Would I recommend the new MAC Eye Shadow X4 palette in Spoiled Rich, also known as “the Veronica palette,” to my mom, my friend Jen, or any of the other women in my life who only casually dabble in cosmetics (as opposed to following it fanatically)? Probably not. That’s what the Betty palette is for.
With its non-stop party purples, charcoal black and navy blue, Spoiled Rich, one of two palettes in MAC’s new Archie’s Girls collection, has it in for long-time, deeply entrenched members of the MAC cult.
Put another way, if you can work out a dark charcoal gray and purple eye using a handheld mirror and a pair of children’s toy paintbrushes while hanging upside-down, chances are, this is the palette for you. If you feel like the world is your runway, and you want the audience focused on your lids, chances are, this is the palette for you.
Seriously, these are the kinds of colors you wear when you’re comfortable blending the sh*t out of your eye makeup.
Ron Ron Run and Gravel Eye Shadows
Girls/guys who can describe the differences between the 217, 224 and 239 off the top of their head may adore the two colors on the right — navy blue Ron Ron Run and charcoal Gravel. Both require barely a butterfly kiss from a brush head for maximum pigment, and blend like buttercream frosting.
Not only that — they last on my lids all day long with minimal fallout.
Pin-Up Purple Eye Shadow
As for the purples on the left, I happen to dig the lighter one, Pin-Up Purple, even though it might disappoint MAC divas who demand vibrant, punchy purples. It reminds me of the violet I see when I watch the sunrise through my office window, and when I wear it as a wash on my lids, BAM! — I look a lot less tired than I feel. 🙂
But here’s the thing: it needs layering. Two, and sometimes three layers, which may leave some MAC-aholics singing Hall and Oates (“But I can’t go for that… No can do!”).
As long as you don’t mind packing on the pigment, Pin-Up could be your jam.
Spoiled Rich Eye Shadow
And Spoiled Rich, Pin-Up’s darker purple partner? Tricky, tricky, tricky! Ride-or-die MAC girls/guys who demand perfection from their shadows might find themselves getting fired up when their 239 lays down an opaque block of color, only to sigh and slump their shoulders when the shadow starts to appear patchy and uneven as it builds up.
Spoiled Rich or Caramel Sundae?
For me, the Spoiled Rich palette definitely hits some high notes (can I please get Pin-Up Purple in a single pan? OKTHXBAI!), but I don’t see myself reaching for it as often as Caramel Sundae.
PRICE: $44
AVAILABILITY: Coming Jan. 30 to cyberspace, to stores and counters Feb. 7, and internationally this March
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
That’s too bad for the purples, it was the selling point for me!
Gorgeous palette and packaging. I love wearing purple on my eyes! This is a little brighter than I’m used to but I will definitely still rock that. It’s a shame about the patchiness though–it seems that MAC has been struggling with the purples lately. I know that purple can be hard to do but it’s definitely possible!
I’m hot a huge fan or purple eye shadows. Love more natural looks. That said, this palette looks stunning on your skin tone and I love it with your purple shirt. So pretty.
I love my purple, but I love opaque eyeshadows even more! Gonna have to pass :/
Hi Minsooky,
The only color that wasn’t opaque was Pin-Up Purple. The rest were opaque.
Purple eyeshadows are tricky. While I LOVE how the look turned out on you, having to pack 3 layers of each shade will probably make me tear my hair out! No can do indeed 😉
The two-to-three layers refers to the shade Pin-Up Purple. The rest of the colors apply with plenty of pigment.
Those colors look lovely on you!
Thanks. Happy Friday!
This is a good look for you! Like pretty much everything. 🙂 On me, it would scream “Mimi from Drew Carey” but I’m sure there are a lot of gals who rock the purples!
Happy Friday!!
Happy Friday to you too! What’s on your plate for the weekend? My younger brother’s coming over to visit and I think El Hub and I are going to hit up the movies (I’ve been wanting to see Mama).
Ooh, fun! Did you like Mama? One of my friends thought it was good (though she was disappointed in the ending). We saw Hansel & Gretel this weekend. At one point, I had an actual gag reflex and thought I was going to lose it. I had to look away, breathe slowly and think happy thoughts. HAHA! Other than that, the weekend was full of hockey, hockey, hockey! 🙂
I love purple but it´s too much for me, need some light natural colour in a palette…
Hi Paddychat,
Yeah, it’ll probably be better to work in some neutrals. Maybe Soba, or perhaps the Caramel Sundae shade from the other palette.
Happy Friday, BTW. 🙂
Bummer, I was ready to rock the purples (not all at once though) for a Spring/Summer evening. Painful for me to say, but I may have to pass on this palette! I cannot deal with patchiness.
Hi Rose,
The only shade I had patchy problems with was the darker purple. Other than that, the shadows were smooth.
Honestly, purple makes everything okay. LOVE those colors!
I love me a good purple. What are your faves? 🙂
Glad to hear that the quality of the palette is solid. I love the look that you did!
Karen – I know you like Caramel Sundae better but you’re hard rockin’ the purples!!!
Karen- what blush are you wearing in those photos? You look AMAZING!