Updated Review: MAC Eyeshadows

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Now that my eyeshadow collection has grown so much, I wanted to go back a bit and do an updated review on my MAC eyeshadows. I did a review about two years ago (which you can see HERE and HERE), but since then I have had a chance to try out so many other brands. First, let's take a look at my current MAC collection.

                                                                              Collection                                                                   

Permanent Eyeshadow Collection

You can see swatches of the neutral eyeshadows HERE and swatches of the colorful eyeshadows HERE.

Limited Edition Eyeshadow Collection

Mineralize eyeshadows:

Left to Right: 'She Who Dares' Duo, 'Young Punk'. 'Gilt By Association', 'Blue Sheen', and 'Smoked Ruby'

 Regular eyeshadows and pressed pigment:

Left to Right: 'Blue Willow' Pressed Pigment, ''Vile Violet', 'De-vil', and 'Day Dreaming'

Left to Right: 'Jealousy Wakes', 'Parisian Skies', 'Hocus Pocus', and 'Sparkle Neely, Sparkle!'

 Cream Color Bases and other:

Left to Right: 'Semi-Precious', 'Scene', 'Black', and 'Bat Black'

                                                                             Review                                                                         

I think that the biggest question for most of you is "are MAC eyeshadow worth buying?" This is a reasonable question because with so many brands out there making amazing eyeshadows, is paying department store prices for these eyeshadows even justifiable? This is not an easy question to answer, though. It will all depend on you. 

Many people have already stopped buying from MAC because (I believe, not 100% sure on this) they are no longer a cruelty-free brand. I still buy from MAC occasionally but it is something to keep in mind if you only buy cruelty-free products. Another reason people have stopped buying from MAC is because their collections have become increasingly lackluster. I remember the days of buying entire collections from MAC and being stoked for new collections. I don't really do that anymore, instead I just buy one or two things from a collection that are really stand out shades.  

But now let's talk about the eyeshadows. I've collection quite a few of MAC eyeshadows these past years. 95% of the permanent eyeshadows I own I bought when I first started buying from MAC (when I didn't know too much about MAC or their limited edition products). And to be honest, I regret buying most of those shades. Don't get me wrong, they are good eyeshadows. But, there are better ones out there. Generally, I think that limited edition products from MAC are better than the permanent items. So instead of buying the permanent colors, I would have preferred to buy limited edition colors. The only permanent eyeshadows I really, really like (and actually use often)  are Sating Taupe, Rice Paper, Nylon, Vex, Beauty Marked, Parfait Amour, and Sushi Flower. The rest are good, but I have other brand of eyeshadows that I prefer to use. If you want bright eyeshadows (like a bright yellow, red, orange, etc.) don't buy MAC eyeshadows. There are some bright colors but they aren't very saturated. I would recommend that you instead buy Sugarpill eyeshadows which are insanely bright and pigmented. Sugarpill isn't cheaper, but the quality of the eyeshadows is much better.

So I said that I would much prefer to spend my money on limited edition eyeshadows rather than lpermanent ones. And as you can see, I also have quite a few LE MAC eyeshadows. I personally would spend my money on eyeshadows that you know you would use. For example, I absolutely love the Mineralize eyeshadows I have from MAC, but I don't use them very often because they are high maintenance colors (they have fallout). They are a bit more bulky and take more room as well. I actually seem to prefer the regular eyeshadows more; I get more use out of them and they are much better quality than the permanent eyeshadows. If you like the idea of buying these eyeshadows but don't want to spend the money, then you should try out Makeup Geek eyeshadows or Inglot eyeshadows which are very comparable to (if not better than) MAC eyeshadows. I have a few MUG and Inglot shades myself and they are fantastic eyeshadows. 

One type of eyeshadow that I would absolutely not suggest from MAC is the Cream Color Bases. These are techinically not eyeshadows, but the two shades I own are supposed to be for the eye area. However, they suck. They look nice at first, but they crease so badly, even if you use a primer underneath. So just don't buy these if you want they for the eye area! Invest in Paint Pots instead, or Maybelline Color Tattoos. 

Most of the eyeshadows I own I purchased ages ago. I have only purchased 3 of the eyeshadows in the past year. Why? I decided to try out cheaper brands of eyeshadow. I personally have preferred indie eyeshadows over any kind of eyeshadow. They are inexpensive, beautiful, and pigmented. I know many of you hate loose eyeshadows, but it is a great alternative to buying more expensive eyeshadows like MAC's. I don't want to get too much indie eyeshadows because that is just a whole other post. But again, if you are looking for pan eyeshadows that are comparable to MAC's but are cheaper/better quality, then check out Sugarpill, Makeup Geek and/or Inglot.

So are MAC eyeshadows worth buying? To me, they are not. Although I had tons of fun collecting some in the past and will still be using the ones I have, it is unlikely that I will buy many eyeshadows from MAC in the years to come (unless it is a really stand out color). I will however still buy lipsticks, blushes, and paint pots from MAC because I believe those are worth the money. But again, that is just a whole other post!

If you have any questions about MAC eyeshadows, please let me know in the comment section :)