After the success of their dupes for the first three Urban Decay Naked palettes, Makeup Revolution have launched their own version of the Naked Smoky palette. By far the least wearable of all the Naked palettes, I wasn't about to go and splash the best part of £40 on a palette I might never wear, so as always, I turned to good old Makeup Rev...
In the Makeup Revolution Iconic Smokey Palette (£6) there is a range of shades, finishes and tones. Unlike the first three Naked palettes, which were distinctly warm or cool toned, this has a few shades from each spectrum. On the left of the palette there are some warm-toned shimmers which are perfect for a subtle daytime smoky eye. Then there are the "smoky" shades: a collection of cool greys, from shimmer, to glitter to matte, with a variety of pigmentations and undertones. Lastly, on the right there are three matte shades, which are really creamy for a drugstore palette.
I find the shades a lot more wearable than I first thought. I love the shimmery pink and bronze shades, Light and Stained for a nice daytime look, or combined with a touch of the matte brown, Rubble in the crease. The mattes in particular are gorgeous quality for the price, and are a real step up from those featured in Makeup Revolution's previous palettes. The light pink matte, Flicker is also stunning, and is a great transition shade.
I was also really surprised about the lesser pigmented silver shade, Silvery. This is the most unassuming shade on its own as it is quite sheer, however it is perfect as a wash over the warmer shadows to give a subtle smoked look. This is great as I don't think the overly cool silver smoky eye suits my pale skin all that much, one of the reasons why I was hesitant about buying the Urban Decay version.
Honestly I do think there are too many of the same shade here in the centre of the palette, particularly as these are ones I'd only use in the outer corner, and I miss having a shimmer highlight shade. I would have liked to see at least one more of the warm-toned shades, a dark brown shimmer or maybe a brighter navy or purple to be the base of a more colourful smoky eye. For me, it just doesn't contain everything I'd need for a smoky eye, and given the name, I expected it to be more versatile.
For £6, you are getting twelve shadows (I struggled to swatch the matte white) and a dual ended brush, which is pretty good value. The brush is better than the previous sponge applicators, and is definitely usable if you have nothing else, but it did shed for me. Let's face it, it's never going to be able to compete with the mighty MAC 217, the god of all eyeshadow brushes.
I like, and reach for, the Makeup Revolution Iconic Smokey Palette a whole lot more than I thought I would. It's an interesting palette that is definitely unique amongst my stash. I doubt I will fall in love with this enough to buy the Urban Decay version, but I do wonder how the shades and finishes compare. The quality of Makeup Revolution's products just gets better and better, whilst remaining at the more affordable end of the drugstore. This is just one of the many reasons I can't resist picking up their new releases!
Have you tried the Makeup Revolution Smokey palette?
Or the Urban Decay Naked Smoky. Let me know!
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