Review: MAC Eyeshadow in Greensmoke

When I went into MAC and bought that Romp eyeshadow a few days ago, I really went in for a green/gold/brown/gray shadow. I don't know why I wanted that particular shade of shadow so badly. I think it might be because my baby eyeshadow collection is composed entirely of browns, bronzes, greys, golds, and purples. Anything like green, blue, orange, or any other festive color was always kind of...of limits. They seemed too intimidating and over the top for an amateur like me. But for some reason, I felt like I had to branch out for once. I think because a dirty green like this is adventurous for me because it's green, but still wearable. So, I spent hours online looking for the perfect shadow, and when I finally stumbled across Scarab (below), it was love.



Unfortunately, it was also Limited Edition, and not available on eBay. Of course. So, I started searching for a replacement, and narrowed it down to Sumptuous Olive and Greensmoke. When I went in a few days ago, I thought I'd like Greensmoke, but the MAC sample was a little dark and grey for me. But Sumptuous Olive, while really, really pretty, was a little too gold for me. So when I went into MAC again, I decided just to go for it and buy Greensmoke, and I'm so glad that I did. It's the fourth swatch from the left below, and the closeup pic is close, but a little cooler than the actual shadow.



In the pan it looks like a green-gray with a gold frost, but it swatches like an antiqued, dirty, golden olive. It's very warm and surprisingly wearable. I really, really like this because it's got enough brown and gray in it to be neutral, but the pop of green keeps it interesting. Greensmoke is an appropriate name, because it really is a smokey green. There's something dirty and woodsy and animalistic about it, and I like it! I can see this working with a whole rainbow of colors and looks. It's dark enough for the crease, to contour the eye, to line, and to do a smokey eye, but you can apply it sheerly enough to get a light wash of golden, dirty olive across the lid. Like most MAC shadows, it's very finely milled, easy to blend, and highly pigmented. The gold shimmer is really fine, almost to the point of being frosty (in a good way). I highly recommend this shadow if you want a versatile, but not boring neutral. Plus, it works really nicely on hazel or green eyes or brown eyes.

MAC Eyeshadow in Greensmoke: $14.50 at maccosmetics.com.

Image Sources:
Scarab: gallery.temptalia.com, Swatches: karlasugar.blogspot.com, Greensmoke: makeupalley.com

PS: I'm going to be in New Orleans/Lousiana through the 16th, but don't worry, I lined up a few posts to get you guys through the week (it's been almost six months, and I just figured out how to do automatic posting. Don't judge me), and I'll be posting a few things from my cellphone on location, so get excited!