December 19, 2007 – Droves of women prepare to pounce on their local MAC counters today to purchase Parrot eye shadow, one of the most highly anticipated products from MAC’s “Originals” collection.
“The claws are coming out today, no doubt,” says Karen of Makeup and Beauty Blog. “Parrot is the stuff of legend! And I’ll lay the smack down on all ya’ll to get my mitts on it – believe me, you b*tches ain’t ready.”
MAC Parrot eyeshadow first hit the scene in Salsabelle, 2004’s limited edition summer collection. A deep aqua blue with bright green and blue pearl, Parrot quickly sold out in stores and online, causing many a MAC fanatic to hopelessly lust after the color. Some (like moi) went so far as to mix and match different shades, while others meticulously hunted for duplicate shadows in other makeup lines. To this day Parrot remains one of the most sought-after colors in the entire MAC line.
MAC Parrot
If you’re curious at all about Parrot, you better snag it now, lest the only parrot you’ll be getting this Christmas will be from the pet store. Frankly, I’d rather have some hella cool blue green shadow in my outer V than a big-ass bird screaming “CAW! CAW!” all day long.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Never used that color before but I’m a big fan of MAC’s bright colors, what do you think would be good to pair up w/this parrot shade though?
Ha ha I REFUSE to buy into the hype….I know this color will not work for me so I will leave it to the others who can rock it.
I do have a parrot btw and she is awesome. I would take her over any eyeshadow any day lol!
Hi Breezy,
I’ll probably use it as a gentle pop on the upper lash line with my tried and true workhorse shadows (Ricepaper on the browbone and Soba in the crease); that way I can wear it to work without looking too crazy! 🙂
Janelle,
I actually really love birds, especially brightly colored and smart parrots! Does your parrot talk to you? What’s her name? 🙂
I’m totally going to buy into the hype. It’s actually more because I fell in love with the Full On Lust face chart on the MAC site and I’m going to take a stab at re-creating it. My makeup look isn’t as dramatic but I’m certainly going to try! 🙂
Hey Nilla,
That’s one of my faves too, right now. I think you’ll look really pretty in blues and greens! Can’t wait to hear about the results 🙂
Major props to the girls who can pull this off… for me, I like my neutrals just fine and feel rebellious when I pull out a purple every once in a while. Lame, I know!
Looking forward to see some future looks with this color – can’t wait to see what you do with it, Karen.
yeah! I definitely bought into it. I went and grabbed one this morning! Thinking about going back to get twig twig l/s and maybe another shadow… memorabilia? Which other shadows do you like?
Oh no worries…I didn’t think you hated birds or anything lol!
Her name is Giles (we waited a year to get her dna sexed so she is stuck with a stuffy old man’s name for the rest of her life)and she is a 2 yr old Senegal parrot. She does not talk but can imitate sounds.
I am more amazed at her emotional intelligence than anything else. If I’m having a down day especially if I’m crying she will bring me her toys to try and cheer me up–finally resorting to bringing me a lip gloss b/c she knows me that well lol! And if I’m sick she has to be there right beside me as I lay down her beak touching my nose and will not leave to eat or do anything unless she is forced too.
It’s weird b/c before I had her I didn’t really think much of birds but she is such a little cat/dog in her own way I love her.
Back to makeup…I think Back to Del Rio l/s and Full on Lust l/g look good to me right now based on Temptalia’s swatches….why can’t MAC just bring it back permanently??? *shakes fist*
Love your site btw…very informative and entertaining 🙂
Karen,
I’ve had this color for quite some time now, and honestly it’s very similar to a L’Oreal HIP shade that comes in one of their duos (off the top of my head, I can’t think of the name)
It’s not THAT spectacular.
Too funny! I’m not sure I could pull this color off, but I’ll try anything once. Sign me up!
I have the Powerpoint liner in Tealo, I think Parrot would be great to smudge over the liner and maybe lightly on the bottom lashline! I like using teals and blue-greens ’cause they really make my indecisive bluey-green eyes pop! I usually use them with neutral grey-browns and golds so as not to be too intensely chromatic!
Ha! I also just found out that Twig and Twig-Twig are two different colors! I thought I had just misremembered the name! That’s why I leave being a true MAC maven to the experts! 🙂
I just bought it, and I luuuurve it. It can be applied very sheerly– its texture is really good for a frost e/s, which I don’t normally like because the glitter can be chunky. I asked the MA at MAC what I could pair it with for a toned down look. She suggested Club (I think you’d like that Karen) because the color of the shimmer is similar. or a neutral/gold like Vanilla or Woodwinked. She did a very bold look with Parrot and Carbon on one of my eyes and a sheer look with Vanilla and Parrot on the other, and they were both lovely.
Hi Tuprnut,
I hear ya on the being happy with the neutrals thang. My attempts at anything else other than brown have been helped by the MAC 217 and the 275. I like ’em both because they are really fluffy and give me a lot of control over the color build up. Otherwise I’m a mess of purple or blue or whatever else I’m attempting 🙂
Hi Nifty!
I haven’t gotten my stuff yet, but I am very excited about Daisychain, Oche Style and Frisco. In general I’m more of a frost/satin/veluxe pearl girl when it comes to MAC shadows; I like the idea of darker mattes but I don’t use them often because they require a lot of work to blend and I’m a lazy, lazy bum. 🙂
Janelle,
Aww, thanks for your complement. 🙂 I always like to meet new readers and I’m glad that you dig the blog.
Giles sounds like the coolest parrot EVER (I’m curious – are you a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan?!?!). The fact that she brings you lip gloss when you are sad is too cute! I’ve always wanted a bird just like her; she sounds very interactive and smart. Did you have to do any training, or does she do that stuff on her own? I never knew parrots could “read” their people like that!
And I totes agree, Del Rio looks very pretty! Oh la la…
Hi Sarah,
Aww, no love for the Parrot?!? At this point it’s so over-hyped that I’m expecting it to really blow my mind, and perhaps even teach me a new language or how to sew. It better be amazing, dammit!
Hi Laurie,
I like your makeup attitude! 🙂 You never know till you put it on, right? And it always washes off, thank jeebus!
Hi Miss Glosslizard,
Oh, what brushes do you use to apply the teals color to your bottom lash line? I’m still trying to work this issue out 🙂
AshB, you are my HERO! I can’t wait to try those combos!!!! YES! 🙂
Ha Ha you got the Buffy reference….yes she is named for that Giles…she was such a serious stuck up baby we thought it would fit instead she grew up to be a spunky little girl with a lot of attitude.
We have not trained her to do anything…I honestly don’t think she is trainable lol…she can be so stubborn at times. I have no idea how she figured out the lip gloss trick…I spend most of my time telling her “no..stay away from that” maybe she just figured out that it is very important to me.
She spends a lot of time with the whole family and we interact with her so much that she has actually has her own special way of being with all of us that totally fits our style…I think it’s all her…maybe we just lucked out.
Birds are a lot of work though…for reals.
Can’t wait to see your swatches…you’re closer to my skin tone so anything you can rock I will definitely add to my list!
Okay, so I just picked up my Parrot. I swatched it at the counter and it’s got flecks of gold in it. The color is really pretty so I don’t think this baby is going to disappoint. What was disappointing was that the girls at the counter didn’t even know it was out yet and weren’t very helpful with showing me the rest of the collection (grrr).
I think I’ll wait until next week to go back. I’m eying Utter Pervette (the name alone draws me in), Real Desire, and Clue. Hopefully this is enough time for them to get their display up! 🙂
That is a very nice colour. But I’m not really confident using colours like that when I’m out. I prefer putting natural eyeshadow colours. Have you got any infos on MAC N Collection? ^^ I’m excited for it. I’m thinking to sell my MAC New Vegas MSF. Infact, I’m thinking to give it away.
I have not heard of MAC N Collection. What is it and when is it supposed to be launched?
I bet it is something very nice.
-armine
For the lower lash line I either use an angled eyeliner brush or a brush that is similar to MAC’s 219 (it’s actually a freebie brush from a GWP that I trimmed down myself). I apply from about the center of the eye to the outer corner and diffuse it a lot so that it’s more a suggestion of color and shading than a defined line. My biggest issue is how to keep it from smudging once it’s there! Haven’t found any quick fixes yet, so I just rely on a periodic swipe under the line with a Q-tip or a fingertip! Does your beloved Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder help with this? If so, I may have to cave!
Ok so is this collection only at MAC stores??? i went to the MAC @ a department store and they didnt have it 🙁 booooooooo i wanted Parrot.
Hi Janelle,
I gotta say, I think I have a crush on your parrot. I’ve been wanting a bird for quite some time now, though, so don’t worry – I won’t plot to win her heart over. J/K! I went to the pet store a few months ago and saw a cockatoo in a cage, and I was so surprised when she/he/it kept following me as I walked around the cage. El hub tried to see if it would follow him around too, but the bird had no interest in him whatsoever. It was really interactive and that surprised me. I really wanted to adopt it but refrained ’cause of exactly what you said, birds are a lot of work!
And that’s super cute that your parrot is named after Giles, lol. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my fave shows, ever. I have a nephew named Zander and nobody has yet to confirm/deny if the child was named after Buffy’s homeboy.
I will put up my swatches hopefully tomorrow (crossing fingers). I have to re-do the one I did of Parrot because the lighting sitch in my house has been challenging, to put it mildly.
Hey Nilla,
Did you wear your Parrot today? BTW, I like the name “Utter Pervette,” too. I wish I would’ve thought of it. 🙂
Hi Glosslizard,
I LOVE THAT LAURA MERCIER POWDER. Seriously, it’s up there with the T3 hairdryer – totally changed my life. I think it does help alleviate any shadow color migration issues. Another thing I do to prevent color travel is apply a layer of Urban Decay Potion Primer to the lower lash line. I hate UDPP by itself but in cases where I don’t have to blend several colors it’s fine and it keeps everything in its place.
Hey Crystal,
Awww, that’s too bad! I believe it’s at all the counters. I went to Nordie’s yesterday and it was there. What store did you go to? Maybe they were lagging or the sales associate was mentally out to lunch (hey, I know I’ve been there!).
Hi Sandy!
Hmm, let me look into the N collection. You know, I still haven’t tried the MAC Mineralize Skin Finishes. I’ve heard that they’re the sh*t though!
Hey Karen,
I didn’t wear Parrot today; I’ve been under the weather lately – I have this nagging cough that just won’t quit. It’s been bothering since last week so I’ve been lazy with the makeup. You know, one neutral e/s shade, some liner, one coat of mascara, a swipe of blush and lip balm. Blah.
Can’t wait to get better so I can sass it up this weekend and over the rest of the holiday!
Awww, feel better Nilla! Take good care of yourself and drink lots of water, hot herbal tea, etc. etc. And get that boy to make you some chicken soup 🙂
Most excellent advice! Thanks! 🙂
You are welcome, my friend! Let me know if you end up trying the UDPP and liking it – it’s one of those products that women either LOVE or HATE so I hope it works for ya 🙂
oh i’m sooo excited I bought parrot yesterday, the man at MAC said that this colour is so wanted that someone bought one on ebay last year for £60 :O which is about $120!! can u believe it, I bet that person is kicking themselves now 🙂
I love buying something that everyone loves, I can’t wait till they sell out and I can be like ha i’ve got mine! how sad am I 🙂
p.s love your website xxxxx
Wow, Becky, that’s crazy! $120 for an eyeshadow, holy crap! I’m glad you were able to get a pan though, as it’s frickin’ awesome. Of course there are the people out there who don’t think it’s all that but I love it.
I’m glad you like the blog 🙂 I always like meeting new readers so thanks for stopping by and saying hi!