MAC x Jeremy Scott Lo-Fi Eyeshadow x 29 Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Lo-Fi

MAC Lo-Fi Jeremy Scott Eyeshadow x29 Palette ($75.00 for 0.51 oz.) is an example where there’s a lot of attention paid to the packaging but not enough toward the actual product inside. I like the concept, and one thought to solve the “wasted space” aspect of the palette would have been to made a hinged lid (that was black) that hid additional shades, so you could get the visual effect while providing more shades (perhaps making each pan a little bigger).

Unfortunately, the formula used throughout the palette is weak, even compared to past misses by MAC. Most of the shimmers are bordering on atrocious–dry, loosely packed, almost sandy–and many of the mattes are sheer, dry, firm, or chalky. The quality was bad enough that it was difficult to put together any semblance of a cohesive look without primer, as there was so much patchiness, sheerness, and unevenness that it looked like I wasn’t even trying. So, I tested the palette with and without primer, and while it did improve over primer, it was still a difficult palette to use–it took be two to three times longer to get decent results (that were still not where I’d want them to be) compared to other, better performing “bright” style palettes.

The palette contains quite a bit of eyeshadow spread over a lot of shades, and MAC lists the total weight as 0.51 oz., which would work out to be 0.0175 oz. per shade. Depending on whether you’d compare it to single pans or smaller palettes or single eyeshadows, you might get a different total value; I’d say that using the smaller palettes (like the pre-made 9-pan palettes) might be the most one-to-one methodology – that would yield a value of $90.67. The highest value would be using single eyeshadows, which would yield a value of $163.20.

If you normally use larger brushes, the pans may seem too small, and if you have very rounded, fluffy crease brushes, those may also not fit as comfortably in each pan. I didn’t have trouble using brushes with the palette myself, but I do tend to use small and medium-sized brushes normally.

Lo-Fi

Lo-Fi is a light yellow with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation with a moderately dusty consistency that had a tendency to sheer out too easily on the lid (even with primer, though it wasn’t as bad). The eyeshadow stayed on well for six and a half hours on me.

Creative Copper

Creative Copper is a light-medium, golden copper with warm undertones and a sparkling finish. It is listed as a Lustre finish, which is supposed to be a sheerer, more glittery finish, and it is, in fact, pretty much what most Lustres are, though it was considerably drier and grittier compared to the last time I came across this shade. It had sheer coverage, was loosely packed and dry, so it did not function as a usable eyeshadow without applying it with a dampened brush or over a tacky primer. There was little wear out of it since it all fell off my lid shortly after applying it.

Bite the Beat

Bite the Beat is a soft, light brown with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-sheer pigmentation due to the very powdery consistency that kicked up a lot of excess product in the pan and had some fallout during application when I attempted to build it up. It was better over primer but a weak neutral even so. It lasted for seven hours on me.

Endless Frequency

Endless Frequency is a light-medium, peachy coral with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-sheer pigmentation, which did not build up, and it had a tendency to dust away a bit more on the lid. The consistency was rather powdery, so it was difficult to get it to adhere well to bare skin. It was somewhat better over primer but not something I could use as an opaque color. It wore well for six hours.

Disco Therapy

Disco Therapy is a brighter, medium orange with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had excellent pigmentation with a soft, lightly dusty consistency that was thinner but not too powdery to work with. The eyeshadow blended out easily and lasted for eight hours on me.

Superior Sound

Superior Sound is a light, peachy pink with warm undertones and a frosted finish. It had nice color payoff with a soft, lightly dusty consistency that applied well over bare skin as well as over primer. This shade wore well for eight hours before fading on me.

Happy Song

Happy Song is a light-medium pink with warm, yellow undertones and a matte finish. The pigmentation was quite good, but the texture was moderately powdery, so it had some fallout and seemed to darken as it came into contact with my skin over time. It stayed on well for seven and a half hours on me.

Bird's Eye View

Bird’s Eye View is a medium-dark pink with subtle, warm undertones and a mostly matte finish. It had nearly opaque pigmentation with a soft, lightly dusty consistency that was a bit thinner, but it blended out fairly well and applied evenly over bare skin. The eyesahdow wore well for eight hours on me.

Walking Heartbeats

Walking Heartbeats is a bright, medium red with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had rich color payoff in a single layer with a soft, lightly dusty consistency. The eyeshadow applied nicely to bare skin as well as over primed lids, and I had no trouble blending out the edges or working with it. The color stayed on well for eight and a half hours on me.

Vacation Speed Zone

Vacation Speed Zone is a medium-dark plum with warm undertones and a satin sheen. It had decent color payoff, though the texture was drier and dustier in the pan. I found it applied better in practice than it felt or seemed initially, which was good, and it was much improved over primer. On its own, it lasted for eight hours.

Ghost Story

Ghost Story is a very light lavender with cool undertones and a pearly sheen. It had semi-sheer pigmentation with a slightly drier, looser consistency that had some excess product kicked up in the pan. It wore well for six and a half hours on me.

Morning Ticket

Morning Ticket is a light silver with a sparkling finish. It had semi-sheer pigmentation that did not build up. The texture was drier, loosely packed, and prone to sheering out and yielding fallout both during application as well as later on during wear. It was somewhat workable over primer, though for a shimmery silver, which many brands do well, I can’t imagine reaching for one that’s “somewhat workable.”

US Dance Remix

US Dance Remix is a light-medium, golden brown with warm undertones and a metallic finish. It had semi-sheer pigmentation with a drier, looser consistency that was prone to sheering out and had some fallout during application. The eyeshadow stayed on for five hours and had some fallout without primer. It was better applied with a dampened brush or over primer.

Subtly Elegant

Subtly Elegant is a medium taupe with neutral-to-warm undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation with a slightly powdery texture, but it applied decently to bare skin and blended out without any issues. The color stayed on well for seven and a half hours on me.

Bonus Track

Bonus Track is a medium-dark brown with warm, olive undertones and a golden shimmer. It was loosely packed, dry, and almost sandy as a result, which meant sheer coverage, tons of fallout, and little that was workable without damping the brush (primer was insufficient). On its own, it lasted for two hours or less and had a lot of fallout; dampened, it lasted for almost seven hours and had minimal fallout (the latter is for your knowledge but is not reflected in the rating).

Beautifully Charred

Beautifully Charred is a medium-dark brown with subtle, warm red undertones and a pearly sheen. It had semi-opaque color payoff, but it was extremely dry and dusty in the pan, which resulted in sheerer coverage that did not build up and a lot of fallout. The color lasted for seven hours on me.

Raven Eyed

Raven Eyed is a dark black-brown with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. It was dry, stiff, and extremely difficult to pick up and blend out on the skin, with or without primer. It had medium coverage that was buildable, but the result was rather splotchy and ragged along the edges. The patchy mess did last for a solid eight hours (and I’ve found MAC’s eyeshadow formula to wear rather well on bare skin, despite being a thinner formula).

Video Emotions

Video Emotions is a blackened purple with neutral-to-cool undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque color coverage in a single layer, and it was buildable, though the drier, stiffer texture made it difficult to blend and diffuse along the edges without getting a ragged edge. It lasted for eight hours on me before fading slightly.

Memories of Space

Memories of Space is a light-medium yellow with soft, warm undertones and a satin sheen. It had medium pigmentation, which wasn’t buildable on its own; with primer, I was able to get almost semi-opaque coverage out of it. The consistency was drier, thin, and dusty. It wore well for seven hours on me.

Remixology

Remixology is a light-medium chartreuse with warm, yellow undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-sheer pigmentation paired with a thin, dusty texture that was hard to apply evenly to bare skin. It applied a bit more evenly over primer but was still under-pigmented. It stayed on well for seven hours.

Beatallica

Beatallica is a deep, forest green with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation, which was buildable both over bare skin as well as over primer. Applied to bare skin, it was a nightmare trying to blend out the edges as the color darkened in places, looked patchy, and did not diffuse well. Over primer, it was somewhat more blendable but needed cheating by layering other shades over it to minimize the harsh lines. It lasted for seven and a half hours on me.

Syntheseyes

Syntheseyes is a very light aqua with subtle, warm undertones and semi-matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation with a soft, lightly powdery texture, but there was more substance to the consistency that enabled it to apply better to bare skin without sheering out to nothingness. The color stayed on well for seven and a half hours on me.

Oldie but Goodie

Oldie but Goodie is a light-medium, greenish aqua with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had good pigmentation, and while it was soft with some powderiness in the pan, it had more substance to it and applied rather well to bare skin. It wore well for eight hours on me.

Powerful Performance

Powerful Performance is a medium blue with subtle, cool undertones and a satin finish. It had medium pigmentation, but the powdery texture made it hard to build up coverage if desired. It was better over a primer, but it still had a faded, sheered out appearance and never looked true-to-pan. It stayed on well for six and a half hours.

At the Turntable

At the Turntable is a bright, light-medium sky blue with cool undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque pigmentation with a drier, chalkier consistency that was prone to sheering out and apply unevenly. It tended to look less blue and more white within 10 minutes of application. It was marginally improved over primer but was did not build up much, so it always looked a bit washed out. It lasted for seven hours on its own.

Electric Eel

Electric Eel is a medium blue with cool undertones and a matte finish. This shade is a lot worse than it was compared to the last single I have of it–much dustier and thinner with less pigmentation. It had a tendency to fade to a more muted blue after a few minutes in practice. It wore well for seven and a half hours on me.

She's a Machine

She’s a Machine is a light-medium lavender with subtle, cool undertones and a satin shimmer. It had sheer pigmentation, did not build up, and only managed to get to semi-sheer coverage over primer. The texture was thin, powdery, and almost grainy. It lasted for five hours on me.

Jam Session

Jam Session is a medium purple with subtle, cool undertones and a mostly matte finish. It had sheer pigmentation that applied dismally to my bare skin and only marginally less disappointing over primer. The texture was powdery, thin, and drier–not a recipe for eyeshadow perfection. It wore well for six hours on me.

Club New Wave Mix

Club New Wave Mix is a deep purple with cool undertones and a matte finish. It had medium coverage, which was hard to build up as the texture was quite stiff and difficult to pickup, blend out, and work with regardless of whether I used a primer underneath it or not. I had to use the lighter shades in the palette to help cheat the edges on this one. It lasted for seven hours on me.