MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow Quad in A Sprinkle of Blues

Two weeks ago, MAC released new Mineralize Eyeshadow quads "coordinated in a collection of looks for day and night." It features "Mineral-Rich Yeast Extract, a blend of 77 minerals that nourishes the skin while providing silky sooth coverage. Its sheer, lightweight application allows each shade to build lightly, layer after layer, for dramatic colour with a lustrous glow." It comes in six new and permanent colour combinations in "bold, blendable shades and gorgeous shimmer." They are packaged in black round mirrored compacts with magnetic closure. Each Mineralize Eyeshadow quad comes with 2 grams of product, and retails for $52. 
A Sprinkle of Blues
A Sprinkle of Blues — top two shades and bottom two shades, used dry
A Sprinkle of Blues — top two shades and bottom two shades, used wet

A Sprinkle of Blues #1 is a pale cool-toned white with iridescent blue shimmer-sheen in a frosted finish. The texture is somewhat dusty and powdery, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has low-medium pigmentation and sheer to semi-sheer buildable colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is sheerer and more iridescent than White Frost, less silvered and more iridescent than Forgery, and cooler and more iridescent than Crystal Avalanche.

A Sprinkle of Blues #2 is a medium-dark muted smoky grey-blue in a frosted finish. The texture is somewhat dry and stiff, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is lighter and more muted than Naval Blue Pigment, darker and more navy than Linger Softly Pro Longwear Eyeshadow, and lighter and more grey than Thru the Night Pro Longwear Eyeshadow.

A Sprinkle of Blues #3 is a medium-dark brightened cobalt blue in a frosted finish. The texture is somewhat gritty and powdery, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has medium-high pigmentation and semi-opaque to opaque colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is lighter and brighter than Deep Truth, darker and more navy than Freshwater, and more shimmery and less purple-toned than Cobalt (PRO).

A Sprinkle of Blues #4 is a medium-dark cool-toned grey with a blue-silver sparkle in a satin finish. The texture is somewhat dusty and powdery, and can go on patchy and unevenly as a result. It has medium pigmentation and semi-sheer to semi-opaque buildable colour pay-off. When used wet or over a base, it becomes more metallic and significantly more opaque. It is lighter and more sparkly than Print, cooler and more sparkly than Scene, and lighter with more iridescent shimmer than Knight Divine.

Those who like Mineralize Eyeshadows may like the idea of having four different shades altogether in one compact. As these are baked eyeshadows, they have a drier, lightweight texture and are meant to have buildable colour pay-off, so those who like their eyeshadows to be rich, pigmented, and buttery right off the bat may not have patience with these. What I like about Mineralize Eyeshadows is that they're quite versatile because you can use them both wet and dry, so you can execute anything from sheer washes of colour to full-blown saturated colour. These seem very similar in concept and formula to Chanel's baked eyeshadow quads, so if you're a fan of those, you may be drawn to these. I did find that this palette was harder to use than the other ones; these shades go on fairly patchy and sheer when used dry, so you really do have to use a good base or primer to get them to look smooth and pigmented. I also wish they had put in a medium or dark shade to create more of a contrast, because these can end up looking muddied when used together. That having been said, blues aren't the most popular eyeshadow shades out there to begin with, if only because they're not quite as wearable as many other hues — and that's not even accounting for the bad rep they've gotten from over-use and abuse in the '80s. If you love blues, you may be interested in this palette... but it does take some work and patience to use.