MAC • Carbon • Eye Shadow
(479 reviews)
| Average Rating. | 4.2 |
| Would buy this product again. | 75% |
| Package Quality | 4.3 |
| Price | 3.3 |
| Ingredients | |
*TOP REVIEWER* linet182 on 5/15/2013 6:54:00 PM more reviews by linet182
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair Hair: Black Eyes: Hazel
Can't use this as eye shadow it's way too dark- I use this to fill in my brows. I have black hair so this shade is perfect for me. I use it as liner too sometimes with my angled brush... stays put all day. Will definitely repurchase.
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LuckyLindy on 4/6/2013 11:45:00 PM more reviews by LuckyLindy
Age: 25-29 Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Cool Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine Eyes: Brown
I use this to shade into my brows and always get compliment on it. Perfect for smokey eyes as well. Definitely will buy again
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*TOP REVIEWER* almond_leaves on 2/6/2013 5:39:00 PM more reviews by almond_leaves
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm Hair: Brown, Fine Eyes: Black
Carbon isn't the blackest black out there. It's a soft black matte shade.
Pigmentation is good and it really stays put. However, it's difficult to apply on your lids since the texture is a bit dry and it will tug on the skin and leave you with a patchy result. No fall out with this one.
I mainly use this to set my pencil eyeliner. Full stop. That's pretty much it. It does a great job at that, but that's quite a limited use. So I'll be using my matte Florelle Noir e/s instead, which is waaaaaaaay deeper than Carbon.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Luscious83 on 1/28/2013 10:00:00 PM more reviews by Luscious83
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Medium Brown Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
This is one of the best black eyeshadow I got. You can apply this by itself as an all blk eyeshadow .... Or add color with this...
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*TOP REVIEWER* Menolikepolos on 1/16/2013 6:21:00 PM more reviews by Menolikepolos
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral Hair: Brunette, Coarse Eyes: Blue
About me: NW10-15 (neutral-cool toned, very fair), blue eyes, Color season is True Summer, Baumann Skin Type is OSPW.
So the first 2 times I tried this, I hated it. I was confused, I didn't understand why anybody would want a soft, patchy barely-there black eye shadow. Then I tried it one last time, and fell in love.
When used in tandem with other shadows, it blends much better than on its own. Additionally, I see its potential for creating lovely smokey eye looks. I will keep using this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
magnifiquee on 11/29/2012 1:22:00 PM more reviews by magnifiquee
Age: 19-24 Skin: Normal, Medium, Warm Hair: Brunette, Medium Eyes: Brown
I'm not sure why there are so many bad reviews on this black, if you swatched it before you bought it you would know it's not going to be the blackest black. And I bought this shadow because I thought it was a nice extremely dark grey black colour and I wanted something less harsh than a really black colour. It blends pretty well and I usually use it to set liquid liners and as a lower lashline liner instead of a pencil and it has great staying power. I would definitely buy this again although I'm not sure when that will be because I have owned this for so long and have barely made a dent in it! Love it
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beesknees678 on 10/28/2012 10:58:00 AM more reviews by beesknees678
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Brunette Eyes: Other
Unlike a lot of other reviews, I really like this. However, I did not want it to be the 'blackest black'. I had the lady try it out on me so I knew what I was buying. It's more of a grey black, but has great pigmentation and stays put for a long time. It's matte, which I also love. I use it for my smokey black, as I do not want a true black for that. Looks great. I would absolutely recommend it and buy it again.
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*TOP REVIEWER* cgw1 on 10/10/2012 7:23:00 PM more reviews by cgw1
Age: 19-24 Skin: Normal, Fair, Warm Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine Eyes: Brown
I bought this when I was new to makeup. I wish I hadn't bought it. The pigmentation sucks. It comes out more of a blue-black and is patchy. I now use NARS Mekong (which is actually a dark brown-black) instead of this and the difference in pigmentation is incredible. I use carbon to set my e/l on my waterline. If you're looking for a true black with good pigmentation I would not recommend this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
AgentSometime on 9/1/2012 5:39:00 AM more reviews by AgentSometime
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Brown Eyes: Green
This eye shadow is CRAP. To be blunt, if you think this is the blackest black eye shadow, you must be new to makeup. Off the top of my head, Bourjois Intense Extrait 10, Urban Decay's Black Dog, Urban Decay's Blackout, and the black from the L'Oreal HiP duos are darker. And speaking as a makeup artist who also knows several of them, I can tell you right now that this isn't a staple in our kits. Maybe 10 years ago, but not anymore. MAC Typographic is better than this. Carbon looks grey, not black, and it's chalky and patchy; it doesn't apply smoothly at all.
And give me a break with this "it's supposed to be a liner!" nonsense. Typographic works amazingly as a liner AND an eye shadow, which is how it should be. Carbon is marketed as an EYE SHADOW. If it doesn't work as an EYE SHADOW, it's a failure.
12 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
*TOP REVIEWER* audrey355 on 8/20/2012 2:15:00 AM more reviews by audrey355
Age: 18 & Under Skin: Combination, Medium Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium Eyes: Brown
Perfect black eyeliner. Love this color and the pigmentation it gives.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
rosademarzo on 8/16/2012 1:04:00 PM more reviews by rosademarzo
Age: 36-43 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Brown
Unpigmented and doesn't last much. Never thought a MAC product could be so disappointing. Notice I've applied it over MAC-foundation, MAC-allround primer, and using a MAC brush (having bought everything in Europe). Even over black eyeliner it doesn't get better. Wish I could try more of their eyeshadows but in Brazil, MAC products cost 2,5 times more than in France, for instance. Plus, the Brazilian MAC shop will not accept returns, so, I am not trying their eyeshadows again. (It says CARBON MATTE EYE SHADOW, and comes in a round black pot).
Editing: on the brighter side: nice, typical MAC no frills-packaging. Easy to blend if layered and if using a good blending brush
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
*TOP REVIEWER* ilovejp on 8/13/2012 12:06:00 PM more reviews by ilovejp
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Olive, Neutral Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Hazel
This eyeshadow is OK but to be honest I was slightly disappointed as I'd read so many good reviews. It's black obviously but it's not as black as I would like. Even after layering and building several times it still doesn't deepen the colour. I find UDs Blackout to be much darker. They are equal in terms of everything else but I find UDs to be much darker. I probably would buy again as I layer with this and them finish with UDs blackout on top.
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*TOP REVIEWER* bailokaye on 8/10/2012 12:50:00 AM more reviews by bailokaye
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair Hair: Other Eyes: Green
Chalky and unpigmented.. Have bought multiple times and it's always a fail for me. It is nearly impossible to blend. There is also tons of fallout with this eyeshadow, even when used with a primer. Even though I haven't found it yet, there HAS to be a cheaper and better basic matte black eyeshadow out there for less than $15. Meh.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
MakeupLover321 on 7/16/2012 2:32:00 PM more reviews by MakeupLover321
Age: 18 & Under Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
This is an intense black.It is a really matte black. One of my favourite mac shadows because when I go for a smokey look this always comes in handy and I would lightly put it on my lid or crease.
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deellez on 6/21/2012 7:05:00 PM more reviews by deellez
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair Hair: Brunette Eyes: Green
Carbon is a matte black eyeshadow. I've had it for some time now and I haven't hit the pan yet. I mostly use it for a smokey eye or eyeliner. I find the color a bit on the harder side when it comes to blending but it's doable. Nothing spectacular about this eyeshadow. I'm sure you can find much cheaper versions of a simple black matte eyeshadow.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Prazzie on 6/8/2012 10:59:00 AM more reviews by Prazzie
Age: 25-29 Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine Eyes: Green
MAC Carbon is just a good staple matte black eyeshadow. It is smooth and soft, easy to work with and has little fallout under my eyes. I have to say that it is not the blackest black, it reflects some light, turning it into a slightly ashy charcoal black.
I find this eyeshadow very wearable, even during the day. I use it as a soft black liner, or to add depth to any look. It is buildable and can be worn quite sheer, turning it into more of a very dark grey than black. Worn this way, it allows shadows underneath to show through, so it can look like a dark blue, green, pink and so on.
I find this eyeshadow very useful and easy to work with. I would definitely repurchase it. One lippie off because it's not the best true black eyeshadow on the market.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Stelliosontos on 6/3/2012 11:24:00 AM more reviews by Stelliosontos
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue
I bought this cause of the hype and was so disappointed ! It's not nearly as black as urban decay perversion blackout or black dog ! I found it dry and not as pigmented as inglot or urban decay, even drugstore brands! I also dropped marks for packaging as my pan fell out! It's still workable but there's much better out there!
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plasticbambi on 5/22/2012 10:59:00 PM more reviews by plasticbambi
Age: 19-24 Skin: Very Dry, Fair-Medium Hair: Brunette Eyes: Brown
Favorite black eyeshadow ever.
Always blackest black
but remember its Matte
its easy to blend
its stays in one spot
i never need primer for any mac eyeshadow anyway
my HG black eyeshadow
....now for the other colors...I wish I could find my favorites for others welp at least I got one!
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*TOP REVIEWER* dizzielittlerascal on 5/16/2012 8:30:00 AM more reviews by dizzielittlerascal
Age: 36-43 Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine Eyes: Blue
I do love this shadow as its my first 'black' mac shadow, but I do find that its not quite as black as I feel it should be. I also find that it fades during the day, but then I use it more as an eyeliner than a shadow (looks fab with Blackberry). I have recently bought black tied, and although black tied had glitter in it, I found it to be darker than carbon. Trouble is its a bit too twinkly for day use! I am thinking about getting Typographic next as I love the texture of Matte2 shadows.
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*TOP REVIEWER* bernsie on 4/21/2012 2:57:00 PM more reviews by bernsie
Age: 44-55 Skin: Other, Medium Hair: Silver Eyes: Hazel
Carbon, since it's inception as it took over for a small black eyeshadow MAC had for years called "Black Gold" (though it wasn't as BLACK as Carbon, but it didn't move either) has suffered from fallout if you were not used to working w/it. It's just the blackest, matte, powdered eyeshadow out there anywhere. It is a makeup artists "staple." I don't see how anyone, makeup artist or not, can be w/out it. Once ur used to it's necessary and special application methods it's quite easy to use. It's a Large shadow and soooo concentrated you use very little of it. It lasts forever before you have to repurchase. I've had mine for many years and it works and is as black as it was when I took it out of it's box and used it for the 1st time. A definite MAC "Classic" w/a "cult" following. There isn't a black pressed powdered eyeshadow as black as it anywhere, PERIOD! A MUST HAVE if ever there was one! Not even Dior or MUFE has anything near this black in pressed powder form. It is simply the RICHEST black you will ever find.( and that, as they say ,is that!)