Although this collection was released back in June, I’m just not getting to this post… My apologies, but if you read my last post, you know that things have been crazy for me the last few months! Fortunately, most of these eye shadows have dupes that are pretty close, so hopefully I can help you find something similar if you didn’t get these when the collection was released! Thanks for reading!
Top: Artistic License – Blooming Mad – Deep Fixation
Bottom: Green Room – Hidden Motive – Lucky Green
MAC Eye Shadows are high quality, highly pigmented powder eye shadows that apply easily with intense, but blendable color. I typically get around 8 hours of wear, depending on the finish, which can be made even longer when these are applied over a Pro Longwear Paint Pot. Using a Paint Pot as a primer will also make the colors show up true to pan color and prevent creasing. I suggest using a shade close to your skin tone or a bit lighter… Painterly, Layin’ Low, and Soft Ochre are all good neutrals, or Groundwork if you have deeper skin and don’t want to go too light with Paint Pot. There are also other colors that are bright or bold which can intensify powder eye shadows, so you can really play around with different combinations if you want to.
Natural fiber brushes are best to apply powder eye shadows… My favorite MAC brushes are the 239 (for the lid), the 224 or 217 (for the crease), and the 219 (for a cut crease, to smudge the color around, or to apply on the inner corner or under the eye). These brushes will pick up the eye shadow well and blend everything out very easily!
All of these come in the typical MAC Eye Shadow packaging with semi-matte, black plastic and a clear insert in the lid.
The Moody Blooms collection was released on Thursday, June 26th, so it may or may not be available at MAC stores and counters… I believe most locations have probably RTV’d these (sent them back if they did not sell out) since it’s no longer available on MAC’s website. I did see that some colors are available on partner location websites such as www.macys.com and www.dillards.com, so they might still be available at those stores… It’s definitely worth checking out anyway! Even though five of these colors are limited edition, Lucky Green is permanent.
Like the permanent range of MAC Eye Shadows, these sell for $16 and contain 1.3g / 0.04 US oz of product.
Photo taken outdoors in natural sunlight.
Eye Shadows swatched on NC20 skin.
Artistic License
Artistic License: This is a “pinky gold” and has a Veluxe Pearl finish… It’s a light, warm, peachy-pink with a golden sheen and a somewhat frosty finish. The texture feels very smooth and applies easily. Artistic License has great color payoff and good coverage, but is not fully opaque without a little layering. This eye shadow gave me about 8 hours of wear before any fading, and closer to 10 with a Pro Longwear Paint Pot underneath. Artistic License is a limited edition color.
I love this color most when used all over the lid and on the inner corner of the eye. It also works underneath the lower lash line to brighten any look and add some warmth to it. You can use this over many different Paint Pots… I suggest Soft Ochre or Layin’ Low for a more neutral primer, Rubenesque if you would like to use something similar to Artistic License, or even Blackground if you want to make this eye shadow more bold and frosted.
Dupes: Paradisco is similar, though a bit darker and has a deeper type of peachy tone to it. It’s also a Frost, so the color payoff, opacity, and sheen are more intense. Expensive Pink is close as well and shares the same finish… It’s just a slightly more pink than peachy and a tiny bit lighter.
Overall Rating: 4.8 / 5
Application: 5
Coverage: 4
Color Payoff: 5
Texture: 5
Wear Time: 5
Packaging: 5
Blooming Mad
Blooming Mad: This is described as a “mid-tone ultra violet” which has a Frost finish… It’s a light, semi-bright, cool toned violet with pinkish undertones and a soft, frosted sheen. It feels smooth but slightly dry for a Frost eye shadow. Color payoff was good, but not as bright as pan color without a primer underneath… Same with coverage; It’s not completely opaque without a primer, but still works if you want a softer look. Wear time was typical for Frost eye shadows and didn’t start fading until about the 7 hour mark, which was with a primer. Blooming Mad is limited edition.
Blooming Mad is really gorgeous and works well as a blending color in the crease as well as on the lid. I like it best when used over Soft Ochre or Blackground Pro Longwear Paint Pots… They’re polar opposites, so each one brings out something different with this eye shadow!
Dupes: Stars ‘N’ Rockets eye shadow looks almost exactly like Blooming Mad, though perhaps an iiiiiitty bitty bit darker and brighter. Stars ‘N’ Rockets has a Deluxe Pearl finish, while Blooming Mad is a frost, but it does apply more easily and feels smoother. Creme de Violet is another Frost finish eye shadow that’s similar, but is more purple, slightly darker, and has more of a golden sheen to it.
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
Application: 5
Coverage: 4
Color Payoff: 4
Texture: 4
Wear Time: 5
Packaging: 5
Deep Fixation
Deep Fixation: According to MAC’s description, Deep Fixation is a “metallic brown” and has a Deluxe Pearl finish… It’s a medium dark, warm, rich brown with reddish undertones and a bronze sheen. The finish is softly frosted, while the texture feels nearly creamy it’s so smooth and finely milled. Deep Fixation applied easily with great color payoff and full, even coverage. I got over nearly 9 hours of wear with a primer before this eye shadow began to fade or crease. This eye shadow is a limited edition color.
Deep Fixation looks beautiful where and however you apply it! It’s great as a soft, warm smoky eye when applied on the lid, especially over Constructivist Pro Longwear Paint Pot, then blended up into the crease with a 217 brush. It’s by far my favorite eye shadow in this collection… I even bought a backup of it and I rarely do that!!
Dupes: Antiqued is the closest dupe I found, though it’s slightly lighter and has less of a red tone to it. They are, however, both Veluxe Pearl finishes, so the sheen is very similar.
Overall Rating: 5 / 5
Application: 5
Coverage: 5
Color Payoff: 5
Texture: 5
Wear Time: 5
Packaging: 5
Green Room
Green Room: This is a “midtone teal” and has a Satin finish… It’s a medium to medium dark, cool toned teal with more green than blue undertones and a satiny sheen. The texture was slightly dry for a Satin eye shadow, making application a little frustrating. Green Room has okay color payoff and coverage, though it’s not bright or opaque without a primer applied first and some layering (patting it on with a 239 brush works best for me). On the plus side, because it’s a little dry, that made it wear well! i got over 8 hours of wear with no creasing or fading when applied over a primer. Green Room is limited edition.
I really like to wear this color in my crease or for a pop of color under the lower lash line. It can be used as a lid color, but due to it’s texture and not-so-amazing color payoff and coverage, I like it better when it’s blended out somewhere rather than packed onto the lid. If you want to use it on the lid, I suggest using a darker or bold Pro Longwear Paint Pot underneath to intensify this eye shadow… I used Blackground (sounds weird but a very deep color as a base can actually enhance and transform bright colors that applied over it).
Dupes: To be completely honest, I can’t find a permanent shade that’s comperable to Green Room. The closest I found was Shimmermoss, but it’s quite a bit lighter and much more frosty, since it has a Veluxe Pearl finish… It is permanent, though.
Overall Rating: 3.8 / 5
Application: 4
Coverage: 3
Color Payoff: 3
Texture: 3
Wear Time: 5
Packaging: 5
Hidden Motive
Hidden Motive: Hidden Motive is a “deep aubergine” with a Veluxe Pearl finish… It’s a medium dark, reddish plum with warm undertones and a subtle frosty sheen. The texture was soft and applied easily with no dryness. Color payoff was great and true to pan with little product needing to be applied. Coverage was also great and fully opaque without having to layer. I got over 8 hours of wear over a primer before Hidden Motive faded or creased. This is a limited edition shade.
This eye shadow works well as either a crease or lid color. If you want a different kind of smoky eye, this is gorgeous, especially if you apply it over something like Blackground Pro Longwear Paint Pot. It’s also great for a crease color or used under the lower lash line for a colorful smoky look.
Dupes: Nocturnelle is nearly the same color as Hidden Motive… Perhaps a little more purple and with more of a frosty sheen, but it is a Frost finish, after all!
Overall Rating: 5 / 5
Application: 5
Coverage: 5
Color Payoff: 5
Texture: 5
Wear Time: 5
Packaging: 5
Lucky Green
Lucky Green: Lucky Green is a “dark yellow green” and has a Veluxe Pearl finish… This is a light medium, yellowish green with semi-warm undertones and a golden, frosted sheen. It has a very smooth texture and applies well without having to use much product. Color payoff is fantastic, as is coverage! Lucky Green goes on true to pan color with full opacity. When used over a Pro Longwear Paint Pot, I got nearly 10 hours of wear. This eye shadow is permanent, so you can get it anytime!
Lucky Green can be used in many different ways, so you can really play around with it… I like this a lot when used on the inner corner, below the lower lash line, and in the crease as a blending color. You can also use it on the lid, and like Blooming Mad, it works well over different Pro Longwear Paint Pots. Depending on what aspect of this eye shadow that you want to enhance, you can try several colors… When used over Soft Ochre it appears bright, but still soft, while if you apply it over Blackground, it looks much more bold and brighter in addition to the frosty sheen being intensified. If you want this to be more subdued, try it over Painterly or Groundwork.
Dupes: Since this is part of MAC’s permanent range, you don’t need a dupe… In fact, I couldn’t really find another permanent color that’s similar!
Overall Rating: 5 / 5
Application: 5
Coverage: 5
Color Payoff: 5
Texture: 5
Wear Time: 5
Packaging: 5
Filed under: Collection Catchup, Makeup Tagged: Bold, Bright, Eye Shadow, Eyes, Intense, MAC, Moody Blooms
