Finish: Satin / Soft gold-peach with pearl
Arena is a soft orange brown shade perfect for pairing with other oranges, greens and browns. The formula is matte with a slight amount of sheen and is ideal for ladies with more mature eyelids. I like using this in my neutral eyeshadow combinations, but have found it can easily be paired with brighter colors for a subtle, but dramatic look. If you find that you have trouble getting Arena to show on your lids, try layering it over something like MAC’s Rubenesque paintpot (see looks #3 and 4); it will really help to punch it up! Arena brings out every eye color beautifully adds an air of sophistication.
boops
on eye #1-which color is under bottom lashes? I did this look which came out really nice, but I was stumped on the bottom lash line.
Thanks
macshadowcombos
Hi! Whoops! I’ll add that in.
I put Mulch on the outer half and Bold and Brazen on the inner half. 🙂
Saira
I love all of these looks but I particularly like Look 5. I wouldn’t have thought to pair Greensmoke with Arena. The peachy tones look really nice with the green. I don’t have Greensmoke but I’ll perhaps try it out with Sumptuous Olive instead.
macshadowcombos
Yes, they do – it shocked me too – they blend together seamlessly, almost like they were made for one another.
Sumptuous Olive would be a good one to try with it too!
Saira
Out of curiosity, how do you do the ‘Spotlight On’ articles for each eyeshadow? Do you pick a colour and use it for a week or so to try out different combinations, or do you take pictures whenever you use a particular shade and then put them all together in one article when you have enough looks?
macshadowcombos
Hi Saira!
Little bit of both – sometimes I’ll wear a certain color throughout the week and take pictures of it as I go (depending on the shade and whether or not I feel comfortable wearing it to work – ha!).
Other times I’ll devote a good amount of time on Saturday to doing different looks and have to HEAVILY moisturize my dry eyelids Sunday. LOL 🙂
Heather
My favorite is Look 4
Brooke
I’m putting together a 4X palette now that all my Tartans are completely used up and can’t decide on anything. Your blog has been most helpful, although I still can’t decide, but that’s just me. I have very large blue eyes and like to stick with browns and neutrals. I’m loving the Naked Lunch color and can’t figure out why I’ve never tried it before. 🙂 TY.
Zabrena
Welcome! I’m glad you’re finding the blog helpful!
I’m terrible at making decision when it comes to selecting eyeshadows, so I feel your pain! 🙂
Karah
Hi! Zabrena,
I don’t have Arena yet, but I love look 4! Is there a MAC dupe for Arena? I have a lot of other shadows but not Arena yet. Thanks for all your help! 🙂
Zabrena
Hi Karah!
Hmmm tough one! You could substitute with something like Samoa Silk, but it’s a little more orange than Arena, so it’d need to be applied lightly. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Vanessa Chouinard
Hey Z! Would you say Arena is a shimmery version of Bamboo? I can’t seem to find any reference to bamboo on your site.
Thanks!
Vanessa
My Eyeshadow Consultant
Hi Vanessa!
Thanks for asking!
Bamboo is actually one I started out with and swapped away early on in my MAC collecting; it’s one I’ll have to buy again to do a Spotlight for on the site. 🙂 Compared to Arena, it could pass, but Arena is definitely more orange than Bamboo, and Bamboo leans more of a darker orangey-brown. You could always try it in place of Arena – you might really like the results in some of these combos! 🙂
Tracey Hall
I used a pink tonight with Arena in the crease, blended out with Brule and loved the look. I would have never tried the colours together before.
Thank you so much for your inspiration