MAC Art of the Eye: Eyeshadows

This coming Thursday, MAC will release a collection called Art of the Eye, "a luxurious colour collection where eyes are the fascinating focus." This collection will be available online and at select MAC Stores only. It is inspired by the make-up of the Middle East, "from exotic smoky looks to breathtaking, grand celebration statements that dazzle like ornate multicoloured jewels." This collection sees the release of 18 products —six of which are new and limited edition, three of which are re-promotes, four of which are permanent at all locations, and five of which are permanent at PRO only. Art of the Eye sees the release of five shades of single eyeshadow. Each eyeshadow comes in regular black packaging, contains 1.3 to 1.5 grams of product, and retails for $18. These shades are applicable for the Back to MAC recycling program at participating locations.

Clockwise (from left): Gameela, Farasha, Hajar Karim, Parrot, and Banafsaji
Gameela, Farasha, Hajar Karim, Parrot, and Banafsaji

Gameela is a medium-dark vibrant hot pink with subtle cool undertones in a Veluxe finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is on the drier side, and as a result, can go on slightly patchy. (It goes on smoother on the eye than it does in a swatch.) It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque buildable colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly lighter and less reddened than Passionate, and warmer than Tease with Ease Pro Longwear Eyeshadow.

Farasha is a medium brightened tangerine orange with subtle yellow undertones in a Matte finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and silky, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is slightly brighter and more yellow-toned than Rule, and lighter and less red than Orange (PRO).

Hajar Karim is a medium brightened kelly green in a Veluxe finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and silky, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is cooler and more matte than Fresh Flare Pro Longwear Eyeshadow, and brighter and warmer than Kelly (PRO).

Parrot is a medium brightened aqua blue with green and gold pearl in a Frost finish. This is a re-promoted shade from 2004's Salsabelle collection and 2007's Originals collection, and is limited edition. The texture is soft and silky, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and less green than Aquadisiac, and more green than Blue Calm (PRO).

Banafsaji is a dark indigo-purple with blue pearl in a Veluxe Pearl finish. This is a new and limited edition shade. The texture is soft and silky, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It can be layered and blended out easily. It is brighter and more purple than Contrast.

These five eyeshadows are the only products I bought from this collection because I love the variety of bright colours here (many of the other products being launched with Art of the Eye are either permanent or re-promoted with a lot of close dupes, and I didn't feel the need to buy them). The only shade that I was disappointed in was Gameela because it's stiffer and more dry than the other shades. It does show up much better with good colour pay-off when applied on the eye, but ultimately, I think you're better off getting Passionate as it's similar enough to Gameela in colour and finish, but Passionate has a better texture. Hajar Karim is a great option if you're looking for a bright green eyeshadow with a flatter finish, as there's not a lot that's similar from MAC (Feeling Fresh from last year's Hey, Sailor! collection is similar in colour but it has a frosted finish). Banafsaji is a must-have for fans of blue eyeshadow; I thought it was going to be similar to Contrast, but it is decidedly more vibrant and has a gorgeous blue shimmer-sheen that catches in the light.

And, finally, Parrot makes a comeback after nearly six years! This was a much beloved shade when it was launched and is still one of MAC's most coveted eyeshadows (I think it was going on eBay for $180 at some point!). I'm not sure why it's not permanent because it's a truly beautiful shade and there's nothing similar to it in MAC's current range — it tiptoes that fine line between a bright sky blue and an aqua blue, and it has a stunning green-gold pearl that makes it look almost duochrome. Fans of Parrot can rejoice and snatch up a new one before it's gone again! Or for people who weren't able to get their hands on it the first time around, here's your chance now (and then five years later, you can sell it on eBay or whatever the equivalent of eBay is in the future). In the end, this is a super fun range of shades that fans of bright colours will love — it's the perfect time of year for them, too!