Urban Decay - UD Hearts NYC Palette

Eyeshadow colours included (top left to bottom right):

Perversion - Matte Black | Uzi - Silver with glitter | Loaded - Dark forest green | Kush - Grass green with glitter | Midnight Cowboy Rides Again - Beige with glitter | Last Call - Burgundy | Rockstar - Dark purple | Money - Silvered green with glitter | Haight - Teal | Mauie Wowie - Muted gold with glitter | Smog - Bronze | Bordello - Dusty rose with glitter | Radium - Vibrant blue | Snatch - Peachy pink with glitter | Suspect - Light bronze | Psychedelic Sister - Grape

24/7 Liner included:

Zero - black | Ransom - Irridescent purple

Urban Decay Primer Potion: Original mini

I, like most makeup addicts, look forward to Urban Decay's palette creations and am always excited to see what they'll come up with next. I think that of the three "Book of Shadows" Urban Decay palettes I have (Book of Shadows Vol. II and Alice in Wonderland), this is my favourite. There are more new shadows in this one that aren't in any of their other palettes or sold individually, and the colours are more varied. There are a few lovely shades that are easy to wear day or night, including Bordello and Suspect, while more dramatic shades like Radium and Psychedelic Sister are really fun to play with. There are a couple of new shades that I particularly love, as well. Rockstar is a gorgeous dark purple that I cannot get enough of. I also really love Loaded which is a rich, dark green. These are two of the new shades that I've never seen before and I think it was worth buying the palette just for them - though of course there's much more to it!

As far as I know this one is still available at Sephora, so if I were you I'd scoop one up for yourself and any makeup lovers on your Christmas list while you still can, because it's sure to be gone in the blink of an artistically made-up eye!

Swatches (with primer):

Ratings:
Packaging: 4.5/5 (The packaging is cool and eyecatching, but the mirror isn't useful, neither is the lighted background, and because of how bulky the palette is it's not at all portable)
Product Quality: 4.5/5 (minus half a point for glitter)
Worth the price? Always.
Would I purchase again? If it were available for more than a couple of weeks before selling out, sure!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Eyeshadow colours included (L-R):

Virgin - Muted satin fleshtone | Sin - Frost pale neutral pink | Naked - Matte light brown | Sidecar - Mauved beige with glitter | Buck - Matte medium brown | Half Baked - Metallic gold | Smog - Metallic bronze | Darkhorse - Dark brown | Toasted - Mauve/brown | Hustle - Plum | Creep - Black with fine silver glitter | Gunmetal - Metallic slate grey with glitter

Double-Ended 24/7 Liner:

Zero - Black | Whiskey - Medium brown

I'm a huge fan of all the Urban Decay palettes, but I'm also a fan of neutral daytime makeup, so this palette was one that I couldn't wait to try out! I've often wished that Urban Decay had more colours that I could easily wear on pale skin for understated looks and it seems that they were listening. 

This palette has everything from pale and highlighting colours to matte light browns for just a hint of shadow to gunmetal grey and black glitter for dramatic smokey eyes. There's really no end to the creative looks you could create with this palette, and it's a fantastic place to start if you're an Urban Decay newbie! Though it's currently sold out, I've heard rumours that this palette will be returning to Sephora, so keep your eyes and ears open and pick one up ASAP! It's one of the best palettes I have, and on top of the fantastic shadow and liner colours, it also comes in a lovely-to-touch brown velvet covered palette.

Ratings:
Packaging: 4.5/5 (I love it. It's sleek, narrow enough to carry with you if you're a fan of the large purses like I am, nice and soft to the touch and sturdy enough that I don't worry that it's going to bend or spill shadow everywhere)
Product quality: 4.5/5 (still not a fan of the glitter in a few of these shadows, but so much better than Midnight Cowboy and Maui Wowie!)
Worth the price? For sure.
Would I purchase again? This is one that I could see needing another of at some point, because the shades are all so wearable that I might actually hit the pan!)

Urban Decay - Vegan Palette

Eyeshadow colours included (top left to bottom right):

Minx - Light greenish blue with glitter | Urb - Light olive (yellowed green) with glitter | Gunmetal - Dark slivery grey with glitter | Twice Baked - Chocolate brown with sparkles | Smog - Bronze | Half Baked - Gold

24/7 Eyeliner:

Zero - Black

First of all, I have to say that I am very impressed with Urban Decay for addressing the use of animals in the cosmetics industry - not only animal testing, but ingredients derived from animal products. Many people aren't aware that some of their favourite products might contain ingredients derived from animals until they encounter a product like this one that isn't. The message behind the palette ("We don't do animal testing, how could anyone?") is, if I'm honest, the main reason I purchased it. I have most of these colours in other palettes - some of them multiple times over. But this palette represents such an important issue that I wanted to support their message.

If you don't have as many other UD palettes as I do, however, and you don't have these shades, definitely pick it up for the shadows as much as for the idea behind the palette. All of these colours are very wearable and are great for everyone - whether you like dramatic or understated looks.


Ratings:
Packaging: 4/5
Product quality: 4/5
Worth the price? Yes, if you don't have these colours already.
Would I purchase again? No - I have most of these colours in other UD palettes.

Urban Decay - Alice in Wonderland Palette

Eyeshadow colours included (top left to bottom right):

Underland - Vibrant purple | Alice - Bright sky blue | Oraculum - Gold | Queen - Burgundy | Chessur - Bronze w/ glitter | White Rabbit - Frosted white w/ glitter | Wonderland - Muted green-gold w/ glitter | Curiouser - Mauve w/ glitter | Muchness - Peach w/ golden sheen | Mushroom - Brownish grey | Midnight Tea Party - Metallic dark beige w/ glitter | Vorpal - Dark silver | Absolem - Grass green | Drink Me, Eat Me - Soft light neutral pink | Mad Hatter - Nearly matte dark brown w/ gold microglitter | Jabberwocky - Nearly matte black w/ silver microglitter

24/7 Liner:

Zero - Black

Flipside - Bright blue

Urban Decay Primer Potion:

Original Mini

Urban Decay does it again - another fantastic palette with gorgeous colours and a great concept! The colours are incredible - bright, vibrant, and a great range. As always the palette is great value for money, and if you're a fan of the movie, you will have tons of fun re-creating some of the looks with the help of this palette! The bright blue eyeliner, Flipside, matches their blue eyeshadow of the same name, but like many of their 24/7 liners is an unusually bright shade for a liner. It is excellent for adding just a pop of colour at the lash line if you want to stand out but don't want to go overboard.

Because of the diverse and intense colours in this palette, I think it would be great for anyone who enjoys creating really dramatic, over-the-top looks - particularly stage makeup. If you're a belly dancer or love doing it up when you go out on the town, this palette is a must-have.

Ratings:
Packaging: 4.5/5 (pretty but not portable)
Product quality: 4/5 (damn UD and that glitter)
Worth the price? Without question.
Would I purchase again? If I could!

Urban Decay - Deluxe Shadow Box

Eyeshadow colours included (top left to bottom right):

Honey - Yellow gold | Ransom - Dark violet purple | Graffiti - Vibrant green | Zero - Black | Peace - Bright blue | Shag - Beige | Scratch - Rose | Underground - Dirty brown/beige

This palette included entirely deluxe shades that come in the cute little oval boxes with pictures on the top lids. They're a bit more expensive than the regular shadows and are all very intensely pigmented. This palette includes mainly bright colours, along with a few neutrals. I love Shag, Scratch and Underground, but have had some issues with staying power - namely that they don't. Even with primer, I've had issues getting these to really show up and last throughout the day. Gorgeous colours though!

Ratings:
Packaging: 4.5/5
Product quality: 4/5
Worth the price? Yeah, lots of options for little money and a great way to try out some of the more expensive shadows without spending over $20 each.
Would I purchase again? No. I rarely use it so they'll last a long time.

Urban Decay - Book of Shadows Palette (Vol. II)

Eyeshadow colours included (top left to bottom right):

Perversion - Nearly-matte black | Gunmetal - Dark metallic grey with glitter | 

Ecstasy - Bright metallic purple | AC/DC - Violet | Nylon - Beige with sparkles | Sellout - Pinky beige | Mushroom - Pewter | Sphynx - Bubblegum pink with sparkles | Half Baked - Metallic gold | Twice Baked - Nearly-matte dark brown with sparkles | Midnight Cowboy - Beige with a ton of glitter | YDK - Taupe/copper | Jinx - Vibrant blue | Flipside - Turquoise | Homegrown - Grass green with glitter | Misdemeanor - Brown/Green

24/7 Liner in Zero and Bourbon

Mini Urban Decay Primer Potion

This palette was such a great deal and looked so cool that I simply couldn't resist. All the colours are bright and show up well with or without primer (though I've had some trouble with staying power, so definitely would recommend using the primer). Some of my favourite shades from this palette are Mushroom, Half Baked, YDK and Misdemeanor. My least favourite was Midnight Cowboy which was a huge disappointment due to the glitter and subsequent fallout.

Urban Decay palettes are always a great deal, usually working out to be less than drugstore prices per item, but much better quality. I also love that they make bold choices with their combinations of colours, always including some great neutral colours along with some brighter and more dramatic shades. In this palette I was particularly impressed with Half Baked, which comes out as a vibrant metallic true gold like I've never seen before.

I'd definitely recommend picking up any Urban Decay palettes you can get your hands on - there's a reason they sell out so quickly!

Ratings:
Packaging: 4/5 (I find the drawer irritating and would prefer if the shadows were in the lift-up portion)
Product Quality: 4.5/5 (half point off for glitter, of course)
Worth the price? Definitely.
Would I purchase again? Yeah, if it weren't limited edition!

Urban Decay - Show Pony Palette

Colours included (L-R):
Snatch - Peach w/ glitter | Mildew - Moss green | Flash - Bright purple | Painkiller - Sky | blue | Smog - Metallic copper | Toasted - Taupe

Eyeliner:
24/7 Liner in Zero

I have to admit that I've had this palette for awhile now and I haven't really used it all that much. I like Toasted - it's a lovely neutral colour - but it doesn't show up as strongly as I'd like. Smog is a bit better, but still doesn't live up to how it looks when swatched. Mildew, Flash and Painkiller are all great colours but not for everyday, so I have only used them once or twice. I do think that painkiller would look fantastically dramatic on darker complexions, though! Snatch suffers from that same old Urban Decay downfall - glitter. Oh, how I wish they'd leave it out! If it weren't for the glitter I'd truly love this colour - it's a fantastic neutral pink with just a hint of peach that would be great for daytime looks. 

 

Most of the colours are also duplicated in other Urban Decay palettes, and almost all of them come with the 24/7 liner in Zero, which is great, but I have about 5 of them lying around now! Overall this is a palette that is great in theory, but for the most part gets forgotten about on my shelf.

Ratings:
Packaging: 4.5/5 (the packaging is bulky for the amount of product, but I love the artwork on it, so it earns back a half point!)
Product Quality: 4/5 (point lost for glitter and staying power)
Worth the price? If you don't have other palettes with these colours, maybe.
Would I purchase again? No.

Urban Decay - Foreshadow Eyeshadow Palette

Colours included (L-R):
Oil Slick - Black w/silver microglitter | Stray Dog - Taupe | Midnight Cowboy - Beige with LOTS o' glitter | Flipside - Torquoise

Flipside is a gorgeous blue-tinged irridescent green that stands out well and looks fantastic in small doses! Stray Dog is a daytime favourite; it has the signature U.D. sheen to it and lasts well with a primer. The neutral shade makes it a great colour alone or with a darker shade in the crease. Oil Slick isn't one I use - it's a matte black that I'd normally say was great for the lashline, but because of the glitter it's just not my cup of tea. Glitter is also the downfall of Midnight Cowboy, which would be gorgeous if it wasn't pretty much entirely glitter. The fallout is ridiculous and it's near impossible to apply, even with base and wet brush. Not my favourite.

Ratings:
Packaging: 5/5
Product Quality: 4/5 (If only Urban Decay wasn't so glitter-happy!)
Worth the price? If you don't mind the glitter!
Would I purchase again? No. Though I think it's great value for money and great quality, I don't think I'll use it that often.