MAC • 4-pan • Palettes

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kathhhh on 4/16/2012 1:31:00 PM more reviews by kathhhh

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight   Eyes: Green    

I really like the 4 pan palette. it is great for traveling as it is small and compact and keeps you eyeshadow pans safe. Aside from traveling, I like to use this to make an everyday colour combination which makes it faster to put on makeup in the morning when you're in a rush! When I first used it I didn't know how to remove the shadows but if you press down on the corners the section is released so you can get the shadows out. I love that it has a clear lid so you can see the colours right away, a difference with the 15-pan palette.

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ayalalaya on 2/3/2012 5:25:00 PM more reviews by ayalalaya

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

The cover is clear, so browsing for colors isn't as time consuming as the opaque 15 pan palette. The palette stays shut and holds pans in place using built in magnets. It is sleek and compact, making this palette perfect for travel. There is no mirror or space to store a brush, but that doesn't bother me at all. I didn't like how the design at first because if I wanted to change the pans, I had to push the corners until a corner jutted out enough for me to pull off. But after I noticed a hump under the pan holders, I figured out how to effortlessly remove pans! I If you want to remove a pan from a full palette, firmly push down either the top or bottom of the palette and the palette will pop right up! A very nice design!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* narkiz on 9/3/2011 5:33:00 AM more reviews by narkiz

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

This new design sucks! I was shocked when I bought one yesterday. Why they change something good? In order to take of an e/s first you have to pull off 4 of them and then.....etc..etc. This such a pain in the a**. How come an genius came up with this stupid idea, convinced mac people and produced it??? Unbelievable!!!

Don't buy new design. I will buy the old ones from internet. I recommend you do the same.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

emivnc on 12/21/2010 8:52:00 PM more reviews by emivnc

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

These are fantastic for packing your look-of-the-day to take along with you. I find them easy to get the shadows in and out of and because they have a clear lid (take a hint for the 15 pans, MAC!!) you can easily see which is which if you have more than one. They're cheap (less than 5 bucks) and sturdy. If you're a MAC addict like I am, I highly recommend picking a couple of these babies up!

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*TOP REVIEWER* mariella99 on 12/5/2010 2:20:00 PM more reviews by mariella99

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I also have both the older version of this palette (with indentations for removing the pans) and the newer one (when I purchased my first new ones, thank goodness the MAC SA showed me how to get the pans out - you press on 2 corners and the whole base pops up, allowing you to push the pans out from the bottom...I always do this over a soft surface, "just in case"). I have to say I prefer the older ones but I've dropped and gouged a few shadows even with those. The older ones were easier to open and simply easier to use on all counts. Redesigning them was a dumb move!

I much prefer keeping my shadows in the 4-pan palettes to storing them in the larger ones - I just find them easier to use, easier to toss into my purse or gym bag and for travelling, taking 2 of these, "custom assembled" to suit my needs and desires for that particular trip - it's just so much more streamlined than taking one or 2 of the larger palettes. It also works better with the limited space I have in "my" little bathroom (my makeup storage shelves are not deep and I don't like using drawers). These are very handy little palettes but I can't wait to see the "Z Palettes" I've been seeing all over the internet - they look like the easiest to use of any I've ever seen, and kinda snazzy too!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* jillirific on 12/5/2010 11:04:00 AM more reviews by jillirific

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I have several of the old ones, and I like them a lot. I don't like the look of the new ones and I don't plan on buying them unless I'm desperate. I think these look sleek, I like that the top is clear so you can see the shades, and the indent so you can easily remove the shadows. I have had a couple break (the clasp broke so it wouldn't close, chips in the plastic on the sides) but I do travel a lot and have definitely dropped them several times. These stack up nicely too, and the new ones seem bulkier which isn't appealing to me, storage wise.


These are great for travelling or for everyday to keep the shades you use constantly close by. I have a few with my favourite eyeshadows, my main one being: Cork, my eyebrow filler; Handwritten, my liner; Shroom, my highlight; and a neutral, all-over lid type colour like Naked Lunch or All That Glitters, or sometimes Carbon for crease work instead. My other ones contain 4 shades that compliment each other, or two that I use together a lot, and then another two. With two quads, I can easily do at least 3 looks which is perfect for me for travelling. I have done ones with 4 shades from a certain collection (ie My N Collection Quad) which looks really pretty and keeps the shades together in one place.


If you have a lot of eyeshadows, depotting is the most convenient thing when it comes to storage and accessibility (then you have a whole lot of B2M!). Buying just the eyeshadow pan is less expensive as well. If nothing else, I recommend one for travelling or your 4 main colours, for the convenience factor.

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MixedSparkle07 on 12/5/2010 10:21:00 AM more reviews by MixedSparkle07

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I really like it, because i can't stand having a huge palette. I like to have a couple small once so i can organize them for highlights, bases, crease color etc.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Julia941 on 12/5/2010 12:49:00 AM more reviews by Julia941

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I don't have a huge collection of MAC shadows, but I do have a couple of these quads and I really like them. I like to arrange shadows with a base or highlight colour, coordinating shimmer and matte shades, and a darker colour for the crease or to use wet as a liner. These palettes are great and I like the fact that the top is clear so I can easily see which one I want. I think the price is reasonable and I like buying the e/s pans because they cost less and there is less packaging and waste. No Back to MAC, but I don't have the skills or patience to depot 20 shadows so I like this option better.

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aznxhottie on 10/8/2010 1:15:00 PM more reviews by aznxhottie

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

The new MAC 4x palette (picture is not the one I'm talking about) is really nice, sleek, and gorgeous. The only quam I have about the quad I have now is that when you try to get the pans out, you have to hit the back of the case for it to come out, which can be a pain. There's no little indentation for you to easily pick up the pan like the quad you see in the picture. You're not able to grab it that way. You can only pop the pan by hitting the back of the case. It's a real pain in the butt, but the case is beautiful in itself. It does the job, so I guess I just have to grit my teeth until I can find the quad (like in the picture) where you can grab the pan out, rather than hitting it on the back.

UPDATED: I just recently bought the original 4xpans from MAC and omg, I love them 100%. It's really great. Yes, the newer 4xpan are very sleek and beautiful, but I'd stick with the original ones, but that's just me. I love these pans!!!

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GiGiBean703 on 8/10/2010 3:36:00 PM more reviews by GiGiBean703

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I love these quads! I use them to travel and to organize my e/s collection. Especially the ones that I don't use as often. The new design is much nicer too!

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glowww333 on 8/10/2010 12:47:00 PM more reviews by glowww333

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Great to organize looks and shades that go together well. Helps me not to get overwhelmed with all the e/s I bought and keep colors that go together - together.

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dianasheglova on 8/10/2010 12:32:00 PM more reviews by dianasheglova

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a great little palette for travelling or when you don't want to be carrying around the 15 e/s palette.

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*TOP REVIEWER* DitaVee on 7/5/2010 2:27:00 AM more reviews by DitaVee

Age: 30-35   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

The new palette looks great but I love the old format of this palette practicality wise, it was slimmer, the bevelled edges meant it fit in my makeup purse better, and I preferred the click close.


The new palette is bulkier, it's difficult to get the pans out as there are no indents, it has a magnetic closure and the sharp triangle hinge is annoying, and painful if you scratch yourself with it.


Also the magnetic base is now in the removable tray, so if you remove the tray like I do to fit more in, you have no magnetised base (unlike the old case where the base was magnetised). Once the tray is out, there are deep indents along the base so you don't even have a good flat surface to put magnets or pans on - you lose about 1/4 of the base to the indents which to me defeats the purpose of a removable tray. I ended up having to use velcro dots to stick pans on with because they were the only thing flexible enough, argh!


While it does look cool, if I'm being honest it looks like it's modelled on the Z palette. Sadly the small Z palettes are just too big for my portable case, which is why I preferred the MAC quad. Here in NZ MAC palettes aren't cheap, so while the palette is prettier, I really am disappointed in the poor practicality vs. the high price.

The old palette I'd give a 5, the new one gets a 3, purely for looks; don't fix what isn't broken I say.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

elloshort on 5/30/2010 8:28:00 AM more reviews by elloshort

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Dark, Cool   Hair: Brown, Relaxed   Eyes: Brown    

This is perfect for those needing an everyday compact, where you can put 4 shadows in, and do your makeup on the go or take with you on vacation.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ns4487 on 5/30/2010 8:06:00 AM more reviews by ns4487

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

A good easy streamlined way to carry around your MAC shadows. For the price, I feel like purchasing the 15-pan is more cost effective, but if you only want someting to carry your quad around in, this is for you. Sturdy and reliable, would be great if came with a mirror.

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bellagemma on 4/19/2010 9:17:00 AM more reviews by bellagemma

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

PROS: sleek, sturdy, clear lid so you can see contents, pretty reasonable price for MAC
CONS: no mirror, top gets scratched

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bloodnite on 4/3/2010 12:05:00 AM more reviews by bloodnite

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Black    

A handy and compact way to store a bunch of MAC shadows. The only pain is having to depot shadows if you buy them in the pot. Very reasonable price at the MAC store. Mine was only $5.00
I almost bought one on Ebay but would have had to pay a lot for shipping so I'm glad I went to the store cause they're not that pricey!

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*TOP REVIEWER* briii on 3/7/2010 8:40:00 PM more reviews by briii

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

this is great for on the road. i have a lot of mac eyeshadows and i have i think 5 or 6 of these mac palettes. i can put the shadows that im using for the day in this and i throw it in my makeup bag and im good to go. i like this for traveling because its so sleek and small. all of macs palettes are great!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Kdoll222 on 12/6/2009 9:00:00 PM more reviews by Kdoll222

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I love that I can make my own quads. Only 3.50 for one and the refil; is 11 which = 14.50 the cost of one shadow in its own pot. This way I can get 3 more at only 11 dollars and they can be portable for wherever I want to take them. Im going to get a couple more so I can start making more quads.

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*TOP REVIEWER* ragazza on 11/24/2009 8:02:00 PM more reviews by ragazza

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight   Eyes: Brown    

Wow.....this palette is amazing!! I like the fact that I can take 4 colours in ONE container when I travel - talk about convenience. I'm thinking of purchasing the 15 palette as well. I feel sooo organized with these palettes. MAC...you rock!!

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