Continuing the RMK 15th Anniversary celebrations with the Eye Palette (Gray 02) and Lip Palette

All brands should give the same attention to detail that RMK did when making their 15th Anniversary Eye Palettes and Lip Palette.

Earlier this year, RMK announced that they were turning 15 this year (a milestone in cosmetics years!) and to commemorate this achievement, they were releasing some limited edition goodies throughout the year. The first item they tempted us with was the 15th Anniversary Cheek Palette – a pretty and useable palette that came in 2 shades and which broke many a heart of anyone attempting to use it.

We were told it wasn’t the last of it, and here comes the second installment – the 15th Anniversary Eye Palette and Lip Palette. The eye palette comes in 2 shades, one warmer with pink and brown colours and another cooler with blue, grey and gold colours. The lip palette comes in just 1 which will suit most skintones.

I’m going to first have a good ol’ rave at the packaging. Both Eye and Lip palettes are incredibly well packaged in a convenient travel friendly tube packaging. In each tube fits the 4 colour product palette, a mirror and a dual ended brush that is very good quality. The whole package fits nicely in your hand and slips nicely into the side of your bag or pouch for touch ups. Its an innovative wonder! But packaging aside, let’s take a look at performance 🙂

One more note about the packaging. See how it fits in your palm?

The silver metal tubes are the same size and have good heft and smooth working parts. For the price you will pay for these, I appreciate how smoothly the cap slides on without grating or scratching, how smoothly the included brush fits into the case, how smooth and controlled the hinges of the palette cover feel as you use it. It is truly befitting of the price and I appreciate all that because I’d hate if it felt like a flimsy piece of plastic.

The only thing I’m not quite enamoured with is the print on the metal cap. I feel that it made it look a bit cheaper than it really is. I’d have preferred if they’d just etched on the RMK logo with a small print of the 15th Anniversary and left it at that. The fairy is cute, but I feel that the whole 15th Anniversary logo looks a bit childish and out of place on this elegant piece of cosmetic. Just my 2 cents.

Slide up the cap and here’s what you get. A dual ended lip or eyeshadow brush nestled in the case. You must slip out the brush before you can get to the product, which is I feel another bit of design flaw. If you’re in a hurry, you will curse having to do this. There is a “switch” at the top of the brush case that you depress to slide out the brush from either end. I found it a little sharp so you have to be careful not to cut yourself.

Design flaws aside, lets take a look at the inside and how each palette performs.

15th Anniversary Lip Palette

The lip palette is a set of 4 safe lip colours in the browns and rose categories. I was very keen on the lip palette because the colours look absolutely gorgeous! You can use the colours alone or blend them together to create your own colour. The included lip brush is of very high quality and definitely one you can keep and use over and over. I will in fact see myself using up this lip palette (there isn’t very much product anyway) and if you are the adventurous creative sort, melt your own lip colours back into the case.

If you expect the lip colours on lips to look as they do in the palette, that’s where you’d be let down. I was, and I am one of the biggest proponents of sheer Japanese style lip colours! Here’re the swatches of each of the colours swatched as heavily as I could do it.

See what I mean? You get the barest hint of colour on your lips in a very sheer balmy texture. On my pigmented lips, it just looked like a my-lips-but-better shade. It evened out my lip colour, added a tint of colour and shine but otherwise don’t expect too much. I find that with a lipstick, you can press on the colour to intensify it. With a lip colour in a palette, you can’t, so you just have to layer it on. To its credit, layering on doesn’t make it look too thick at all.

If you are familiar with how Japanese style sheer tinted lip colours look on you then you may not be too upset about this. If you are looking for something pigmented, this palette isn’t for you. I like just wearing it for a simple look. It adds polish in a very subtle manner, but then I’m a huge fan of sheer lip colours anyway. I was let down initially, but it does make up for it by looking quite good and natural once it settles.

15th Anniversary Eye Palette – Gray 02

The 15th Anniversary Eye Palette comes in 2 shades – one warmer (01 Brown), one cooler (02 Gray). You can see the picture of both palettes here. The one I have is 02 Gray, the cooler toned one.

Actually, the only cool bit about this palette is the light blue. It is otherwise a pretty neutral toned palette of a gray-green colour, light blue, light gold and light cream. All colours have shimmer, and it comes with a dual ended eyeshadow brush that it very serviceable. Do not toss it. If you don’t want it, please send it to me 😛

Pretty as the palette is, you can just about guess what I’m going to say next – its sheer. It is so sheer in fact, that it surprised me. I was expecting the grey-green shade to show up nicely at least. I didn’t have much hope for the rest, but it wasn’t quite to be. Still, if you layer it on, it does come out looking quite pretty in a very subtle almost-there manner. This is one product that is truly mistake proof and the quality is amazing because you get smooth fine milled powder and shimmer and none of the glitter fall out crap.

Here are the swatches where I can almost see you all go “Aww… its so sheer!”

I swatched with fingers so when you use a brush, pat it on for better colour intensity. If you use an eyelid primer, it will likely show up more pigmented. Otherwise, this one is strictly for those who are already familiar with Japanese style eyeshadows and know better than to expect strong pigmented colours.

Also, this isn’t a palette for those with deeper skin tones. I think it will only show up as mere shimmer and you will hate it. So Gray 02 is mostly targeted at those with lighter skin tones for best results. 01 Brown may be more wearable for the majority, with its brown, pink and cream theme.

The colours when applied are very subtle on the lids and the shimmer isn’t too over done, barring the cream shade which is markedly more shimmery. It is this shimmer that I’m unsure if you will find it suitable for work. I wear anything I damn well please to work so shimmer doesn’t matter to me but it is a point to note. I find it pretty if I line my eyes and have mascara on. If you go for shadows like this then I think this a nice palette. It travels well, comes with its own brush, is compact and you can easily just smudge on some colour to brighten your peepers. But if you prefer strong pigmented colours, then this will not be for you. Also, I don’t think this suitable for the evening if you like a dark smokey eye. It just can’t do it.

In a nutshell

The RMK 15th Anniversary Eye Palette and Lip Palette are limited edition palette released to commemorate RMK’s 15 years in the business. The packaging is genius, being at once slim and compact and yet containing all the necessities – a good brush, mirror and product. The lip colours are sheer although they impart a lovely natural looking shine to the lips while evening out the texture and colour of your lips. It isn’t drying or too slippery or too glossy. The eye colours too are on the sheer, shimmery side. It doesn’t show up very much but it lends a highlighting note to brighten the eye area and just make you look more awake and alert. I find it best to pair it with strong eyeliner to really define your eyes. Used together, the RMK 15th Anniversary Eye and Lip palettes give an overall sheer, translucent barely there colour to the face. It is very reminiscent of how Japanese makeup looks and will only truly appeal to those who appreciate it. Those more familiar with strong pigmented colours offered by the Western makeup brands will find this a wash out. I sort of like these. I’m not in love with them, but I wear a lot of similar style makeup so this is something I find easy to work with.

Pros:  Compact sturdy well made palette, Brush included for both eye and lip palettes is of very good quality, Lip colours are safe and give a my-lip-but-better colour, Eye colours are easy to use and practically mistake proof, Good quality lip and eye products even if colours tend to be on the sheer side

Cons: Many people may find the colours and textures too sheer, Location of the brush is a bit inconvenient as you have to remove it before you get to the colours

Who will like this: Anyone who is familiar with and likes Japanese style makeup which borders on sheer translucent colours, Anyone who is looking for a compact palette

Here is an idea of what both palettes look like when applied.

I did a zoom in (much to my horror) to show you how the eyes and lips look. For the eyes, I used the grey-green along the lash line, light blue as accent shade and gold in the inner portion of the eye. You can see that the colours are sheer and translucent and shimmery. I wear similar styles a lot but even I found it a bit sheer. Still, once you layer it on (pat it on for best results) and let it settle for a while, I find the result quite appealing. My eye area looks brighter and I look just a bit more perky.

For the lips, I mixed the 2 middle shades of red and rose. I was hoping for a deeper colour but it wasn’t to be. The resultant colour is a my-lips-but-better very natural shade. Again, once it’d settled in after about half an hour, I came to appreciate how it looked. I think both the palettes do look better once its had time to settle on your skin (which comes back to my 10 minute makeup rule) and on an overall basis, I like how polished it looked. That said, I always am surprised each time I wear Japanese makeup and see this effect. It truly brings to the fore the tenet that makeup should enhance and not cover up and no one practices this better than the Japanese. Every time I see this soft glowy effect, I dive right into my Japanese makeup and love it all over again 🙂

For a limited time, the 15th Anniversary pouch (see 1st picture and also see how much stuff it fits here) is available as a gift with purchase. Find out more at the counter or on the RMK Malaysia Facebook page 🙂

Does either palette catch your eye? I do realise many of you prefer strong pigmented colours so these palettes may not be quite up your alley. In terms of packaging however, I think they hit it out of the ball park. If you’d like to pick up either one, I’d suggest picking up the lip palette. I don’t usually like lip palettes generally, but I do think the quality of the product is good, the colours are safe and friendly and you will easily use it up so there’s no guilt there 🙂

Paris B

RMK 15th Anniversary Eye Palettes (01 Brown, 02 Gray) Price: RM135; Lip Palette (1 shade) Price: 128 Availability: RMK counters Limited Edition: Yes, Summer 2012