Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Rediscovering MAC Satin Taupe Eye Shadow- Swatches & Review

Under the crush of so many MAC Limited Edition Collections I thought about the glory days when MAC was owned by MAC rather than by Estée Lauder. Back in those days it would have been unheard of to release a limited edition quad in which half of the shadows were of poor quality and the other half were just okay.

All swatches are lightly swatched on the left and heavily swatched on the right.
Back then the core line was what was of greatest interest, and these tried and true favorites were always staples that would be replenished after you hit the pan- without question. That era in the world of MAC was far less complicated. There wasn't a built-in compulsion to haul an entire collection because it was LE, or because you were a "Collector" (with a capital C)- instead you got what you loved and what worked for you, and you continued getting it for those very same reasons. There also weren't so many releases that old customers lost their loving feeling toward the brand and simply walked away altogether because the line seemed to have lost the sense of its own identity. There have certainly been some very successful launches recently- Chen Man has some exquisite products as does In Extra Dimension, but I am trying to recapture what made me love MAC so many years ago.  
One of the quintessential MAC Eye Shadows is undoubtedly Satin Taupe- that is described as a "Taupe with silver shimmer." While the formula is a Frost it really looks and behaves more like a Satin- therefore it can't be categorized as a glitter-bomb eye shadow. It is buttery soft and smooth, applies like a dream, is very pigmented, and has absolutely no fall-out. I can wear it with or without primer and I get no creasing or fading whatsoever (I don't have oily eyelids though). There is enough of a plum undercurrent in this shadow that this GORGEOUS color remains cool enough on cool skin, and there is enough warmth that it works equally well on beauties with warmer skin tones.
In this Taupe-Crazed Beauty Era (yes, the capital letters are intentional!) this shade really should be a staple in every taupe-loving beauty fanatics stash. I know many of us have spent ridiculous amounts of money chasing down the perfect shades of taupe eye shadow from drugstore to couture lines, but Satin Taupe really can stand up against the best of them.
Overall assessment: A rediscovered hidden treasure that every taupe lover should revisit. I'm in love again!

Do you still have Satin Taupe? Do you love it? What Old School MAC products have really stood the test of time for you?

4 comments:

  1. Satin Taupe is the problem that started it all for me! I'd been really low makeup maintenance for most of my life, but when I hit my early 40s, I wanted a new look, so I Googled on "natural makeup" and "taupe". What. A. Mistake.

    I found blogs, forums, Makeup Alley, and, of course, this little eyeshadow. Satan Taupe, that's what it is.

    I shudder to think of the avalance of makeup that entered my house since that day but a few short years ago!

    As it turns out, the eyeshadow was too warm for me, anyway.

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    Replies
    1. Oh do I ever know what you mean. I should have said "it will work on most cool-toned beauties-- except for Zuzu since any warmth will be what predominantly what comes through on her!! I'm actually not surprised that the warmth is what predominates with you. For some odd reason, I can't really explain it- the coolness neutralizes the warmth on me so that I can pull it off. Of course it's entirely possible that I have no taste whatsoever, and it looks wretched on me, and everyone is too kind to tell me that I look like a washed-out moron wearing it!! :-)

      Oh, to calculate all of the dollars spent on taupe & taupish eye shadows!

      Delete
  2. I have an upcoming review that compares Sunday Riley Burnt Eggplant to Satin Taupe. Tone wise they are so similar. No wonder I liked Burnt Eggplant.
    Satin Taupe is one of the classic MAC shadows. My sister and I both have gone through several of them.

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    Replies
    1. Oooooh, I can't wait for that review! Are you having fall-out issues with BE? I find that many of the more glittery SR shadows produce a fair amount of fall-out. As I recall BE had more of a sheen than glitter. The color is gorgeous, and what a perfect comparison!

      Satin Taupe really is a classic MAC shadow. Definitely not hard to hit the pan on that one!

      Delete

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