Hocus Pocus

MAC Hocus Pocus Eyeshadow x 8 Palette ($35.00 for 0.49 oz.) is a new, limited edition eight-pan palette that features four matte eyeshadows, one more satin-pearl shade, and three more sparkly shades (Pressed Pigments). The Pressed Pigment formula is an unusual addition to a pre-made MAC palette, but it is a formula that's been released individually in the past and is supposed to have "sheer-to-moderate buildable coverage" that can be used wet or dry. The coverage ranged from sheer to medium and greater, depending on the shade, but they all had more translucent bases packed with larger flecks of glitter and sparkle.

The matte eyeshadows felt more velvety and seemed to have a bit of glide and slip to them, though they weren't as consistent in application as I expected, and they weren't as blendable as they should have been, which was also a surprising result based on the texture and the type of tones they are (if we were talking about a matte purple eyeshadow, I wouldn't have been caught off-guard!).

After five attempts using this palette, I had the best luck dusting translucent powder onto my lid, letting that sit for a few minutes, and then using a thin layer of eyeshadow primer, but I would stay away from using it over bare skin or over a tacky/creamy base, as both seemed more likely to produce patchier results.