MAC • Shadowy Lady • Eye Shadow

Where To Buy?

yoshiii on 3/20/2013 2:53:00 AM more reviews by yoshiii

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I love this eyeshadow! I had been looking for a plum/dark purple color with no pink shade or undertone, which is very difficult to find, and this shadow definitely accomplished what I wanted.


I noticed some reviews said it was splotchy or not pigmented enough, but I think this shadow works best to obtain sufficient pigment with rounded-edge bristle brushes, such as the MAC #213 brush or e.l.f. eyeshadow C brush, instead of angled eyeshadow brushes.


This shadow is perfect for a smokey-eye that is very feminine and not as "harsh" as grey/black shadows. I use this eyeshadow with other eyeshadows MAC phloof and a medium-brown or taupe shadow to create eye depth and a "lighter" smokey-eye than using grey/black shadows (this will create a more glittery than matte smokey look though).


MAC eyeshadows may seem pricey, but I have used this one regularly for 1.5 yrs, and I am far from hitting pan yet (which also shows it is highly pigmented/you do not need much product each time you use it).

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mixyshop on 2/7/2013 4:36:00 PM more reviews by mixyshop

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This was such a great color for my skin, and I loved the longevity of the product. The only thing was that for some reason, my eyelid became really sensitive (?) and I couldn't wear it for the full day. I do have eczema, but am able to wear other colors, so I was disappointed. Hopefully i'll be able to find a similar shade that doesn't irritate my eyelid.

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*TOP REVIEWER* TiaDGB on 2/7/2013 2:59:00 PM more reviews by TiaDGB

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Olive   Hair: Black, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Black    

The perfect shade of blackened plum for when you want a sultry eye look, but want to avoid the harshness of full on black shadow. In the pan, it appears almost black, but it's quite a bit softer when applied.


The color is a true black-based plum. It has no noticeable red or brown undertones, and is completely matte. This works beautifully as a liner too (especially if you dampen your brush with Fix+ or another mixing medium).


The flaws? The texture of this is quite dry. I don't find that it's as creamy or blendable as some of MAC's other shadows. It also goes on quite sheer. This doesn't bother me too much though, since it allows you to build the color up as much or as little as you want.


Overall, a great color for anyone to have in their collection. Not the best texture, but the unique color compensates for that.

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1happytrader10 on 1/18/2013 12:46:00 PM more reviews by 1happytrader10

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Returned this, it just looks grey on me. I see others who use it beautifully, but it did nothing for me. I think I expected more purple in it. It's also a little hard to get the color to show.

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*TOP REVIEWER* curlywurly100 on 11/18/2012 5:45:00 PM more reviews by curlywurly100

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

Shadowy Lady is a beautiful squid ink purpley black with a hint of navy blue. if this had better pigmentation, it would be a top pick for me.
this is a Matte finish, which usually means that it takes a little effort to really get that great pigmentation. but you can always achieve a brilliant result. a lot of my MAC colours are Matte and many of them are my favourite colours. the problem with Shadowy Lady is that you can't really build the shade up to its full potential. it's as if i could go in with my brush over and over again and am not be able to add any more colour past a certain point! when i do manage to build it up to look alright, the end result is always patchy. i even noticed it in photographs. i have never been happy with a look when i've used this colour. i personally just didn't have a good experience with this one so i wouldn't recommend it.

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bebokaur on 9/11/2012 1:05:00 PM more reviews by bebokaur

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

i swotched this in mac, and it was not pigmented , this would be very hard to work with. you would have to pat in your eye brush around 8 times, to get a reasonable colour payoff. this shadow was raved about thats why i decided to check it out at mac. overall i think its not got a great colour payoff, one touch with my finger and i see nothing! i overall do not like this shadow, not reccomended

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kelsielilly on 9/10/2012 11:37:00 AM more reviews by kelsielilly

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I bought this shadow when I was brunette and I loved using it to create a smoky eye! I used it on the outer V of my eye and applied it pretty dark with some dark brown shades and it went on and blended rather nicely! However I'm blonde now so I use it on my lids where my upper lashes are as a bit of a liner! I love that it isn't harsh like liquid or pencil liners and the deep purple makes my green eyes pop! I also use it just very lightly at the V of my eye for a night time look! It helps keep my make up looking natural and not too harsh with my light skin and hair but does give me a bit of drama! love love love!

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Riverso on 4/24/2012 4:13:00 AM more reviews by Riverso

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Brown    

It is my go-to eyeshadow #1! I am a huge dark smokey eyes person, so I use it almost every day, and the thing is that although it might appear pretty dark it shows up on my very wearable, natural, not garish and of course, not vulgar. It is an amazing product. I am happy that a MUA at the Mac's counter once suggested it to me and she was raving about it. So I decided to give a try and who knew that it would be my absolute staple eyeshadow that I reach for almost every day as I said. The color is so interesting it is a deep dark purple, so it's really unique and versatile.

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Aether on 4/21/2012 11:43:00 AM more reviews by Aether

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

A beautiful, smoky, deep purple that looks lovely in the crease combined with Shale and a smidge of Satin Taupe. Looks great with Trax too.
I do find this one quite blotchy and hard to blend compared to other MAC eyeshadows, which is a shame as it does stop me from reaching for it as often as I would. For this reason I probably wouldn't repurchase as one of my main reasons for going to MAC is their great texture and ease of blending.

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papillon212 on 3/16/2012 4:34:00 PM more reviews by papillon212

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

This is a beautiful dark purple perfect for the crease of a purple smoky eye. I pair it with Shale, Pink Freeze and Vanilla.

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supermer on 9/12/2011 11:12:00 PM more reviews by supermer

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

This looks beautiful with my green eyes and looks beautiful with my other MAC shadows. I use it in my crease or outer V with Satin Taupe, Knight Divine, and Quarry. To be so dark, it's very sheer. Also very build-able too though, so it works for day and night.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sexylovie84 on 8/7/2011 5:33:00 PM more reviews by sexylovie84

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

this eyeshadow is not what I expected, it is very sheer which is weird. it adds a nice crease color but that's about it. good for when you want smoky but not too dark.

****EDIT**** after a few uses, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS!!! it's such a unique product :) LOVE it in my crease.. perfect daytime smoky looks :) can also be used with ANY shadow! happy happy happy :) such a nice alternative to dark brown/black shadow :) :) :)

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whatisaspacebar on 8/7/2011 8:36:00 AM more reviews by whatisaspacebar

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

A great colour for green eyes- as all dark purples seem to be. It takes several applications to make it show up on your skin which is annoying- but it blends really well and you can build and build and build it on. I found that if I apply a "base" shadow, something gold or beige like mac's kid first, then shadowy lady isn't so "shadowy" as it were and takes fewer applications to make it "solid". If you're after a matt shadow that goes on strongly, I'd recommend you check out some of the Revlon eyeshadows. I would repurchase this colour because I like the way it blends with other colours and compliments my eye colour, but perhaps it's not for everyone. I encourage people to try before they buy.

EDIT: I dug into my pan a little to get a powdery amount on my fingertip. It goes on amazingly heavily that way and is easy to blend. It's a great colour when it decides to show up! I'll probably repurchase because it's so flattering to my green eyes. Still love Revlon's Lavender Meadow eyeshadow the best though.

All mac products are expensive in Australia due to the import tax so I've rated it accordingly.

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Tifmcd on 6/11/2011 11:51:00 AM more reviews by Tifmcd

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

The reviews here aren't that great... but I wouldn't trust them.

The shadow is a perfect crease color. The plum tone compliments green eyeslike you would not believe.

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MeghAshley on 5/16/2011 7:40:00 PM more reviews by MeghAshley

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

I was really excited for this eyeshadow, but quickly got disappointed after I tried to wear it. The color payoff is not great. It goes on very sheer, However, with more use, I've found ways I like to use it. It's great to darken up the outer corner without it looking bold, and I also like to use it as a liner sometimes (I have to wet my angle brush first though or it just won't show up). I was hoping that this eyeshadow would be a lot more pigmented but I am glad to have it in my collection and I can definitely find some use for it.

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Lotionaddict69 on 4/15/2011 10:32:00 PM more reviews by Lotionaddict69

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Relaxed   Eyes: Green    

Honestly, I was a little nervous about this shadow because the reviews here aren't the greatest. But it's actually one of my favorite colors that I bought. Makes a *great* liner. It also makes my green eyes POP. I can't rave enough about this shadow. If I ever hit pan then I will definitely repurchase. I will warn you though if you want really pigmented blackish/purple then this is not the color for you. It goes on very sheer, which is perfect for me because I can't pull off almost blacks.

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*TOP REVIEWER* pinkbrush on 2/15/2011 10:18:00 PM more reviews by pinkbrush

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

Beautiful dark purple in the pan, but doesn't apply that way at all, this has no pigmentation at all, you can swatch and swatch and get nothing out of it. It's really too bad. I got mine brand new from a MAC store so I know there is nothing wrong with it... totally disappointed.

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modmaja on 2/12/2011 7:11:00 PM more reviews by modmaja

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Other, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I love matte shadows, but this one is terrible! As others have mentioned, it doesn't apply evenly and is difficult to blend out. I love the idea of this color as a nice alternative to black, but it is so dry and hard to work with. It even takes some effort to use it as a liner as the color comes off so sheer. There are much better matte shadows out there, including many in the MAC range that have a totally different texture. This color is a definite flop--don't waste your money!

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jls517 on 1/17/2011 1:33:00 PM more reviews by jls517

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

While the color is pretty (MAC MA gave me this to go with Satin Taupe) and I don't mind that it's sheer (I'd rather build up the color myself) this goes on so splotchy. I've pretty much given up on it as a crease color, but it makes and EXCELLENT shadow for eyeliner. I don't even wet my brush, just dab it on and it creates a beautiful soft eyeliner.

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*TOP REVIEWER* evillittlekitten on 12/2/2010 11:44:00 PM more reviews by evillittlekitten

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Red, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I bought Shadowy Lady as a crease color to accompany Shale/Vex/Vapour, and I'm sad to say that it's not the best shadow MAC offers.


As others have mentioned, it applies sheerly and -- more damning than that -- unevenly. With my best blending brush and my best efforts, I just can't get this to apply without leaving splotches. More often than not, I'm supplementing my crease with Copperplate, Shale, or Print or something to even it out.


Were it not so difficult to work with, Shadowy Lady would be a staple in my cool-toned neutrals palette. But once I hit the pan, I'll probably go searching for something else.

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