Makeup Tips/How To

Product: MAC Club Eye Shadow
Use: Eye shadow and liner
Price: $14.00 for a pan
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

Oh, boy! I could write odes, sonnets and volumes upon volumes on the wonders of Club, one of my holy grail MAC eye shadows, but I’ll spare ya and get down to business.

Club eye shadow came into my MAC collection as one of the shadows in the Holiday 2006 Smoked Eyes Palette. At first glance, it’s kind of dirty looking and scary. It reminded me of oily puddles in the middle of the road on a rainy day — black, gray, green and blue at the same time. I didn’t think I’d be able to wear it at all.

Once I got it on my eyes, though? Wow. Club shows up on my lids as a brown with flashes of green and blue. Pretty, multi-dimensional and versatile.

I wear it toned down during the day by using it in the crease with MAC’s 224 Blending Brush, or on the lid with MAC’s 252 Large Shader Brush. For nights out, I get a sultrier look by wetting the 252 brush and packing the color down on the lid or using it as a liner with a wet 266 Small Angle Brush, and I’ll often pair it with MAC Ricepaper, Vex, Malt and Soba eye shadows.

Club is a must for any MAC addict who loves smokey eyes!

P.S. This was one of the very first posts ever on Makeup and Beauty Blog. It’s from back in Feb. of 2007, so it’s quite old, but I still like Club just as much now (Feb. 2014) as I did back then.

One tip I learned from attending a recent Barbie Loves MAC seminar:

When choosing a concealer, pick one with pink or peach tones, even if your skin is yellow or neutral toned. The MAC instructor at the seminar informed my class that 99% of the population should wear a NW color for their under-eye concealer. She said that even if you normally wear NC foundation, you should choose a NW concealer because layering yellow-toned concealers over dark circles can create a grayish color.

MAC’s system of labeling is different than most makeup lines. They base their system on the color wheel, so what you may normally think of as cool tones (pinks) and warm tones (yellows) are labeled differently in their foundation, concealer and powder lines.

MAC foundations, concealers and powders with the NC label stand for neutral cool and are for girls — or boys — with yellow undertones in their skin. Products labeled NW are neutral warm for those with pink tones.

I have some serious dark circles so I never leave the house without concealer on. I like to rotate between several brands including MAC’s Select Cover-Up concealer. It’s a liquid concealer that comes in a nice tube. Because I have oily skin, I don’t like cream or stick concealers – they feel heavy and tend to just slide off. I mix Select Cover-Up with MAC’s Fast Response Eye Cream before applying it underneath and in the inner corners of my eyes with the 217 Blending Brush. This Friday (my day off, woo-hoo!) I’m going to stop by the counter and pick up a NW concealer color. I’ll report afterwards if it makes my dreaded under-eye circles less grey.