Swatches and Review: Maybelline Natural Smokes Eyeshadow Quad

Pros:

• not expensive compared to other eyeshadows, such as Mac & Urban Decay
• doesn't crease when used with a primer
• no fallouts during application (except for the lid shade)
• crease and liner shade has good color payoff when layered and used with a primer, such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion
• crease and liner shade applies and blends easily 

Cons:

• fades a bit after 8 hours, even with a primer
• lid shade is difficult to apply and blend

Base - pale beige with a satin finish; looks matte under artificial lighting and is a little bit chalky;
decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer; applies and blends decently 

Lid - shimmery taupe with microglitters; decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
difficult to apply and blend; some fallouts during application

Crease - shimmery neutral brown; good color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
applies and blends easily

Liner - matte charcoal espresso; good color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
applies and blends easily

The lid, liner and crease color are too close in intensity and it's difficult to get any contrast from them when applied onto the eyes. It almost looks like I have a black eye when I use the palette as directed by wearing all 4 of the shades together. However, the colors look nice when used separately or when used with other eyeshadows. For example, it looks really nice when I use Urban Decay Sellout on the lids with the Maybelline crease color on my crease and the Maybelline liner color on my outer corner. 

The problem that I have with this quad is the lid color because it is the hardest to work with, but you can still get decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer. It just takes a little more work to blend and I have to use a transition color, such as Mac Soft Brown, to create that faded and blended look.

Side Note: This is another reason why I'm not a huge fan of pre-made palettes. There is always a shade that I'm not too fond of and it's a waste of money to buy a pre-made palette if I'm just going to use some of the colors and not all of the colors. I much prefer eyeshadow singles. 

By the way, the lid color looks disgusting in the pan. Usually, an eyeshadow will look like that or will have a "shiny film" on top when oil gets on it. I never swatch my eyeshadows using my fingers because our hands produce natural oils, and I always use a clean brush to apply. So, I don't know why the lid shade in the Maybelline quad looks like that.

Bottom Line: The crease and liner shades are great, but the lid color is really a pain to work with. Since the price is pretty cheap, you have to expect the quality to be compromised. In other words, you get what you pay for, but please keep in mind that there are mixed reviews about this quad. So, maybe I just got a defective one? It is also important to note that Maybelline recently changed their packaging and the one that I'm reviewing has the new packaging.

Note: The Maybelline eyeshadow quad contains 4.8g and you can purchase this at Ulta, Target and drugstore.com for around $5. As with any drugstore product, I would definitely wait for a sale because there is always a "buy one, get one half off" or even a "buy one, get one for free" sale.

Have you tried any of Maybelline's eyeshadow quads?

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