Ben Nye vs. MAC (eyeshadows)

[Lessandes]

I'm thinking since a long time, if I should go for more MAC e/s or if I should extend my BN collection.....christmas money is coming so I need to decide on which things I should spend it^^

So my "problem" is:

I'm thinking about buying an empty eyeshadow palette from MAC plus the refills.
But I don't have much experiences with the MAC shadows...I used them from time to time when I got one in my hands but I have not really much experiences with the different textures and the huge color range of it.

On the contrary Ben Nye: I habe the Lumiere Luxe Palette plus single eyeshadows and I really really like them...they are a bit creamier than the MAC ones, they habe a good color payoff, they blend easily and they are much cheaper than the MAC ones...I get 4g of e/s for about 8$
My problem with BEN Nye is, that there is only the Lumiere palette and I can only buy the Lumiere color refills....no other palette and it annoys the hell out of me to to search for one special single eyeshadow and not finding it between the other ones...

So, I would really really need someone who has experiences with both the eyeshadows, MAc and BEN NYE and who could compare them for me.....is there a better color payoff ? Is blending easier with one of them ?
Because somehow I can't tell...and I tend to see the same color payoff in both.....hm :/

Help please =)

 

[user79]

I'm not sure what exactly your question is? Do you have any MAC shadows? If you do, then you can compare them?

You can buy single palettes from Ben Nye and fill them with refill pans - similar to the MAC palettes. Besides the Lumieres, Ben Nye also makes matte eyeshadows that you can get in palette form.

I guess I don't understand what exact advice you're looking for? I have quite a few BN products so I think I can help you out...

 

[Lessandes]

My problem is that I don't see much difference in the two labels when it comes to quality of the e/s...I own only BN shadows and tried MAc only when borrowing it from friends....I was waiting for a "OH MY GOD"-surprise when I used the MAc eyeshadows since it is such a famous brand but...well, good eyeshadows but BN is good as well.
Besides I heard already many negative things about MAC, that some of the eyeshadows don't last very long for example.

So for me the only difference between MAC and BN is the price.

Well, I think my main question is: Is there any special advantage when using MAC shadows I haven't found out yet ?

 

[user79]

Ah ok!

Well, I think the main difference is that MAC comes out with sooo many different colors, especially the permanent line, there's a lot of very unique colors that Ben Nye doesn't have.

Personally I like the BN Lumieres better than MAC, the quality is really superior! It's amazing for the price. The color payoff is like a very strong pigment, and I get nearly no fall-out with them, and I can even use them without a base they are so strong! So if you work with the Lumieres, compared to MAC - sure, MAC isn't going to look and feel so great!

The mattes are also great from BN, comparable to high end, however the color range is very basic. It's good to get basic colors from BN because it's cheaper, but if you want some very unique shades or duochromes or anything like that, MAC is great for that.

I don't think it's necessary to have a huge mac e/s collection tbh b/c it's so expensive, and also because a lot of the LE ones are just repeats of other colors, or only minute difference in shade that you can't tell much difference anyway.

I also found the quality of BN is always the same, no matter what color you choose, but with MAC the quality between the different colors and finishes (frost, veluxe pearl, matte, etc.) really varies. Some are amazing, others are not so great.

I think if you're happy with BN then keep using it, but if you see some really unique shades from MAC, then I do think they are worth the purchase.

Hope that helped.

BTW the Matte2 from MAC - imo - are a little bit better than the Ben Nye mattes. But the original Matte finish from MAC, I think Ben Nye is better! But MAC doesn't make a lot of Matte2 eyeshadows anyway, sadly. They tend to release lots of frosts in recent collections. :/



And yeah, you can buy a Ben Nye palette, maybe just not at that store you buy at. If you check my Youtube channel, I have a recent video where I review the BN Mattes, you can check it out, I show the palette I have. You can also buy the BN Lumieres for that size.

If you have some Christmas money and want to buy some MAC shadows, I say go for some really unique shades that BN doesn't have, for examples some of the duochromes which are really pretty. There's a whole thread on duochrome shadows, just search for it. I know that your makeup style is more on the creative / dramatic side, so I think you'd get more enjoyment out of those than the more plain / normal basic shadows from MAC, which you can easily dupe from Ben Nye (like neutral colors.)

 

[Lessandes]

Thank youso much for that detailed recommandation!

So I think I'll ho now for some MAC eyeshadows but definitely won't give up Ben Nye =)
And I'll ask for BN palettes =) Thanks!