Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

Hey, chicas! How was your Friday night?

Mine was filled with rap and yummy Chinese food. I dragged El Hub to a Chinese food joint in Sausalito called Tommy’s Wok. I’m addicted to their lettuce wrap dish, which I also like to call, “Let us rap.”

My name is Karen, and I’ve got a cat,
His name is Tabs, and he is a brat.
He eats Fris-kies every day and night,
And bites his mom if his food ain’t right.

Okay, so I’m no Biggie Smalls. 🙂

After dinner we just chilled at home, watching both new eps of Dollhouse (twisty!) and Terminator (scary!).

So far today I haven’t done much… but I did get this email from MBB reader Camille.

Hey Karen,

I was just wondering if you could suggest a MAC brown eyeshadow that isn’t too orange or too red-toned? Soft brown and sable already look too red and too orange. I just want a nice matte brown. Please let me know.

Camille, you know I can’t live without my MAC browns! 🙂

I raided my stash and found a couple non-orangey options.

1. As far as brown shades for the lid or crease, I really like Soba and Cork. Both are warm golden browns that aren’t overly orange or red. What’s the diff between the two? Cork applies more brown than gold and has a matte finish; Soba, on the other hand, has the slightest touch of shimmery gold. It’s more gold than brown, but I love both shades and reach for them often.
2. For a darker brown to use as a liner or in the outer V, check out Brun or Concrete. Brun’s a blackish brown, and Concrete’s a taupey brown (I also use it to fill in my brows).
3. Additional browns worth checking out: Omega (a beigey taupe), Era (a soft golden beige) and Charcoal Brown (a muted taupe brown). Each of these shades gets very high ratings on Makeup Alley.

Swatches from left to right with flash: Soba, Cork, Brun and Concrete

Soba, Cork, Brun and Concrete swatches without flash

Fellow fans of MAC’s browns, can you think of any other non-orange/reddish brown eyeshadows that might work for Camille?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen