Urban Decay Black Palette
Getting Heavy with Urban Decay
Urban Decay The Black Palette
($36.00 for 0.24 oz.) contains six eyeshadows (0.04 oz. each), along with a miniature-sized Zero 24/7 Eye Pencil (0.03 oz.) and Eden Primer Potion (0.13 fl. oz.). As far as I know, this palette is limited edition and a Sephora exclusive (and Sephora lists it as “online only”).
- Black Dog is an intense, deep dark black with a matte finish. It’s about as intense and deep as Sugarpill Bulletproof, but it’s not quite as smooth or as blendable. It is not at all unworkable, though. I just point this out because it seemed like Black Dog was one of the shadows readers were most looking forward to, and Bulletproof is an alternative to buying the entire palette.
- Barracuda is a darkened gray with silver flecks; it is a very steely, cool-toned gray. I thought it was similar to Urban Decay’s Gunmetal, but it seems a little darker and less frosty.
- Jet is a cool-toned plummy purple with very subtle red undertones. It has a semi-matte color base with flecks of blue glitter.
- Sabbath is a darkened, smoky noir blue with flecks of blue glitter.
- Cobra is a muddied blackened base with flecks of antique-gold and green-gold shimmer/glitter.
- Libertine is a blackened green color base with flecks of gold and emerald green micro-glitter.
The Black Palette is housed in a sleek, slim rectangular palette with a mirror on the inside cover; it’s made out of cardboard/paper as Urban Decay palettes often are, but it’s very compact. The miniature Zero eyeliner is stowed away inside along the eyeshadows, while the miniature Eden primer potion is loose (which does ensure that this palette is thin). It’s definitely a more travel-friendly palette than the Book of Shadows.
Quality-wise, these eyeshadows feel like most of Urban Decay’s regular eyeshadow line (not to be confused with their deluxe eyeshadow line, which has a slightly differing texture); they’re pretty smooth and pigmented. These do feel a touch more powdery and kick up some eyeshadow if you’re not careful, so I do recommend tapping your brush against your wrist to get any excess shadow out–that way it doesn’t just poof and land on your under eye instead! I don’t think they’re the best of the brand’s eyeshadows, but they’re solid overall.
I find this palette too redundant to be a must-have for most makeup mavens. When applied to eyes as part of look, they really don’t standout; they all look black with a touch of varying glitter (but it is so subtle, it’s hard to notice until you look for it specifically). I did a quick look using Cobra, Libertine, and Black Dog, and if I saw that, I’d say I used two eyeshadows (a shimmery black, nude highlighter); the difference is nearly imperceptible.
You can really get the same effect by using a black eyeshadow/base and layering a shimmery color shade on top– in fact, a ton of people do this with MAC Blacktrack as a base and you can get some really cool effects (try using a duochrome shade on top!). You might even find that the color pops even more. These are just too black, too flat. The inclusion of Eden with this palette is interesting, because it makes these eyeshadows look flatter and even more similar to each other than other bases. I did some experimenting using Eden, a shimmery white gold base, and colored bases; these eyeshadows look best over colored bases–you can get that blackened look without losing the color entirely.
I feel like I do get the concept of blackened, smoldering colors that don’t scream color but at the same time, I want some differentiation between one shade from the next. I don’t want to squint my eyes to detect slight differences in the flecks of glitter. I also think the inclusion of Gunmetal or Dime 24/7 Liner (instead of Zero) would have helped these shades pop. I recommend experimenting with cream eyeshadow in black and layering shimmery colors on top to see what look you prefer!
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: I think it’s worth trying to recreate on your own at home — unless you wear a ton of black eyeshadow, you should be able to get something comparable–if not better–as you need it.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
Bobbi Brown Lip Color: Black Maple, Black Raspberry
Color May Not Appear as in the Tube
Bobbi Brown Lip Color ($22.00 for 0.12 oz.) now includes two new shades for fall from the Black Velvet Collection: Black Maple (black red plum) and Black Raspberry (black burgundy).
- Black Maple is a rich burgundy brown. On my lips, it looks nearly opaque with a slight sheen.
- Black Raspberry is a semi-sheer browned red. It’s a different way to wear the red lip–it’s not an in-your-face kind of red, and it’s not incredibly dark either. It has a rather glaze-like finish, where there’s some sheerness up close, but it looks more cohesive and opaque from afar.
There’s a funny thing about these lipsticks/swatches; they don’t look like they line up. Black Maple looks burgundy in the tube, while Black Raspberry looks nearly black–and yet it’s actually much, much lighter. I actually had to swatch them both again as I started to write out the review to make sure I didn’t have it written wrong in my notes! They both seem to be a little on the cooler side.
Bobbi Brown’s Lipsticks are scent- and taste-free, which is something that can difficult to find high-end lipsticks. With these deeper, darker shades, I find myself getting between four and five hours of wear. They apply without difficulty, though I do find myself needing to check the application to ensure smooth, even color. I don’t find them drying, but I think if you have really dry lips, you may not find they’re very moisturizing either.
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: I like these shades, though I’m not in love with them. They could apply a smidgen more evenly! Black Maple is surprisingly more wearable than the name would lead you to believe.
AVAILABILITY: Bobbi Brown
All About Nudes in Dolce & Gabbana’s Sicilian Lace Collection
Dolce & Gabbana Perfection (220) Intense Nail Lacquer ($20.00 for 0.37 fl. oz.) is a nearly neutral caramel nude with a cream finish. It’s new for fall and part of the brand’s Sicilian Lace Collection, which certainly is all about barely there and nude shades. This is a very subtle color, and it’s not a trend or shade for everyone. I found two coats was plenty to get an opaque look, as the formula was very pigmented and on the thicker side.
I found the applicator a bit bothersome, as the brush itself is larger and thicker than average; it allows quite a bit of the lacquer to absorb into the brush, so it’s easy to overdo it if you’re not especially careful. If you have very narrow nail beds, you may also find the brush too wide to use with ease. The lacquer wore just fine with Zoya’s Color Lock System with tip wear but no chips after a week.
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: At $20 a pop, this might not be the shade to splurge on if you’re not quite sure how you feel about the nude on nude trend.
AVAILABILITY: Saks
Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Scrub
Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Scrub
($36.00 for 12 oz.) is touted as both a body scrub and skin polish, though the two terms mean different things to me. A body scrub is a coarser product designed to help slough off dead skin cells on the skin that covers your body (which essentially excludes your face, possibly your neck), while a skin polish is a grainier, finer product that buffs and just tends to be gentler overall. Do they mean the same thing to you? I’m more curious than anything. We all have our own expectations/ideas depending on products and how they’re marketed!
The body scrub has a fresh lemony scent that’s light and not synthetic, and it’s really not a scent that will last and last post-shower. It has rather fine, grainy particles that will get the job done, but if you’re looking for a coarser scrub like your typical salt/sugar scrub, I don’t think this will be vigorous enough for you. However, if you prefer something smoother, finer, and altogether gentler (particularly if you have sensitive skin), the consistency of this product is more up your alley. Bliss calls the exfoliating piece “circular scrubbing grains,” which is good, because their spherical nature will avoid tearing the skin.
Ingredients: Water, Myreth-3 Myristate, Octyl Stearate, Polyethylene, Butylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Distearate, Dimethicone, Propolis Extract, Dimethicone Copolyol, Beeswax, Gylcereth-7 Hydroxystearate/IPDI Copolymer, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Triethanolamine, Hops Extract, Horsetail Extract, Beeswax, Stearamidopropyl Phosphatidyl PG-Dimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea.
I like that my legs feel rejuvenated and more moisturized after using this product. Not all scrubs impart moisture, and I can always appreciate one that multi-tasks (though if you suffer from drier, scalier legs like me, you don’t get to skip the body butter). Depending on your budget and what you like to splurge on, Bliss’ body scrub isn’t for everyone–it can seem pricey. Personally, it takes me ten years (exaggeration!) to get through a jar of body scrub, so if it does the job I like, smells good, etc., I’m not overly concerned whether it’s $10 or $40, since I know I’m going to get plenty of use out of it. If, on the other hand, I was going through a jar a month, I’d be more wary.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you prefer gentler exfoliating products for your body, consider Bliss’ Lemon + Sage Body Scrub, which uses very fine, grain-like particles to get rid of dry skin.
AVAILABILITY: bliss, Sephora
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash
Quick & Clean with Kate Somerville
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash
($32.00 for 4 oz.) is a no-frills cleanser for me. I really like it, because it just gets the job done quickly and effectively. I purchased mine several weeks ago via Gilt, when they had a Kate Somerville sale, so I bought the economy-sized 16 oz. bottle for $47 (regularly $95, from what I see on QVC).
Ingredients: Purified Water, Sodium Alpha Olefin (C14-16) Sulfonate, Cocomidopropyl Betaine, PEG/PPG-8/3 Diisostearate, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Silicone Quaternium-8, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Salvia Offincinalis (Sage) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Zinc PCA, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorphenesin.
It’s a lightweight gel cleanser that has a light lather that smells a little like lavender and tropical fruit. I have no idea why I always get tropics out of it. Nobody else does, so I think my nose is engaging in some wishful thinking! It cleans effectively and quickly; directions state to work into moistened skin for thirty seconds and then rinse. There is no tight feeling left behind, and my skin doesn’t feel parched either. I just feel clean and refreshed!
For me, it does all the cleansing that I need. It gets rid of dirt and grime and any foundation/tinted moisturizer I’ve worn that day. This won’t breakdown heavy eye/lip makeup, but in my experience, gentle cleansers rarely do as that is not what they’re designed for. (I personally use something targeted for makeup to do a preliminary/makeup cleanse, and then follow-up with a gentler cleanser.) I was surprised it removed my foundation so well, though, but the toner-test (take a cotton pad with toner and see if your cleanser missed any makeup) showed nothing was left behind.
At its regular retail price, it’s a rather pricey no-frills cleanser. A little goes a long way, certainly, so I imagine this super size would get one through at least six months’, if not a year’s, worth of cleansing. The jumbo size also features a pump system, while the normal, regularly available sized cleanser comes in a squeeze-tube. I think I’d actually like the squeeze-tube better, even if it is easier to manage a pump with damp hands.
I don’t need a full pump’s worth, so I usually do about a half pump, but this has resulted in excess cleanser getting stuck in the dispenser and hardening a bit from exposure to the air. It’s easy to remove, but it’s a little annoying, too. (It’s kind of like if you squeeze too much toothpaste out of the tube–it lingers until you remove, and it’s not difficult, but it’s a bit frustrating.)
I do really like this cleanser in conjunction with the Clarisonic, though. It has just the right gel consistency and light lather that works well with the device! I will probably switch to another cleanser soon so I can test-drive something else, but I definitely see myself keeping and returning to this one at some point. If the boy doesn’t steal it and use it all up!
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you have the dough, it’s a nice cleanser that feels gentle and does the job. But it’s not exactly revolutionary, and as much as I like it, it’s quite costly, even relative to other high-end brands of skincare.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
Sephora Eyelash Curler
Sephora Eyelash Curler
($16.00) is a metal eyelash curler that comes with two replacement curling pads. It does a good job of curling lashes without pinching or pulling, but shu’s curler ($19) still pulls ahead for me–and at the price tag, I’m not sold on Sephora’s. The biggest advantage that this curler has is that it has two replacement pads, as opposed to the one that shu comes with.
The curling pad seems a little thick on Sephora’s curler, which actually makes it easier to get a soft curled lash and no crimping or dreaded L-shape lashes. But it doesn’t get as defined and as big of a curl because of it as well. The padding on the handles is also a bit thick, so those with larger fingers may find it a little awkward to grip, because their fingers don’t quite fit in them.
Again, it does a good job–it curls softly, easily, and it doesn’t pinch or pull. You never have to worry about getting bent lashes, either, because the pad makes it a breeze to get that soft curled look. It just doesn’t give me the same amount of curl as my beloved shu curler does.
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- Product: 26/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you’ve found that other eyelash curlers have pulled or pinched, the thicker padding on Sephora’s curler might work better for you.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
