I know that a few of you gals and dudes who visit MBB also ride horses, so I need to know — does MAC Saddle Eye Shadow in any way remind you of actual saddles? Is this what color saddles are? Because I’ve never ridden a horse, so I have no clue.
All I know is I love this color, man, and I’ve been wearing it for years! It’s a — now please don’t run away when I say this — matte orange brown.
Yep, I said orange…but it’s more brown than orange. It’s not obnoxiously orange. The little bit of orange just gives it some warmth.
What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.
Sometimes I use Saddle to deepen my crease and make my eyes look like they’re set back further in my sockets…
OK, that sounded weirder than it did in my head…but anyway, mattes are useful when you want to make something look more recessed.
You could start with a light brown matte like MAC Soft Brown, Soba or Wedge in the crease first, then add Saddle on top on the part of your crease that you want to look deepest and furthest back.
Feathering it up into the lighter brown you started with also creates a gradient and gives the look a little somethin’-something, a.k.a. complexity.
There are so many matte dark browns out there, and you could use any number of them in this way, but Saddle really is something special. You’ll be blown away by how easy it is to blend, because you know how hard mattes usually are to feather out, right? Saddle blends easily into other matte shadows, which is my hallmark for “what makes a great matte shadow,” and it’s also super easy to blend into other finishes, too, like satins, frosts and sheens.
It’s one of my tried-and-true MAC must-have classic colors, and it delivers across the board — color, performance, all-day wear time, and it’s a good value $$$ because of its versatility.
I love using it with the MAC old-school neutrals, and one of my favorite looks is with Wedge in the crease, Saddle up in there to deepen it, and then Mulch on the lid, Brun in the outer corner, and a highlight of Brule or Ricepaper.
Another look I like is with Soft Brown in the crease and Sable on the lid. Then I add Costa Riche on the water and lash lines (or sometimes I’ll go with a classic black kohl like MAC Feline or Smolder on my water line).
Basically, if your skin tone is NC42 or NW40, or thereabouts in that general vicinity, Saddle is a fantastic all-purpose crease color.
I live for it, love it, and I wear it all the time. Heck, I wore it again today.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I mean, sure, there are saddles that are that color, leather goes that color with oil or time. I have a similar color in a Stila palette so i’ve never bought MAC saddle, but it is lovely!
Hi Sarah,
It’s one of my favorite browns of all time. Does your Stila shade have any shimmer?
Weird how this never looks orange on my computer screen. I wish I could count on color accuracy on laptop screens. Since I already have at least one orange-brown eyeshadow, I’ll be skipping this one. Warm colors don’t look good on me.
Saddels are that color, like slightly worn in leather boots. A lovely color, but I never pictured myself wearing it on the eyes.
Im actually a fan of all orange eyeshadows- I’m not scared to admit lol! I find it’s a great contrast to my blue eyes- this color suits you so well and you inspired me to try it out!
I have used Saddle for years. Looks great in the crease with my blue eyes and redhair. Thank you for reminding me to use it again. Been using the Sweet Peach orange browns lately. Saddle will be a better choice for me.
Stunning. I don’t have Saddle as I have always slept on Mac… I’ll add this to my wishlist; there’s no such thing as too many brown shadows in my book! (Super into Brun also!)
This looks great on you and I find that orange makes blue and green eyes pop a bit.
I forget that everyone isn’t from the sticks and/or living near water. It always surprises me when I hear they haven’t ridden a horse or learned to swim. I’m going to highly recommend horseback riding. I don’t get to do it very often but I made sure to bring the boys last year so they’d have that experience. They’d only been on a pony ride when they were very young and didn’t really remember. Speaking of, I’ll bet Connor would flip for a pony ride since she’s such an animal lover. 🙂
I don’t usually wear warm toned shadows. Can’t say I’ve ever tried saddle. Not sure if it would look more brown or orange on my lids. I’ve seen saddles that color, but since the leather gets darker over time, especially over areas that get rubbed I just started with a darker saddle so the stains and wear and rubs don’t show up as much.
All I have to say when it comes to pony rides and horseback riding lessons, “Don’t Do It!” Riding in this area is more expensive than crack cocaine. On the other hand, nothing is better for the inside of person than the outside of a horse. Since so few boys seem to take up riding, there isn’t a lot of boy distractions at the barn. And riding sure taught my daughter a lot about responsibility, taking care of an animal and time management, since we always stressed that she couldn’t ride unless she maintained her school grades.
My saddle is darker than that, but I have seen saddles that color. A horsey person would love a shadow named Saddle!
I think the Pro Emphasize powders are sort of unsung heroes! They’re so great.
I’m beginning to panic. I think Mac changed their eyeshadows? Idk, the back up of Amberlights I got has chunky glitter (it’s not smooth like it used to be) and it creased hardcore on me. I just dumped my whole 15 palette on the floor (practically in the toilet) they scattered, I’m a germ freak so they’re garbage. I’ve replaced my must haves but they do not feel the same…