MAC Cranberry

I think it’s safe to say MAC Cranberry is having a bit of a moment in the blogosphere. This has a lot to do with the huge trend for red toned eyeshadows this A/W. I was a bit dubious about this eyeshadow when I first got it, ok that’s an understatement, it terrified me! I thought back to all the times I have seen people attempt red eye shadow and look like they are either very very sick or like they have a nasty eye infection! Nevertheless this shade has been sitting in my MAC palette unused and unloved for far too long so I thought I would start trying to incorporate into my daily makeup routine, and before long I fell in love!

This is described as a ‘red-plum with pink shimmer’ and I think that’s fairly accurate and is probably why this seems to be universally flattering on every skintone. The hint of purple mixed with the shimmer just gives this a really gorgeous finish, like a smokey eye look with a twist. I find that because this is a bold colour it can be used in a variety of ways, I personally like to layer it over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate to intensify the reddish tones in the shadow or it can look a little ‘rusty’ against my skintone. I know a lot of people love this layered over black for an intense smokey eye which isn’t something I have tried yet but have a look on pinterest and you’ll see how fab that looks!

If you are a bit nervous about the shade like I was when I first started using it I found the best way to get comfortable with it was to just dab an eye brush lightly into the pan and then gently buff this into the crease, it creates a hint of the red without being too ‘out there’.

I would definitely recommend giving this shade a go, especially if you have some free spaces in your MAC palette and want to try something a bit different! It has encouraged me to try out some bolder shades too!

MAC Cranberry costs £12.50 (£10 for the pan version)