MAC eye shadow: Embark, Honey Lust, Corduroy, Beauty Marked

A few weeks ago I showed you my updated MAC palette. I chose to purchase a new palette and a few additional shadows. I already showed you the palette, but not the shadows. So that’s what we will be doing today. I went with 4 shades that would go well with the rest of the palette. Meet Honey Lust, Corduroy, Embark and Beauty Marked.

MAC Single eye shadows
Honey Lust, Corduroy, Embark, Beauty Marked

MAC was the first high end brand I really started buying from. A few years ago, MAC was THE brand to buy and so I invested in a palette and single shadows. I purchased 3 or 4 at the time for almost two years to complete my palette. I ended up with a palette of 26 very wearable shades that work well for me. What was missing however were a couple of decent matte brown shades and a dark enough shade to smokey things out. So that’s what I was looking for when I purchased these 4 shadows.

MAC single shadows can be bought in two different versions: in a pot or in a single pan. Since I was going to put mine into a palette, I went with single pans. The ones that come in the pot retail for €18, single pans are €13.50. The palette itself isn’t too expensive either. So if you’re planning to buy more than one or two MAC shadows, then it is well worth getting the refill pans rather than the pots.

The four shades I went with are as follows:

• Corduroy: muted reddish brown (Matte)
• Embark: intense reddish brown (Matte)
• Honey Lust: bronze dipped peach (Lustre)
• Beautymarked: Black red with pearl (Velvet)

These are the descriptions MAC gave to these shades and I wholeheartedly agree. I already own Swiss Chocolate which is fairly similar to Corduroy. However, Corduroy is more cool toned than Swiss Chocolate, which suits me better in the crease. Embark is a deep shade which is pretty for the outer V. Honey Lust was a shade I had been eyeballing for the longest time, but which I never purchased. I had read bad reviews of this shade, but it seems to have since been reformulated so I decided to take the plunge. Beauty Marked is a stunning deep shade that will look great as a liner or in a smokey eye.

Honey Lust – Corduroy – Embark – Beauty Marked

The swatches may not seem very intense here, but that is one thing I like about MAC shadows. They are easy to work with as they can be blended out and build up easily. It is so easy to get a soft, diffused look with these shadows without blending them away. If you’re a beauty noob, then MAC is a good place to start if you’re looking to invest in your make up.

Honey Lust is very sparkly in the swatch, when applied to the eye, the sparkle seems less intense. Corduroy and Embark are both fully matte shades which make them very versatile. And for matte shades that pigmentation is really very good. Beauty Mark isn’t a super intense black, which I like as I don’t use black eye shadow much. The texture of all these shades is buttery smooth and wear time is excellent with a primer underneath.

I used all 4 shades to create this look. I applied Honey Lust all over my lid. Corduroy is applied and blended out with Wedge in the crease. I used Vanilla on my brow bone and Dazzle Light or Nylon (can’t remember!) in my inner corner. I diffused Embark softly in the Outer V. For the finishing touch I applied Beauty Marked as liner on my upper lash line and smudged it along my lower lash line. Lastly, I took some of Honey Lust on my finger tip and pressed it onto the center to make it extra vibrant and shiny.

The result? A basic, wearable, every day look. The shine in Honey Lust is very pretty. I find it a very flattering shade against my skin tone. It gives the effect of looking more awake. The other shades worked well together as well. So this is at least one look I can make with this. Now on to playing around with these some more.

MAC shadows have amazing quality. I already knew that. And these shadows perform just like I had expected. They go on perfectly, are easy to blend and stay put all day. Yes, these shadows make a great addition to my MAC eyeshadow palette.

What are your favorite MAC shadows?