All Warmed Up: Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland + Bobbi Brown Cabana Corals Look

Brrr, it was FREEZING (!) today here in California. Of course, freezing here is 55 degrees, but I swear, it felt way colder! I was happy with how this looked turned out; I hadn’t initially planned on putting Wonderland in the crease, but it looked so much better when I did–I was so tentative applying it at first! I was like, “Oh man, I’m going to wreck this look by doing this…” But it worked out. So, don’t be afraid to try is the lesson learned there!

Oh! And I’m happy to say that I found my perfect shade in Bobbi Brown’s Extra Tinted Moisturizing Balm — it’s light-to-medium.  Medium was a little dark and looked a bit yellow-ish on my skin tone, but the next lighter shade blended perfectly.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion (matte yellow base), Urban Decay Muchness (X) Eyeshadow (melon), Urban Decay Oraculum (Half Baked) Eyeshadow (copper), Urban Decay Queen (Last Call) Eyeshadow (reddish burgundy), Urban Decay Underland (Flash) Eyeshadow (violet), MAC Femme-fi Eyeshadow (neutral highlighter), Urban Decay Lucky 24/7 Liner (copper), Smashbox Liquid Liner Pen (black), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face:  Bobbi Brown Extra Tinted Moisturizing Balm (Light-to-Medium Tint)
• Cheeks: Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmerbrick (coral bronze)
• Lips: Bobbi Brown Coral Reef Lipstick (soft coral-orange), Bobbi Brown Coral Sand Lip Gloss (soft bronze)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: For MAC substitutes, try Melon Pigment (Muchness), Amber Lights (Oraculum), Cranberry (Queen), Stars ‘n Rockets (Underland); Femme-fi = Shroom

For eyes, start by applying Eden Primer Potion as your eyeshadow base all over the lid with the 249. Using the 239, apply Muchness eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply Oraculum eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Queen eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend Queen eyeshadow, with the 239, on the outer corner and lid. Next, define the crease by applying Underland eyeshadow with the 226. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Femme-fi eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Penny eyeliner on the lower lash line. Finish by applying Liquid Pen Liner on upper lash line and then sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Nectar shimmerbrick to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Coral Reef lipstick first, and then layer Coral Sand lipgloss for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Eyeshadow Palette

I purchased the palette online at Urban Decay on Friday, and it finally arrived here to me in California (they ship out from Florida, FYI!). For those interested in picking one up for themselves, both U.S. and Canadian Sephoras are taking phone orders. I know the U.S. number is 1-877-SEPHORA. Last I heard, Sephora would have it online around the 26th and retails for $52.

In the Book of Shadows, Alice in Wonderland style, you get sixteen eyeshadows, each weighing 0.03 oz. You also receive a miniaturized Primer Potion (0.13 fl. oz.) and two miniaturized 24/7 eye pencils (0.3 oz.) in Zero and Flipside.

It is important to note that the eyeshadows included in the palette are not new shades; they’re existing/previous shades re-named to fit in the Alice in Wonderland theme. That being said, if you own Urban Decay’s Ammo, Book of Shadows Vol. I/Vol. II, or the Sustainable Palettes, you may already own the majority of the shadows in the Alice in Wonderland kit.  Below is a shadow-by-shadow review with the real-name of the eyeshadow in parentheses (for your reference).

Eyeshadows

• Underland (Flash) is a bright, cool-toned medium purple with an icy lilac shimmer. It’s soft, smooth, and richly pigmented.
• Alice (Painkiller) is a bright aqua-blue with an icy sheen. Like Underland, it’s smooth, silky soft, and has lots of pigment to it.
• Oraculum (Baked) is a warmed-up copper with a softer copper sheen. Smooth, soft, well-pigmented. I do find this one has a bit of a frostier finish than some of the other shades.
• Queen (Last Call) is a reddened eggplant with a burgundy edge. It has a frost-like sheen, but it is smooth and pigmented.
• Chessur (Chopper) is a cooler-toned, not nearly as bright, copper shade. It has the same soft texture as the majority of Urban Decay’s shadows, but it has silverish glitter particles that may contribute to some fall out in practice.
• White Rabbit (Polyester Bride) is a gently yellowed white (though still, very white) with a white-gold sheen. Like Chessur, it also has some glitter to it, so it’s not quite my favorite texture.
• Wonderland (Maui Wowie) is a tarnished gold, maybe an antique gold, but not quite so dark. It has a golden bronze sheen to it. It’s pigmented and smooth, but it also has a few glitter particles (though I think this is one of the more manageable glitter-based shades in the bunch).
• Curiouser (Grifter) is a lightened fuchsia-purple with icy purple sheen. It also has silverish glitter particles in it, which may lead to fall out. This is one of the lesser pigmented shades, though it still has decent color pay off.
• Muchness (X) is a peachy-melon with a gold sheen. It almost has a little mauve to it, in certain lighting. It reminded me of MAC’s Melon pigment quite a bit. This has a frosty finish, but it doesn’t have the glitter, so it’s smooth and easier to work with.
• Mushroom (Mushroom) is a taupe brown with kind of a silvery sheen and shimmer. It’s not quite as rich as some of the other shades, but it can be layered for a more intense look. (Don’t get me wrong, it has nice pigmentation–just not as intense as the other shades in this palette.)
• Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again) is a flushed champagne with silver/gold glitter particles. This is quite possibly my least favorite Urban Decay eyeshadow. It is a pain in the behind to work with, because the glitter fall out is pretty insane. It’s a shame, because the color itself is pretty, but the glitter means “No, thank you!” for me.
• Vorapal (S&M) is a neutral, slightly cooled down silver with a brighter silver sheen. Smooth and pigmented.
• Absolem (Homegrown) is a grassy green with a golden shimmered sheen. Very pigmented and true-to-color.
• Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin) is a pinked champagne with a bright, frosty sheen. It’s like a pinker version of Midnight Tea Party–and sans all the glittery fall out.
• Mad Hatter (Twice Baked) is a lightly glittered dark brown with warm undertones. I don’t remember Twice Baked behing so lagging in pigment, but I really had to layer this one on to get a decent evenness. It gave me some drag and a faded look.
• Jabberwocky (Oil Slick) is a dark black base with icy blue and silver glitter. While not as prone to fall out as Midnight Tea Party, it’s still one of the glittery shades that may lead to some fall out while applying it.

Bottom Line: From the beginning, I’ve been a little disappointed that Urban Decay didn’t create some new shades for this palette, in light of the partnership between them and Alice in Wonderland. The names are certainly excellent and totally work with the theme, but I would have appreciated (and just loved to have seen!) brand new shades.

I like the shades and palette overall, but I think I already own the majority in various other palettes, too, so I’ll probably end up passing this on to my sister after I do some looks with it (well, hopefully!). I’m not a huge fan of Urban Decay’s more glittery shades (of which there are six, with one being exceptionally hard to work with) and tend to prefer their smoother shades.  I think the palette could have done with a few matte or semi-matte shades, too, just to break up the frost and shimmer.

The packaging is very cohesive, and it looks good.  It fits with the theme, but I think they put it together quite nicely.  My lid won’t stay open, so it being used as a mirror is not happening as of yet.  Since the theme, while well-done, isn’t a driver for me though, I probably would have passed on this palette under normal circumstances.  It’s a better buy if you are looking to try a bunch of Urban Decay eyeshadows without investing in singles; it’s definitely a value palette if that’s the case!

Love it or hate it?

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 26/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 5/5

Recommendation: If you’re a big Alice in Wonderland fan, or really like cute packaging, you may want to place you order sooner rather than later. OR if you’ve always wanted to try out UD shadows (but don’t have any/just a few).

Availability: Sephora (TBA)

See more photos & swatches!

Included is a little insert/sheet with the names, ingredients, and what the real names are.

Eyeshadows: Underland, Alice, Oraculum, Queen

Eyeshadows: Chessur, White Rabbit, Wonderland, Curiouser

Eyeshadows: Muchness, Mushroom, Midnight Tea Party, Vorpal

Eyeshadows: Absolem, Drink Me Eat Me, Mad Hatter, Jabber Wocky

Eyeliners: Zero, Flipside