Here are the other nine shades from Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette ($55.00 for 15 x 0.05 oz.).
Vanilla is a pale white gold with yellow tones. It’s very shimmery and so smooth. It is extremely similar in color to MAC Nylon but has a less metallic finish.
Omen is a blue-based purple with a subtle pink layer. It’s a little pinker compared to Urban Decay Ecstasy. Initially, I was thinking it was more like Ransom, but not at all–Ranso is very blue-based and cool-toned. Inglot #441 is somewhat similar, but it’s quite a bit darker.
Ace is a darkened gray with a subtle silver sheen. It looks more interesting in the pan–like this mix of blue and green and gray, but it turns out rather gray when swatched. Urban Decay Gunmetal has a much blacker base, which gives it a darker, more intense look. It is very similar to theBalm Sexy Stacey.
Flow is a soft peach with a frosty finish. The color is similar to Inglot #330 but the finishes are different. theBalm Luscious Lani is less orange.
Blackout is a really deep, dark black with a matte finish. Make Up For Ever #57 is similar. It seems darker than Perversion and has such a smooth texture with great color payoff.
Chase is a golden bronze with a frosted finish. It’s kind of like a much lighter version of Deeper (in this palette). Inglot #406 has much more copper in it. Urban Decay Smog is much darker, but the feel is the same.
Deep End is teal with a frosted finish; it seems to lean green in the pan but blue when swatched, which leads me to think it’s right there in the middle. It is a bit bluer than MAC Surf USA, but it is very similar (just more pigmented) to Milani Teal the Truth. Urban Decay Minx is greener, as is Flipside.
Half Truth is a smoky purple. As soon as I saw it, I was reminded of Urban Decay Rockstar, because it’s the cool-toned sister of it–there is the same muted, smoky color, but Rockstar is more of an eggplant purple with strong, red undertones. theBalm All the Way Annie is similar but still redder–which is also how Giorgio Armani #3 compares.
Please read Part 1, which has detailed information about the color payoff, quality, texture, packaging, etc. for the entire palette.
There is a good variety of colors in this palette, though it does have a surprising amount of neutrals, with good color payoff and soft and smooth textures. You might find you have too many similar shades already, but for those who don't, it's a great way to snag high-end eyeshadows without breaking the bank.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
This post is going to look at six of the fifteen eyeshadows (and the second post will look at the other nine). With the server issues we have had today, it’s even more essential than normal that I split the photos (50!) over two posts to make things more manageable. The review (and rating), however, encompasses the entire palette.
Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette ($55.00 for 15 x 0.05 oz.) includes fifteen brand new, never-before-seen shades in a limited edition palette. These shades are: Midnight Rodeo (brown pearl with silver), Tainted (pale matte purple with golden shimmer), Deeper (deep shimmery golden brown), Midnight 15 (oyster pearl with silver glitter), Junkshow (metallic bright pink with slight blue shift), MIA (dark velvet brown), Vanilla (creamy white gold), Omen (metallic bright purple with blue shift), Ace (dark gunmetal), Flow (soft peach shimmer), Evidence (deep metallic blue), Blackout (darkest, must saturated black), Chase (bright bronze), Deep End (bright teal), and Half Truth (deep greyish purple). It will be available on urbandecay.com beginning July 12th, and it will make its way to other retailers like beauty.com, Macy’s, Sephora, and Ulta in July/August. I do not have any specific dates for other retailers at this time.
Midnight Rodeo is a sparkly taupe brown. It does have glitter, but it’s subtle and doesn’t seem as large as Urban Decay’s other glitter-finished eyeshadows. I thought Toasted might be similar, but it’s not–much browner, less of a taupe. theBalm Insane Jane is grayer (more cool-toned), while Inglot #402 is nearly indistinguishable from Midnight Rodeo.
Tainted is a pinked lavender with a subtle golden sheen. I found this one a little powdery–almost too blendable (where it sheers out when you make any move to blend it)–and the sheen and lavender color don’t bind together entirely. It’s ridiculously more pigmented and leans more on the purple side compared to MAC Boy Crazy. Lancome Amethyst Glam palette has a shade that’s similar but purpler. MAC Lotusland is similar but seems a bit lighter.
Deeper is a chocolate bronze with a subtle golden sheen. It is a warmer, lighter version of Urban Decay Darkhorse, darker and less warm Urban Decay Smog–almost like the two had a baby.
Midnight 15 is a soft champagne with a hint of gray and frosted finish. There is a subtle amount of glitter which has a touch of fall out. Initially, I thought it might be similar to Urban Decay Virgin, but it’s grayer–looks taupe in comparison. It’s a little darker compared to the beige in Chanel Prelude and less yellow compared to Urban Decay Ruthless (this is the closest).
Junkshow is a brightened fuchsia-purple with a fuchsia sheen. It’s similar (but brighter) than MAC Double Feature 7, while Urban Decay Woodstock is pinker, less blue-based, and has no purple. It has a more vibrant and obvious pink base compared to Urban Decay Fishnet, however the iridescent sheen is less apparent in Junkshow.
MIA is a dark brown with a soft copper base and light sheen. It is lighter and doesn’t have the gold shimmer of Urban Decay Darkhorse.
Of the fifteen shades in the palette, Tainted and Midnight Rodeo were the ones I wasn’t sold on. Midnight Rodeo has subtle glitter, so there was just the tiniest amount of fall out (I tested all shades I thought might be problematic as soon as I finished swatching the palette!)–like two or three specks of sparkle, so nothing like the fall out from other glitter eyeshadows from Urban Decay. Tainted is easily sheered out; the matte lavender base doesn’t seem to bind with the golden sheen, and the result is that neither comes together to stand out. It is a shade that works better packed on and lightly blended around the edges. We are not talking about a terrible eyeshadow in either instance–those are just the two that I was like, “Hm, there’s room for improvement.”
The color payoff for nearly all of the shades was nice. Tainted sheers out easily but applies well initially, and Evidence (surprisingly!) felt a little stiff–it didn’t have the same buttery, dense texture that most Urban Decay eyeshadows have. Evidence works much better applied, and it still has decent color payoff when swatched, but the stiffer texture stood out immediately to me. The other thirteen shades were nicely pigmented and applied smoothly.
It’s possible to have too many similar shades to make the palette worth picking up, but overall, I think it’s an excellent palette that offers so much value. There are fifteen full-sized eyeshadows here, and Urban Decay’s full-sized eyeshadows retail for $17 each–that’s $255 worth of eyeshadow for $55. This is what I want to see when a brand puts out a value palette, set, kit, or what-have-you. It doesn’t feel like Urban Decay skimped on the quality, either, as some brands do when they put together a value palette. These eyeshadows feel just like singles and past palettes Urban Decay has put out.
The packaging is true-to-form for Urban Decay with the filigree edging and metallic finishes. Inside the cover of the palette is a full-sized mirror (spans the entire area of the lid), and the portion that holds the eyeshadows actually pops out to reveal a compartment below. You won’t be able to put much (maybe a few photos or something!) underneath, because it’s a rather narrow space with the insert on top. Urban Decay described it more as a way to make the entire box useful after you have used up all your eyeshadows, and once you recycle the eyeshadow insert portion, you’ll definitely have more room. It does hold fingerprints like crime scene, though!
Remember, you can compare all of these eyeshadows side-by-side in the Swatch Gallery!
There is a good variety of colors in this palette, though it does have a surprising amount of neutrals, with good color payoff and soft and smooth textures. You might find you have too many similar shades already, but for those who don't, it's a great way to snag high-end eyeshadows without breaking the bank.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4.5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Butter London Thames Nail Lacquer ($14.00 for 0.4 fl. oz.) is described as a “soft, blue-green stunner with just a tiny undercurrent of gold.” It’s a rich, luxurious green-teal with subtle shimmer. I didn’t get a lot of gold shimmer, as it seemed more white/silver to me (even in bright light). I was able to achieve opaque color in two coats. The formula was easy to work with, because it wasn’t too thick or thin, flowed evenly across the nail, and didn’t streak. There were a few brush strokes in the resulting look, but they were very subtle. I typically get a week of wear with Butter London’s formula with a proper base and top coat.
The color reminded me of the shimmer in MAC Jade Dragon (which has a very inky green-tinged black base). Duri Paparazzi is the closest dupe I found from my past swatches, but it is much greener (not really a teal at all).
If you love jewel-toned nail colors, Thames is a really lovely shade that intertwines blue and green to create teal, but then sometimes it leans green, sometimes it leans blue.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
4/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Zoya’s Smoke Collection contains six cream nail lacquers, including: Anja (smoky palatinate purple cream), Cynthia (smoky Prussian blue cream), Dree (smoky camouflage green cream), Jana (smoky mauve quartz cream), Petra (smoky eggplant mauve cream), and Codie (smoky brown taupe cream).
Anja is a deep, burgundy-wine cream. It was opaque in nearly one coat, but I swatched it with two. It looks extremely similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge Drifter. Zoya Stacy is redder and browner.
Cynthia is a deep, forboding gray-blue. It was opaque in two coats. I detected the faintest hint of micro-shimmer that only was noticeable under very, very bright light. The only shade I could think to compare it to was Chanel Steel, but it doesn’t have the same blue tone.
Dree is an olive green with a cream finish. It was opaque in two coats. Chanel Khaki Vert is greener, less yellow-based, while Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War is darker and greener–Dree appears almost muted in comparison. Zoya Gemma is greener, less olive, and has lots of shimmer.
Petra is a dark, gray-casted purple with a cream finish. It was opaque in two coats. China Glaze Below Deck is closer to Petra than it was to Jana.
Codie is a dark, cool-toned black-brown cream. It was opaque in two coats. Essie’s Little Brown Dress is similar but a little warmer and lighter.
All six creams applied nicely–even flow, good color coverage (two coats used for all swatches), and the formula wasn’t too thick or thin. I tested out Jana for wear, and it wore for a week with minor tip wear, which is my normal experience with Zoya’s cream formula. I used Zoya’s Anchor + Armor for base/top coats.
Oddly enough, I see the smokiness that Zoya went for with these polishes. It's most apparent in Cynthia, which ended up looking really complex despite its cream finish.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Guerlain Bal de Mai (160) Rouge Automatique Lipstick
Guerlain Bal de Mai (160) Rouge Automatique Lipstick
Guerlain Bal de Mai (160) Rouge Automatique Lipstick ($35.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a medium-dark, coral-red (that leans more pink than red) with subtle gold micro-shimmer and a slight shine to the finish. It has a little more than semi-opaque color coverage, as you can see just a hint of my lip freckle peeking through. When I wore this alone, I had just under five hours of good, even wear, before it began to fade–better than average.
The formula is creamy without being thick or heavy, and it is actually a moisturizing formula. It’s soft and feels like silk when applied. I find these comparable to the Rouge G lipstick, though not as thick or as opaque, but still similar enough. They’re $11 cheaper than the Rouge Gs, but the colors still have the same depth and nuanced shade range that makes Guerlain lipstick always standout to me. To see more photos of the packaging, check out this post. I did find that the slider on this particular tube was stiffer than others, which reduced the functionality/utility.
I found Chanel Flamboyante to be a little brighter and redder but still similar. It seems more like a slightly darker and more opaque MAC Viva Glam Cyndi.
It's a wearable coral that leans a little pink as well as red but doesn't come off as orange or ultra bright. It should work well as a spring/summer color!
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9/10
Application
5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Chanel Fall 2011: Illusion d’Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eyeshadow
Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Long-Wear Luminous Eyeshadow($36.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a new product for fall, and it comes in six different shades. Chanel describes these as: “This intensely shimmering long-wear eyeshadow offers true versatility. An innovative gel texture that is both soft and cushiony allows it to be worn as eyeshadow or eyeliner. Includes a specially designed shadow/liner brush, developed specifically for this unique formula.”
I think the most common question I got asked regarding these was, “How do these compare to Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense?” The easy answer: they don’t. They’re in glass pots with black lids, and they’re really quite differennt otherwise. The formulas are not the same at all. There is such a drastic difference in the texture alone that they do not invite comparison. In terms of color, there may be similarities, but that is no different than comparing any eyeshadow to either of these products. It’s like comparing a the formula of a cream eyeshadow to that of a powder eyeshadow. The texture of these is most like Buxom’s Stay There eyeshadows but these are springier.
Fantasme is a bright white with silvery-white shimmer. Of the six, this was the only one that I would categorize as sheer. This is more like white and silver shimmer spread through a clear base. It adds sparkle rather than color. MAC’s Pearl Reflects Glitter is most comparable, but it is a chunkier glitter and will need an adhesive base or modifier to get it to stay (and last I heard, MAC’s Glitters were not eye safe).
Emerveille is a soft peach with a hint of brown and a champagne shimmer-sheen. theBalm’s Luscious Lani is very similar in color, perhaps a touch less peach. It seems like it would also be comparable to Benefit’s RSVP.
Illusoire is a smoky, purple-mauve over a grayish-brown base with a silvery sheen. This has a frostier finish, compared to the subtly metallic finish of Emerveille. It is similar to MAC Hint of Sapphire, but it doesn’t have the multi-colored shimmer (however, it applies infinitely better). It’s a little taupe, but it does lean purple, so it’s not a true taupe. It ends up looking rather similar to the grayish-purple shade from the same collection’s Prelude Eyeshadow Quad, just with a more shimmery finish.
Epatant is a smoky, muted taupe with a hint of green with an antique gold shimmer-sheen. MAC Greensmoke is much darker and greener, while Make Up For Ever #84 is closer in overall color/feel, it is more intense.
Mirifique is a dark black with multi-colored shimmer and larger silver sparkle. I can’t think of a dupe for this particular shade, because the way the glitter sits on the black base makes it different. Perhaps MAC Black Tied, but Black Tied is a weaker formula with less color payoff.
Ebloui is a burgundy brown with warm, red undertones and multi-colored shimmer that is dominated by gold and cranberry. On me, my yellower undertones pull out the brown tones, while I would expect pinker undertones to pull out the burgundy tones. I couldn’t find a dupe for this one; it’s brown yet burgundy. It might be duped with a mix of Urban Decay Gash and MAC Cranberry.
The texture of these is bizarre–they’re spongy but they bounce back. I imagine this is the texture most expected out of MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadows, actually. They are a gel-based formula, but they have the thickness of a cream, creaminess of a mousse, and springiness of a sponge. It spreads really nicely and evenly on the lid without being sheer (unless you deliberately apply a minute amount).
I found five of the six to be nicely pigmented with no concerns for lack of color payoff–Fantasme was the only one I found lacking in that department. The colors themselves are soft and subtle, with an edge of smokiness, and they tend to be more than just one flat color, so they will easily take on different tones depending on how they’re worn, what they’re paired with, and the undertones in the skin.
On me, these wear twelve hours (worn alone, no primer) without creasing, fading, migrating, or smudging. They apply evenly over the lid, and they’re blendable for long enough to give you time to soften any edges but are never fully wet, so they don’t gather into the creases and lines of the eye before it fully sets. Once it sets, it really doesn’t budge.
The brush included with each shade is actually useful, though in all honesty, it’ll be thrown into a drawer (along with all of those velvety pouches that I don’t use but can’t bear to toss). It works, and it does work well with these–it’s a nice touch, because it’s a quality brush with a thin, angled edge to allow for lining but with enough area to also apply all-over the lid. I prefer brushes with longer handles, but this is one of the better brushes I’ve seen included with a product.
Fantasme, again, was the only shade that was less-than-stellar, and of course, it would not earn the same marks as these do overall or as the other shades. It is one of six, and it is the only one with any reason for a reduction in rating. I would give it a 7 on pigmentation and 8.5 on texture. Again, this is why I prefer reviewing individual shades rather than groups of shades in one post!
With the exception of Fantasme, these are really standout products with an excellent, truly long-wearing formula, gorgeous color selection with nuanced shades, and a product that applies easily.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
9.5/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
10/10
Application
5/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
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.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
