CherryTalks: Top 8 MAC eyeshadows to start with

So today I decided that I would talk about what I feel are the best shades to start of your MAC collection, if you decide to start off one (and if you haven't well, that's okay too!)

I'm pretty sure people are going to wonder why I say Top 8 rather than Top 10.  The reason being the pro palette quads - I explained in a previous post (linked here) why I think pro palettes (vs the potted) and the quads (vs the 15 pan palette) are better - and save $$ too.  Obviously 4 may be enough for you (meaning one quad), but I feel like 2 quads will give you enough range to start off with, and be able to do enough looks (plus if you travel, you can bring one or the other, or both!)

Above: my two quads that I use the most (even though it doesn't look like it...hahah, yeah the pans are relatively new since I restocked)

Left quad (clockwise left to right): Blanc Type, Shadowy Lady, Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch

Right quad (clockwise left to right): Shroom, Handwritten, All that Glitters, Woodwinked

First thing you should learn about MAC before buying their eyeshadows is deciphering what their finishes are.  These are the official descriptions of each finish:

Frost
An iridescent shine that adds a highlight to any color, for eyeshadows and pigments. 
The shimmer in these shadows are typically fine and are similar to the eyeshadow colour in the pan (as opposed to an intense duochrome shimmer/glitter, which would reflect a different colour to the shadow pan).  Frost shadows offer a more metallic finish (Satin Taupe for example)

Lustre
Is a smooth pearlized; intensely frosted with deluxe ultra-fine finish
So says the official description...based on my experience, lustre shadows at MAC are practically a no go for me because the glitter is much much chunkier.  They are very dry and having larger chunks of glitter does not help.  (Li'lily for example, but if you want to test one from the permanent collection, Honey Lust is one that I had considered prior to getting Goldbit in HK)

Matte
Very high color pay-off with a no-shine matte finish
It's a flat matte colour - not much else to say, aside from the fact that not all matte finishes are super opaque compared to Matte2 (Shadowy Lady for example).

Matte2 (pronounced Matte Squared)
Couldn't find the official description - however, Matte2 shades go on less chalky than Matte shades and have a buttery feeling due in part to the fact that they have been more finely milled, which allows for better colour payoff too - a little goes a long way (Handwritten for example)

Satin
Pure color in a satin finish. Has a soft subtle non-frost, light-sheen
Just think of those shiny satin/faux-satin tops you have (you must have one lying around somewhere).  These eyeshadows have that nice natural sheen look without having an intense amount of shimmer.  Very subdued - some may look more "frosty" that others (Shroom being one of them).

Veluxe
Superfine pigment rich and very luxe and supple to apply. Provides silky smooth matte finish
I don't own any Veluxe finishes yet so cannot really comment on them - however, these are unique to MAC.

Veluxe Pearl
Vibrantly-toned  and velvety soft. Shimmery metallic. Veluxe eye shadow is overlaid with high-shine pearl
This is like a cross between Frost and Satin - it provides a metallic but pearly/satiny sheen.  They tend to go on very smooth and buttery (Woodwinked for example)

Velvet
Soft look finish with high-color intense. Has a plush velvety look and feel
I don't own any Velvet finishes either - but based on previous swatches of these finishes at the MAC store, they are usually Matte or have a minimal amount of shimmer.  Depending on the colour it can go on a bit patchy and needs to be blended out in the case.

Now the below are my picks, but you are by no means obliged to use the ones that I have.  Below are the descriptions from MAC for each shade, as a reference for you (I already talked about majority of these shades in my other post).  For each of my picks, I will also provide other alternatives you can pick up if you don't like the ones that I have.  Alternatives do not mean dupes of the colour I have, just a different colour that has a similar finish that you can consider (but seriously, don't buy both if you are on a budget...)

Also note that it's a good idea to go to the MAC counter and test these colours out yourself since everyone has different skintones too.  When I've been debating between a few colours, I usually ask the MUA to help me decide what would go best on me and what would be most versatile in my collection.

Blanc Type

Creamy beige (Matte2) - This is a great matte highlight for the days that you want to be more low key.  It's also good for blending out in the crease to make the transition more natural.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, I wasn't anticipating on getting this colour, but I realized it's pretty useful.  I also like to use it on top of my primer before my darker shadows - it just tends to help them look truer to the pan and stand out more.

There aren't too many matte highlighting shades that I would really recommend - these is Gesso, but I personally find it too white on my skin.  However, if you are looking for a blending colour that is matte, rather than going with Blanc Type (which is more of a multi-tasker, and a better blending colour for light shades), you could check out Malt (soft beige pink), Wedge (soft muted beige taupe - but more brown taupe) or Omega (soft muted beige taupe - but more grey taupe).

Shroom

Soft Beige with shimmer (Satin) - This is a nice natural highlighter, and it was the first one that I got.  I really like this one since it is practically my skin tone (but with a nice sheen to it because of the satin finish).  I've read online that not that many people like it because it doesn't show up on their skin, but I like it that way because it's more natural.  It's a great highlighter and all over lid colour for those days where you need something simple - just pop this under the brow bone, inner corner and over the lid, and add a darker crease colour (matte - I usually use Handwritten with this) for a simple and quick look.  Or rather than putting the darker colour in the crease/outer V, just use it to line the lashline and smoke out for a minimal neutral smokey eye.  A similar highlight (and the one everyone tends to buy) is Vanilla (Velvet finish, Peachy Ivory with reflects).  Other colours I would recommend to check out similar to Shroom are Brule (soft creamy beige), Mylar (creamy white with shimmer) and possibly Orb (soft peachy beige).  Or Phloof! is also a nice shade (frosted off white) but will give you more shimmer due to the fact that it is a frost finish vs a stain finish.  Nylon is also known to be a good highlight colour (pale gold with icy shimmer) but I personally did not like the colour since it was too light and the shimmer was a bit too much, especially for a frost finish.

All That Glitters

Beige with gold pearl (Veluxe Pearl) - the colour looks darker in the pan that it does look on the skin.  I originally saw a swatch for Grand Entrance (LE), and the closest dupe was this one.  In general, All that Glitters is a universal colour that can be used as a highlighter or an all over lid colour in the same way that I described how I use Shroom sometimes.  It goes well with a whole slew of different colours, whether it is more warm toned (ie: Woodwinked) or cooler toned (ie: Satin Taupe...but then again Satin Taupe can go both ways).  Another alternative to this colour (if you find it doesn't agree with your skin, because that's possible if you are darker) would be Amberlights (Peachy-brown with shimmer - frost finish), Dazzlelight (Neutral with shimmer, also the same finish).  Retrospeck is also a great colour, but you will have to see for yourself if you can manage the Lustre finish (I do feel that this one is a bit better than the other Lustre finishes though).  Although this is a light colour, I'm not sure I would use this as a highlight since the golden finish can show through.

Naked Lunch

Minimal Pink with shimmer (Frost) - the colour looks like a lighter version of All that Glitters, but Naked Lunch is pinker whereas All That Glitters is more golden peach/beige.  Honestly the swatch in MAC isn't really that close to what the colour is in real life since it doesn't really show the peachy/pinky nature of the shadow in the pan.  I had picked this up when I was looking for a cooler toned eyeshadow to get to work with Satin Taupe but ended up loving this eyeshadow with it since it would have more versatility as opposed to a lighter cooler shade (like Digit).  This is also a colour I noticed I always picked up when browsing the colours at the counter.  It is a great all over lid and highlight colour - I like to use this one over Shroom on days when I need some extra perkiness to my eyes due to lack of sleep, or just something neutral to use on my eyes that isn't exactly like my skin tone so it has some colour.  Other options would be Phloof! (frosted off white), Jest (soft peach with icy shimmer), Ricepaper (Peachy gold with shimmer, frost finish)

Woodwinked

Warm Antique Gold (Veluxe pearl) - this is one of those cult favourites and it is a very universal colour, although some people do find at times it gives an orange cast.  The best way to avoid this is to use a good base that helps to neutralize your skin (I usually use my paint pot in Soft Ochre).  It's a great golden brown and because it is a veluxe pearl finish, it isn't too shimmery and is appropriate for day and night looks.  The Veluxe Pearl finish also gives it a wonderful buttery feel.  I usually use this as my all over lid colour with a highlight for a very simple look if I am on the run.  Seriously, this is a great medium colour that you can just slap on and add some eyeliner on top and call it a day.  Other nice options are Antiqued (ash brown with bronze), Soba (gold brown with gold shimmer - satin), Bronze and Folie (reddish-plum brown - satin), Mulch (red-brown with bronze pearl - velvet)

Satin Taupe

Taupe with Silver shimmer (Frost) Another cult favourite and by far my favourite of my MAC collection, it is a very versatile color because when paired with a brown (like woodwinked), it can be more of a brown-taupe.   But paired with a grey/purple (like shadowy lady) it can be more of a grey-taupe.  My favourite combinations with this colour is woodwinked and handwritten or a highlight with shadowy lady.  Taupe colours are definitely very versatile since it can be paired with many colours, so there should always be one in your arsenal.  Other alternatives are Shale (golden plum with bronze pearl - velvet), Patina (taupe brown with golden pearl) and Sable (gold-plum with bronze pearl - velvet).

Handwritten

Rich chocolate brown (Matte2) - everyone needs to have a good outer V colour.  It should be matte because it is just a mess to use a sparkly/shimmery colour in the outer V can be too much, especially if you want to do a work appropriate look.  I like a dark brown that works with my skin tone an with my existing colour because that gives me the most flexibility.  I use this also for my lash line on a lazy day - put a wash of colour (highlight colour) and then line the lash line with Handwritten and smoke it out slightly.  Brown is a much softer colour than black for smokey eyes and for lining the eyes for a more natural look.  Other options you can look into to see if it works better with your skin tone (or the colours you end up buying) are Espresso (muted golden brown - matte), Ground brown (deep rich brown - matte), Mystery (muted plum brown), Corduroy (mutted reddish brown - matte), Embark (intense reddish brown - matte)

Shadowy Lady

Blackened Plum (Matte) - I like plums in my arsenal because I like purple an also because I feel like it works really well with any look (and eye colour).  I use this the same way that I use Handwritten along the lash line with a highlight colour, and as an outer V colour with Satin Taupe.  But if you don't like plums and you prefer black, then I would recommend looking into Carbon (Intense black - this is really black but I have heard that it has a lot of fall out and is hard to work with), Typographic (asphalt black - matte2), Nehru (mutted bluish black), Plummage (dusky peacock - but the swatches are pretty dark), .

And that's it for my top 8!  I know I don't really have much colour (or any at all) that I've included in this, but that's because I feel that colour isn't something that everyone will wear on a regular basis.  Obviously if you want, you don't have to pick up three highlight/all over lid shades like I did, and switch it up with an extra colour or two (ie: if you wear a lot of purple shadows, then why not get on pan of a nice purple shadow that will work with the shadows in your quad?  Like in my case I would have probably gotten Satellite Dreams since it would work with either of my matte shades, and with my other two all over lid shades, Woodwinked and Satin Taupe).

All in all, this "starter" set will set you back:

8 eyeshadows in pro-palette: $12 * 8 = $96
2 pro-palette quads:              $10 * 2 = $20
Grand total:                                         $116 + taxes (in CAD)

Yes that's a lot of money, which is why I would purchase my MAC items slowly.  If you are starting out, consider just getting one quad at a time, and filling them up as you go.  The most important in my opinion is having one highlight (that can also double up as an all over lid neutral colour), one darker/medium lid colour, and a matte outer V colour to darken.

Readers: How do you pick out your colours for your MAC quads (if you use MAC - if not, how do you pick out the colours for your eyeshadows when you are tight on budget)?