The MAC Eyeshadow Starter Kit

I recently built a MAC Pro Palette so now it’s been finished a few months I thought I’d do a post on the shades I use most and couldn’t live without. These are the everyday colours I’d recommend to anyone starting out with MAC eyeshadows.

If you’re wanting to start out with MAC eyeshadows, I’d really recommend just getting a quad to begin with that has your key shades. You can buy the pans for £10 each here which is better value than the packaged singles and the quad itself for £4.50 here.

It definitely isn’t the cheapest thing to do and there are pros and cons when you pit the customisable palette against pre-made ones. However I haven’t come across a brand with the sheer variety of shades MAC have for a lower price (the closest thing for me is Makeup Geek). I wouldn’t say that my MAC shadows are hands-down the best quality shadows I own either, but they’re my most-used due to the fact I hand-picked every shade and can swap them in and out between my large palette and this little quad. I also got most of these for free by redeeming my Debenhams Beauty Club Points (it is very easy to build up a huge amount of points with this very generous loyalty scheme).

If you’re going to get a quad I’d recommend picking out a highlight shade, a crease colour, a lid shade and a smokier shade for the outer v. I personally would go for three shimmers and one matte, however everyone has their own preferences. One thing I'd advise is not to make the mistake of just picking out four random colours you like the look of; think about how they work together and the balance of shades and finishes in your quad. The true Matte finishes in MAC’s range can be a little dry, but within other finishes you can find shades that look matte but are a little nicer to work with. I would also recommend Veluxe Pearl finishes as my favourite MAC shimmer formula, followed by Frost.

My must-have shades (which you can read in-depth individual reviews of here) are:

All That Glitters (Veluxe Pearl finish) – a bronze-nude shimmer with slight peach tones

Woodwinked (Veluxe Pearl finish) – a warm bronze-brown shimmer with antique gold tones

Patina (Frost finish) – a dirty brown shimmer with an iridescent sheen

Cork (Satin finish) – a mid-brown matte-look shade with neutral undertones

Quarry (Matte finish) – a matte taupe with mauve tones

Sable (Frost finish) – a reddish-brown shimmer

Mulch (Velvet finish) – a deep brown shimmer with gold tones

Satin Taupe (Frost finish) – a dark taupe shimmer with silver tones

Quad 1: the Bronze-Brown Everyday Look

All That Glitters is my go-to highlight shade as I don’t like anything too eye-catching and it goes with just about any look, whether you’re going for something warmer or cooler. For a brown eyeshadow look I go for Cork through the crease. I’ve added in Woodwinked as the lid colour (it’s pretty much my favourite for this) and finally Sable, as the red adds a bit of a twist to your standard everyday brown eye look.

Quad 2: the Taupe Everyday Look

Again I’ve added in All That Glitters with the crease shade being Quarry. Patina is a cooler-toned lid shade option in comparison to Woodwinked but I think the iridescent look it has means it could work just as well with a warmer colours. On the outer v I’ve picked Satin Taupe as the perfect partner to Quarry.

Quad 3: the Shimmery Brown Smokey Eye Look

This time I’ve paired All That Glitters with Woodwinked in the crease to add a bit of depth. Then I would blend in Sable with Mulch on the lid for a deeper evening look.

These were just a few ideas but I honestly think you can create dozens of looks with just these 8 core shades. In each of these looks I’ve been able to include the four main components of the perfect eyeshadow quad. I think if you have a highlight that can work with any look and both a cool and a warm option in lid shades, crease colours and smokier tones then you can’t go far wrong!

What are your essential MAC eyeshadows?

 

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