The Urban Decay Smoked palette is stunning and just as high-quality as other Urban Decay palettes, full of velvety, highly pigmented shadows. The shadows aren’t glittery like some of the singles, making them more appropriate for women of all ages.
However, the colors may not be the best for the average mom, which I knew before I made the purchase; the palette was just too gorgeous to resist and I was feeling optimistic. I love smoky eyes and I’ll wear them during the day sometimes, but these gorgeous blackened jewel-toned shades are difficult to pull off. I don’t go out much in the evenings (we need more date nights!) but if I did, I would love pulling this palette out for a spin every time I did.
The set comes with ten shadows. Some are matte while others are pearly. There’s a deep black 24/7 eyeliner in the middle, an Urban Decay Primer Potion, and a booklet that shows you how to create several different smoky looks. The shadows and pencil come in a neat little zip-up palette and the book and primer potion remain on the outside of the case.
There are a few looks in the very detailed booklet that comes with the palette that will almost work for daytime (and any of them will work for night). Some of those incorporate the colors along the top half of the palette and lean toward the lighter end of the spectrum.
With a little tweaking, those looks could be made into light, smoky daytime-appropriate ones. However, it’s not worth purchasing an entire smoky palette for a handful of looks. Urban Decay’s Naked or Naked 2 palettes would be more versatile.
Photo credit: Sephora
