Who is the genetically blessed being that is Padma Lakshmi? Well, I know her from watching one too many seasons of Top Chef. Remember the pea puree incident? No? WELL I DO, AND IT WAS SCANDALOUS!
You might know her from her modeling work or her cookbooks. She’s gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. And she has a new MAC collection coming out soon (it’ll be available online and at select stores from March 15th through April).
It’s a full collection — eyeshadows, blushes, a few liners, some brushes, lots of lipsticks, a gloss — and it looks luxe, with sturdy gold packaging (that may or may not be metal) and intricate details. Items that would look right at home on a table in a high-end boutique that sells boho woven rugs, crystals, hammered artisan jewelry and couture peasant tops.
I’ll be talking about other items from the collection over the next few days, but today was all about one of the two eyeshadow quads. I REALLY like 70’s Sunset ($33). The colors are surprisingly cool toned, so not at all like the warm reddish brown and orange brown thing happening in the world of eyeshadow palettes now (and for the past few years).
The quad has two Mattes and two Veluxe Pearls, which are MAC’s shiny shimmers (but they stop short of frosty).
The two Mattes are mid-toned cool beige Sand Clay, which looks like a cool-toned version of MAC Soft Brown, and a mid-toned plum similar to MAC Haux.
The two Veluxe Pearls are coppery purple Mumtaz, which has golden pearl in it (it’s like MAC Trax’s first cousin), and light mossy green Cardamom, which has a strong white undertone (it’s a lot like Swimming, a now-discontinued shimmery green that used to live in the permanent line).
It’s interesting how eyeshadows in the same MAC finish family can be soooo different in real life. Like, I love shimmery purple Mumtaz in this quad. It’s incredibly smooth, and the shimmer is visible but subtle. It’s one of those shadows that you put on your lids one day and realize six months later that you’ve worn it every day since.
As for other Veluxe Pearl in the quad, mossy green Cardamom…it isn’t my favorite.
I think the color suits the rest of the quad well. I mean, it belongs. It brightens up the entire quad, and I can I totally see myself wanting a mossy green if I were going to wear purples on my lids and lash lines, because I could do a little swish in the inner corner, but there’s something I don’t like about the texture… This one doesn’t feel as luxurious as the other three shades. The particles are larger, and the powder sheers out faster.
I dunno… And every time a stray powder grain reaches my water lines, my eyes tear up a little.
I can make it work if I apply it with a wet brush, which I might do on occasion because I do like how it looks in the inner corner.
Other than green Cardamom, I love this quad. The shades are pigmented (I like that I don’t have to pile them on to get them to show up on my skin), soft and highly blend-able. If you’re tan like me or have a deeper skin tone, you could easily rock this daily.
If you’re lighter than I am, it might be more of a special occasion or “going out” kind of thing, because the shades will probably look much more intense on your skin than they do on mine.
Overall, though, I’m diggin’ this quad, even though I don’t love the green.
Good job, Padma!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
