Build Your Collection of Everyday Shades With the MAC Eye Shadow X 15/Warm Neutral and Cool Neutral Palettes: A Closer Look

See, this is how they get ya — cold, hard numbers, baby.

When you run the numbers, $85 for each of the two new MAC Eye Shadow X 15 palettes sounds beyond reasonable — and not just reasonable, but actually wise. Considering that a Pro Palette Insert ($2), an empty Pro Palette ($8) and 15 individual shadow pan refills ($150) would set you back $160, $85 is a steal!

At least that’s what I plan to tell my husband when I go to Nordstrom later this week to “take a look” at another 15-pan MAC palette, this one recently released and filled with some of the brand’s bestselling shades (codename: Nordstrom Naturals).

“But, babe!” I’ll tell him, “It’s basically half off. I’m doing this for the good of the family.” 🙂

Something tells me I’ll be met with rolling eyes and a sigh, but whatevs.

So, these two palettes — Warm Neutral and Cool Neutral — I can’t even think about them without feeling a little gooey inside. Filled with a mix of perennial permanent collection faves and limited edition colors, they’re the two new Eye Shadow X 15 palettes from the Eyes on MAC collection, and they’re available now at MAC stores and online.

If they look familiar, gold star! You might remember them from last year. They’re essentially re-promotes of those palettes, so you may already have them.

If not, this could be a good time to pounce, and not just because the palettes are a pretty good value (the pans are the same size as MAC’s full-size 0.05-oz. refills). They’re also a good way to quickly build up your collection of MAC workhorse shades, as both of them are bristling with useful, everyday neutrals that never go out of style.

But which one? — that’s the million-dollar question.

Well, what kind of colors do you currently wear? Do you wear more cool grays, pinks and silvers, or more warm, buttery coppers and golds?

Some other things to consider…

Overall, the colors in the Cool palette seem less pigmented than the colors in the Warm palette, at least on my NC 42 skin, and I find myself building them up in layers (especially Flounce, Sweet Allure, Pick Me Up and Cozy Grey).

The Cool Neutrals seem like they’d be better suited for paler skin tones rather than deep. For that reason I haven’t been reaching for it as much as the Warm Palette.

The Warm one’s shadows pack more pigment than the Cools, and the palette has several shades that I know I can wear every day…for the next three lifetimes (like Saddle, Brule and Amber Lights).

And then there’s Honey Lust — in this case, the dicey shade. It’s definitely a chunky monkey, I know, but that’s just the way it goes with Honey Lust. Whenever I wear it, I use a wet brush, and/or gently pat it on my lids with a flat brush. Be patient, and try not to sweep it, lest you end up with shadow all over the place. It can be worth the effort, though. Honey Lust can look really beautiful when it’s packed on the lids.

Oh, and can we talk about Saddle for a second? It is, hands down, one of my MAC ride-or-die transition shades. I could wear it in the crease with any of the shimmery shades in the Warm palette and be a happy kitty cat forever. Meow, meow, purr, purr. 🙂

The Warm Neutral palette also has several shades with finishes that look scary and dangerously frosty in swatches, but turn out to be more satiny than shimmery on the eyes, like Butterfudge, Dark Brew, Vanilla Extract and Warm Breeze. I like them for simple, single-shadow looks.

Buff one on your lids for eyes that glow, and you know how this homegirl loves her glow. Extra great with long, luxe lashes. 🙂

The Eye Shadow X 15/Cool Neutral Palette includes…

• Flounce, a chalky white pink
• Sweet Allure, a soft light pink
• Sun Tweaked, a soft frosty coral
• Blackberry, a muted burgundy-plummy brown
• After Dusk, a mid-tone rosy pink with pearl
• Pick Me Up, a pale ivory
• Crushed Cove, a dirty golden olive
• Cozy Grey, a cool gray
• Deception, a chocolate gold
• Brun, a muted blackish brown
• Silver Fog, a white with silvery pearl
• French Clay, a white with gray frost
• Cumulus, a dirty gray charcoal
• Pearled Earth, a deep bluish gray
• Black Tied, a black with silvery sparkle

The Eye Shadow X15/Warm Neutral Palette includes…

• Hey, a metallic coral
• Warm Breeze, a pastel coral
• Gingersnap, a deep rosy pink
• Dark Brew, a deep chocoalte with pinkish pearl
• Dance in the Dark, a dark brown
• Brule, a soft creamy beige
• Vanilla Extract, a warm yellow beige
• Honey Lust, a bronzy peach
• Amber Lights, a peachy brown with shimmer
• Saddle, a golden orange brown
• Lemon Tart, a metallic gold
• Butterfudge, a dirty mocha with golden pearl
• Creative Copper, a warm copper
• Divine Decadence, a golden brown
• Unwind, a dirty olive

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen