MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow

If you follow me for a while you surely know that MAC eyeshadows are my favourite. Not only they have such a huge range of formulas and colours you can use to build your own personalised palettes, the thing I love the most about them is their ability to blend so nicely and easily. And now MAC claimed that they came out with something even better. Can it be true?

MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadows are really not that new. Multiple shades were released with some limited editions in the past. But a few weeks back they’ve come to stay for good. Now they are available in 18 shades with a renewed liquid-powder formula that can be used both dry and wet.
I swatched all of them at the counter. Some are more sheer and some super pigmented but all of them contain a great amount of different sized shimmer. However, the most peculiar is the texture. They are so soft (the word buttery doesn’t do it justice), I would say almost “bouncy” and they blend so easily using just your finger it’s unbelievable.

After a long swatching session I chose two shades (for now). Sweat Heat, a medium beige-peach with golden shimmer that looks great also as a highlight and Phantoms Deep, a dark muted grey-purple-blue with silver frost. They both have full coverage used dry and the colour only deepens when applied wet (and stays that way even after it dries completely).
On the photo below you can see how the colours look dry in natural light (on the left) and how the “extra dimensional” shimmer translates under flash (on the right).

The cream-dry texture stands out even more during the actual application. They blend in literally 2-3 strokes. All you need is a good blending brush (something like MAC 217) and all the lines and transitions are gone in a second. On the other hand, with the darker shades I would definitely recommend using along something more matte for blending because the shimmer gets EVERYWHERE.
When it comes to staying power, MAC guarantees at least 6 hours. With a primer underneath (I always use it because of my oily eyelids) and applied dry, they last about 8 hours before the colour starts to fade (still no creasing though). But applied wet they stay in place unchanged for more than 10 hours.

To achieve the look below I applied Sweat Heat dry on the whole lid, first with a brush and then I switched to fingers and patted it again in the centre on the lid for a more intensive colour. After that I buffed dry Phantoms Deep into the crease and on the outer third of the lid. Then I used the same shade wet as a liner and I winged it out a bit to give it more depth. In the end I did the same on the lower lid with both shadows.

To conclude everything, I think the Extra Dimension eyeshadows have a really exceptional formula, they are so easy to work with and look gorgeous on the eyes. The only cons are the shimmer fall out during blending (which I think really can’t be helped) and the higher price (why MAC, why?). Because of the latter I don’t know if I’m going to buy more. The colours are not THAT unique and you can find very similar ones in the “classic” range too. But I definitely think you should at least check them out and maybe try one or two before you make your mind?