#blanc type

I Bought This

First, I must start out by letting you know that I’m a neutral girl. You won’t catch me wearing any bright colors or crazy glitter, but I will wear jewel tones on occasion and definitely enjoy a brightly colored lip. That said, the following are my favorite MAC eyeshadow colors and they will all be some variation of brown or cream. You have been warned…

The first is Blanc Type. This is an off-white/bone color that is extremely creamy and opaque in color. I find this to be a unique shade in that the pigmentation and texture are unlike any other MAC eyeshadow I’ve tried! Some ways I like to wear this shade are; lid color, brow bone highlight, all over the eye as a base, inner corner.

My next favorite shade is All That Glitters. This is your classic champagne/beige/pinky peach. The other shade similar that gets a lot of buzz is Naked Lunch. I prefer All That Glitters slightly over Naked Lunch due to the texture and warmer undertone. Some ways I like to wear this shade; all over the lid, as a pop of bright in the center of the lid.

Another shade that I love is Patina. This shade makes it on the list for being absolutely unique and incredibly wearable. My gripe with Patina is that it is not as pigmented as I would like it to be. On the other hand, that’s one of the things I like about it. I can put this shade on anyone and it will not be out of their comfort zone. It’s a light beige, that has a grey, pink and gold pearl. It’s definitely neutral but more “complex.” This shade gets compared to Burberry Beauty’s Pale Barely, which an amazing and unique shade as well. Some ways I like to wear this shade; all over the lid, in the crease, as a transition, and under the lash line.

The next shade is Sable. Sable is a mid-tone brown with distinct rose gold undertones. It can lean both warm and cool based upon the other colors you pair with it, and can absolutely be work by itself! Some ways I like to wear this shade are; all over the lid, blended slightly into the crease, smudged into the lower lash line for soft definition, mixed with naked lunch on the lid.

The last shade I am going to mention is Antiqued. This is a shimmering brown/red/copper/bronze situation that is stunning on every single eye color. I have a deep toned friend that wears this all the time, and it lights up her brown eyes. Because of the red/orange properties it also brings out blue and green eyes. It’s the most colorful neutral I can get. Some ways I like to wear this shade; in the crease with a lighter shimmering shade on the lid, on the lid, on the bottom lash line.

I wanted to share which shades are my favorite and note that the ONLY duplicate I have in the MAC x 15 Nordstrom Naturals palette is All That Glitters. This is a shade that I’ve repurchased and use on nearly every client, so I’m glad to have another. I have so many more favorites that don’t include (but should) the MAC Prolongwear shades, but I had to narrow it down to favorites I’ve loved for years. What are YOUR top five MAC shadows?

Quick-Tip: Your ONLY Must-Have Matte Eye Shadows

[all photo credits: www.maccosmetics.com]

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It is not easy to find really good, pigmented matte shadows. This is where it might be worth it to consider investing more time (or money) to locate good ones, even if they cost a bit more.

Not everyone likes matte shadows, but the right ones play very versatile and important roles as part of your kit.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that whether you like wearing mattes regularly or not, you will need these 3 shades:

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1. A Matte Black: Traced along the lashes with a flat-angle or smudger brush, this can create the illusion of fuller lashes, without a heavy, obvious liner look. It's also important as a contour color for either deeper skin tones or more dramatic eye makeup. Never underestimate the power of contrasting a metallic against a velvety black.

Suggestions: MAC Carbon, Sephora Mono Shadow in #06 Must Have, 88 Original/Warm Palettes

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2. A Matte Taupe or Cocoa: Even if you don't wear browns usually, this is more flattering and versatile than you know.

A dark shade which leans towards taupe more than red would be best, as it can be used to fill in brows very naturally if you have medium to dark or even black hair.

It also works as a more updated and warmer twist on a smoky eye.

It acts as a wonderful contrast for cool-toned shadows like metallic blues and greens, and will make those stand out more.

It can be used to darken the lash line just as well as a matte black.

Suggestions: MAC Concrete, 88 Warm Palette

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3. Nude beige/cream: This is where the shade to choose will vary depending on your skin tone. I recommend you get something 1-2 shades LIGHTER than your face powder. I only recently discovered how useful such a shade can be for blending out eyeshadow that is unevenly-shaped, over-applied, or a hard texture to blend out.

I'm also one of those people who like an ultra-clean brow-bone as contrast against intense (dark or metallic) eye, so I always sweep a matte nude around the edges of my eye-makeup, into the dark hollows at the inner corners of my eyes, and the shadowy line at the outer corners. This not only cleans up minor mistakes without involving removers and re-application, it also helps to conceal and brighten shadows around the eyes.

Suggestions: MAC Blanc Type (for lighter skins), MAC Malt (deeper skins), 88 Warm Palette, OR (my favorite quick-fix) just any 2-way powder foundation that may be lying around!

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TIPS:

If you are not sure, I suggest just getting an 88 Warm Palette to check out how different variations and tones look on you. I won't say all the shades are highly-pigmented, but there is a good range to experiment with until you know the 1 or 2 you should invest in.

Do note that matte pigments tend to be a little harder to pack on and blend out than shimmery ones as they are dryer and chalkier. You will need some sort of eyeshadow base for the color to go on and stay on, and also a good shader brush that can pick up lots of color.