Crazy for Taupes: Different Taupe Eye Shadows from different brands

What color is Taupe exactly?  Taupe is described as a moderate to dark brownish grey color or a grayish brown color.  These two descriptions are completely different but still are similar.  The first has a more brown tone to it while the other description has a more gray to it.

Taupe is a very easy to use and versatile, it could be a simple neutral look and it could be a sexy vampy look too.

Here are the different shades of taupes that I have....never knew I had so much of  it :)

This Elizabeth Arden Slate shadow looks almost gray but when applied you can see the brown tint to it.  It is very pigmented and blends easily.

The Satin Taupe is one of MAC's popular eye shadow shade.  It is part of it's permanent collection. It is also very similar to Elizabeth Arden's Slate, just a bit lighter when swatched.

The Estee Lauder Mocha Cup is very different from the the above that I have posted.  It is actually a grayish brown unlike the other 2 that are more on the brown side.  It is not as pigmented though so I normally have to swipe more than once to get the color pay-off that I like.

This Chantecaille eye shadow is another true to the description even though in the pan it looks like a light brown.  The gray is more prominent than the brown.  It is very smooth and pigmented.

The taupe in this palette is more of gray than brown.  Slightly on the powdery side but still smooth and easy to blend.  Has a lot of pigment for the price really.

This Sable from Laura Mercier is another true taupe.  It is very similar to the Estee Lauder taupe.  It has a bit of shimmer in the pan but hardly noticeable once it is on your skin.

The taupe shadow in this Metal Mania Palette is similar to the 88 Original Palette and to the Laura Mercier.  But slightly has more brown.  Also has a good pay off.  It is one of the few colors that I use from this palette.

This is the last of my taupe shades and it is like the first two that I showed.  Has more brown to it than gray.  I noticed that there are very small specks of glitter whereas the others only have a sheen to them.  It is very smooth and pigmented as well.

Here is a swatch of all the brands I mentioned.