MAC eyeshadows are absolutely legendary for good reason. They are great quality, come in a huge range of amazing colors and shades, and they have excellent pigmentation. I got an email alert today saying MAC has lowered their prices on their pre-made eyeshadow palettes and had to share. This is a big deal because MAC makeup generally does not go on sale. Plus these palettes are absolutely gorgeous and cheaper (and likely much more pigmented) than, for example, an Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette.
At MAC you can buy eyeshadows either in individual eyeshadows that come with their own container for $16 each or you can buy individual eyeshadow pans that you can put into your own palette for $10 each. These MAC palettes Eyeshadow x 9 and Eyeshadow x 15 come pre-made so you can’t switch out the colors. The eyeshadows are also have the size of the normal pan (0.02oz each vs 0.04oz for individually sold eyeshadows) and come with the outer palette packaging so you don’t have to buy that separately. I think the size of the shadows is a bonus because a MAC eyeshadow will last you FOREVER. I literally have some that are 10 years old and yes I know they’re expired and hell no I’m not throwing them out. They had been selling the Eyeshadow x 9 palette for $40 and it’s now 20% off at $32 ($55 value). That is the cost of 2 eyeshadows! But you get 9!! The MAC Eyeshadow x 15 palettes were selling for $85 and are now 24% off at $65 ($160 value). Also be sure to read to the end to find out how to get even more $$ off!
Here’s my picks:
Even though the MAC Eyeshadow x 15 are the better deal, none of the color palettes are really striking me as “OMG MUST HAVE!” so I’m only recommending the x9 palettes today and 2 in particular:
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MAC Eyeshadow x 9 in Amber Times Nine
If you’ve been wanting a Naked palette, but have put off getting one because of the cost the ‘Amber Times Nine’ palette may be a great alternative for you. Personally I find that the Naked palette is too, well, naked. Basically when I use the shadows there’s barely any pigmentation and I have to really pack it on to see the shadow so I’m not a huge fan. This MAC Amber Times Nine Eyeshadow Palette has some excellent warm neutral shades and both matte and shimmer shadows. This would work best on medium skin tones, but anyone could use it. You could also do a ton of day-time and night-time eyeshadow looks with this palette. Here’s a rundown of the colors (the finishes are listed in parentheses):
- Cozy Grey: Coolgrey (Matte)
- Kitties: Pale bronze (Frost)
- Georgia Peach: Dirty rose pink (Matte)
- Ricepaper: Peachy gold with shimmer (Frost)
- Creative Copper: Light beige (Lustre)
- Cork: Muted golden brown (Satin) – this is definitely a must-have super popular MAC shade!
- Don’t Tell: Sparkly brown (Lustre)
- Aromatic: Matte brown (Matte)
- Pepper Please: Sparkly bronze copper brown (Velvet)
2. MAC Purple x 9 Eyeshadow Palette
I LOVE me some purples. They really make the green in my hazel eyes POP, but people with any eye color can wear these. This palette would work on anyone from fair to dark skin. It will also be great for Spring and Summer. Here’s the list of shadows:
- Sweet Lust: Soft champagne pink with pearls (Lustre)
- Lightly Sugared: Soft lilac with pearl (Frost)
- Poignant: Soft lavender (Satin)
- Mancatcher: Matte lavender taupe (Frost)
- Satelite Dreams: Plum with violet pearl (Veluxe Pearl)
- Bon Nuit: Deep plum (Matte)
- After Dusk: Soft red wine (Veluxe Pearl)
- Beauty Marked: Black red with sparkle pearl (Velvet)
- Shadowy Lady: Blackened plum (Matte)
Another plus of these palettes is they’d be excellent to travel with. So how can you save even more you ask? If you buy them from Nordstrom there’s always free shipping and Nordstrom is offering 2% cash back on Ebates right now. You sign up for Ebates, then follow their link to the Nordstrom website, shop like you normally would, and every few months they PayPal you the cash back it’s awesome there’s nothing shady and no strings.
Another way to “save” money is getting the Nordstrom debit card. It’s free and you earn points for purchases made. After you earn a certain number of points you get $20 in Nordstrom Notes which can be spent like cash (on more makeup, duh). Happy shopping everyone!
