Urban Decay Electric Palette Review

This is overdue, so I'm postponing my Palette Parade check-in to tomorrow.

After so many years of Naked, we have all been looking forward to Urban Decay getting back to their brightly colored, grittier roots and giving us some color. As soon as this was announced (or leaked, depending on how you look at it,) people were itching to get their hands on it. I picked it up as part of Sephora's Chic Week early access and jumped it in line in the aforementioned Palette Parade. 

Urban Decay is calling this one a pressed pigment palette. To be honest, I can't tell if that's to excuse the chalky quality of the red and pink shades or because of the FDA warning those same shades carry. FDA Warning?! Nothing too alarming - several red dyes and pigments that are approved in other countries are not yet approved for use in the United States. The warning reads, “Warning: Slowburn, Savage, Jilted, and Urban are not intended for the immediate eye area.” For most people, it shouldn't be a problem. If you've ever had an allergic reaction to red or pink dyes or cosmetics, you might want to skip this one. The risk here is irritation, nothing more. 

Let's talk about the packaging a little bit. I'm not excited about the space consuming round pan palette. I'm also not excited about the plastic packaging - I much prefer either metal or cardboard packing. Even Too Faced seems to be moving to metal palettes, so this one feels a little cheap in-hand. However, if you look at that third picture again, you'll see something you don't see with the Naked palettes - the mirror stays at the angle you place it at - you can actually use it without holding the palette or trying to hover over a flat surface and get decent lighting.

The included brush is nearly identical to the ones included with the Naked palettes. Honestly, I wish they'd include eyeliner instead of brushes, since the brushes are not anything I'd want to get stuck using.

Swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion, indoors with "true-white" lighting

Left to Right: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage, Fringe, Chaos, Jilted, Urban, Freak, Thrash

These are really hit and miss and I hope they offer some of these shades individually. 

Revolt (Urban Decay says: bright metallic silver shimmer w/silver glitter) isn't really all that dense or bright. It seems to look most like a silver glitter. It does wonderfully over a silver cream base and can make a white base sparkle but can't really stand alone as anything but a glitter.

Gonzo (Urban Decay says: bright turquoise matte w/ floating tonal pearl), really flails with texture. The mattes, in general, in this palette seem to be chalky. Urban Decay described them as 'velvety' - so I was expecting something at least closer to Sugarpill's super-bright mattes. 

Slowburn (Urban Decay says: bright red-orange matte w/floating pearl) continues the matte problems. If you have Sugarpill's Love+, you can skip this one, it's not as orange as they would have you believe.

Savage (Urban Decay says: bright hot pink matte), was one that I was really looking forward to and have been struggling to use. It's chalky. It doesn't like to blend. It doesn't like to apply evenly - it's the worst of pigments (I usually buy loose) and pressed shadows (hard to get just a little bit to work with.) I'm very disappointed.

Fringe (Urban Decay says: bright metallic teal), is one of the stand-outs of this palette. It's beautiful, it's smooth, it looks metallic without looking glittery. This is an incredible color and I really hope they offer it as a stand-alone.

Chaos (Urban Decay says: bright blue matte w/floating tonal pearl), back on the matte fail wagon. I have Sugarpill's Royal Sugar and this doesn't hold a candle to it with regard to ease of use, smooth application, and blending ability. 

Jilted (Urban Decay says: bright metallic fuchsia w/blue shift) - photos do not do the blue shift justice. This is absolutely stunning and I hope I can buy this in single pans sometime soon.

Urban (Urban Decay says: bright metallic purple), seems like it has a blue shift as well. Another stunning metallic and I'm glad we finally have a namesake color for the line - I've wanted cosmetics the color of that purple tissue paper they put in your orders since it started appearing. 

Freak (Urban Decay says: bright green w/gold shift) has no gold shift that I can see but that doesn't prevent this from being amazing. I've used it as an inner corner highlight and as a lid shade and it really pops no matter where you put it. This has made best friends with my pencil brush. 

Thrash (Urban Decay says: bright lime green matte w/floating gold pearl) looks a little sickly on my skin, I'm sorry to say. I think this is the shade I'll struggle the most to use. It has some of the texture probelms of the other mattes and, again, I don't see the gold pearl. 

Swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion, outdoors

Left to Right: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage, Fringe, Chaos, Jilted, Urban, Freak, Thrash

I feel like you can see the texture issues in the sunlight better. We've had a lot of sun in Seattle over the last several days and I was hoping to get a more indirect sunlight photo but I had zero weather cooperation. My neighbors aren't complaining - they've all dragged out the grills. 

As you can see in the sunlight photo, the metallics are smooth, opaque, and gorgeous. The mattes are spotty and uneven. Some of that can be attributed to these being pigments without a smoothing base but I feel like both MAC and Sugarpill have provided us with loose matte pigments that behave a lot better. Revolt really is a nice glitter but nothing more, which I find disappointing. 

All of that said? I really feel like Freak, Urban, Jilted, and Fringe save this palette from the returns pile. These shades are brilliant (as in color,) smooth, and fairly unique. The red shades have been reported by a few bloggers and vloggers to cause staining - I experienced this on my fingertips when I swatched them directly but with a layer of Primer Potion, I haven't had any trouble with it otherwise. 

Let's get real for a second about that pigments bit - I really don't see your average person using these for much other than eyeshadows. The shades don't lend themselves well to other daily-wear uses. Urban Decay claims you can use them as temporary hair color, which while technically true seems like it would be difficult with the palette in the way. Pressed pigments are harder to use as eyeliners or mixing colors. I really think Urban Decay should have thought more about their average customer when they put this one together; we've been waiting a long time for Urban Decay to come back from Naked and pack a punch that reminded us of the "Does pink make you puke?" campaign they launched with. It's a lot to live up to, sure, but I think they could have delivered with an all-metallic palette, given the metallic shades presented here.

Is this palette worth picking up? I'm happy with my purchase. If you are thinking about purchasing, I'd visit an Ulta, Sephora, Macy's to swatch it or pick it up directly from Urban Decay so you can return hassle-free - it is pretty hit-or-miss, so I feel like it doesn't quite deserve a full recommendation. It's a permanent addition to Urban Decay's collection, so I would probably wait for a sale, coupon, or other deal. At $49, each of the pans works out to $4.90 - even the less amazing shades are worth that. If you break the price down to just the pans I feel like are something you can't get anywhere else, they're still $12.25 each. A respectable price point for decent-quality pigments or shadows. With Sephora's Chic Week sale, I paid $41.65 for this palette ($3.47 per pan.) Otherwise, this palette is $49 at beauty.com, Sephora, Ulta, Macy's, and UrbanDecay.com.

Tomorrow I'll post up my Palette Parade check-in with looks from this palette. If folks are interested, I'd be happy to do comparison swatches with Sugarpill shades I have on-hand. 

Black Shadow Showdown Redux

You might remember my disappointment that Sugarpill's Bulletproof didn't live up to the hype or Urban Decay's Blackout. A generous friend sent me Makeup Geek's Corrupt because she was pretty sure it could slay the competition.

Of course, between now and then, I've managed to obtain a few other black shadows. Who doesn't need more black shadow? Before I move on to the swatches, I wanted to say that I bought two pans of MAC's Carbon, certain that I had a defective one. Both pans swatch exactly the same and the MAC counter rep I spoke to told me that "you don't actually want a shadow that black, because it wouldn't blend well!" I disagree, clearly, and so do many other cosmetics companies, apparently.

On to the main event:

My ten black shadows, in natural light

1. Sephora Collection No 54 Black Lace 2. Kat Von D Lucifer from Sinner 3. Smashbox M7 from Full Exposure 4. Sugarpill Bulletproof 5. MAC Typographic 6. MAC Carbon 7. MakeupGeek Corrupt 8. Urban Decay Blackout 9. Urban Decay Crave from Naked Basics 10. NARS Pandora II

Do you see the lengths we have to go to in Washington state to get 'natural light' photos? I'm hanging my shadow-covered arm out of my kitchen window for this. I think the MAC shadows are the most disappointing here - Typographic (5) and Carbon (6) are practically the same color and neither are what I would call black - they're clearly gray shadows.  I was a little surprised by (3) Smashbox M7 from the Full Exposure palette. That palette has taken a beating on a lot of reviews I've seen as being poorly pigmented. I'm going to do a review for that palette next week but spoiler alert: buy it for the mattes.

The MakeupGeek Corrupt (7) and Blackout (8) seem to be going head-to-head. Blackout is smoother in texture and Corrupt seems to have a little glitter in it but they're both very dark, deep black shadows.

Let's look at these shadows inside, shall we?

1. Sephora Collection Black Lace 2. Kat Von D Lucifer 3. Smashbox M7 from Full Exposure 4. Sugarpill Bulletproof 5. MAC Typographic 6. MAC Carbon 7. MakeupGeek Corrupt 8. Urban Decay Blackout 9. Urban Decay Crave 10. NARS Pandora II

I feel like you can see which shadows lean brown or gray with indoor lighting a little better. I also think the difference between Typographic (5) and Carbon (6) is more clear here but I'm still not impressed.

If you're looking for a velvety-smooth true-matte black shadow, I still think Urban Decay's Blackout ($18 alone or available in the Naked 2 palette) is the best you can get - but at one-third the price, Makeup Geek's Corrupt ($6 in a naked pan, $8 in a single compact) is a serious contender, even with a little bit of shimmer.

Palette Parade Check-In: Urban Decay Neutral Custom 6-pan

Not sure what the Palette Parade is? Check out this post here.

Sorry guys, this is a fairly tame one. This week I used the Urban Decay custom 6-pan - the pan came with my favorite blending shade, Walk of Shame, and I added Virgin, Tease, Laced, Buck and Secret Service. Very matte, very basic.

How basic is this? So basic. 

I had planned to use it with some Geek Chic singles but I was rushed for time a lot this week and the loose format of the Geek Chic singles mean you really need time to put down a sticky primer like Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy - and there's not a lot of room for error once that stuff is on. (I'm going to try and do a swatch-and-review soon on Pixie Epoxy. That stuff is wonderful and a little scary with how long it lasts.)

Given that, I spent most of the week with my face looking like a variation of: 

Basic face is basic. 

Lipstick is Urban Decay's Gash, which is exclusive to their website

I really wish Naked Basics had a few more shades in it - if it was this palette, plus Crave, it would probably be my favorite thing ever. One of the very nice things about Laced is that it doubles as a blush for me and Buck can also work as a contouring shade - which makes this palette very versatile for me, as it's more than just eyeshadow shades.

Additionally, I feel like the Urban Decay single shadows are a bit overpriced at $18 each - MAC charges $10 for pans, the shadows in Urban Decay's own palettes break down to somewhere around $4 a pan. It really provides an incentive to purchase palettes where you can. That said, I like the build-your-own palettes. I wish Urban Decay had gone with a less bulky way of managing the packaging, think of how much space we could save with something more like a naked pan and it would have less plastic, less to ship, and less expense!

We had a sunshine-lite week last week but I did finally manage to get black shadow comparison swatches. Expect to see them on Wednesday!

Next week's Parade Check In: Naked 2 or Smashbox Full Exposure. I haven't decided yet. 

Rumored Sales

So, I don't have confirmation for either of these but I thought I'd mention that I've heard that Sephora's Chic Week this year will be March 31st to April 11th (two weeks, I know. I'm thinking VIB access on the first week, general Beauty Insider access the second week.) I've also heard rumor that Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty will start March 16th - I haven't heard anything about what exactly will be on sale.

There are a few upcoming collections I'm excited about.

First up, the one I have the least color information on, MAC's Maleficent collection, due to hit counters on May 15th.

I'm really hoping to see some vampy red lipsticks and maybe some contouring products. I'd also like to see some specialty packaging - MAC's been doing pretty well with that lately. I haven't seen any kind of color story for this yet but I'm kind of hoping for something close, but not the same as, 2013's Punk Couture collection.

Second, I'm excited to give Urban Decay's Naked Flushed a try again. I have some swatches up from the original palette but it's too dark and too orange for me but I liked the formula and the packaging. There's no release date for these but I'm really hoping that Native works out for me.

Of course, Urban Decay's Electric looks interesting but I'm a little leery of pressed pigments in general. I'm reserving judgment until I can see them in person but I was certainly more excited about them when I thought they were going to be eyeshadows. I've also seen a few possible photos of the palette on forums and I'm not impressed with the potential packaging - who really needs another bulky palette to try and store?

If you're on a budget or a no-buy, hopefully some upcoming sales and releases will help you hold strong - there's great stuff in the future!

Palette Parade

Eyeshadow palettes. They seem to be taking over the world. I remember when quads were a big deal because you got "so much" product in one package. Now it seems like everybody has six, eight, and twelve shades locked away in magnetic, zippered, and clasp enclosures. I've found it to be a rare person that has just one palette.

However, it seem we all have that one palette we use more than the others and turn to on our laziest days because we know we can use it in our sleep. Then there are those palettes that you bought because the shadows were buttery, the pigmentation was great, and you were sure you'd love the colors - and they are collecting dust in the bottom of a drawer or traincase. Maybe you're just not sure how to use the shadows, maybe you bought the palette hoping to branch out a little, or maybe you just auto-pilot in the morning because the coffee hasn't quite hit yet when you put on your makeup.

Sephora forum user bombshell30 decided to do something about that.

There are no hard rules but the basic guidelines are:

• Put your palettes in an order - you choose how to do this, one person used a number generator, I alternated bright palettes with neutral palettes
• Use your palette five days in a row (most of us have been doing Monday to Friday for simplicity) - two days a week are "free" days. It was also decided that holidays, birthdays, and special events could be exempt or "free" days.
• If you decide to get rid of a palette (return it to the store, trade it away, or toss it,) you can either take a free week for the rest of the week or move on to the next palette
• You can use singles with your palette but no other palettes (remember, we're trying to use each palette, so this rule is to prevent you from using your go-to and just accenting with a shade from the parade palette.) 
• Continue until you've used all of the palettes in your collection

After the jump: my palettes for parading, some rules modifications, and my progress so far. 

Sugarpill Bulletproof is not a Blackout

So, the day before yesterday I raved about Sugarpill's matte, pigmented shadows. Today, I am here to show you that Bulletproof can't really hold a candle to Urban Decay's Blackout. (No really, it would be pointless, in a good way.)

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I kept hearing that Bulletproof was the black shadow to end all black shadows. I'm a fan of dark shades and use a lot of black shadow - as liner, as a setting powder for liquid liner, as a smoking-out shade for lighter colors, as a blending color to deepen bright shades, and so on. Given the great experience I had with Burning Heart and Sweetheart, I took this rumor at face-value and bought a single of Bulletproof when I picked up Cold Chemistry and Heartbreaker. I've got to say, I'm disappointed.

First up, the packaging is cute and sleek, which is nice. It seems durable and the shadow in the package gave me hope - you can't even see the black design on the clear lid because the shadow is dark behind it.

So, like any over-zealous package-opener, I swatched it on the back of my hand. Whomp-whomp. I knew immediately that Urban Decay's Blackout would be darker - so I grabbed it and threw it on the back of my hand next to Bulletproof. See:

Okay, maybe it just needs some primer or something to hold it on a little better - I mean, after all, those red and pink shades from Sugarpill have a little bit of a fallout issue, right? So I dragged out all of my black shadows still currently in service and put down a layer of Urban Decay's Primer Potion (if you remember my foundation swatches, you know my skin is lighter than it appears here. I love Primer Potion but don't let anyone tell you its colorless.)  Here are the results of that:

1. Sephora Collection Black Lace (matte, single, 2013)

2. Sugarpill Bulletproof (matte, single, 2014)

3. Kat Von D Lucifer (matte, Sinner palette, 2011)

4. Urban Decay Blackout (matte, Naked 2 palette, 2013)
5. Urban Decay Crave (matte, Naked Basics palette, 2013)

As you can see, some colors that claim to be matte come out more satin (Crave) or have shimmer in them (Lucifer.) Bulletproof definitely out ranks three of the five shades but Urban Decay is the clear winner here on pigmentation and even application.

I'm sure I'll have a use for it, so I'm not upset that I spent the money but I officially refute any "it's the blackest" claims out there. When I brought this up on a makeup chat forum I participate on, someone suggested that Makeup Geek's Corrupt was blacker than Blackout. A challenger has appeared. (Clearly, to be continued.) 

Free Urban Decay Revolution Deluxe Sample and Sale

Just a heads up, this offer just landed in my email - Beauty.com is offering a deluxe sample of Urban Decay's revolution lipstick in Anarchy with any $10 purchase:

Of course, Urban Decay's Friends and Fanatics 20% off sale is currently running:

Choose wisely! (Who are we kidding? I'm sure you can find something to order from both.)

Foundation Swatches

Quick - you're pale, your favorite foundation has just been discontinued (again,) and you haven't even looked for a replacement in years. What do you do? If you're me? You panic and go and get, I'm not exaggerating here, 24 different foundations color matched to you by a variety of counter sales folks, make up artists, and other pros to swatch and find the next foundation for the CPTB (Cosmetic Powers That Be) to discontinue. (This seems to be a thing with pale foundation - in fact, Torq (my spousal compatriot) jokes every time I find one - "So, how long until they discontinue this one?" or most recently, "Are you going to send the company a condolence letter on their impending discontinuation?")

(Super long post and swatches after the cut)

Pale Skin and Blush/Bronzer/Highlighter

A question I often see posted around forums is, "I'm pale, so I don't use bronzer, right?" Well, not if you don't want to, of course but you can if you want to. The issue with bronzer when you are pale is that it's so very often orange-based which works well on a medium skin tone but not so much for us pale folks. I also find that very soft, pink shades are recommended as blushes for pale folks and that may not provide the flushed look you're going for.

Many people have recommended the Too Faced Milk Soleil to me but most unfortunately, it contains sodium saccharine. (I have a sulfa drug allergy and this goes along with it. Too Faced uses this to make the bronzer smell sweet, like chocolate.) I will see if I can find a similarly-toned guest swatcher for that one.

A lot of folks recommended Urban Decay's Naked Flushed. Possibly because it was new, probably because it was failing for folks with medium skin tones and they assumed that meant it was geared for the pale. I'm sorry to say, not for me - the bronzer is very orange, the highlighter is very dark, and the blush is too much for me. The highlighter shade is actually comparable to NARS Orgasm.

NARS is the eternal favorite of the blush world and I can see why. I've been using Laguna for years and just recently jumped on the Orgasm bandwagon. Where I think NARS falls flat here, though, is the highlighter. Copacabana is the commonly recommended highlighter and it's too bright and too light, in my opinion, for most highlighting needs.

Here's a (poorly done, I'm sorry to say) swatch set of the Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette (highlighter, bronzer, blush) and the most commonly recommended NARS items (Copacabana highlighter, Laguna bronzer, Orgasm blush) each in a heavy and then blended swatch.

The NARS colors disappear into my skin, leaving not much else than a healthy glow. The Urban Decay palette leaves a bold look - which works for some but may not be what you're looking for. Stay tuned as I try Francois Nars's suggestion for contouring shades for pale skin - taupe eyeshadows.

Up Next: Foundation Swatches - They're here! Sephora finally got around to discontinuing my Kat Von D Light 42, so I finally got around to finishing the swatches.