Kat 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. theBalm #25 (P, $6.50) is warmer (95% similar). Guerlain Two VIP #2 (LE, ) is darker (95% similar). MAC Hard Currency (LE, $17.00) is warmer (95% similar). Makeup Geek Friend Zone (DC, $6.00) is lighter (90% 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). Viseart Cool Matte #10 (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar). Smashbox Punked (PiP, ) is darker, brighter (90% similar). ColourPop Fate (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (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). Zoeva Gallery (PiP, ) is lighter (90% similar). Buxom Jetsetter (P, $12.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar). ColourPop Serendipity (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty Moment-o (590) (LE, $29.00) is darker (90% similar). Smashbox Haze (PiP, ) is darker (85% 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.
ColourPop Night Night (LE, $4.50) is brighter (95% similar). KVD Beauty Stone (LE, ) is lighter, warmer (95% similar). LORAC Shadow (Mega Pro 4) (LE, $19.00) is lighter, warmer (95% similar). Sydney Grace Songbird (LE, $5.25) is lighter (95% similar). ColourPop Grand (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery (95% similar). Sydney Grace Dusk (P, $5.25) is more shimmery (95% similar). City Color Black Widow (P, $6.99) is darker (95% similar). Laura Mercier Noir (PiP, $23.00) is darker (95% similar). Anastasia Claudia (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). ColourPop Blasé (LE, $4.50) is lighter, warmer (90% similar). Pat McGrath Deep Space (LE, $25.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar). L'Oreal Noir C'est Noir (P, $5.99) is darker (90% similar). Sydney Grace Tuxedo (LE, $5.25) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar). Anastasia Noir (P, $12.00) is darker (90% similar). Lancome It list (PiP, $19.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Make Up For Ever M106 Slate (P, $17.00) is lighter, warmer (90% similar). ColourPop Trance (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Sydney Grace To the Nines (LE, $5.25) is warmer (90% similar). KVD Beauty Black Metal (LE, ) is darker (90% similar). Milani Pitch Black (P, $5.99) is darker (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). ColourPop Jet Lag (PiP, $4.50) is lighter (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). Lethal Cosmetics Numb (P, $6.00) is brighter (95% similar). Wayne Goss Pearl Moonstone #4 (PiP, ) is warmer (95% similar). Sydney Grace Thunderbird (P, $5.25) is lighter (90% similar). Inglot #387 (P, $6.00) is lighter, brighter, cooler (90% similar). KVD Beauty Dagger (LE, ) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Viseart Cool Mattes 2 #6 (PiP, ) is darker (90% similar). Sephora Fog (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). Marc Jacobs Beauty The Free Spirit No. 14 (LE, ) is cooler (90% similar). ColourPop Gata (PiP, $4.50) is more shimmery, warmer (95% similar). ColourPop Bebe (LE, $4.50) is darker (85% similar). Give Me Glow Space Dust (P, $7.00) is darker (85% similar). Sydney Grace Boss Babe (P, $5.25) is cooler (85% similar). ColourPop Lovey Dovey (LE, $6.00)(85% similar). ColourPop 1980 (LE, $4.50) is warmer (85% similar). Natasha Denona Gloom (280CM) (PiP, ) is darker, warmer (85% similar). ColourPop Etiquette (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (80% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. 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. 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). 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). KVD Beauty 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). Urban Decay Bump (LE, $19.00) is cooler (95% similar). Inglot #373 (P, $6.00) is brighter, cooler (95% similar). Viseart Cool Matte #1 (PiP, ) is cooler (95% similar). Too Faced Frosty Nog (LE, $16.00) is cooler (95% similar). Sugarpill Tako (P, $13.00) is cooler (95% similar). MAC Me Me Me (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar). LORAC Matte-y (LE, $19.00) is warmer (95% similar). KVD Beauty Female Trouble (LE, ) is lighter (90% similar). KVD Beauty 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.

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