What Is It?
You have all probably heard about the much-awaited Naked eye-shadow palette by Urban Decay, called SMOKY. So, I decided to try out this bad-boy, and see what all the hoo-ha is about. Let me tell you one thing, there sure is no smoke without fire; yes, this thing is on fire, and it is smoking hot good!
I have all the Naked eye-shadow palettes … actually, I don’t have number 3 as I didn’t think it suited my skin tone; it was too light, with too many shimmer shades which are not useful if you are trying to create depth and shadows. The new Naked SMOKY palette has 12 shades in total, much like its predecessors. Unlike the others, this palette has 6 matt shades, essential when it comes to creating the perfect smoky eye. The tones are perfectly balanced, with warm, cool and neutral tones, making it perfect for all skin tones.
Why Do I Recommend It?
I am in love with the range of matt shades offered in this palette. As I mentioned before, matt shades are essential in creating the perfect smoky eye. You need to create depth on certain parts of the eyes with dark matt colors, and blend really well!
You can see the seven matt shades, a first in any of the Naked palette range, which usually only offer three to four at a time. Three out of the five shimmers have specks of glitter screaming “I’m fun, use me!” whilst the other two are sensible velvet shimmers. I particularly like the fourth shade called Slanted, which has a grey-blue tinge to it. Out of the matt shades, well, I love all of them, but if I really had to pick one, it would be Dagger, a medium dark blue/gray tone, just beautiful.
The colours are all highly pigmented, which means the eye-shadows look quite similar on the eyelids as they look in the box. More intensity can be achieved by dipping the brush in water or spraying some Fix Plus by MAC on the brush before dabbing it onto the shades, and – POW! The colours will be even more intense and striking, ensuring that your eyes look absolutely fabulous.
The SMOKY palette also comes with a double-ended brush. The smaller end is very handy for getting into smaller areas, and can be used where more intensity is desired. It has a dense, small head, which is great for that. The other side is more fluffy, and ideal for applying softly and blending. With a smoky eye, you, my dears, need to blend, blend, blend!
A Closer Look at the Shades
High – A neutral, light-beige, silver shimmer.
Dirtysweet – A warm, rose-gold shimmer with glitter flecks.
Radar – A warm, soft, metallic-bronze/brown shimmer.
Amor – A silver-silver shimmer with glitter flecks.
Slanted – A cool, blue-gray shimmer (my fave shimmer).
Dagger – A cool, dark-blue-gray matt (my fave matt).
Black Market – A velvet, black matt.
Smolder – A cool, dark-plum-gray matt.
Password – A neutral, medium-gray matt.
Whisky – A dark, warm brown matt.
Combust – A neutral, pink-beige matt.
Thirteen – A neutral, vanilla matt.
My Eid Look 2015 with SMOKY Palette
Just for you, I bought the SMOKY palette and created a look which I hope will inspire you to give it a shot. I’ll try to explain, but without a video, you really will have to keep up with me, darlings! Here goes …
Step 1: I used Combust all over my eye-lids.
Step 2: I used Thirteen as a highlighter, before using High on just the high points of my brow-bone.
Step 3: I used Dagger up to my crease, and Password on the edges to soften.
Step 4: I layered Slanted on the inner half of my eyelid, over Dagger, and used it under the lower lash line.
Step 5: Black Market was added into the crease, and the outer third of my eye lid.
And of course, I made sure to blend, blend, and blend!!
Step 6: I lined my upper lid with Inglot’s black gel liner, extending outwards.
Step 7: I lined my lower lash line with Urban Decay’s 24/7 electric-blue pencil in Chaos.
Step 8: I used Dagger to smoke out the lower-lining, and blend it to create a smooth look.
Step 9: I blended any hard edges.
Step 10: I cleaned up any fallout of dark shadows under my eyes using a wet wipe.
Step 11: I used concealer to create a clean slate under my eyes; after all, we don’t want panda eyes, now do we, darlings?
Step 12: I applied 2 coats of mascara, and … Voila!
Hope you like it!
Till next time, my loves!
Samina Malik, aka SAM.M, provides unique make-up consultancy services tailored to each individual she works with. Sam has over 20 years of experience in the industry, having worked with big industry giants such as Sephora, Marc Jacobs, Benefit Cosmetics and Inglot, to name a few. Her consultancy clients hail from all around the world. Cosmopolitan Magazine featured her opinions on the make-up mistakes women in Singapore make, and what to do about them.
Now a sought out household name amongst the expatriate community in Singapore, SAM.M turns women into their own make-up artists by giving them all they need to know.
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