MAC x eL Seed Cicero Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches

Cicero

MAC Cicero Eyeshadow x15 Palette is a limited edition palette that launched a month or two ago, though it’s still available (hence the review). Two shades–Gabriella and Vidigal–are technically blushes (aka they’re not safe for use on eyes), and the palette includes a few permanent shades (like Shroom, Honey Lust, Texture, Handwritten, and Carbon).  It’s a mixed bag, which is why it remained a lower priority item relative to the numerous other palettes that have launched in the past several weeks.

Ingredients

MAC Shroom Eyeshadow

Shroom

Shroom is a soft beige with subtle, warm undertones and a frosted sheen. It had nearly opaque pigmentation with a slightly firmer consistency, but I didn’t have any trouble picking up the product evenly with a brush. The eyeshadow applied evenly to bare skin and blended out well along the edges. It lasted nicely for eight hours on me before I noticed any fading.

MAC Teboulbou Eyeshadow

Teboulbou

Teboulbou is a medium plum with strong, warm undertones and a metallic finish. It was intensely pigmented with a smooth, lightly creamy texture that wasn’t too dense but wasn’t thin or powdery either. The texture of this was one of the more finely-milled and silkier textures I’ve seen MAC put out in awhile. It stayed on well for eight hours on me before creasing faintly.

MAC Honey Lust Eyeshadow MAC Honey Lust Eyeshadow

Honey Lust

Honey Lust is a soft copper with a sparkling finish. It was surprisingly firm and thin compared to most iterations of Honey Lust I’ve encountered over the years, so while it didn’t have as much fallout, it looked patchy and a bit uneven applied. It had semi-sheer pigmentation, which didn’t build up that well, but the Lustre finish is designed to be a sheerer formula. This shade wore well for seven hours hours on me before fading noticeably.

MAC Ksar Eyeshadow

Ksar

Ksar is a soft, yellow-leaning peach base with iridescent pink and lavender shimmer. The consistency was soft, a little drier, but it applied well to bare skin and blended out without difficulty. The pigmentation was mostly opaque and buildable to full coverage with less than half of a layer. It lasted well for eight hours on me before I noticed any fading.

MAC Chott Eyeshadow

Chott

Chott is a pale pewter with subtle, warm undertones and a frosted finish. It had good pigmentation with a soft, blendable consistency that felt firmer in the pan but wasn’t difficult to pick up or to apply to my lid. The color stayed on nicely for eight hours on me before fading noticeably.

MAC Petit Lion Eyeshadow

Petit Lion

Petit Lion is a soft, peachy brown with warm undertones and a matte finish. The eyeshadow had nearly opaque color payoff in a single layer, which applied evenly to bare skin and blended out easily. The consistency was soft, a little powdery but not prone to sheering out or having fallout. It wore well for eight hours on me before it showed signs of wearing away.

MAC Finjan Eyeshadow

Finjan

Finjan is a medium, taupe-brown with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. The consistency was slightly drier, firmer, and stiffer in the pan, so it took a heavier handed approach to pick up product on a brush. The pigmentation was semi-opaque, buildable, and it did apply better on my lid in practice than it seemed from swatching it alone. It lasted nicely for eight hours on me before fading visibly.

MAC Texture Eyeshadow

Texture

Texture is a light brown with warm, orange undertones and a matte finish. It had nearly opaque pigmentation with a soft, blendable texture, though it didn’t feel quite as silky or as finely-milled as the permanent version. It stayed on well for eight hours on me before I noticed any fading.

MAC Les Portes Bleus Eyeshadow

Les Portes Bleus

Les Portes Bleus is a bright, medium blue with cool undertones and a matte finish. It had rich pigmentation with a soft, blendable consistency that wasn’t too powdery nor too firmly pressed in the pan. This shade wore well on my skin for eight hours before showing signs of fading.

MAC Gabriella Powder Blush

Gabriella

Gabriella is a brighter, pinky red with subtle, cool undertones and a matte finish. The eyeshadow had a stiffer, drier, and thinner texture that was difficult to work with, as it adhered strongly to my skin, looked patchy, and didn’t want to diffuse along the edges. It is technically a blush, and it was exceedingly challenging to apply it in an even, blended fashion. It lasted for eight hours on me before fading visibly.

MAC Carbon Eyeshadow

Carbon

Carbon is a medium black with neutral undertones and a matte finish. It was firmly pressed in the pan with a drier, thinner consistency that made it difficult to work with. It had sheer coverage that was somewhat buildable, but it wasn’t easy to work with overall. The color stayed on well for seven and a half hours before fading noticeably on me.

MAC Handwritten Eyeshadow

Handwritten

Handwritten is a muted, medium-dark brown with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had medium pigmentation in a single layer, which was buildable to mostly opaque coverage with two to three layers. The consistency was soft, blendable, but it was somewhat powdery and had a little bit of fallout during application. This shade wore nicely for eight hours on me before it showed signs of fading.

MAC Carnal Charm Eyeshadow

Carnal Charm

Carnal Charm is a bright, coral-red with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had a drier, slightly powdery consistency, though it blended out decently on bare skin. The pigmentation was semi-opaque and buildable, and it lasted for eight hours on me before fading noticeably.

MAC Matmata Eyeshadow

Matmata

Matmata is a medium-dark, cobalt blue with strong, cool undertones and a matte finish. It had good color coverage in a single layer, but it was incredibly powdery and prone to sheering out with uneven adhesion, even when applied over primer. There was moderate fallout during application from attempting to build up the color, too. It stayed on decently for seven and a half hours before I noticed fading.

MAC Vidigal Powder Blush

Vidigal

Vidigal is a bright, fuchsia pink with strong, cool undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff that adhered fairly evenly to bare skin, but I found it difficult to really spread the product out and diffuse the edges, so it was a challenge to work with it as a blush (as it was listed). The texture was drier, thinner, and more firmly-pressed in the pan. It wore well for eight hours on me before it showed signs of fading.