I confess, friends – I’m a newbie to the world of MAC. I’ve never felt quite cool enough to venture into one of their stores, though I know their products garner a serious cult following. I’m just a simple girl when it comes to my daily cosmetic routine, and all those bold colors have always intimidated the hell out of me.

But I recently vowed it was high time I get a little adventurous, so I put out a distress call to MAC. They responded ever so sweetly by sending a few goodies to try, including a few of their new fall eye shades, or “Paint Pots” as they’re called. Naturally, I beelined for the neutrals – there is not an adventurous bone in my body when it comes to these matters, so no bold reds or yellows here. But “Nubile,” a rich peachy pink with a grown-up amount of shimmer, looked about my speed.

I started off with their Pro Longwear foundation (after finally admitting it’s time to leave summer’s tinted moisturizer behind and embrace a bit more coverage). It manages to cover flaws and discoloration while staying light and matte on the skin, leaving behind almost a velvety texture. The end result looks more or less like a clever Photoshop job…and I’m always up for a little selective retouching.

(Incidentally, I chose my foundation type and shade from MAC’s Foundation Finder on their website – normally, I find these sort of tools seriously unhelpful, but this one worked seamlessly. Pro Longwear was exactly the amount of coverage I was after, and the shade I picked online was spot-on. Impressive!)

Next, I started with the Paint Pots. Amazingly, that pinky/coral color that seemed a little too rich for me went on ever so subtly. One dab: a light shimmer of barely-there color. Two dabs: a bit more presence, but still totally respectable. So, I kept going. By my third pass, I was having fun! No better time, I decided, to venture into trying a second color. After a quick review of my options, I went for “Genuine Treasure”, a warm bronze that was definitely outside my comfort zone.

As with “Nubile,” it wasn’t nearly as potent as it looked in the pot. One pass at the lash line gave me barely a brush with darkness, but two passes left me with the closest thing to a smoky eye I’ve ever managed. Three would probably have been gorgeous, if a bit much for my daily Peets run. But the next time the husband takes me out on the town, I know exactly what to do. Plus, this creamy shadow didn’t budge a centimeter all day long – a serious perk in my book.

It’s easy to see why these MAC shades have garnered such devoted fans. Trying all of the different colors felt more like play than work – I couldn’t wait to see what each new dab was going to do. And every time, it was a bit more daring, but still beautiful – and, as it turned out, not scary at all.

So, I’m curious – am I the last holdout? Are you all MAC addicts already, or have you been scurrying past the counter with your eyes averted whenever you pass it by?

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