Well, I’m not at New York Fashion Week (someday!), but it’s an important week nevertheless. I finished swatching nearly all of MAC’s current eyeshadow shades, and I’ll be posting them — organized by finish — all this week.
I’m pretty excited; this is a big step in making “The Next Best Thing” a comprehensive makeup resource and reference guide. At some point, I’ll swatch all these shadows again, organized by color, but out of respect for the non-MAC fans out there, that’s a subject for another week.
So to kick off “MAC Week,” here are MAC Matte and Matte². What’s the difference between the two? Well, my opinion is “not much,” but according to MAC, the Matte² is jet-milled and better for packing color. MAC Eyeshadows are $14.50.
Matte: Embark, Passionate, Blackberry, Shadowy Lady, Purple Haze, Nehru, Plumage, Omega, Bamboo, Bisque, Charcoal Brown, Wedge, Espresso, Soft Brown, Malt, Rule, Saddle, Corduroy, Swiss Chocolate, Quarry, Yogurt, Gesso, Carbon
Matte²: Matte2, Pen ‘n’ Pink, Post Haste, Fig. 1, Signed Sealed, Typographic, Graphology, Poison Pen, Prussian, Clarity, Newly Minted, Flourishing, Blanc Type, Tete-a-Tint, Copperplate, Brown Script, Handwritten

>Whoa! Thanks for the swatches!
Is it just me, or are a lot of the Matte2 eye shadows reeeeally similar to Matte shadows? Passionate and Post Haste could almost be twins?
>Fabulous swatches! I tend to shy away from matte shadows, but I do love Saddle for a brow powder.
>great swatches and great for those who love deep strong shades. they are too strong and matte for me though. i can’t deal with matte e/s!
>Hmm…I think I need to get my hands on Copperplate and Quarry. They look taupe-licious.
>Great swatchs! I’m not into matte eyeshadows but these look pretty.
>Have I mentioned lately that I love you?
>Your site is amazing, I really appreciate your work, not only this post today (although MAC does take the cake!), but all of it. I come by daily and I´m always impressed and exited when I see your swatches. Thank you!
>Thank you for doing these! I have been wanting to get some matte shadows lately, but MAC’s site swatches aren’t always on the head, it really helps to see them on someone’s skin.
I hope that someday you do Urban Decay’s matte shadows also!
>Starrynight x2, I totally agree — I haven’t noticed too much difference between Matte and Matte² as categories (though there is some variation in shades).
Autumntwilight, I definitely plan to cover the UD shadows (both matte and sparkly).
Thanks, everyone! I discovered a whole lot of new shadows to love in doing these — why doesn’t Quarry get more attention?
>I was in NY this week for Fashion Week and was able to watch the MAC Senior artists backstage–they’re really incredible. I saw Carbon being used in many shows for the smokey eye look.
>Thank you so much for these swatches! I plan to buy several of these mattes. I bought a bottle of MUFE Face & Body foundation after seeing your swatches here, and the color matched my skintone perfectly. Thanks for all you do to provide this service to people.
PLEASE PLEASE re-do this, grouped in colors this time!! X-O