MAC Shadestick in Sharkskin, Love It!

I had never heard of MAC's Shadesticks ($16.50) until a friend of mine sent me the link to this video, an excellent makeup tutorial on how to get Britney Spear's "Slave 4 You" eyemakeup look. The artist in the video uses MAC's Shadestick in Sharkskin both as a base colour, and as a liner, neat eh?





I love multipurpose products like this, so I decided to go check it out for myself. Shadesticks are basically creamy eyeshadow sticks that you apply like a crayon, and they never need sharpening. They come in an array of colors, but clearly the best shade to get, no matter what your skin tone, is the Sharkskin. MAC describes this color as a "Swimming sharp polished grey" and I'd say that's pretty accurate. I've been using this as a liner on my upper lid with mascara for an everyday look. It's a nice change from the basic black or brown kohl I usually use. For night, if I want to do a smokey eye, I line both upper and lower lashes with it, fill in my entire eyelid with the color, and apply a dark shadow on top. You could swing the shadestick alone for a smokey eye, but I think it looks much better if you put a powder shadow (or a combination of colors) on top of it. The artist in the featured video uses MAC eyeshadow in Blue Absinth, which is a fabulous shade on anyone, especially brown eyed beauties. But, I've found it also looks good with MAC Sketch eyeshadow for a plummy twist on the smokey eye. Play with it, I think this shadestick can give most any color in your makeup collection a whole new twist.

Note: The shadestick, once applied, has good lasting power and won't start running or creasing after a few hours, but will come off if you rub your eyes. It also washes off easily with soap and water, which is a plus or minus depending on your needs.