Kat Von D Smoke Shade + Light Quad Review, Photos, Swatches
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light QuadKat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad ($26.00 for 0.21 oz.) contains four shades designed to work together and are named to help guide application–Base, Define, Contour, and Highlight–though you can obviously go wherever your creativity takes you. If you couldn’t guess from the title, this is your traditional “smoky eye” pairing, though I think the more taupe-y gray gives it something more interesting than standard silver.
Smoke (Base) is a medium, taupe-gray with cool undertones and a matte finish. It was lightly powdery, but it didn’t seem to impact application, as it applied with good color coverage and blended out easily. The color started to fade after eight hours. Guerlain Two VIP #2 (LE, ) is darker (95% similar). theBalm #25 (P, $6.50) is warmer (95% similar). MAC Hard Currency (LE, $17.00) is warmer (95% similar). LORAC Silent Mary (LE, $19.00) is darker (95% similar). Sephora + Pantone Universe Deep Taupe (LE, ) is warmer (95% similar). MAC Copperplate (DC, $17.00) is more muted (95% similar). Makeup Geek Friend Zone (DC, $6.00) is lighter (90% similar). Viseart Cool Matte #10 (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty Moment-o (590) (LE, $29.00) is darker (90% similar). LORAC Stone (LE, $19.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty The Free Spirit No. 11 (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (90% similar). Stila Fog (LE, $18.00) is darker (90% similar). Tarte Energetic (LE, ) is darker, cooler (90% similar). MAC Smoked Cocoa #2 (LE, $17.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Smashbox Punked (PiP, ) is darker, brighter (90% similar). Zoeva Gallery (PiP, ) is lighter (90% similar). Buxom Jetsetter (P, $12.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Dominique Cosmetics Zero Gravity (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (85% similar). Smashbox Haze (PiP, ) is darker (85% similar). Colour Pop Harley (LE, $4.50) is lighter, cooler (80% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Smoke (Define) is a dark, gray-black with cool undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff, but the texture wasn’t powdery–it was actually a little firm and thin. It wasn’t a total surprise that it was harder to blend out and diffuse the edges when used on the eye. I still managed to get eight hours of wear out of this shade.
LORAC Shadow (Mega Pro 4) (LE, $19.00) is lighter, warmer (95% similar). City Color Black Widow (P, $6.99) is darker (95% similar). Laura Mercier Noir (PiP, $23.00) is darker (95% similar). Sydney Grace Dusk (P, $5.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Kat Von D Stone (LE, ) is lighter, warmer (95% similar). Anastasia Claudia (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Sephora Misfits (LE, ) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Make Up For Ever M106 Slate (P, $17.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar). Sydney Grace To the Nines (LE, $5.00) is warmer (90% similar). MAC Beg For It (LE, $20.00) is darker (90% similar). Melt Cosmetics GF (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (90% similar). MAC Russian Blue (LE, $17.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar). L'Oreal Noir C'est Noir (P, $5.99) is darker (90% similar). MAC Cast Iron (LE, $17.00) is lighter (90% similar). Anastasia Noir (P, $12.00) is darker (90% similar). Lancome It list (PiP, $19.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Kat Von D Black Metal (LE, ) is darker (90% similar). Colour Pop Blasé (LE, $4.50) is lighter, warmer (90% similar). Milani Pitch Black (P, $5.99) is darker (90% similar). Pat McGrath Deep Space (LE, $25.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Smoke (Contour) is a muted, light-medium gray with cool, bluish undertones and a matte finish. It was very blendable on the skin, but it was also moderately powdery, so getting the color to stay opaque was difficult (even though it was quite pigmented!). The color wore well for seven and a half hours before fading. L'Oreal Meet Me in Paris (P, $5.99) is more shimmery, darker (95% similar). Make Up For Ever M110 Cement (DC, $21.00) is darker (95% similar). Laura Mercier Cloud (LE, $22.00) is darker (95% similar). Viseart Cool Mattes 2 #6 (PiP, ) is darker (90% similar). Inglot #387 (P, $6.00) is lighter, brighter, cooler (90% similar). Sephora Fog (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). Sydney Grace Thunderbird (P, $5.00) is lighter (90% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty The Free Spirit No. 14 (LE, ) is cooler (90% similar). Kat Von D Dagger (LE, ) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Colour Pop Gata (PiP, $4.50) is more shimmery, warmer (95% similar). Sydney Grace Boss Babe (LE, $5.00) is cooler (85% similar). Colour Pop Lovey Dovey (LE, $6.00)(85% similar). Viseart Grande Pro (Vol. 1) #22 (LE, ) is lighter, cooler (80% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty For Less (PiP, ) is cooler (80% similar). Colour Pop Slated (DC, $4.50) is darker, warmer (80% similar). LORAC Our Guest (LE, $19.00) is darker (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
Smoke (Highlight) is a bright white with a semi-matte finish and neutral-leaning-warm undertones. It had good color payoff with a lightly dusty texture that sheered out slightly applied. It had light fall out (even after tapping excess off), and the strong white base does seem to lighten anything in its path so take care if you apply it above the crease or brow bone so it doesn’t mess up your lid shades! It wore well for eight hours on me. Sephora Swan Song (DC, $10.00) is cooler (95% similar). Too Faced Coconut Cream (LE, $16.00) is brighter (95% similar). Sephora Starlight (LE, ) is cooler (95% similar). Kat Von D Liberatus (PiP, ) is more muted, warmer (95% similar). Inglot #318 (P, $6.00) is brighter, cooler (95% similar). MAC Snow Panda (LE, $17.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Viseart Ivoire (P, ) is warmer (95% similar). Inglot #373 (P, $6.00) is brighter, cooler (95% similar). Urban Decay Bump (LE, $19.00) is cooler (95% similar). Viseart Cool Matte #1 (PiP, ) is cooler (95% similar). Sugarpill Tako (P, $13.00) is cooler (95% similar). Too Faced Frosty Nog (LE, $16.00) is cooler (95% similar). Ciate Topless (LE, ) is darker (95% similar). LORAC Linen (PiP, $19.00) is warmer (95% similar). L'Oreal Paris Beach (P, $5.99) is lighter (95% similar). LORAC White (PiP, $19.00) is cooler (95% similar). MAC Me Me Me (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar). LORAC Matte-y (LE, $19.00) is warmer (95% similar). Kat Von D Female Trouble (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). Kat Von D Skull (LE, ) is less shimmery (95% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.
FORMULA OVERVIEW | The quads contain the Shade + Light Eyeshadow formula, which is supposed to have “high pigment” with a “silky and blendable” consistency and long-wearing. I think if you enjoyed Kat Von D’s recent eyeshadow palettes, I think you’ll like these; they are very soft and smooth with a finely-milled, velvety texture that can kick up an excess amount of powder any time something touches the pan’s surface. I notice an abundance of fall out (surprisingly!) when working with the eyeshadows, but a very smooth base is critical to maximize adhesion to the skin without getting unevenness/darkening due to the looser nature of the powder paired with the more matte finishes. The lighter shades seem chalky on my skin tone and have strong white bases. The darkest shades blend better when mixed with one of the lighter shades rather than alone, and I actually tried blending them over primer to see if that helped, but it was marginally better–patience and multiple tools (clean brushes are key for blending these out), while the light and mid-tone shades were easy to blend out. The wear varied between seven and a half and eight hours for me, which is consistent with my past experiences using this formula.
Smoke
PPermanent. $26.00.
Smoke (Base)
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Smoke (Define)
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Smoke (Contour)
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Smoke (Highlight)
PiPPermanent in Palette.
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
Kat Von D Smoke (Base) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke (Base) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke (Define) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke (Define) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke (Contour) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke (Contour) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke (Highlight) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke (Highlight) Eyeshadow
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
Kat Von D Smoke Shadow + Light Quad
That base shade is a great contour color for the face as well.
Good idea!
I got this and love it but yes the things about the 2 greys are true. For me it works for a daytime smoky eye ( love smoky eye as my go to) as its not too dark but still looks good.
So glad you’re enjoying it regardless, Karin 😀
I wish she would have made these a little more better quality- a little smoother. I love the shades she chose. I ordered the Plum on Thur. If that works well with primer, I will try the others out. I think you managed a gorgeous look here.
Keep us posted on how Plum works for you, Nicole!
I don’t get the concept of these. What’s contouring for eyes? It just seems like an obvious attempt to capitalize on a trend without being anything we really haven’t seen.
Contouring has been around for a very long time no doubt – but you can absolutely contour eyes!
Hmmm I don’t know, it’s all a bit too flat for me.
Gotcha! 🙂
Love the eye look you did -so dramatic! I wish the light gray was better, but it seems to be a reasonably priced palette, definitely on the cool side, and primer/cream base would improve/fix some of the issues.
Thank you, Katherine 🙂
Pass for me. I don’t use matte grays a lot.
That makes two of us!
What a pleasant surprise, I actually really like this one! A lot! Although I must say, I think I *might* be covered, at least in shades, but not all matte in finish, though. So, who knows?
The gorgeous, sultry eye look you did using this quad also has a significant impact in making me want to purchase this, too! Looks great! ?
Thank you, Nancy! 🙂
I totally have to have this. I love your eye look. While not perfect quality, they are indeed attractive matte shades. Matte is tough to get right. Price point and quality seem reasonable to me. I sneaked in another Sephora order on the sale.. decided to pass on the plum as I have so many plum shadows as is.
I really like this palette. Maybe next week, payday.
It looks a bit flat and dry on – I understand that these palettes being all matte is very much the idea but I think a satin or pearl finish thrown in the mix would have added dimension. I’m not a fan!
For someone who loves their mattes and a smoky eye, this would be a great little travel quad for them.
Despite how cool-toned this palette seems, for some reason it’s calling out to me! I think the grey could easily be used as a brow colour if you’re in a pinch! Love that taupe over silver theme!
I’d prefer a little smoother finish, but I’ve been looking for a quad like this for awhile. Dove greys are so hard to find! I’ll have to head over to Sephora for a look.
Wow love the look you did with this! Made me give this palette a second look but I think I have these colors already.
Looks like a decent grey palette, I like the smoky eye you did, for some reason I’m not quite ‘feeling’ it though. I’m not sure why, maybe because it’s so matte. I think I preferred the plum one.
I *really* like these shades, and am quite tempted even though I usually prefer a little bit of shimmer in my shadows and the application issues might frustrate me a bit (although the fact that I always wear primer should help a little). I’m so glad they came out with a set that should really work for cool-toned complexions, I want to encourage more of that!
I love the base shade. If was a little more sheer, I’d use it to contour my face! I think Plum is still my favorite!
The base color on this palette looks really similar to “Lazarus” from the main Shade & Light eye contour palette. Is it similar IRL? Lazarus is basically the only color in the big palette that I like, so if it’s super-close I would buy this one.
I looked at the swatch gallery, but the lighting is different in the two swatch photos, so it was hard to tell.
The lighting looks about the same to me? I am not really seeing a significant difference in the two. I know that they were shot with the EXACT same equipment, settings, and lighting, so they are not different as you mentioned, just as FYI 🙂 I feel like I am looking at two different colors — Lazarus is several shades lighter and warm-toned; it is brown whereas Smoke is gray. Maybe you can share with me the device you’re using and I can see if I have the same to check there? Or did you mean a different shade from the Shade + Light palette?
http://www.temptalia.com/side-by-side?sbs_1_search=Kat+Von+D+Lazarus&sbs_1=193934&sbs_2_search=Kat+Von+D+Smoke+%28Base%29&sbs_2=227284
Thanks for your response. I’m using an Asus laptop. On my screen, the skin of the arm in the Lazarus swatch is much more warm-colored than in the Smoke Base swatch. That’s why I thought the lighting was different.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the colors 🙂