RMK The Basic4eyes

In the fall of 2018, RMK released a limited edition Moon Bloom Coloring Eyes collection that was quite attractive. I was especially taken with 02 Night Shadow, an olive-green palette, and 03 Garden Dream, a pink-coral. However, being LE they were sold out quickly, especially 03 Garden Dream that looked so pretty and feminine. I was disappointed to be so late into the game and missed out (and didn't want to pay an arm and a leg to get one from E(vil)bay and Amazon).

Moon Bloom Coloring Eyes


01 Twelve O'clock


02 Night Shadow


03 Garden Dream

04 Swinging Garden

05 Lightning Star


06 Sunflower Brown

Then came this past spring and a new The Basic4eyes collection came out and, what do you know, these palettes looked uncannily similar to the Moon Blooms. Upon comparing them two, I realized the Basics4eyes were in fact re-releases of the 4 of 6 Moon Bloom palettes. Yes, kind of lame, but I was glad I now own the palettes I wanted: 01 Spring Blossom and 02 Summer Fog. In fact, I ended up liking them so much I went back for yet a third despite the cream pan I probably won't touch, 03 Autumn Night (will review this later).

Moon Bloom 03 Garden Dream is now The Basic4eyes 01 Spring Blossom.

Moon Bloom 02 Night Shadow is now The Basic4eyes 02 Summer Fog

Moon Bloom 06 Sunflower Brown is now The Basic4eyes 03 Autumn Night

Moon Bloom 05 Lightning Star is now The Basic4eyes 04 Winter Ocean

So you might have noticed that 01 Spring Blossom has an English sticker on the packaging, whereas 02 Summer Fog does not. That's because I bought 01 from Selfridges UK and 02 from Rakuten JP, because Selfridges had sold out of the latter.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Also, these Basic4eyes have the same silver square tube packaging as 2017's FFFuture Eye Palettes, unique, fun, and different. Although the tubes feel a bit chunky and clunky in my hand, they store just as well as the flat palettes because they're square and not asymmetrical.

The palettes come out of the cap like lipstick bullets. The dual-ended applicator doesn't rattle about inside the packaging and will stay put because it's magnetized (the rectangular metal piece, third row down at left). Then you flip the whole thing up, lift up the flap to reveal a mirror and the four eye shadow pans. Pretty neat and travel friendly, well, save for the scratch-prone shiny metal packaging ^.^"

- 01 Spring Blossom: holy cow, I totally see why this was the most popular Moon Bloom palette--it's gorgeous! My photos just don't do it justice at all. The two lightest shades have this lovely veil of shimmers that's more on the glistening side. All the colors swatched with okay pigmentation for me but perhaps a bit lacking for others. I do wish the darkest shade was darker myself, because right now it's not really dark enough to line with.


From left to right:
- Medium-dark shade: shimmer, medium intensity. Warm chocolate brown.
- Medium shade: shimmer, medium intensity. A reddish rust with gold and pink shimmers.
- Accent shade: shimmer, low intensity. Lovely coral with gold and coral shimmers. Possibly the star of the whole palette!
- Sparkling top wash: high shimmer, very sheer. Pink in the pan but is more like pink-tinged white when applied. Nearly transparent when looked at directly and reflect a near-metallic sparkling sheen when seen at an angle.

- 02 Summer Fog: there's less ooh and aah over this palette but it's still a practical and super wearable neutral palette, something I would reach for day to day versus the special date-night pink-coral above. The darkest shade is more pigmented too, perfect for lining.


From left to right:
- Deep/liner shade: shimmer, high intensity. Blackened olive.
- Accent/lid shade: semi-metallic, very sheer. Greenish citrine.
- Medium shade: shimmer, medium intensity. Semi-translucent olive with gold shimmers. The translucency makes this color appear sheerer than it really is.
- Sparkling top wash: shimmer, very sheer. A transparent cream with a glistening finish.