Let's address the elephant in the room here: yes, I said I wasn't going to buy the new Pat McGrath Dark Matter smokey eye kit, and yes, I bought it anyway. I've been making an effort to actually wear eyeshadow lately, and I'm still kicking myself for missing out on the glitter lip kits, so I convinced myself this kit was a must-have. Like all of the other Pat McGrath products and kits I've tried, it's simply stunning and definitely worth the hype and money.
The Dark Matter 006 sets come with a base color pigment (Ultrasuede Brown or Ultraviolet Blue), three powder/shimmer pigments (Dark Matter, Mercury, and Astral White), a black kohl liner, a stunning holographic eye gloss, and a blending brush. You can also get a set without the base color for a lower price. I of course went with the Ultrasuede Brown shade, and it was this Instagram video that convinced me I needed it in my life. I'm in the midst of playing around with the kit to figure out how to best wear the shades in my day to day life, and despite how much I really hate this saying, I'm shook.
The Ultrasuede Brown pigment is stunning - it's neither cream nor powder, but somewhere in between. It applies easily with the included brush or with fingers - my typical mode of applying everything these days. It's so smooth and buildable, and it's already become something I slap on every day, even if I'm not using anything else from the kit. The powder pigments are more sheer, but again, very easy to layer and build up. I love that they're versatile like this so I can ease into using them. I've never before actually used a black eyeshadow, but I've been reaching for the Dark Matter pigment to deepen the outer corners of my eyes. It doesn't look "overboard" at all. The Mercury pigment is beautiful as well, and such a unique shade - kind of gold, kind of silver. I love patting this on the center of my eyelids over the Ultrasuede Brown. Astral White doesn't feel as smooth as the other pigments as it has larger glitter particles rather than shimmer, but it's still beautiful and creates such a cool effect when layered over the other shades.
Ultrasuede Brown, Dark Matter, Mercury, Astral White, Kohl Liner, Eye Gloss
The one thing that drew me to this set in the first place was the eye gloss. As you'll probably remember from my post on Tuesday, I've fallen hard for the glossy eye look, and this holographic version really caught my eye. I was saying if they sold the gloss separately, I was going to buy it rather than a whole kit. But alas they didn't, and I felt like I needed the whole kit. The gloss is so fun to use - it's a thinner consistency than I was expecting, so it's super easy to spread over the lid and see how the holographic sparkle changes the look. It feels a little tacky, but less so than the options I talked about on Tuesday. It's one I'll be reaching for all the time for sure. I'm also pleasantly surprised with the kohl liner and the brush - the kohl is so creamy and easy to blend, but once it sets, it does not budge one bit. Seriously, I took those swatch photos on Sunday and I'm still washing remnants of it off my arm. The brush is soft and hasn't been shedding, and it applies all the included shadows beautifully.
The kits are sold out on the Pat McGrath website for now, but they'll be available at Sephora starting tomorrow! Are you going to get one?