Mac's matte eyeshadows have a bad reputation and it's just so unfortunate because I actually love their matte eyeshadows. I've been reading alot of people's reviews, and some have said that the pigmentation of Mac's matte eyeshadows "sucks," and they said that when they swatch the color with their fingers, it does not show up on their arm. It's really unfair to Mac when people just base their assessment by swatching the eyeshadows on their arms or fingers because products apply differently when used on the eyes. Mac's eyeshadows in Corduroy, Espresso, Brown Down, Carbon & a few other ones do not show up that well when I swatch it on my arm; however, when I use a brush and apply it onto my eyes, they are very pigmented. (Important: Do not swatch with your fingers before washing them first because the natural oils produced by your fingers/hands will leave a "shiny film" on the eyeshadow. That's why some of the testers at Mac look yucky because people rubbed their greasy/oily/dirty fingers on it, which I've been guilty of doing too.)
Other reviewers have said that Mac's matte eyeshadows do not blend out that well. The Mac 217 brush (review) is not ideal for blending out HARSH lines, especially highly pigmented eyeshadows like the Mac matte eyeshadows. I use the Sonia Kashuk Large Crease brush (review) because it's dense and firm enough to blend out HARSH lines as well as Mac's matte eyeshadows. It is my holy grail blending brush and I highly recommend grabbing one. Also, you should apply Mac's matte eyeshadows with a fluffy brush or a light hand.
Another reason why people might be having a hard time blending is that they are not letting their eye primer set or dry before applying the eyeshadows. If you add any type of powder eyeshadow (matte, satin or frost) onto your lids when your eye primer is still wet or tacky, it'll be very difficult to blend out the eyeshadows. You need to let the eye primer set and dry first.
On a side note: I love Mac eyeshadows in general because the quality is as good as or even better than the high end brands. I've had most of my Mac eyeshadows for more than 1 year & some for more than 2 years, and I've barely made a dent or hit pan on any of them, except for Brule because I've been using it everyday for the past 6 months as a highlight. Still, I have not hit pan! There is only a small dent.
However, I've made a big dent on some of my Coastal Scents and Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows, even though I only used them a handful of times. I also get a lot of fall outs when I apply them because the formula is smoother and more crumbly, which causes me to hit pan faster.
Mac Eyeshadows in pan form cost $11.00 for 1.5 grams (some of the eyeshadows have 1.3 grams) and cost $16 in pots. Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows cost $6.00 for 1.3 grams. Coastal Scents eyeshadows cost $1.95 for 1.5 grams.
Other reviewers have said that Mac's matte eyeshadows do not blend out that well. The Mac 217 brush (review) is not ideal for blending out HARSH lines, especially highly pigmented eyeshadows like the Mac matte eyeshadows. I use the Sonia Kashuk Large Crease brush (review) because it's dense and firm enough to blend out HARSH lines as well as Mac's matte eyeshadows. It is my holy grail blending brush and I highly recommend grabbing one. Also, you should apply Mac's matte eyeshadows with a fluffy brush or a light hand.
Another reason why people might be having a hard time blending is that they are not letting their eye primer set or dry before applying the eyeshadows. If you add any type of powder eyeshadow (matte, satin or frost) onto your lids when your eye primer is still wet or tacky, it'll be very difficult to blend out the eyeshadows. You need to let the eye primer set and dry first.
On a side note: I love Mac eyeshadows in general because the quality is as good as or even better than the high end brands. I've had most of my Mac eyeshadows for more than 1 year & some for more than 2 years, and I've barely made a dent or hit pan on any of them, except for Brule because I've been using it everyday for the past 6 months as a highlight. Still, I have not hit pan! There is only a small dent.
However, I've made a big dent on some of my Coastal Scents and Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows, even though I only used them a handful of times. I also get a lot of fall outs when I apply them because the formula is smoother and more crumbly, which causes me to hit pan faster.
Mac Eyeshadows in pan form cost $11.00 for 1.5 grams (some of the eyeshadows have 1.3 grams) and cost $16 in pots. Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows cost $6.00 for 1.3 grams. Coastal Scents eyeshadows cost $1.95 for 1.5 grams.
What is your experience with Mac's matte eyeshadows?
*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.
Hey hun, LOVE this post! Your reviews are awesome!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get this eyeshadow palette? Does it fit the MAC e/s's in it? X x
@kt_gray_3
ReplyDeleteThanx!
I got the empty eyeshadow palette from Stars Makeup Haven. I wrote a post about it here:
http://makeupbyjoyce88.blogspot.com/2010/12/stars-makeup-haven-empty-eyeshadow.html
The palette fits Mac, Coastal Scents, Inglot, Urban Decay and of course, Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows.
I just found your blog in a search to find some information on Coastal Scents Hot Pots eyeshadow. Your blog is wondeful!! I have read that some of Coastal Scents matte shades are not high quality, but as you stated in this post, the same thing is said about a lot of MAC's. I just found Coastal Scents Hot Pots yesterday. Do you find their matte shades to be comparable to MAC's single pan eyeshadow in terms of quality? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rachel! I don't think the quality of MAC eyeshadows are comparable to Coastal Scents' Hot Pots because MAC eyeshadows are more pigmented and don't have much fallouts. The Coastal Scents ones can be a hit or miss. Some matte ones can be chalky, there's alot more fallouts, they're also smoother, which is a good and bad thing because (1) it makes it easier to blend, but sometimes too easy to blend where it can disappear and (2) you'll hit pan faster. However, Coastal Scents' Hot Pots are alot more affordable ($1.95 for 1.5g). MAC eyeshadows currently cost $6 for 1.5g. If you're looking for quality, I would stick with MAC and if you're looking for a bargain, Coastal Scents is the way to go!
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