Jul 10, 2012

Your First MAC quad



When starting to branch out from drugstore brand makeup, the brand most people turn to is MAC Cosmetics. With a wide selection of color, formulas and the affordability of it all, it's easy to see why people chose MAC. MAC's eyeshadows are some of their most popular products. I remember when I finally decided that I wanted to try MAC products, what better way than with an eyeshadow quad.


Walking into a MAC can definitely me intimidating, an ocean of makeup, sales associates with full faces on, and usually a crowd of people inside. I was totally clueless of what I should put inside my first quad, but thankfully the sales associate was able to help and told me the 4 basic colors I should include in my palette. When creating a quad the 4 basics eyeshadows include: a lid color, crease color, outer V color and a highlight. Assuming these will be your basic eyeshadow palette, it is best to keep this palette neutral because more than likely neutral would be your everyday look.


 Let's start with our highlight colors. A highlight should be a few shades lighter than your skin and is used to make eyebrows appear higher and more arched. My 2 personal favorite highlight colors from are ricepaper and orb. Ricepaper is a peachy gold with shimmer, it is a frost finish so it's perfect to just dust on the back half of your arch; this was actually my first highlighter. For those who don't really like shimmer Orb is a really nice alternative. It is a satin finish which makes it a great highlighter because it blends really easy.

Lid colors are where most people have the most fun; from shimmery golds to matte greens you can really have as much fun as you want with these colors. If you want a natural and matte look Soft Brown, a soft peachy brown is the way to go. You can also spice things up a bit with Sable, described as a dark bronze with subtle gold shimmer this will give you some color and glitter to your look. Remember with lid colors this is the easiest place to express yourself so find a color that you love and that works for you.



 Crease colors are probably the most important because they are the color that will blend out everything and remove harsh lines. The best crease colors are 2-3 shades darker than your eyelids so they can add depth and dimension to the eyelids. The colors I use most often are Brown Down and Swiss Chocolate.  Brown Down is described as a "teddy bear brown" making it perfect for a chocolate girl like me. I use this color so much I have one in my palette and one in compact form so I can use it when I travel or when I use other brands. Swiss chocolate is a classic crease color, it is warm chocolate brown with red undertones. This color comes in handy when warming your eyes up.

Finally, the Outer V eyeshadows, they can add even more definition and dimension to your eyes. Whatever color you pick for the fourth shade should be a color that can transform your eye look from day to night. With that being said I would choose either Embark or Carbon. Embark is an intense warm dark brown, perfect for a nice easy smokey effect without being too dramatic. If you are scared of messing up or creating a raccoon eye, stick with Embark. For my daring divas and top notch blenders Carbon is your girl. Just a little goes a long way and this matte black is perfect for nights out.
Let me know your favorite MAC colors or if you want different MAC Quads like colorful, glam, shimmery or whatever you preference may be! 

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for this article. I am getting more into makeup, and even more particuarly, eyeshadow. I have a palette that was given to me a couple years ago by Too Faced, but it is mainly glittery and shimmery browns and bronzes. I am looking for more natural matte colors but couldn't determine if I should buy a prepackaged palette like the Stila in the Know, or just build my own so that I can be satisfied with all of the colors I'm getting. Still a little on the fence, but this article helped me decide how to pick colors if I decide on building a MAC palette. Thank you.
    ~CC

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