Collection and Swatches: Browns Palette

First Row: Stars Makeup Haven Bohemia, Mac Bronze, Coastal Scents ME06, Mac Mulch, Stars Makeup Haven Cashmere, Mac Sable, Mac Twinks
Second Row: Mac Patina, Coastal Scents S05, Stars Makeup Haven Primal, ELF Moondust, Stars Makeup Haven Breathless, Mac Satin Taupe, Stars Makeup Haven Frenzy
Third Row: Mac Amber Lights, Coastal Scents ME23, Mac Woodwinked, Coastal Scents ME22, Mac Romp, Stars Makeup Haven Couture, Mac Tempting
Fourth Row: Mac Antiqued, Mac Sorcery Limited Edition, Coastal Scents S28, Stars Makeup Haven Dominatrix, Mac Dark Soul Pigment, Mac Carbon

Favorites: I love using Patina, Breathless or Woodwinked on my lids, and Twinks, Satin Taupe, Tempting or Antiqued on my crease. Carbon also adds depth and the finishing touch to any look.

Skip:  Bohemia and ME22 are very chunky and glittery. Moreover, they are too hard to work with. I would definitely not repurchase.

I would also skip Sorcery if you already have Mac Sketch. Sorcery is a dark brown with burgundy undertones and has a semi-matte, satin finish. Sketch is more pigmented and darker. 

Dupes: Amber Lights and ME23 are very similar. If you take a quick look at both eyeshadows, they look exactly the same. The only difference would be the undertones. Amber Lights has a more orange undertone, while ME23 has a more reddish, copper undertone. I would only buy one of the two and not both.

Sable and Cashmere are close dupes; however, Sable has a more taupe undertone. Also, the texture of Cashmere is smoother and has more fall outs. If you are on a budget, I would definitely get Cashmere, but if you want a higher quality eyeshadow, I would get Sable.

S28 and Dominatrix are also exact dupes. They are a dark brown with burgundy undertones. They have a shimmer finish and are very easy to blend. They are nice colors to define the outer v and to work with.

Satin Taupe and Frenzy may look a little bit alike in the pictures, but I wouldn't call them dupes. Satin Taupe is a true taupe color, whereas Frenzy is much darker and has a more brown undertone.

Romp and Couture may also look similar, but they are not dupes. Romp has a more golden undertone, while Couture has a more brown undertone.

Dark Soul is very shimmery, while Carbon is matte. I usually prefer to grab Carbon for my outer v to balance everything out, since I use shimmery colors for my lids and crease. I don't want my eye to look like it got pounded by a glitter ball.

Note: In terms of quality, Mac eyeshadows are better than Stars Makeup Haven (SMH) & Coastal Scents (CS) eyeshadows. I hit pan faster with SMH & CS eyeshadows because the formula is smoother. They also get really dusty and crumbly in the pan and a lot of the product tends to fall down to my cheeks and under eye area when I apply them on my lids. It's much more worth it to invest in a Mac eyeshadow since they last longer in the pan and I don't get any fallouts. I would only purchase from SMH and CS if they have shades that Mac doesn't carry, but I wouldn't purchase "Mac dupes" from SMH & CS because the quality of Mac eyeshadows are far superior.
 
Mac Eyeshadows in pan form cost $11.00 for 1.5 grams (some of the eyeshadows have 1.3 grams). Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows cost $6.00 for 1.3 grams. Coastal Scents eyeshadows cost $4.49 for 1.3 grams.

What are your favorite brown eyeshadows?