I went into Mac looking to create a soft yet sculpted eye look - essentially to look like a naked eye but better. I love neutrals on my eyes because I have blue eyes and especially for my work that is a little on the conservative side.


Talking to one of the girls, we discussed my options, and we decided to lean toward the warmer tones with a hint a peach. We easily came up with a neutral all overall shade that was my skintone but just a touch creamier. The girl at Mac suggested soft brown for my crease, which was really pretty, but with just soft brown on an almost naked lid, the colour was a little too orange for my extremely fair skin. We then cam up with bamboo, and I have to say I'm absolutely in love with it!


Bamboo is the perfect peachy beige colour that is great to softly contour my crease for a barely there eye look, works great as a base shadow, and for blending. It's got enough pigmentation to have impact, but blendable enough to create a subtle look. Bamboo is definitely going to become part of my permanent collection.


Bamboo seems to be a bit of an unsung hero in the realm of Mac eye shadows; however, for those of you with extremely fair skin, it's a great option for a warm eye without running too orange or red. I use the word peachy beige to describe the colour because it's just a little softer than your typical brown shadow, but don't get me wrong it still has impact.


My current "naked eye but better" is made up of
- Mac paint pot in painterly as primer (soft ochre runs warmer, but I currently prefer the slightly more neutral tones of painterly. I'm likely to change my mind next time though)
- Mac Orb all over the lid from lashline to brow (creates perfect base)
- Mac Bamboo run softly through the crease and blended down into outer third of the lid
- Mac Fluidline in Dipdown extremely close to the lashline with a micro wing effect
- Mac Sketch softly smudged over liner for days that I want some extra oomph

Wow! Bamboo has already leapfrogged to the top of my repurchase MAC core colors list and I've only owned it 3 days. Lest you think I'm jumping the gun, I should add I've been searching for a neutral my-lids-but-better shade for a while now. I usually stick to nudes, beiges or creams, such as Blanc Type, etc; but I have wanted the addition of a contrasting color that flattered yet did not close in my smallish deep set eyes. I have worn Bamboo non-stop since its purchase and will definitely be acquiring a pro pan for a 4 quad palette in the future. I find it mates well with other shades (specifically, Wedge, another favorite) and goes easily from daytime to evening with the outer "vee" smoked a bit with complimentary colors. I paired it with an emerald mineralized shadow (as liner) on first wear, loved it and can't wait to try other combos. I also love it with my go-to every day black liner. Very sophisticated feeling and not at all over the top. For me, this matte pick is perfect with my eye color and most likely will be a firm staple in my makeup wardrobe.

for a LONG time i've been in the market for a light peachy blush. I got MAC's "Peaches" blush, but it looked like a darker orange on me, not peach at all. still a pretty color that i did keep, but just not what i was after. it seems that all of the peach blushes i try all turn with pink or orange on me :(

i had a MAC MSFN i needed to exchange, so i went to MAC and just browsed and swatched the crap out of their blushes and eyeshadows. i found a few that were really pretty and looked peach in the shade, but as soon as i looked at them in the sunlight they were straight up pink. *sigh*

enter Bamboo.

i'm round-about NC15, more neutral than warm. and used as a blush this shows up as PEACH!!!! i'm so thrilled! i'm surprised no one else has mentioned using this as a blush, actually. the pan is almost too small to get MU blush brush in there, but it IS an eyeshadow, so i cant complain about that. i usualy use 2 layers of this. the 1st layer shows up subtly and gives a nice glow that doesnt scream "BLUSH!", and a 2nd layer will give a more blush-ed look, but still isnt OTT. if i wanted i could apply a 3rd layer and get something even brighter.

this color is matte, and blends very well. i usually apply my foundation, setting powder, contour, then this, and then my highlight, and it all blends together nicely.

i can see my self for sure re-buying this again and again in the future :)

UPDATE: i found an even better peach blush, L'Oreal True Match Precious Peach, but I still like this one! the PP is lighter, and this is a bit darker and SLIGHTLY more pink in tone. now i prefer to use this as a light wash just above my crease area and below the under brow highlight area, and it really warms up my face. i'd still re-buy this in a heartbeat.

I had no luck with this. I really wanted to like this because I like matte neutral eyeshadows, but when I applied Bamboo, even with a primer, it looked like I never put any eyeshadow on at all.

I really want to like this color, but it does not show up on me at all. I am a NC 45 and when applied to my lids it looks as though I have nothing there.
I was looking for the perfect lid color to match my skin tone and thought bamboo would give me the result i was looking for, but completely failed. I found that Samoa silk gave me the effect i was going for. =/

This is a really nice nude/beige with slight peach undertones that is pigmented and has a smooth buttery texture. I find Bamboo to be quite versatile as I can use it as a lid colour, in the crease, or as a blending out shade. I like that the peach undertone adds warmth and dimension.

I LOVE this shade! Can't say enough about it. It's an absolutely perfect all-over-the-lid color for a soft professional neutral eye. I pair it with Saddle for a clean smokey eye or wear it with nothing at all for a summery neutral eye look and it's my go to shade for my everyday 'subtly beautiful look'. The vaguely warm (but not too warm or orangy) undertones look great on my C6 skintone but it's a shade that will work with a wide range of skintones. A definite must have for the beauty arsenal.

I didn't think I would like this colour looking at it in the pan, but once one applied it transforms into a beautiful, soft golden-beige peach. However, I do think this is the kind of colour that would such up differently on different skin tones, so you definitely need to try it first and make sure it's right for you. (I am pale with blue eyes and warm undertones, however I actually think peachy shades look best with brown eyes!)

I see a few reviews saying wah wah, the colour's too sheer/not strong enough, and yeah, if you don't like subtle eyemakeup then Bamboo is probably not for you. Personally, I wear it blended over the top of Vanilla and paired with a chocolate eyeliner for a beautiful, natural daytime look that makes my eyes pop.

Why have I not purchased this eye shadow before now? For me, Bamboo is the perfect all over wash that evens out the uneven skintone on my lids and provides a great base if I want to do something a little more dramatic. Doesnt seem like its possible to over or under apply with this eye shadow.

I recently made a 4 pan palette with includes Bamboo, Samoa Silk, Patina and Shroom. I reach for it Every. Single. Day.

Not a good colour for me! I gave it 2 lippies because its a great quality, smooth, blendable matte, but bamboo is just awful on me. Way too orange. I was hoping for a light, wearable neutral. Nope. At least I now know to stay far, far away from peachy beiges.