My MAC eye shadow collection with swatches

Hey lovelies, Happy new year! I hope you are all well and enjoying 2014 so far!

I have been meaning to post this for such a long time but it seemed like such a mammoth task that I never got around to it, this afternoon while my boyfriend snoozed away on the sofa and my little man busied himself in the land of Xbox it seemed like the perfect opportunity to have my own fun by covering myself in eye shadow and talking to you about it :) 

First off let me start by pointing out the obvious, my palettes are really buggered 'well loved' I think I have owned them for around 4 years now so they have been thrown around in my kit bag, scorched with hair straighteners, and been dropped and trod on numerous times...I really do need to invest in a couple of new ones but the war wounds of these palettes really are a testament to how much I truly love them so it's a good thing really! 

Anyway lets get in there...

Vellum- A really pretty frost shade which looks just like a boring White in the pan but has a gorgeous Blue/Purple irridecence to it when applied.I do believe this is discontinued but it's worth picking up if you find it at a CCO. 

Naked lunch- A pale Pink frost finish with a pretty Gold sheen. I love using this either as a base shadow or alone as a quick and easy wash and go shade.

Sable- Another frost shade described perfectly on the MAC website as Gold Plum with Bronze pearl. It is soooo pigmented and buttery soft to apply, it is one of those eye shadows that you can wear alone as a wash of colour and it gives the impression that you have spent ages blending numerous colours. I wore this on my first date with Bob 2 years ago so it holds a little special place in my heart.....vom! Seriously though If I could only pick one MAC shadow for the rest of my life it would be this one, it is spectacular! 

Sumptuous Olive- A truly beautiful Khaki Green with a Golden Sheen. Pigmentation and finish wise this is so similar to Sable I love it!  

Carbon- A matte Black which I rarely reach for as the pigmentation is rubbish and I find it takes a lot of building up to get a half decent colour payoff. There are definitely better Blacks for your buck!

Nylon- A really pretty pale Gold frost. Mine is still hanging on in there as you can see I'm scraping the pan at this point, I only ever use it as an inner corner highlight on a tiny detail brush so I think It'll be a while until I have to repurchase, but I definitely will when the time comes.

Gleam-A pink toned Gold which looks a lot more Pink in the pan, on the eye it translates to more of a Golden sheen which leans Pink with a small amount of gold glitter.

Woodwinked- The swatch above makes this seem more Orange than it is in real life it's a warm metallic Gold. This is one of my favourites especially when I have a bit more of a tan I love it as a wash of colour in the summer.

Club- This is such a beautiful and unusual shade. MAC describe it perfectly as a Red/Brown with Green pearl. Again it's one of those dimensional colours that even worn alone gives the impression of having spent an age blending numerous shades.

Beauty marked- A Black based shadow with Purple glitter. To look at this in the pan I love it, and it is a beautiful colour, however I don't really ever reach for it I find the pigmentation pretty poor, the texture a little ashy and it's just a bit of a chore to work with overall.

Ricepaper- MAC describe this as "Peachy Gold with shimmer" I personally don't see where they get "peachy" from to me it's really similar to Nylon colour wise with a tad less of the icy shimmer so it could be used as a subtle highlight shade if Nylon is a bit too much for you. I love wearing this alone with winged liquid liner or with something like Bronze or Urban decay 'smog' in the crease.

Satin Taupe- A really hyped up shade I think because as well as it been a gorgeous colour it's so universal and can be worn so many ways, daytime or night time and suits pretty much everyone. For some reason I just don't tend to use mine that much so I'm going to give it a bit more love this year.

Bronze- This is one I had for the longest time before giving it the attention it deserves. It is amazing! A highly pigmented, buttery soft frost finish Bronze with a warm brown undertone, I really recommend swatching this next time you are at a MAC counter it doesn't get the attention it deserves.

Shale- A Greyish Purple satin finish with a slight sheen to it .It's quite similar to satin taupe but Shale is darker and less shimmery.The pigmentation isn't overly fantastic but it builds well and is a gorgeous shade for a subtle smokey eye.

Knight divine- A deep charcoal Grey with a really subtle silver shimmer, this is similar to Gunmetal from Urban Decay in the way that it leans towards blue in certain lights, the pigmentation is fine but not amazing, I find it a little chalky in texture which makes building up and blending more difficult when compared to the buttery soft Urban decay shadow.

Chrome Yellow- I don't really know what to say it's a bright matte Yellow ....why I have this I do not know lol! 

Stars'n' rockets- Such a hard one to describe.MAC describe it as Purple with Pink pearl. I don't remember the last time I used this shade as it's not the most wearable but it is really pretty and gives an interesting pop of colour when layered over a dark base shadow.  

Orange- I feel like I bought this at the same time as Chrome Yellow with a photo shoot in mind but as you can see I haven't had much use out of either.If you are in the market for a bright matte Orange eye shadow then this will do the trick.

Humid- A deep forest green with a very subtle shimmer, neither picture above does this colour justice it is so, so pretty and works really well with black to create a gorgeous Green smokey eye.

Freshwater- I think this was one of my first ever MAC eye shadows, I remember my eye been instantly drawn to it because of how vivid it is and "needing it" It's not one I really reach for anymore and it does sit a bit unloved in my "brights" collection but it is highly pigmented and applys like a dream so if you are after an amazing Blue this is definitely worth checking out!

Newly minted- I'm a bit mystified as to why there is pan showing on this because I don't remember ever using this colour haha! It's a highly pigmented matte Green with a hint of Blue. To be fair it's quite a pretty colour but it's by far the chalkiest texture ever, (it's comparable to pool cue chalk) which is probably why it has been discontinued.

Gorgeous Gold- A super pretty Yellow toned Gold with shimmer which I had honestly forgotten I had! It actually appears a lot brighter and more Yellow on my swatch picture, in real life it is much more of a subtle sheen which I think I'll try and show a bit more love to and get back to you about.

Steamy- My all time favourite Green eyeshadow! It is a frost finish Aqua blue green with a slight Gold sheen, it is super pigmented, applies beautifully and makes Brown eyes pop like nothing else!

All that glitters- Finishing on a good one! "All that glitters" is the no brainer shade for me, I instantly pick this out when I have no time or just can't be bothered to pick an eye shadow. A creamy textured Beige with the most gorgeous Gold shimmer to it without being at all sparkly,it works well alone as a wash of colour or as a base shadow it's a perfect all rounder that suits most complexions and eye colours. 

Wow what a post to start the new year on! If you are still with me then thanks a lot and well done! 

I hope this post was helpful to you weather you are looking to start a MAC collection or just looking for thoughts on shades you are thinking of picking up for your palettes.

I think it has been over a year since my last eye shadow purchase from MAC. I am really looking forward to seeing what shades the Maleficent collection will bring though! What are your favourites are there any you think I might be missing out on? 

xxx