Finish: Matte / Light beige with peach
Bamboo was actually one of my very first eyeshadow purchases from MAC a little over two years ago (hard to believe it’s been that long!). I quickly swapped it away after using it a couple of times, and after using it in this Spotlight I remember why I swapped it away! Unfortunately, this reminds me a LOT of Saddle and is really just a softer version of it. If you are of a cooler complexion and find orange/peachy shades troublesome, steer clear of Bamboo. I like it for its finish and how easy it is to work with, but like I said, it’s not uniquely one of a kind in MAC’s collection and once again I’ve been duped (pun intended)! Not my most favorite, and these are probably all the combos you’ll ever see come from it.
Karah
Hi Zabrena! When I saw you were doing a spotlight on Bamboo, I thought I would look it up and see what it looked like and it’s ratings. When I saw MUA’s ratings I thought poor Zabrena! lol! 🙂 but being the optimist that I am, I thought maybe Z will like it or it will look better on than in the pan. Wrong! Although, you always do your best with the shade your working with. Look 5 is very pretty. I saw you used Tissueweight LE. for that look. I know it’s discontinued but I wanted your opinion on it. Do you like Tissueweight? Is it special or can you easily dupe it?
Back to Bamboo. Mac and most makeup companies I’ve seen have too many of these brown or brown- orange/peachy shades for my taste. Great job as usual Zabrena! Exceptionally, with using these awful shades you’ve had to deal with! I saw on MUA that a lot of the ladies had problems with the shadow even showing up! Looks like you had no problem with that. Thanks for all your hard work Z! 🙂
My Eyeshadow Consultant
LOL! Yeah, no doubt Karah!
I remember hating it when I bought it the first time so I was, without a doubt, dreading this Spotlight. Ugh.
Thanks for the compliments; I appreciate that!
I hear ya on the makeup companies having tons of shades like this.
I don’t mind one orangey brown shade, but this one was just awful, hard to pair with others. I much prefer Saddle to be honest.
I really do like Tissueweight; I’m getting ready to do a couple looks with it for this week’s post.
It’s an exact DUPE for MAC’s Jest, so that could easily be substituted for it in that look.
I don’t feel it’s special enough to hunt down, not at all! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Saira
Ooooh, I love the combination of Goldmine and Woodwinked on the lid! So beautiful!
Karin Harnesk
This was actually one of my first MAC shadows, too! I bought along with Swiss Chocolate, it must have been over 10 years ago. I still have Bamboo but I haven’t used it for ages. When I bought it I was an eyeshadow newbie and didn’t wear much makeup. It’d be interesting to see what I think of it now!
Zabrena
Yes! It’s amazing the number of eyeshadows I’ve warmed up to now that were my first purchases and HATED!
Lisa
A look that I really like with Bamboo is: Blackground paint pot on the lid with Deep Truth layed over and Bamboo in the upper inner crease (does that even make sense!?) I have hooded eyes and using Bamboo helps to build out the upper, inner portion of my lid. Just a tip I thought I’d throw out there 🙂
Zabrena
Haha! Makes perfect sense! I like the sound of that!
Thanks for adding it on! 😉
Shawn (a girl, lol)
I want to just offer a different opinion of this shadow that several people clearly don’t like, and I was surprised since its one of my go-to blending out shades!
Just to give my two cents about this shadow, it’s actually my second most used shadow every single day, and I’ll never go without this one. For the record, I have a yellow undertone to my skin, so I like the way orangey/peachy shades look on me :). I got a jaw-dropped reaction and compliment from my friend who said that this look was the best look she’d ever seen on me and she wanted this peachy/orangey matte look to make her blue eyes really stand out! I agree that this would be AMAZING on blue eyes. I packed bamboo all over my lid with a MAC 139 brush and blended a little of it up with over my brow bone (slightly deep-set eyes) with the 217 brush. I then put some more bamboo on the crease with a fine pointed brush to create depth, then texture in the crease and outer half of my lid, and lastly a touch of Swiss chocolate in crease with a finely pointed soft brush, and then added a little more of it to darken my outer v. I put a matte white shadow as my highlight and MAC’s “brown down” fluidline over my upper lashes, and a little more bamboo and Swiss chocolate smudged under my lower lashes. I was sad to take it off! All I’m saying… is give bamboo a chance!” 😉 xoxo
Annette
Bamboo is beautiful and very versatile. I am a nw45 and I live it as a highlight under my brow as well as a lid.
Annette McGrath
I agree with you. I love Bamboo and find it a great highlighter under the brow for dark skin women. I am a NW45. Nice tradition color too.
Robyn
Hi Zabrena! I really like look #5. I have Jest instead of Tissueweight but I don’t have Cut to Fit. Is there a dupe for that one or something similar? It looks like a purple shade.
Zabrena
Hi Robyn!
Some bad lighting in that picture, my apologies LOL
Cut to Fit is a reddish brown shade; you could try something like Antiqued in its place, possibly Folie or Twinks; Haux would even be lovely there! 😉
Hope that helps!
Robyn
Lol after I sent the message, I thought maybe it’s not purple. Thanks for the suggestions. I have all of the ones you mentioned. I may have a slight addiction to MAC eyeshadows. I blame you! 😉 But I thank you too because I’ve had many comments on my eyes since finding your website and trying different combos. 🙂
Rose
Actually, using brûlée/vanilla on the lid, bamboo on the crease, and Mylar on the brow bone/inner corner is very attractive on blue/gray/light-green eyes, and very natural and soft on pale blondes. I’d give this one another try, Z. It looks amazing with cork and soft brown as well. Love this site! It helped me make many decisions on MAC/UD shadows. Love love love you, Zabrina!
Vicki
Hi
I just purchased Bamboo, and I’ve been using it every day since. It’s not the color so much as that it’s VERY light, and I’m VERY light, and even with soft brown…I need to lay down and blend to almost nothing an extremely light shade. Then, I add a more neutral crease like Soft Brown. I’ve tried it with Omega, but then my eyes come out kind of greyish looking (although I use that in my eyebrows). So, it’s working really well for me, and I’m a neutral kind of leaning warm with green eyes. I liked your looks that you included btw. But then, again, you always looks pretty.