovers every time someone went to the index page even though not everyone looks at the “more” portion!

Thank you again! 🙂

Ellen Avatar

MAC had a LE eyeshadow a year or so ago called Outre, which was a mustard brown that looks exactly like Sociaite. I bought two immediatley because that color looks so good on me in cllothing! On eyes I find the mustard yellows turn a little grayish, like the one the the amazing Wet N Wild Vanity palette. I almost bought this as soon as it was released on Maconline that night, but I’m glad I waited for your review. There are a lot of palettes out this year, Bobbi Brown has at least 3 that I am considering, and I’d like to get the one with the best range of warm colors and also the best textures. I think two coppery shades in this palette may be too many, and the ability to customize your own palettes with MAC for the same of lower price than the premade ones, is very tempting. It can be done online if you know which shades you like, or at any MAC store. I don’t know if the counters do it. Bobbi Brown does it as well, but her eyeshadow selection is more limited, that’s why I get the palettes when a good one for me comes out, becuase the shades are not usually available in the permanent line. UD also gives you the ability to make your own palettes, so unless you are buying a gift. or find one that is perfect for you, I think my money is best spent putting together a tpalette that has a chance to get used up in my lifetime, not add more clutter to my already large enough for a lifetime make up collection! Thanks for getting the reviews out so fast, although by the time I saw your reviews of the Divine Nights lipsticks, the only brown one I was considering was already sold out on maconline. I’m going to try to find it at the department stores. This must be a crazy time of year for you, good luck and keep up the good work!!!

Christine Avatar

Thanks Ellen!

Sometimes with MAC launches, if I don’t get anything in advance, by the time I get anything up – stuff has sold out! It’s super annoying, and it was worse because normally retailers launch a week later online, so even if maccosmetics.com sells out, at least I can review ahead of Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc. but not this time.

Amalia Avatar

Socialite Eyeshadow reminds me of Mac Outre mixed with something like Bamboo or Uninterrupted, i’m pretty sure you know better than me, you are an artist Christine! Big hugs from the far away Greece.

amarock Avatar

I ordered this as soon as it was available basically for Femme-Fi! I’ve been lemming that shade for years… I also have no duplicates in my MAC collection with any of the permanent shades in the palette (I thought I had Mulch but nope!). This is the first MAC Holiday collection I’ve bought from since 2010 (Tartan Tale). Thanks for your review & photos!

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!