I’ve been planning a 15-pan eyeshadow palette from MAC for a while now, the only thing stopping me from biting the bullet has been trying to narrow it down from 25 to 15. So when I discovered that MAC had launched an ‘Eyes on MAC’ collection, by absolute chance might I add, it seemed to be the perfect solution to my dilemma, until I realised that there were three options to choose from… #firstworldproblems. In the end, after about 30 minutes backtracking between the warm-toned, cool-toned, and Nordstrom exclusive palettes, I decided to opt for the Nordstrom exclusive; largely in part as it seemed to combine the best of both worlds.
As a general rule, I tend to favour warmer tones over cool ones, but the ‘Nordstrom Naturals’ 15-pan palette was both a well edited selection of cool and warm shades, in addition to housing about 85% of the shadows I was originally after. But the major selling point for me? The curated mix of matte, shimmer and lustre shades, making this ideal for both a natural every day look or equally suitable for a sultry evening look.
All the shadows in the palette are part of MAC’s permanent collection, which means if you’re a MAC fiend from way back, there’s a good chance you’ll have a shadow or two already in your make up stash (Mulch, Woodwinked and Satin Taupe were all repeats for me – although definitely not complaining!). So needless to say, all the shadows are incredibly buttery and for the most part highlight pigmented; only the lighter shades Vapour and Ricepaper, in addition to Beauty Marked and Carbon seem to come across a little sheer.
l to r: Vapour (V), Honey Lust (L), All that Glitters (VXP), Saddle (M) and Mulch (V)
l to r: Ricepaper (F), Amber Lights (F), Woodwinked (VXP), Wedge (M) and Brun (S)
l to r: Omega (M), Satin Taupe (F), Embark (M), Beauty Marked (V) and Carbon (M)
My favourites of the bunch? Honey Lust, All that Glitters, Wedge and Amber Lights. I’m a complete sucker for those rose gold and rusty-honey bronzed shades swiped all over the lid, although I think that for every day, I’ll be reaching for Ricepaper, Omega and Wedge the most.
The only shade in the palette which I could do without, would be Carbon, hands down. It comes off slightly sheer and is a little bit patchy, so I can’t see this getting a lot of face time – pun intended – as there are so many other matte black alternatives out there which perform a lot better.
Given MAC eyeshadows tend to cost a pretty penny here in Australia (okay.. MAC e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g will blow your budget on this side of the ditch…), if you haven’t picked one of these up yet, what’s stopping you?
Shop the Eyes on MAC collection:
