A Guide to MAC's Eyeshadow Finishes

I must admit that I was never an eye shadow girl. Even though I did buy them, I was never too enthusiastic about eye makeup and more interested in adding lipsticks to my stash. Recently though and maybe it's all because of blogging, I have discovered a passion to collect eye shadows. I started off with buying Sleek's i-divine palettes (which are awesome) and now veering towards getting some MAC. We all know that MAC has a mind boggling array of eye shadows and in the store, it can get a bit overwhelming with all these shades and on top of that the different finishes. I was quite ignorant of the difference between all these finishes till some time back but I did my R&D and here I am sharing with you my knowledge. A lot of you might know much more than me but a lot of you might not. So here's a short guide to the different MAC eye shadow finishes with examples of some popular shades to give a better idea.

There are seven finishes :

1. Frost - these have fine shimmer that give a shining iridescence finish. The best thing about the Frost eye shadows are that they are shimmery but does not have an overdose of glitter. The con is that not all shades are very pigmented. Some examples of Frosts are Sable, Satin Taupe, Amber Lights, Bronze, Ricepaper, Humid etc.

2. Lustre - avoid these if you are not a fan of glitter coz that's what they have in plenty. Typically these are dry, have chunky glitter and a lot of fall out. Examples are Greensmoke, Honesty etc.

3. Matte - These have no shimmer, glitter or sheen. Mattes are a hit and miss. Some can be excellent and very pigmented while others, specially the LE ones can be really dry. Some of the good mattes are Swiss Chocolate, Soft Brown, Carbon etc.

4. Matte² - These are known as Matte Squared and the difference between these and Matte ones is that Matte² shadows have a buttery texture with very good color payoff. Some people however find these hard to blend. Examples are Blanc Type, Copperplate, Handwritten etc

5. Satin - Satin eye shadows also vary in finish. Some can be totally matte while some are frosty. Majority of them are semi-mattes with a subtle sheen. If you are looking for an eye shadow that is halfway between a matte and a frost, check out the Satins. Examples are Shroom, Cork, Folie, Club etc

6. Veluxe Pearl - These are probably the most loved because of their finish and texture. They are similar to Frost but with a more metallic shimmer. They are very smooth, easy to blend and most of them are well pigmented. Some of the popular ones in this finish are Woodwinked, All that Glitters, Coppering, Antiqued, Expensive Pink etc

7. Velvet - These are a mix of matte and semi-matte  some with a hint of shimmer and sparkle while some have glitter in them. Examples are Trax, Sketch, Mulch etc.

Hope you find this post useful and can choose your next MAC eye shadow wisely. Let me know if I have missed out on anything.

Which is your favorite MAC eye shadow finish?