MAC Eye shadows Help?

lancomebaby

Member
I recently purchased a couple of MAC eye shadows after hearing and reading great reviews for a while, I finally took the plunge and I am soooooooo disappointed in the quality of pigmentation or lack there of, I am a NC-50 for reference

I just wanted to know if anyone could suggest some high quality, highly pigmented eye shadows for dark skin of color ?


Thank you
 

afulton

Well-known member
MAC shadows are very good for the price. They come in different finishes which may vary with the pigmentation. What colors did you get?
 

lancomebaby

Member
I got woodwinked, ricepaper, and amber lights

I was just about to try and find Inglots website to check their products lol,
I heard MUFE is very pigmented but so expensive
 

StyleBlack

Well-known member
That sucks about your shadows. I'm surprised none of those show up, especially Amber Lights, because they're all pretty reflective. Try them again with a light coloured paint pot first. I hear soooo much about Inglot! Ladies, how is the quality?
 

Copperhead

Well-known member
I got woodwinked, ricepaper, and amber lights

I was just about to try and find Inglots website to check their products lol,
I heard MUFE is very pigmented but so expensive

Do you use any kind of primer prior to putting on your shadows? I use a primer no matter what brand of shadows I'm wearing.
 

lancomebaby

Member
Do you use any kind of primer prior to putting on your shadows? I use a primer no matter what brand of shadows I'm wearing.

concealer or my foundation so it has something to adhere to, but the eye shadows should be highly pigmented from just a swatch whether I use a base or not
I swatched a too faced duo shadow before-and it was CRAZY highly pigmented, but, I was informed their duos shadows are being discontinued and I don't know if their other line of single eye shadows are created equal
 

Copperhead

Well-known member
I don't have problems with MAC shadows so I don't really know what to tell you. Sorry you've had problems with the ones you have. I know some of the recent quads haven't been quite up to par but I don't really have any problems with the MAC shadows that I have and I do have a lot of them. Another question could be how you're applying them. Some shadows swipe on better and some are better when packed on. The ones you have though should be fine with either swiping or packing. I find the matte ones are better when packed. I think Woodwinked is a Veluxe Pearl and the pigmentation on those are usually great so I don't know what's going on there.
 

sss215

Well-known member
I got woodwinked, ricepaper, and amber lights

I was just about to try and find Inglots website to check their products lol,
I heard MUFE is very pigmented but so expensive
Woodwinked and Amber Lights are two of the best MAC shadows as far as pigmentation and finish. So sorry you are having a problem with them. Have you tried them with a little water, fix + or mixing medium? Also I find that after I prime, adding a layer of a lighter, white, beige, or ecru shadow helps make colors pop. A white primer may help as well.
 

lancomebaby

Member
Woodwinked and Amber Lights are two of the best MAC shadows as far as pigmentation and finish. So sorry you are having a problem with them. Have you tried them with a little water, fix + or mixing medium? Also I find that after I prime, adding a layer of a lighter, white, beige, or ecru shadow helps make colors pop. A white primer may help as well.

Oh my goodness, lol, seriously these are MAC's most pigmented eye shadows
thanks for letting me know so I won't waste anymore of my money thinking it was just those colors
I know about the bases and primers and using a white base,which I am sure will help very much but, I am of the mindset that if I am paying that kind of money for per each eye shadow to begin with, I shouldn't have to go through any of those tricks, if I purchased an eye shadow for a dollar or so then that regime would certainly make sense to do.

But, yeah, I know I am going to have to just take a day to visit Sephora or Ulta and go around to swatch various eye shadows from different brands without any bases/primers so I can measure which meets my standards in terms of pigmentation and texture and overall quality for my money


Thank you for your helpful response
 

Copperhead

Well-known member
Woodwinked and Amber Lights are two of the best MAC shadows as far as pigmentation and finish. So sorry you are having a problem with them. Have you tried them with a little water, fix + or mixing medium? Also I find that after I prime, adding a layer of a lighter, white, beige, or ecru shadow helps make colors pop. A white primer may help as well.
And tons of women do this whether they are wearing Wet N Wild or Chanel.

Woodwinked, Amber Lights AND Ricepaper all got pretty good reviews here on the review pages and on Makeupalley so either MAC has changed their formulas since all these women bought theirs or something is wrong with lancomebaby's shadows. But then again, not everybody likes MAC. Not everybody likes everything.
 

sss215

Well-known member
Oh my goodness, lol, seriously these are MAC's most pigmented eye shadows
thanks for letting me know so I won't waste anymore of my money thinking it was just those colors 
I know about the bases and primers and using a white base,which I am sure will help very much but, I am of the mindset that if I am paying that kind of money for per each eye shadow to begin with, I shouldn't have to go through any of those tricks, if I purchased an eye shadow for a dollar or so then that regime would certainly make sense to do.
 
But, yeah, I know I am going to have to just take a day to visit Sephora or Ulta and go around to swatch various eye shadows from different brands without any bases/primers so I can measure which meets my standards in terms of pigmentation and texture and overall quality for my money
 
 
Thank you for your helpful response
You are right, you shouldn't have to do those tricks for mid range priced shadows. I totally agree. But in my case, I find these tricks useful because that no matter the brand, I have very oily lids; layering and setting settig primer/ shadows give me longer wear. Along the way, I've found that doing a little "trickery" helps makes various colors pop. This is so wild to me because Woodwinked and Amber Lights are most people's first MAC eyeshadows. People love them and tend to run back for more colors. I hope you took them back and got a refund.
 

mekaboo

Well-known member
Wow, those are some of the best MAC eyeshadows to date and I have not heard of any formulation changes. Let me ask...what exactly do you expect from a shadow? I know sometimes we expect things out of a product when the product is actually performing as it should. Could you swatch and show a picture? I agree with the other posters about using a primer before any shadow application. I do this no matter what brand I am wearing.
 

DanceLovesMAC

Well-known member
Woodwinked, Amber Lights AND Ricepaper all got pretty good reviews here on the review pages and on Makeupalley so either MAC has changed their formulas since all these women bought theirs or something is wrong with lancomebaby's shadows. But then again, not everybody likes MAC. Not everybody likes everything.
The formula hasn't changed, and my Amber Lights that I refilled last week is just as great as it has been for years. I love Amber Lights & Woodwinked because they are true to color & will show up as vibrant as they do in pan. I wonder if lancomebaby has tried rubbing the first layer of the eyeshadows off? Sometimes there is a hardened layer on the top of a new shadow to protect it until use. There could also be a hardened layer preventing you from getting color if the eyeshadow has gotten wet somehow. I doubt it if they are new but.... It could also happen if you use brushes for multiple applications without cleaning/sanitizing them in between uses, the oils and bacteria can make the powder rock hard. Anyhoo I can also understand If someone isn't head over heels for MAC, but those shadows are beautiful on just about anyone. I hope the mystery gets solved.
 

Yazmin

Well-known member
I hear soooo much about Inglot! Ladies, how is the quality?

I love Inglot! Their shadows are super pigmented - a little goes a long way. They have such beautiful shades. I ordered their Freedom System 40-palette from the website over the Thanksgiving holiday and since I discovered the counter in my local Macy's, I have collected 35 more shades! They also have a gorgeous range of pigments.
 

lancomebaby

Member
lol, oh there's nothing wrong with the Mac eyeshadow I'm sure, their just not highly pigmented as I believed they would be with the hype surrounding them

Any who I went to Ulta the other day and boy I'm I glad I did i swatched so many highly pigmented eye shadows from various brands such as urban decay, too faced, stila, oh my, even NYX and they are really inexpensive and many others, so I am set on what eye shadows I will be investing in from now on

I just prefer highly pigmented eye shadows for my money,
maybe those that prefer Mac eye shadows, like a barely there, light flush of color, barely noticeable look and that fine
 
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