My MAC Eyeshadows: A Reference Guide

I have just finished re-organizing my MAC shadows in their 15-pan palettes. I tried to arrange them according to color spectrum and depth, but there are some stray colors here and there when I encountered shades from the same family that wouldn't fit in the other palettes. I have finally labeled my palettes so I don't have to lift every shadow I use to check the name on the back. I just used a simple table for the shadows' names. I didn't want it to be too complicated:



I decided to do an entry on this to help those who are looking for pictures of particular MAC shadows. I sometimes have to scrounge online to find a picture of a MAC shadow I've been searching for, and even if I do get to find it, all I find is a lone picture that shadow. I sometimes would like to see one shade together with some MAC shadows of similar color, in order for me to compare the different products. Since my shadows are arranged according to shade and depth, I hope some of you get to find this reference guide useful. Just a caveat, though: I have been collecting since early 2006 or thereabouts, so this collection did not grow overnight. Also, please remember that I got most of the shadows under a thriving economy, quite different from today's. I don't want to give an excuse for my eyeshadow collection, as this IS a beauty blog after all, and I assume that people are here because they are interested in makeup and hues and cosmetics and all that. I just don't want to be accused of being indifferent to the flailing economy, because I myself am feeling the pinch. Believe me, had I thought of starting the collection today instead of years ago, I would have dismissed the idea altogether.

Anyway, thank you to all of you who send kind thoughts and words my way. I might have forgotten to respond to one or two of your comments, but believe me, I read everything and they are all very much appreciated.

On to the shadows!

Neutral #1


Neutral #2


Neutral #3


Greens


Olives, Silvers, Blues


Teals and Blues


Pinks and Purples


Pinks, Purples and Golds/Oranges

21 comments

cavano said...

Amazing collection Aileen :). No need to explain yourself, we all know we have to sacrifice something to get what we want. I buy a lot of mu, but I pretty much don't splurge on other things.
Anyway, love your neutrals! And I'm amazed that with so many e/s you have, you can still have a dent on some of them!!

Pia Ghosh said...

THANK YOU so much for this! What a great reference, and I am in love, love, love with those neutral palettes!

farrah said...

omg so many colours, i want to play! :D swish looks well-loved, it's a gorgeous pink!

lovemakeup said...

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
This is OH-SO helpful! You've assisted me in narrowing down my MAC-BUY-LIST.
You have a beautiful collection, and we are all guity of buying a BIT too much from time to time. =]
I read your blog religiously, and love all your helpful entries.

-C

Rebecca de Guzman said...

Oh you are a lifesaver!

Thanks for posting this!

Mel said...

Ms. Aileen, I’ll say it again, it would be a dream to raid your makeup stash. I can’t even fill up a single palette (although that’s mostly because I’m too lazy to depot)

Oh, and everyone has their preferred luxury. Consider makeup as your luxury, don't feel guilty about it. :)

tokyostargirl said...

Wow! Lots of shadows, too! At least you have plenty of brushes to apply them properly! =)

AskMeWhats said...

this is so useful especially for people who plan to start up on their mac palette collection!!! I like the way you organize it! I want to play!!!

Mel said...

Btw, i just noticed, where's your Ricepaper?

Anonymous said...

OMG delicious!!!! I would DIIIIEE to have all that!! you are soo lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xoxoxoxoxooxox

The Shades Of U said...

Velyana- aww thanks for the kind words! Yes I actually couldn't believe I hit pan in some of my MAC shadows. :)

Pia- thanks! love the neutral palettes too, they go with just about anything.

Farrah-thank you! Swish is a lovely color, I almost always reach for it whenever I'm doing a pink look. :)

lovemakeup-thanks for reading my blog! Sometimes there are things only makeup junkies can understand. ;-)

melvel- thank you! Ricepaper is actually a sacred shadow for me, so I place it on "hallowed ground" - I have a special quad where I put it for easy access because I use it almost everyday. I've finished one and I'm actually on my second pan.

Nikki, A, shasta, tokyostargirl- thanks ladies! :)

Anonymous said...

Your collection is so beautiful :)

I don't think I've seen Lucky Green before, it's so pretty. Can you do a FOTD with it sometime?

Juxt is still one of my hands down favorite MAC colors of all time!

Anonymous said...

loving the pics! really helps me to compare

Crystal Gale said...

hi sis! very pretty collection..i hope i can have a MAC collection like you but i don't think i'll be able to finish them up so i just buy MMU e/s..at least they don't have any expiration date haha :D

p.s. don't mind those people who judges you negatively sis, coz I'm pretty sure they read your blog "religiously" for them to comment something like that hehe :)

Vanessa M. said...

you are my hero!

roxy. said...

I loooove your e/s collection! Ahh Plus your brush collection from the last post! I wanted to let you know I nominated your blog for the I <3 Your Blog award because I <3 it! =]

Whitney & the full effect said...

love your collection!
i wanna grow up to be like you someday!! lol- professional job, a family, and have the money to collect like this! haha
and i know how you feel about pinchin' your pennies!
i am in the same boat! lol

Joanna said...

you have a awesome collection of palettes + shadows =). i envy you!

Lydia said...

Wow awesome collection!

♥ Nehs ♥ said...

OMG!!!! that's great! LOVE your collection! *droolz* :)

Sheep Love Sephora said...

Amazing collection;love all the goregous neutrals.
I'm seriously drooling :P