Affiliate Links
 

In the 1990’s and early 2000’s I was a huge fan of R&B singer Aaliyah. I loved her voice when I heard “Back & Forth”, I may or may not have dubbed “One in a Million” and played it over and over again, I was super excited when she hooked up with Timbaland for “Are You that Somebody?” AND that it was included on the Dr. Dolittle Soundtrack!!, I had to see Romeo Must Die as soon as I saw the trailer, and I was devastated when I saw the MTV News Break announcing her death in August of 2001. Seriously, a brilliant light was taken to early from our world when she died and when her songs come up on my playlists I always wonder what heights she would have hit had she lived longer. So when MAC announced they were coming out with an Aaliyah collection I was beyond stoked. Sadly, I had to pick just one of the items due to some medical issues I’ve been having. I chose to pick up the MAC Aaliyah Eye Shadow Palette and I hope that I might be able to pick up a few of the lippies before they all sell out but I don’t think I will be able to. Anywho, let’s look at this eye shadow palette shall we?!

MAC or Make-Up Art Cosmetics was started in Toronto, Canada by makeup artist Frank Toskan and salon owner Frank Angelo. The two Frank’s decided to create their own makeup when they got frustrated by the selection of makeup that photographed well that was available at the time. MAC launched at a department store counter in 1984 and was purchased by Estée Lauder (which also owns Becca Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, and Too Faced to name a few) 10 years later. While MAC started out selling mostly cosmetic products they have since branched out to include skin care type products as well. Shopping at MAC you will find products in their permanent collection, lip products in their Viva Glam line which donates 100% of proceeds to HIV/AIDS research, and products in collaborations like Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Simpsons to celebrities like Rihanna and Lady Gaga and even YouTube personalities like Patrick Starrr. I would consider MAC products to be high end but not prestige as they are purchasable at Ulta, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and department store counters. Lastly, MAC is NOT currently cruelty free or vegan friendly.

Before we talk about the MAC Aaliyah Eye Shadow Palette I think we need to take a second and talk about Aaliyah herself. Aaliyah was a singer and actress that got her start when she was 10 years old performing on Star Search, a talent-type show that was hosted by Ed McMahon in it’s original run and then by Arsenio Hall in it’s relaunch…I may have watched both versions… Aaliyah was signed to Jive records when she was 12 where she met R. Kelly who produced her first album “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” which was appropriately named since it came out only a few months after her fifteenth birthday! Later Aaliyah signed with Atlantic Records and started working with Missy Elliot and Timbaland on her next album, “One in a Million” which came out two years after her first album. Aaliyah’s music was also featured on several soundtracks like Anastasia, Dr. Dolittle, and Romeo Must Die, which was actually the first movie she was in in 2000. Sadly, Aaliyah’s life was cut short at the young age of 22 when the plane she was on wrecked, eight others were killed as well. Aaliyah’s fan base has remained loving and loyal to her memory since her death. Throughout the years there have been artists that have used her vocals on tracks that were met with prompt disapproval and quick apologies. However, when MAC announced the release of the Aaliyah for MAC collection fans, including myself, were beyond excited…so excited that the Aaliyah for MAC collection that retailed for $250 sold out within minutes of it’s release! From what I can see the Aaliyah for MAC collection contained shades and products that stayed true to what Aaliyah did wear or would have worn.

As I said above, the only thing I could get my hands on at the moment was the MAC Aaliyah Eye Shadow Palette. The Aaliyah Eye Shadow Palette is a 9-pan eye shadow palette that is listed as being a “moody deep neutral” palette and it is housed in a burgundy palette with Aaliyah’s signature in silver on the outside. The MAC Aaliyah Eye Shadow Palette is actually named “Age Ain’t Nothing” and can be purchased for $32.00 at MAC, Ulta, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The breakdown of the shadows is that there are two shadows with the veluxe pearl formula, Lovesmoke (row 1, shadow 1) and Magic Moor (row 1, shadow 2); there are two shadows with the lustre formula, Care 4 You (row 1, shadow 3) and Creative Copper (row 2, shadow 1); there is one shadow with the satin formula, That Somebody (row 2, shadow 2), there are two shadows with the matte formula, Princess of Soul (row 2, shadow 3) and Dance in the Dark (row 3, shadow 3), lastly there are two shadows with the frost formula, Deception (row 3, shadow 1) and Gingersnap (row 3, shadow 2). These shadows can be used either wet or dry and can be applied with fingers, a brush, or MAC says a sponge tip applicator but ummm I’m giving them the stink eye over that suggestion in all honesty. MAC also says that these shadows are highly pigmented, apply evenly, and blend well…well let’s see about that shall we?!

First off I love the burgundy of the palette and the silver signature on the top…what I don’t like is how much of a fingerprint magnet the finish is. I kind of wish that they had gone with a harder plastic instead of this. I also was kind of shocked at how small the eye shadow pans were when I opened the palette. I don’t know if I just had an idea in my head that 9-pan palettes from MAC were bigger or if this is smaller than normal but they were on the smaller side. That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever used up a whole palette so maybe a smaller panned palette is what I need.

As for the shadows themselves, I love the shades that were chosen and the names as well. The shades are not only ones I could see Aaliyah wearing but are so very 1990’s. To go along with all of that I feel that this palette is put together in a way that the shadows all go well together well. I managed to create looks with all the shadows in the palette to not only see how they apply and last but also to see how the different formulas work together. All of the shadows lasted for several hours on the lids and the only shadow that presented application issues was Deception which I had to wind up applying with my finger, which I’m not a huge fan of. I didn’t have any fallout when applying or using, even with the shimmers, however the pans did have some kick up so you’re going to want to make sure to tap off the brush after getting product to avoid fallout. I loved this palette overall but if I had to pick a favorite shade it would have to be Gingersnap.

Wow. …just typing all that, I seriously need a tissue. Most of you may not know this about me but music has always been my escape. I didn’t have the best childhood growing up…and this is actually the first time I’m mentioning THAT on the blog, but when ever something was going wrong music and reading was where I went to get away. I remember WAITING for the debut of the video for “Are You that Somebody?” to release. I not only listed to that song so many times that I knew the words heart-by-heart but I knew the DANCE from the video by heart! I remember having MTV on after getting home from school one day in August and watching while I was doing homework…this was right before MTV became mostly tv shows and them breaking in with the news break about her death. I remember being so shocked and thinking that it had to be a mistake. I remember a year later our local radio station playing her songs throughout the day in remembrance of her death and trying not to cry as I listened and sang along…just like I’m seriously trying not to cry now. In all honesty, if I had the money I’d purchase the whole collection whether it was good or not but I know that not everyone is a fan like that. If you are a fan of Aaliyah then I highly suggest picking up something from this collection because due to the nature of it being a posthumous collection it may not be done again, same as the Selena collection. However, if you’re not a big of Aaliyah’s and these colors don’t call to you then I would skip the MAC Aaliyah Eye Shadow Palette. As far as quality goes, I would highly recommend picking up this palette!

Don’t forget to signup for Ebates to get cash back at the different stores that carry the MAC Aaliyah Eye Shadow Palette. Here are the current cash back percents:

• MAC | 3%
• Ulta | 2.5%
• Nordstrom | NO CASHBACK
• Bloomingdale’s | 2%
• Saks Fifth Avenue | 4%

Check Out Other Reviews: MAC Reviews

Make sure to follow my beauty board on Pinterest!