MAC Makeup Fafi Tutorial: A Black and Gold Smokey Eye
I finally got my paws on MAC Fafi yesterday, and all I have to say is MEOW! Love it. This morning I busted out a few things from the collection — Fafi Eyes 1 Quad, Nice Vice Paint Pot and the Not So Innocent Lipstick — and created this subtle gold and black smokey eye for work.
A few days ago, after the super-spy MAC Fafi swatch mission, I fell in love with Fafi’s Paint Pots (love Nice Vice!) and lipsticks but wasn’t floored by the eyeshadow quads. I changed my tune after playing with the Fafi Eyes 1 Quad ($36) this mornin’. The colors work with my skin tone (so far the shades “Hey” and “Vanilla” are my faves), and the textures apply like butter. If you love neutral eyeshadows, I think you’ll dig this quad.
Now, on to the look! New to semi-complicated makeup? Don’t despair. If you’ve ever worn at least two eyeshadow colors at a time, then you can certainly handle this. Yes! You! Can!
Products I used to create the look…
- Dior Long-Wearing Moisturizing Concealer in shade 430
- MAC Fafi Eyes 1 Quad – Vanilla eyeshadow
- MAC Paint Pot – Nice Vice
- MAC Fafi Eyes 1 Quad – Howzat eyeshadow
- MAC Fafi Eyes 1 Quad – Hey
- MAC Fluidline Eyeliner – Blacktrack
- MAC Eyeshadow – Concrete
- MAC Zoom Lash mascara – Zoomblack
- MAC Barbie Beauty Powder – Pearl Blossom
- MAC Cremestick Lip Liner – Sublime Culture
- MAC Glaze Lipstick – Not So Innocent
- MAC Lipglass – Clear
Brushes and tools I used (from left to right)…
- Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
- MAC 266 small angle brush
- MAC 194 concealer brush
- MAC 249 large shader brush
- Sephora all over shadow brush
- MAC 239 eye shading brush
- MAC 209 eyeliner brush
- MAC 129 powder/blush brush
- Sonia Kashuk large powder brush
- Billy B Beauty Paintbrush No. 4
Missing from the picture below are the MAC 219 pencil brush and the MAC 136 covered lip brush. They were hiding beneath a piece of paper when I snapped this shot, the sneaky bastards.
I divided the eye look into two phases, and here’s a map detailing the placement of the eyeshadows/ Paint Pot in Phase 1:
For Phase 1 you’ll be using…
- Vanilla eyeshadow on browbone
- Nice Vice Paint Pot on inner lid
- Howzat eyeshadow on outer lid
- Hey eyeshadow on center of the lid
Begin by blending an even layer of Dior concealer onto the entire surface of your eyelid. This gives the eye products we’re about to use something to latch onto and intensifies the color of the eyeshadows.
Next, apply Vanilla eyeshadow to your browbone with the Sephora all over shadow brush.
Using the MAC 249 large shader brush, apply Nice Vice Paint Pot to the inner lid.
This is what it should look like so far:
Now, take your MAC 239 eye shading brush and apply Howzat eyeshadow to the outer third of the eyelid.
Using the same brush, apply Hey eyeshadow to the center of the eyelid. Blend away any harsh lines.
Congrats, you sexy thang! You’ve finished Phase 1.
Now, ’tis time for Phase 2, where you’ll add more definition to your upper and lower lashes. Here’s a map to guide you:
For Phase 2 you’ll be using…
- Fluidline eyeliner on upper lash line
- Howzat eyeshadow on upper and lower lash line
- Hey eyeshadow on upper and lower lash line
First, trace a thin black line along the top lash line with your MAC 209 eyeliner brush. Instead of trying to do it in one long stroke (which I find difficult to do), it may help to apply the liner in sections. Using the thin pointed tip of the brush to smooth out the line, start with the outer third, then the center, and finally the inner third of your lash line.
This is what you should have:
Next up, grab a MAC 219 pencil brush and apply Howzat eyeshadow over the line you just made on your upper lash line. Apply the same eyeshadow to your lower lash line with the same brush.
Still with the same brush, blend Hey eyeshadow just above the Howzat you just applied to both the upper and lower lashlines.
You’re almost done! Fill in your brows with Concrete eyeshadow and a MAC 266 small angle brush. Curl your lashes, and apply two coats of MAC Zoomblack mascara to your top and bottom.
Plagued by dark circles? Quickly clean up any stray shadows with a DHC Olive Oil Swab, and apply Dior concealer to hide your dark circles with the MAC 194 brush. Dust a layer of Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder #2 with a brush like the Billy B Paintbrush No. 4 to set the concealer.
The eyes are done…
Now, it’s time for the lips. Line your pucker with MAC’s Sublime Culture Cremestick liner. With a MAC 316 covered lip brush, add one layer of Not So Innocent Glaze Lipstick, blot, add a second layer to ramp up the sparkle factor and top it off with a layer of MAC Clear Lipglass.
To complete the look, apply your favorite foundation and setting powder. I used Chanel Teint Innocence compact foundation in 50 Natural and Laura Mercier’s translucent setting powder. With a MAC 129 blush brush, apply MAC Pearl Blossom Beauty Powder to your cheeks, and now you’re ready to rock!
I hope you had as much fun with this as I did. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Since you’re here, it’s probably safe to assume that you like MAC Cosmetics as much as I do. 🙂 Have you seen my MAC Gallery? It’s a visual way to search for MAC reviews and looks on Makeup and Beauty Blog.
Hey sexy beast! El Hub better watch out. Your sexy look is so mesmerizing.
Awesome!! I love this detailed tutorial! I love the Fafi line! I didn’t get the Nice Vice paint pot, but I think I may have to go back and get it! I was afraid that my eyelids were too oily for it, but the lady assured me it actually helps oily lids, and she used Rollickin’ on me and it stayed put all day long!! I am so impressed!!!!
Also, you look fabulous as always, dahhhling!
I agree with Mrs. Lynne Karen, you totally are a sexy beast! I love your neutral looks, so subtle but really pretty. I wanna see you do something super dramatic too though! Take a deep breath and bust out something really bright, I wanna see ;p
Almost forgot, CONGRATS on turning 1, yay you!
Wowzers! You make the Fafi Collection worth buying (as some were disappointed with the collection), but I love it, and the paint pots are indeed a treasure!
Happy Birthday MU&BB.com!
I love this look. I’ll be giving it a try with what i have at home as we don’t have fafi yet. Thanks for another great look for inspiration x
Hey Karen,
Happy Blog Birthday!!!
That look is gorgeous! I love how neutral but pretty it looks!
Do you think it would work as well with the cash flow paint pot??
Thats the one ive got my eye on when it eventually comes out over here!
Finally! The long awaited entry on something from the Fafi line!
With regards to the brush issue I posed you, well, ditching the MAC150 isn’t really easy. A 38,50eur brush simply isn’t supposed to behave like that, and I’m on student budget =( It almost makes me think that a much cheaper brush from The Body Shop would be of a higher quality!
wow.. the quad seems a lil dull but yeah it look much more interesting now.. and nice vice look so tempting… sigh…
Okay, I searched your blog to find any brush reviews that I could. There’s this BillyB range that you were raving about, and I thought I might buy a powder brush from the website for application of my MAC StudioFix and blush. Which would you recommend, the BB brush 1 or 3? They look the same to me, but 1 is supposed to be rounder.
And thank you for a year of great reviews. May there be many more to come!
You look stunning! Can’t wait to try this on my eyes. Oh, and tell your blog happy birthday from me!
don’t ya just love the quad and not so innocent lipstick??? happy 1 year old today makeup and beauty blog. karen keep up the great work!
Cute cute cute! In this pic you look like Michelle Yeoh very very much.
Cute cute cute! In this pic you look like Michelle Yeoh very very much. Love the top too, did you knit it? It looks like something I can do 😀
I’m not that impressed with Fafi collection. I love “Cash Flow” the paint pot because I’m a sucker for paint pots and soft yellow colors. But somehow the MAC counter in town managed (again) to sell out most of the stuff from Fafi collection. The MUA also commented on how nice I looked with “Sugar Trance” but I was too bummed from not getting “Cash Flow” so I didn’t buy the lip glass.
Congrats on turning 1! I love the pink cat and was tempted to ask you what’s the deal with this pink cat as well as the regular stripped one. Do you have cats?
Happy Birthday Beauty Blog! And the look is ever so cute. I was hesitant to pick up Not So Innocent because it was a pale glaze and might not register at all on my lips.
congratulations on ur blog turning one!happy birthday to ur blog!!
Nice, very clean yet playful colors! Thanks for sharing Karen.
Happy blog-birthday, beautiful!!! 😀
Such a beautiful look, you are getting so incredible with those tutorials! I was looking at Fafi yesterday, and I think I might get the paint pot in Girl Friendly, it is lovely! I wanted the lipstick in Utterly Frivolous, just because of the name (tres appropos!) but I couldn’t quite get comfortable with the bright color and the sparkle at the same time!
Fafi 1 looks very similar to Winter Nights! Great quad!
I really like this look. Congrats on your blog turning one! Here’s to many more years of giving us much laughter and beauty!
Karen, that look is muy caliente!! Nice job!
yay, happy blog birthday! =)
this look is gorgeous, i did cave and bought this quad since i love pinks and don’t already have vanilla and pink venus. i love that you didn’t go overboard on the pink, and it’s still neutral and a little smokey. love it!
Hi Karen!
I really like how you do the tutorials now with graphics to show the areas. I always had a hard time translating what “now blend mid-lid to crease…” meant for my lil asian eyes.
Your eye at the end of phase one reminded me of neopolitan ice cream- strawberry, vanilla and chocolate!
And happy bday to the blog! I can’t tell you how many times you’ve gotten me to try a new shade because it looked so great on your skin tone…
pretty, pretty! I love that you did another eye map! 🙂
Thanks Mrs. Lynne!
Any sexy beast day is a gooooood day, yah?
Hope you’re having fun in the sun 🙂
Hi Mariah,
Nice Vice is *very pretty* and extremely wearable. If your lids are super oily one thing you can do is prime them first with Urban Decay Potion Primer, and then pop the Paint Pot right on top. Now that won’t move through ANYTHING! 🙂
Oh Breezy!
You know, one of these days I’ll get the courage to go all-out-buck-wild-color crazy! I usually don’t have many opportunities to wear dramatic looks, but maybe the next time I get the chance to really dress up I’ll give it a go, just for you! LOLOL!
Hi Vanessa,
Thank you for the birthday wishes, sweetie!
I love Fafi too. I was initially sucked in by the cute packaging and now I think the line is totes worth it. 🙂
You are welcome, Jot! Can’t wait till you get your hands on some Fafi so you can try it on yourself. 🙂 Trust me, you’ll love it!
Hi Holly,
Oh yeah, totally – I’d put in on the lid, then substitute Nice Vice with a purple/pink eyeshadow shade for the inner eye section. I’m sure you’ve got something in your fab Chanel makeup selection that will suffice! 🙂
Hi Sylvie,
I just remembered – Shu Uemura brushes are *fantastic*, and great quality. I have three of them and they are soft, hardly shed, and have nice, long handles (which I prefer).
Hi Ping,
Oh yeah, the quad is boss! I wasn’t interested at first but after you dig in it’s fab. 🙂
Thank you, Kate! I’ll be sure to pass on the message 😉
Hi Kia,
I *love* the quad! And the lipstick, too! The Glazes have a really slick feel – I like ’em though, because it’s not to heavy.
Thank you for the well wishes, homie! 🙂
Wow! Thanks Dao! I love Michelle Yeoh, woooo hooo!
I didn’t knit the sweater above. I wish I did though! That’s awesome that you’ve got the skills to do something like it – I can do scarves, but that’s about it. I have about 20 scarves that done in the past three or four years. I don’t knit as much as I’d like these days, but I want to get back into it again, because it’s a relaxing, fun and creative outlet.
I hope you’re having a good day 🙂
Sadly, Dao – I don’t (for now)! I’ve sort of adopted the neighbor’s cat and for now he lets me feed him, pet him, and occasionally house him. 🙂
Hi Tekoa,
Thanks, my friend!
I was afraid of the same paleness too, but when combined with any sort of pink/tan/neutral lip liner makes for a very neutral and pretty lip color! I was very surprised once I had it on. It was love…
Thank you, Anshu! 🙂
You are welcome, Lea! Is this a look you think you might try?
Thank you, Glosslizard! The tutorials are time-intensive but a lot of fun. I plan on doing more in the future.
I don’t have Girl Friendly! And my nearby Nordstrom is out of it for like two weeks! BOOOO!
And this quad is **fantastic**. It does remind me of Winter Nights, now that I think of it. The dark color is a bit more grey though…
Yay, thanks Lipglossme! 🙂
Do you think you’ll try this look out? I hope so!
Hi Miss Anthrope,
Gracias! I’m glad you like it. I’ve been going through a smokey eye phase that doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon, so expect more tutorials with smokey eyes in the future, woo hoo!
Hi Davina,
Oh, yay! I’m glad you caved, because it’s so pretty. I am wearing it again today; it’s my new quad crush 😉
Hi Faith,
Yay, I’m glad the graphics help! They are kinda fun to do so I think I’ll keep including them in future tutorials. El Hub keeps trying to convince me to do video tutorials but I dunno – I’m not sure if the world is ready for my dorkiness, ha!
I’m so glad to hear that you’ve tried new colors. Love it! What are you favorites?
Hi Amanda,
Thank you! I’ve always been a fan of maps, they just make it that much easier to put the pieces together (I’m a visual learner, LOL!).
Hope you are having a fantastic day 🙂
Love love love this look! You look so flawlessly tanned yet you glow!
Thanks I Love Cheese! Are you gonna rock the MAC Fafi? I hope so 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Karen! When I get my Fafi stuff I will definitely try this look as well!
Do you think I can use e/s Satin Taupe instead of Concrete?
Hi Susanne,
OH yes, I think Satin Taupe would be pretty – you mean on the inner eye, though, right?
Yes, on the inner eye! I hope I will get Fafi within the next two weeks here, then I will try this look.
OH yeah, you can totally work Satin Taupe in there. Sable might be pretty too! Yay, I can’t wait for you to get your Fafi haul. You’ll have so much fun!
I love this look, its really natural but at the same time sexy! Thanks for the tutorial as I am looking to create a similar look for my wedding and so excellent.
You’re welcome, Kelly! Congrats on your upcoming wedding. When is the big day?
You’re a genius!!! I love you! I could never work out all this eyeshadow artistry on my own and your tutorials just opened up the whole new world for me. Thank yo so much!
You are welcome, Minky!
I love doing the tutorials so expect more in the future. My makeup style is kinda simple and not too over the top, but one of these days I’ll work up the guts to do something crazy. But for now, there will be lots of wearable work and dinner looks, because that’s where I wear my makeup mostly! 🙂
Have a groovy week!
Hi Karen,
You totally rock this look. I’m going to try this out once Fafi hits Indonesia.
Gorgeous look! Re: brushes – I’ve found some excellent and inexpensive brushes at ColorBrushes.com and also at Aveda. (Plus, they’re vegan for us animal-lovers!
Thanks Pia!!
Can’t wait for you to get your Fafi! I hope you like it as much as I do…so much fun and awesome, flirty colors!
Have a great weekend 🙂
I’ve been using your tutorial to create this look for a week and I love it! Nice Vice was all sold out by the time I made it to the MAC store, but I got ‘Artifact’ which is a pretty close match.
Please do another look with the Fafi Eye Quad #1! Please!
Hi Kyl,
Oh, that’s great! Isn’t it easy? (I am all about easy looks).
I’ve got a host of tutorials to do but tell me which colors in the quad are your faves; I’ll try to whip up something! 🙂
Fafi has only just hit the stores in the UK and I HAD to snap up Quad 1 and Nice Vice after seeing this look! …and Strawbaby… and High Top… and Sassed up!
Thank you for inspiring me to buy!
Hi Kirsty,
LOL, aren’t you cute! I’m so like that at the MAC counter. Quad 1 rocks! Have you tried this look yet? Let me know how it works out (it’s very easy, I promise). 🙂
LOOOOOVVVVIIIINNNN ITTTT~!!!!!!! GORGEOUS!!!!
Thanks so much for this tutorial! Can you do a tutorial on a more “dramatic” or “diva” look that’s good for asian eyes? I can’t seem to do it without making my eyes look even more slanted! Thanks!
SO GORGEOUS!!!!
This is really neat how they explained how and where to place what shade. Good tutorial on the smokey look.
-Crystal Wacker