Urban Decay Feminine Eyeshadow Palette (2012) ($36.00 for 0.18 oz.) includes six eyeshadows: Bordello (pale mauve with gold micro-glitter), Skimp (light peachy pearl), AC/DC (smoky greyish purple), Gunmetal (dark metallic grey with silver micro-glitter). Hijack (deep metallic teal), and Lost (medium metallic brown) and one Lip Junkie in Wallflower (nude creamy pink).
Bordello is a pinky plum with a frosted finish and barely-there gold micro-glitter. This shade had good color payoff but it wasn’t great–slightly sheer in comparison to other shades in the palette. The micro-glitter wasn’t very noticeable, so there was very little fall out after it was applied. NARS Charade is darker, more matte, less plum. Guerlain Boulevard du Montparnasse is more matte and pinker. Inglot #399 is very similar, just slightly pinker. Giorgio Armani #7 is also very similar.
Skimp is a pale, light beige with subtle warm undertones and a satiny sheen. The color payoff was good, and it applied smoothly. It was a smidgen powdery. Urban Decay Sellout is more frosted. MAC Sahara Dust is quite similar. Illamasqua Slink is slightly pinker. theBalm Hiii-Yaaa! is more shimmery.
Gunmetal is a dark silver-shimmered charcoal gray with a frosted finish. This particular shade has been in a ton of palettes (I think it shows up in the Swatch Gallery three or four times). It’s nicely pigmented with a fairly smooth texture, though there is some micro-glitter there–a lot of disappears before it gets to the lid, though. Urban Decay Asphalt is less silvery. Tarina Tarantino Silver Shoes and Tarina Tarantino Lovely are both similar. Bobbi Brown Gunmetal is more matte and slightly blue-tinged.
Hijack is a charcoal teal with a hint of green and a very frosty finish. It has good pigmentation, and it applies smoothly for the most part. Illamasqua Android is darker and more nuanced. Bare Escentuals Vapor is similar but more metallic in finish.
Lost is a warm coppery bronze with a frosted metallic sheen. It was the smoothest, softest shade of the six, and it had excellent color payoff. MAC Havana is a bit darker, warmer. NARS Surabaya has a stronger red undertone and more of a matte finish. Benefit Dandy Brandy is lighter. MAC Roasted Chestnut is has a softer sheen. MAC Make Your Mark is similar but mostly matte. Inglot #421 is more coppery.
Wallflower is a neutral pink with milky/creamy finish. The color coverage is semi-opaque, and it does settle into lip lines a bit, though not too noticeably from a distance. MAC Deelight is a bit pinker. This shade wore for three hours when I tested it.
Last year’s Feminine Palette included Stray Dog, SWF, Midnight Cowboy, Aquarius, Darkhorse, and Ecstasy, plus it came with an eyeliner and primer potion. It had a total value of $80.83 and retailed for $34. This year’s palette six 0.03 oz. eyeshadows and a 0.11 fl. oz. Lip Junkie. The value of this year’s palette is $64.80 worth of eyeshadow and $6.15 worth of gloss, which results in a total value of $70.95. There are surface similarities (e.g. both palettes contain a teal, brown, purple, and lighter color), but the only shade that’s somewhat duped is Lost (by Stray Dog/Darkhorse).
Overall, this palette has two shades with micro-glitter, which does mean that two shades were more prone to having some fall out both during and after application. It’s more noticeable with Bordello than Gunmetal, and there wasn’t a lot, but I did spot a few stray glitter particles. Bordello was also the weakest in pigmentation, though still good.
P.S. — Like the giant gouge in Lost? Courtesy of my thumb slipping while trying to remove the eyeshadow portion to show the clutch, LOL!
Overall, this palette has two shades with micro-glitter, which does mean that two shades were more prone to having some fall out both during and after application. It's more noticeable with Bordello than Gunmetal, and there wasn't a lot, but I did spot a few stray glitter particles. Bordello was also the weakest in pigmentation, though still good.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4.5/5
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Urban Decay Fun Eyeshadow Palette (2012) ($36.00 for 0.18 oz.) includes six eyeshadows: Maui Wowie (metallic golden beige with silver glitter), Deep End (bright teal shimmer), Sellout (pinky champagne), Fishnet (bright pink with purple shift), Stray Dog (cool metallic ash brown), and Freakshow (deep royal purple pearl) and one Lip Junkie in Midnight Cowboy (sheer nude sparkle).
Maui Wowie is platinum gold, not quite antique gold, with silver micro-glitter. It seemed less glittery than previous iterations of Maui Wowie that I’ve come across. The texture was soft, applied smoothly, and had excellent color payoff. Maybelline Bold Gold is darker and more golden, yellower. Giorgio Armani #14 is darker. Wet ‘n’ Wild Dancing in the Clouds is grayer. MAC Retrospeck is more golden.
Deep End is a blue-based teal with a frosted finish. It had a soft, smooth texture, applied well, and had great color payoff. MAC Rain Drop is similar but has more of a silver shimmer/sheen. Tarina Tarantino Ozma is quite similar. MAC Cool Heat is bluer and less frosted. theBaml Open to Offers Olwen is similar.
Fishnet is a fuchsia purple with violet iridescence. It had a soft texture that applied smoothly with good color payoff (the weakest shade of the set, but I’d say it was still good, just not great!). MAC Infra-violet is pinker. NYX Violetta doesn’t have the iridescence. Tarina Tarantino Fantastical is purpler. Bare Escentuals Boudoir is similar but less iridescent. MAC Stars ‘n Rockets is comparable.
Stray Dog is a barely gray-tinged brown with very subtle warm undertones. The pigmentation was nice, and the hue applied smoothly and evenly. Giorgio Armani #28 is warmer, no gray. MAC Havana is a bit darker. Benefit Dandy Brandy is warmer. Urban Decay YDK is lighter with no gray tinge. MAC Buckwheat is less frosted.
Freakshow is a medium-dark violet purple with subtle red-burgundy undertones and a frosted finish. The payoff was great, and it applied smoothly and softly. Worth noting, this applies much better in their new eyeshadow formula than it did when it was a deluxe eyeshadow. Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister is similar, just slightly less red-toned. Urban Decay Delinquent is lighter. L’Oreal Perpetual Purple has less red undertones.
Midnight Cowboy (Lip Junkie) is a sheer champagne beige with champagne shimmer. What it does is add a lot of shimmer and a glossy shine. Because there’s not a lot of color, any shimmery sheer gloss will dupe it. The way it sparkles is lovely, and it’s a slightly thicker formula (without feeling heavy or tacky) that’s mint-scented. I will say that I don’t care for the baby-sized packaging, because it makes it difficult to hold and apply (even the slanted tip feels odd to use). It wore for three hours when I tested it this go-round.
Yes, yes, we’ve seen these palettes before–kind of. Last spring, Urban Decay released three palettes (all with the same names). Last year’s Fun Palette included Woodstock, Baked, Uzi, Sin, Flipside, and Psychedelic Sister, plus it came with an eyeliner and primer potion. It had a total value of $80.83 and retailed for $34. This year’s palette six 0.03 oz. eyeshadows and a 0.11 fl. oz. Lip Junkie. The value of this year’s palette is $64.80 worth of eyeshadow and $6.15 worth of gloss, which results in a total value of $70.95. The palettes are similar, but not exact; I think the most obvious similarities is that there is a pink-beige, teal, and purple included. This palette doesn’t have a hot pink or a coppery-bronze kind of color, so it’s actually more wearable in some ways (but perhaps less “fun”).
It’s packaged in a sparkly teal patent/vinyl zippered pouch, and you can remove the eyeshadows entirely, so then you’d have a clutch so-to-speak. It’s pretty small, so you could fit an ID, maybe a key or two, and that’s about it. All three palettes when stacked do stick to each other a bit. I didn’t have trouble with the zippers on two of them, but the third wasn’t sewn/stitched perfectly, and it’s extremely hard not to catch the zipper on the excess fabric (I have to figure how to get scissors in there to trim it). I preferred the packaging of the previous palettes, as they slimmer.
Overall, these smaller palettes that Urban Decay releases are some of their better ones, because there aren’t so many shades that you risk getting duds, and they’re more compact thank big palettes like their previous Book of Shadows volumes. It’s also more affordable at $36 than their larger palettes at $50+ (of course, if that’s within your budget, it’s typically cheaper by the ounce buying the larger eyeshadow palettes). This is a high-quality palette packed with pigmented eyeshadows that are soft to the touch, blend easily, and apply smoothly. I didn’t have any problems with these shades, and I had barely any fall out with Maui Wowie.
It's a lovely palette that has a few pops of color along with some neutrals, so you can go for different looks without being overwhelmed by color. If it wasn't for the small amount of fall out from Maui Wowie, this palette would have been an A.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4.5/5
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Illamasqua Boost Intense Lipgloss ($20.00 for 0.20 fl. oz.) is described as a “blueberry violet.” It’s a cool-toned, blue-based magenta pink with violet-fuchsia iridescent shimmer. I couldn’t think of a great dupe for this; lipsticks that may have been somewhat similar in color lacked the shimmer/sheen, which is such a noticeable characteristic of this gloss that they didn’t look alike at all. MAC Style Packed is pinker with no iridescence. LORAC Cliche has some iridescence, but it’s pinker and so much sheerer. Benefit Wild Child also had an iridescent shimmer, but it was sheerer and lighter.
Illamasqua’s Intense Lipgloss formula is supposed to deliver high-shine, rich color, and be non-sticky. Boost is mostly opaque, though there’s a little translucence that lets my natural lip color peek through. It’s very pigmented for a gloss overall, but it’s not as opaque as other shades in the range are. It does have an extremely glossy sheen, though, and the sheen lasts quite awhile. I wore this, and it lasted for five hours with the glossiness being pretty high-shine for three and a half of those hours. The color didn’t apply quite as evenly as it should have, though it’s one of those colors (because there doesn’t seem to be a lot on the market that is similar to it) that may make it worth the extra energy to apply. It’s not too heavy, feels comfortable on lips, and has a non-sticky texture–it feels very slick on lips.
With Generation Q, I noticed that Illamasqua has changed the packaging on their lipglosses. They used to be slanted, squeeze-tubes, but now they’re clear plastic with a black screw-top that twists and reveals a brush-type applicator. Both of the glosses I receive with this type of applicator had several splayed bristles, which made application more difficult. The bristles could be a little softer, as they seemed to be a touch scratchy against the lips as well as created some brush strokes. I’m not sure if I just happened to get two exceptionally messed-up brushes or if a lot of them are going to be that way. For now, we’ll assume that because these were samples, they were an early run, and perhaps not pristine, but I don’t think the applicator is ideal for this gloss formula–a regular doe-foot would be easier to maneuver around the lips and be less likely to cause visible brush strokes. I also detected a fruity scent.
It could be a little more pigmented (to be true-to-description and in line with the rest of the range), but otherwise the formula is good. The new applicator/packaging could use some improvement, and I'm not certain how wide-spread the splayed bristles will be.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
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Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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This is such a summery shade to me–there’s something that reminds me of tropical beaches, sparkling oceans, and summer. It’s opaque after two coats, but the consistency is a wee bit thick, so the drying time seemed a little long. It seemed to pull/drag if you didn’t wait for it to dry down, so I’d advise some patience with this one (as some formulas are more forgiving than others). It dries to a naturally shiny finish but not 100% full-on glossy, so if you like that look, I’d still recommend a top coat. I get a full week of wear out of SpaRitual’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping, and they package their lacquers well, because of the rubberized handle, which makes it easier to hold and open.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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China Glaze I Herd That Nail Lacquer ($3.00 to $7.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is described as a “brilliant copper glitter.” It’s a mix of light gold, copper gold, and copper glitter in what appears to be a mostly clear base. It’s that mix of colors that makes it different from other gold polishes that I’ve reviewed before. For a similar “feel,” you might consider SpaRitual Solstice, which is a molten gold with chunky glitter/sparkle. China Glaze Electrify isn’t as opaque and has much larger pieces of glitter, but it has a similar feel–again because it is a mix of gold and red glitter.
I was really excited to see that this was mostly opaque after two coats. It’s always a fun time when you find an opaque glitter–then it’s even more versatile, because you can use it for layering or on its own (and without having to use five coats!). There’s a very faint sheerness that’s there but hardly noticeable, but it’s something I still had to mention. The texture wasn’t too thick or too thin, and the glitter distributed evenly. The drying time was average. I usually get a week of wear out of China Glaze’s formula with minor tip wear but no chipping. The polish retails for $7, but you can find it at various e-tailers for under $4 (the one linked in the post sells this shade for $3).
It's always a fun time when you find an opaque glitter--then it's even more versatile, because you can use it for layering or on its own (and without having to use five coats!). This is a nice transitioning shade--bright enough for summer but inspired by the tones of autumn.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
4/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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This formula is supposed to be shimmering and long-wearing with a soft, cushion-y gel texture. It can be worn as an eyeshadow or as an eyeliner. Riviere is sheer to semi-opaque–I wasn’t able to build-up the color enough so that it was fully opaque. Every shade I’ve come across within this range, except for Fantasme, has been opaque. I also had some trouble getting an even layer of color, as this had a tendency to bunch up on itself, which would make it look uneven on the lid. Whether or not a color is sheer or opaque, you still want an even layer of color. The texture is soft, bouncy–definitely that “cushion-y” texture coming into play. I was worried about the wear, given the problematic application, but it looked exactly as it did when initially applied ten hours later.
P.S. — This was originally a Nordstrom exclusive (that’s where I bought mine), but it has since been removed from Nordstrom–luckily, Chanel released it as an online exclusive to their own website as well, which is where you can purchase it at present.
The wear continues to be impressive--not a crease, not even fading--but this particular color is a little fussy. If you only want to wear it as a sheer layer, then it'd be something worth considering. If you wanted to have a bit more color, I'd consider another shade.
Product
9/10
Pigmentation
8.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
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Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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