MAC Metal X cream shadows - Gold Carbon and Palladium

Some of the MAC Metal X have been released in the UK and are available online at www.maccosmetics.co.uk (a few of the colours are still marked as coming soon). I had a look at a couple of MAC counters and the MAC Covent Garden store without any luck, but finally found them in person in the Fouberts Place Pro Store. I bought Gold Carbon (metallic taupe) and Palladium (metallic ash).

Swatches on bare skin:

This is Gold Carbon applied with the MAC 239 brush, lined with MAC Grey Utility Powerpoint pencil, with nothing (no powder or powder eyeshadow etc) over the top of it. Gold Carbon gives a smudgy, glossy, smoky eye. I like it for an undone kind of look. It's described as metallic taupe by MAC, and I'd just about agree, although it is a dark, slightly blackened taupe. This does crease, although it's not as creasey as the Metal X cream eyeshadows from 2007 - I have Gilded Ash from that collection (although annoyingly I can't find it at the moment).

I pulled out  Black Ore Solar Bits (loose pigment - a black with gold sparkles) and patted it over the top of the Gold Carbon. It's very sparkly, good for a party eye, but not exactly suitable for work (I would wear the Gold Carbon on its own during the day though).

Black Ore is also a good base for Unflappable (charcoal/purple) powder eyeshadow from this year's Mega Metal collection.

I haven't used Palladium on my eyes yet, but I'll post pictures when I do. I bought Palladium on a whim; I do prefer the colour of Black Ore and I find paler metallics a bit more difficult to wear. I would say that Gold Carbon is much closer to the colour of Gilded Ash from 2007 than Palladium - Palladium is a paler colour, much closer to the actual colour of ash.