Review of MAC's Trend F/W '09 Quad in Tone: Grey

Being a habitual shopper at allcosmeticswholesale.com, I was super psyched to see they had three MAC quads from past collections at less than the original retail price. I immediately ordered all three and fell in love with all three. This is the third of a three-part review of discontinued MAC quads, featuring the Tone: Grey quad from the September 2009 Trend F/W '09 collection.

When I first saw this particular quad, I did not like it at all. When I bought it, I was being stupid and just getting it to have it. However, after swatching 'The Right Smoke', it very quickly became my favorite of these three quads.

COLOR(S)

You start in the upper left corner with a very light, icy blue. Seriously, a super, super light blue called 'A Warmer White', which is so light it (almost) looks white. When you use it, you get more of the white than blue, making it a wonderful highlight color. The next color is 'Tone: Grey', which in the pot looks like a medium-toned grey-blue. When swatched, you get more of a muddy blue-grey, being more blue than grey. In the bottom left corner, you have the most gorgeous color called 'The Right Smoke'. This color is almost like a sapphire in the pot, but when swatched, reminds me of Freshwater, with more grey undertones. The final color, 'Waft', is a dark, shimmery gray, perfect for the crease. My favorite way to where this is with 'Waft' in the crease and 'The Right Smoke' on the lower lash line. I really love the colors in this quad, and when used in a certain way, almost have iridescence to them.

FORMULA(S)

In this quad, the two lighter colors ('A Warmer White', 'Tone: Grey') are satin finishes while the darker colors ('The Right Smoke', 'Waft') are frost finish. Like the other two quads I have reviewed, the colors in this one are not the best pigmentation, but can be truly beautiful if you take the time. The two frost colors are not as pigmented as most other frosts, but the satins in this are better than most other satins. You win some, you lose some. But, these colors look really great together and blend fabulously.

FUNCTIONALITY

Since this quad is smokier colors, blues, and grays, it is not the most conventional. However, it is in the great quad packaging (this one with a flawless clasp) and is super portable. These colors are great for fall or smoky eyes, but you can also wear these lightly. Maybe with the imagination, this could be a more conventional color palette. However, I can see a lot of great looks and uses for this specific quad.

PACKAGING

As I mentioned, this is their great quad packaging, which is great for portability. In my 'In the Gallery' review, I mentioned the clasp didn't work very well. I use this quad the most, and the clasp works great. I must have gotten a messed-up lid on the last one.

PRICE

This quad is not for sale at maccosmetics.com, MAC stores, or MAC counters, but last time I checked, it was available on allcosmeticswholesale.com for $34.99. I think that this is highly worth the retail price, and I would try to buy one on allcosmeticswholesale.com.

FINAL OPINIONS

This has quickly become my all-time favorite quad, and I really love this for brown eyes. I would highly recommend trying to find this one more than the others, because I think it is great for many uses and could be mixed and matched all throughout the year. I went from thinking this quad was boring to taking it everywhere. I think this is one of the more magical quads, by far.