MAC Art of the Eye Eyeshadows Reviews, Photos, Swatches

MAC Banafsaji Eyeshadow

MAC Art of the Eye Eyeshadows ($15.00 for 0.05 oz.) include five shades, and they are: Banafsaji (deep purple blue), Farasha (bright deep orange), Gameela (deep pink magenta), Hajar Karim (clean warm green), and Parrot (deep aqua blue with bright green and blue pearl). Parrot is a repromote.

Banafsaji is a frosted, cool-toned purple with bluish tones and a violet base color. It had good color payoff, and the texture was soft but a little dry. It could have been a bit more blendable, but it was not difficult to use. OCC Technoir is bluer. Estee Lauder Violet Underground #5 is very similar. MAC Drawn to Drama is purpler. Giorgio Armani Ecailles Black Pearl #2 is brighter. NARS Marie-Galante is more muted. MAC Warm & Smoky is warmer, less blue. Urban Decay Blue Bus is lighter, purpler.

Farasha is a brightened, medium-dark orange with a matte finish. This looks lighter in the pan than it does on; consistently, whether on the lid or on my arm, it was darker swatched. It has fairly good pigmentation, but it is more buildable than it is incredibly intense right out of the pan, so I did need to pack it on the lid to get opaque, even color payoff. NARS Persia is darker, redder. Jasmine Rajah is shimmery, so it is a little lighter. MAC Rule is more muted. MAC Orange is darker, redder.

Gameela is a bold, bright medium-dark pink with subtle cool undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff and was buildable to fully opaque color. The texture is soft but a little dry; it’s not MAC’s best matte eyeshadow though decent to good. I recommend patting and packing the color on (and use a primer, if you have one) for best results. Chanel Rose Favorite is lighter. MAC Embrace Me is darker (between the two, since they both are recent releases, I’d get this all day long over Gameela). MAC More AMour is redder, more subdued. MAC Tease With Ease is more fuchsia. MAC Passionate is a bit richer and darker.

Hajar Karim is a grassy, medium-dark green with a matte finish and a dusty quality to it. It had so-so color payoff that required building to get to opaque color, but it is possible to get there. Again, patting the color on rather than sweeping will go a long way, and if you use a primer or white eyeshadow base, you’ll get true-to-pan color with less layering. NARS Self Portrait 1 #3 is yellower. Illamasqua Fledgling is brighter, bolder. MAC Feeling Fresh is shimmery and a bit darker. MAC Fresh Flare is shimmery and warmer. Inglot #384 is richer and yellower (in tone).

Parrot is a medium-dark blue with a hint of aqua/teal that is layered with green and gold shimmer; it’s not a strong duochrome, but there’s a slight tint and sheen to it at certain angles. I think this shade was interesting and unique three or four years ago, but now, there are so many options that are similar to it. The texture is a smidgen dry (I’ve been noticing all of the recent Veluxe Pearls have this dryness) that doesn’t seem to impede application or color payoff, but it’s there. Jasmine Diamond is darker. Tom Ford Emerald Lust is tealer. Urban Decay Unhinged is bluer. Urban Decay Deep End is darker. Tarina Tarantino Ozma is similar. theBalm Open to Offers Olwen is slightly darker. Urban Decay Haight is bluer. Inglot #415 is lighter, more metallic (but has a stronger golden sheen). Make Up For Ever #83 is brighter.

On the whole, they’re decent to good, but a few of them require some work to get them applied with full, rich color, as well as extra effort to blend them out. I had the best luck with Parrot, which had good color payoff without having to build and layer it on. The worst performer was Hajar Karim, which really needs to be packed on (three or four layers). Farasha and Gameela were in the middle of the pack; they both require two or three layers of product to be packed on, but the textures are soft enough that they’re still blendable. Banafsaji had better pigmentation than some, but it was a bit stiff to blend. I wore all five yesterday (three on one eye, two on the other), and Hajar Karim was the first to show signs of fading (after seven hours), while Farasha and Gameela lasted nine hours without fading or creasing but Gameela stained my lids. Banafsaji had slight fading after eight hours, while Parrot didn’t show any signs of fading after nine hours.

Where to Buy: MAC, $15.00

The Glossover

On the whole, they're decent to good, but a few of them require some work to get them applied with full, rich color, as well as extra effort to blend them out. I had the best luck with Parrot, which had good color payoff without having to build and layer it on.