Henceforth, 2015 will be forever etched into my memory as “The Year MAC Did Bladerunner Cell Phone Meets Atari 2600 Packaging for Their Eyeshadow Palettes.”
Gotta love the retrofuturistic vibe!
Buuut, as far as the eyeshadows themselves? Well, I was wondering…is it just me, or does it seem like some of the MAC holiday palettes have fallen short over the past few years? Like they just haven’t risen to the same level of quality as the singles in the permanent line?
I wore the Enchanted Eve Navy Eyeshadow X 6 Palette today ($39.50; limited edition and coming to the MAC website Oct. 18 and to MAC stores and counters Oct. 22) and spent what felt like an unusually long time building up the colors. The powders feel harder and rougher than the eyeshadow singles in the permanent line, and it leads to choppier application and just generally more difficulty blending.
I had better luck with the MAC Enchanted Eve Eye Face Palette/Cool the other day, but even with that one, the powders don’t quite feel up to permanent collection standards to me.
I had an ultrasound checkup this morning and went to the doctor’s office wearing this blue smoky look… (Baby Girl had a massive modeling session, but more on that in a few.)
Needless to say, I wasn’t terribly upset that the lights were turned down low in the ultrasound room because my lids looked kinda dicey.
I definitely like the idea of getting six MAC permanent collection-caliber shadows for $39.50, but here, I don’t know…
So, the ultrasound! This was a big one (I’m about 20 weeks now) where they check the baby’s development, and from what I could gather chatting with the ultrasound tech, Baby Girl is doing well. Her scheduled launch date is between March 6th and the 9th. 🙂
The lab tech had to take 314 (!) pictures because Baby Girl kept wiggling and moving around. Every time we’d try to get a snapshot of her face, she’d put her hands and arms up to block us. Seriously, the kid would NOT stop moving. My appointment ended up taking twice as long as usual, so now I’m wondering if she’s taking after her tabby uncle and his kitty modeling diva tendencies.
I have a feeling I’m going to be surrounded by divas prety soon…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. If you need any recs for MAC permanent collection colors, lemme know. There are a bunch of ’em I love and wholeheartedly stand behind.
Wondering what they will have for their holiday items this year like the pigments and lipgloss
Hi Melissa,
I haven’t seen the pigment sets yet but for lipglosses, there are three sets of Cremesheen Glasses.
Awww, baby girl! Maybe she’ll be an acrobat!
I own so little MAC! The only eyeshadow I own is Naked Lunch, which, while I like, is not as flattering on me as I hoped (but that’s not its fault).
Oh, maybe! Or maybe a ninja? LOL! She looked like she was doing some serious ninja rolls in there.
How was your weekend?
Pretty uneventful! I went out sans crutches, so that’s pretty exciting!
That’s VERY exciting! Is your ankle almost fully healed?
It’s getting there! I miss circusing so much, it’s been almost three weeks!
I’m sure that it’ll be that much more fun when you’re fully healed and able to do it again. 🙂
I hope the fur babies are taking good care of you!
I am not a MAC user but I have found with some brands that the quality of shadows in palettes are not as good as the single pans. I especially have found that true lately with Bobbi Brown. I have stopped buying palettes and have just put my own together. The problem there is that the shades in the palette aren’t available as singles.What’s a girl to do! Glad to hear all is well with baby girl. I remember when I had an ultrasound and Zack was moving around like crazy also. The doctor said it’s a busy one (we didn’t want to know the gender). He still keeps me running. Take care.
Hi Jane,
It’s interesting how different the quality can be between the singles and palettes. While I love the convenience of palettes (and how often they involve saving a little $$), sometimes I think it’s a better investment to go with the singles.
Have you found any great Bobbi shades that you’re loving lately? If you have do sure!
So I’m totally exhausted from the ultrasound. You wouldn’t think that spending a hour having somebody push hard against your abdomen would be exhausting but it totally was. Thank goodness for Starbucks…I rewarded myself with a decaf latte and a slice of banana bread. 🙂
Thanks for the honest review, I tend to steer clear of certain LE items. I don’t find the holiday eye palettes from some brands to be up to par to the normal line. For MAC I find the pigment sets tend to be a better investment for me for eyes, I think they have less quality variation.
You’re welcome, Ashley. I hope you had a nice Monday!
Holiday palettes in general seem to lack quality, not just from Mac but other brands too!
Wow, that ultrasound sounds crazy but it must be so exciting to see your little baby girl!
I was there for what felt like forever, LOL! It was really cool to see specific parts of her up close, like the four chambers of her heart beating and her spine and bones.
How have you been? I feel like it’s been a while!
It is amazing what you can see already in full detail at this stage!
I have been really good, it has been a while! But I am quite happy 🙂
That is the craziest ultrasound ever!!
It was long and I left exhausted LOL! The kid wore me out!
Get lots of rest because I think she is going to keep you on your toes! Appreciate the info on the newest palette! Still haven’t tried MAC and would love some suggestions.
That’s what I hear! I have to pretty much get used to not sleeping, eek!
I’d be happy to give you some MAC shadow suggestions. What colors do you like to wear, and what finishes do you like?
Thanks Karen! For fall and winter I love jewel tones. On another note I am in need of a good full coverage foundation. Help!
She’s gonna be a model. I just know it!! She’ll model for a world famous modeling agency with a world famous photographer! She was
just letting you guys be the first to see her skills. And she’ll prolly have your personality. I LOVE it. In other news, meh on the palette. *shoulder shrug*
I want her to be the photographer (because ya know… pouring my dreams into her, LOL!). 🙂
Although with all the movement I think she might be a ninja!
I hope you had a nice Monday and that you were wearing something COLORFUL today.
How about being a photographer who occassionally moonlights as a ninja? Or vice versa? I’m sure she’ll find plenty of photo inspo on this blog. As for colorful makeup, today I wore my “no makeup, makeup look” which consists of under eye concealer, brows, brow highlight, bronzer, & mascara. I always feel polished & like a better version of myself when I wear this look. I also got my undercut refreshed & wore a high bun with my Marley twists. It was a hit at the barber’s. Yesterday, I wore a smoked out look with Urban Decay’s Gun Metal & the Lorac Pro Matte palette. Dude! You NEEDS that palette in your life. The UD shadow had some glitter fallout which I plan to remedy by applying with some fix+ next time. I wore this look all weekend. I never wear cool toned shadows as much so this was out of my comfort zone. Perhaps I’ll recreate it tomorrow to get my color fix. And I’ll add a nice coordinating blue liner to my waterline. So happy to hear baby girl is well. Sorry for the long appointment. She’ll prolly take a long time to get ready just like her momma. Since she likes making you wait & all. Already a girl after my own heart! ☺️
Thanks for the swatches and honest review, Karen. My holiday dollars seem to be shifting with each launch and review – and MAC still has the Ellie Goulding collection that I’ve got my eye on. In tnis collection, I’m interested in the lip glosses and In Extra Dimension highlighter if the reviews are solid. Congrats on the 20 week mark with baby girl!
Oh wow such pretty shades but I stay clear of blue shades as I feel it makes me look darker. MAC has so many collections coming out that its difficult to keep up
Nashia | MakeupandBeautyMayhem
Thank you for your honest reaction on this one. I don’t own any singles or palettes of MAC. If I am going to build my own palette and I am going for ash/smokey colors, what would you pick for me from the permanent line? hihi.
That’s so exciting!!! How many times do you visit your OB now? Take care and have a safe pregnancy!! <3
Meh…I’m really not too surprised on the MAC palettes. I’m crossing my fingers for the Pentapolish sets because I have never tried any of those. But, I may just pass because I don’t want to be let down. I picked up constructivist paint pot over the weekend. Such a little gem! Thanks for that recommendation.
So happy that everything is going well with Baby Girl and you are feeling good! Such an exciting time! Make sure to take care you two!:)
Isn’t it sad that I’m not even surprised MAC Holiday shadow palettes are subpar quality? It’s not just MAC though, so many brands lately are coming up with LE sets that are just not as good as their permanent products. It kind of damages a brand’s reputation imo…
I prefer the MAC single shadows too.
Our big ultrasound is coming up in a few days, but last time Peanut kept turning his back on us the whole time…
The packaging looks really interesting- a bit 80s. Lol! So excited about your pregnancy! This will be one gorgeous baby for sure Karen! ❤️
Looooove the packaging. And the colors look great on you.
Also: 314 pics of baby girl already and she ain’t even born yet?? Oh she’s going to be a beauty blogger for sure! 🙂
Gurllll I don’t even try the LE eyeshadow palettes at the Mac counter over the past few years. A waste of money.
I think Mac really has to step up their game; with other brands coming out with some awesome option, especially over the holiday season, Mac has become non-relevant.
I’m cracking up at your description of the packaging. It isn’t very ‘holiday’, is it?
I adore the packaging this year, but you’re not alone: the holiday palettes are totally hit or miss unfortunately. How was the quality of the brush? Was it like one of those use-only-in-dire-emergencies brushes?
By the way, so glad to see you wearing Creme D’Nude! It’s one of my favorites and one if the few beige-nudes I think can be flattering on almost anyone.
I’ll skip this one. I remember having a ultra sound when I was pregnant with my boy/girl twins. My daughter was doing somersaults the whole time, lol. The sonologist kept saying this baby keeps jumping around. It looked like she was on a trampoline! She’s 23 now but I’ve told her that story many times before.
Did the sonologist press down really hard? I felt like she was all up on my belly, LOL!
Not that I remember but it took a while because Sydney wouldn’t stop jumping, lol. You look petite so your baby has more space for them to search. As she takes up more room they shouldn’t have to press so hard to see her.
LOL! I’m sure your daughter loves hearing those stories. She’s your child who goes to UC Davis, right? Has she graduated yet?
I haven’t been too impressed with swatches I’ve seen from these palettes. Typical MAC holiday fair, it seems. Great packaging, though.
From what I’ve tried they’re eh. I can remember a time when the holiday kits weren’t so vastly different, like 2001 and 2002? Or maybe that’s my MAC nostalgia kicking in.