MAC Taste Temptation: Taste Temptation Eyeshadow Quad

Tomorrow, MAC will release their first post-holiday collection called Taste Temptation. It is inspired by "a style of chic that surfaces after-hours and materializes with a magnetic pull, drawing in an exotic panorama of pleasure-seeking, night-blooming violets. Creativity and experimentation play out in a hypnotic neon violet haze, disappearing at dawn." This collection will see the release of 16 products — seven of which are new and limited edition, four of which are re-promotes, and five of which are permanent. This is more of a small, trend-based launch, rather than a full-blown seasonal colour collection, which is typical of MAC during this time of year. There is a new and limited edition eyeshadow quad being released with this collection. It comes in regular black packaging with a clear lid. Each eyeshadow quad contains a total of 5.8 g of product, and retails for $47.50.

Look at the Eyes, Stay Sultry, Carbon, and Naval

Look at the Eyes is a light greyed lilac in a Frost finish. This is a re-promoted shade from 2009's Make-up Art Cosmetics collection, and is limited edition. It has a soft, silky texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is lighter and more grey than Beautiful Iris, and more purple than Crystal.

Stay Sultry is a blackened navy-purple with navy blue shimmer in a Satin finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. It has a slightly dry texture, and goes on a bit unevenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is more purple than Nehru, and is more blackened than Contrast. 

Carbon is a softened black in a Matte finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a dry, stiff texture, and goes on a patchy and unevenly. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered easily, but is difficult to blend out well. It is more black than Nehru, and more pigmented than Black Tied.

Naval is a medium-dark indigo blue with purple undertones in a Velvet finish. This is a permanent PRO shade. It has a dry, stiff texture, and goes on a patchy and unevenly. It seems that this version of Naval is different than the permanent version, which I find to be much smoother and more pigmented. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered easily, but is difficult to blend out well. It is darker and more purple than Atlantic Blue, and lighter and more purple than Contrast.

MAC typically releases a dark, smoky eyeshadow quad this time of year, so it's not surprising that they released this; the colours included here are really quite beautiful for a dramatic, sultry eye look. My concern here is not so much the colours, but the texture of the shades. Three of the four shades are on the stiffer side and require quite a bit of work to blend out well. While they do go on smoother and more pigmented on the eye than in a swatch, for the average make-up user, it will be more time-consuming and more difficult to use these shades. I would suggest using a stiffer brush to apply the colours and then using a slightly fluffier brush to blend out the edges. I would also recommend a good eye primer so the shades look more vibrant on the eye. However, at $47.50 a pop, you're better off creating your own custom palette at MAC. I would suggest getting Beautiful Iris or Crystal, Nehru or Typographic, and Indian Ink or Naval (the permanent pan version, which is different than the one here). They're not exact dupes, but the looks created from them will be similar and they are all much easier to work with.