I have an unhealthy appetite for eyeshadow palettes. Seeing colors in one box together brings me an immense amount of joy (just ask my watercolor and color pencil set collection too) so I keep them with the same fervor that Gollum has for The One Ring! Recently, MAC sent me a couple of products from their recently launched Electric Wonder collection, and this included possibly the best neutral eyeshadow palette I’ve come across.

The MAC Natural Vice Eyeshadow Palette (P4,250 in MAC stores) is a selection of 12 warm eyeshadow shades with a variety of finishes. The colors are well-curated; you can create a light day-time look then amp it up to something more sultry for the evening. It’s also a great bridal palette if you’re a makeup artist looking for something more universal across different clients.

You get four different finishes with this palette. There are matte (M), frost (F), veluxe pearl (VLXP), and satin (S) eyeshadows. I think these are mostly repromotes so if you already have these shades then this palette isn’t for you. But if you’re like me, who only has a few MAC eyeshadows currently, this is like striking gold and takes out the guesswork in choosing shades for a palette.

I love that all the colors are pigmented and has minimal fall out. They’re very easy to blend and combine together, too! You get a beautiful shimmer pop with Sun Tweaked, Diamond Butterfly, Struck Gold, and Desert Rose-Mance on the lids, nude contour and blenders with Fab Accent, Pleasing To The Eye, Valley of the Goddess, and Cork, then smoky contrasts with Magmatique, Natural Vice, Go Wilder, and Rebble Pebble. These colors last all day on top of an eyeshadow primer, and a good six hours without.

And can we talk about the packaging? I adore the matte pink marble with gold veins design! It’s so cute! This is a sturdy plastic compact that’s easy to clean. I can see this aging well through the years.

Overall, I highly recommend this palette to anybody still on the hunt for a good neutral palette. I know that it’s already 2019 and this palette is nothing groundbreaking. However, I don’t think I’ve seen such a versatile and wearable combination of neutrals like this! There are no shades in this palette that I would be ignoring. I wear it a lot on casual days, but I swear if I’m getting married tomorrow this is the palette I will use without thinking twice about it.

The price is quite high for a palette but if it’s in the budget, it’s not a bad purchase for something you’ll use for three years straight. Think of this as a good pair of jeans that makes your butt look great, or a workday leather bag. It makes for a great uniform and a special occasion item at the same time.

MAC also sent over a lipstick called Let’s Mesa Around (P1,150 in MAC stores). This is described as a light bubble gum blue pink with a lustre finish. The packaging is beautiful - same design as the palette - and the lipstick color itself is pretty. It’s just not a flattering shade for my warm skin tone as it registers a bit lilac on me.

MAC’s Lustre lipsticks do tend to be on the sheer side as well so it will take several layers to get to a level of opacity. How I like to use Let’s Mesa Around is by layering it on top of a warm lip liner (something orangey or peachy) to counteract the cool blue tones of the lipstick. That’s a pro tip for you, if you have any lip colors that are too cool against your skin!

MAC’s Electric Wonder collection is now out in stores. Let me know what you think of these two products!