What’s That Dangerous Glint in Your Eyes?

Urban Decay Dangerous Eyeshadow Palette (2012) ($36.00 for 0.18 oz.) includes six eyeshadows: Gravity (deep violet with multi-colored micro-glitter), Loaded (deep metallic emerald), Evidence (deep navy blue), Deeper (metallic dark brown with bronze pearl), Mushroom (warm pale grey), and Ace (deep grey/blue shimmer) and one Lip Junkie in Naked (pinky neutral).

Gravity is a subdued purple with a hint of smokiness and silver micro-glitter. It was soft, fairly smooth, and had decent to good color payoff–just slightly under-pigmented (relative to the rest of the shades). I experienced just a minute amount of fall out while it wore. Urban Decay Freakshow has a stronger redder undertone. MAC Highly Charged doesn’t have a strong red undertone, but it is there. MAC Drawn to Drama is cooler-toned. Urban Decay Rockstar is smokier, more subdued, less purple. Lancome Perpetual Purple is a bit more vibrant. Estee lauder Cyber Lilac is similar. theBalm lavish Latoya is grayer.

Loaded is a deep forest green with a hint of teal and brown undertones. The color payoff is excellent (almost to the point where a little goes a long way!) with a soft, smooth texture. Bare Escentuals Max Volume is a bit lighter and greener. OCC Poison is greener. theBalm Jealous Jordana is less intense, slightly greener.

Evidence is a medium-dark navy blue with a metallic sheen. It had decent to good color payoff, but it was a little dry compared to the other shades. This is part of the permanent range. It’s similar to a host of blues: Tom Ford Cobalt Rush, Bare Escentuals Climax, MAC Thru the Night, Wet ‘n’ Wild Earth Looks Small From Down Here, and Inglot #428–just to name a few.

Deeper is a dark, chocolate bronze with a lighter bronze shimmer-sheen. It had good color payoff with a soft, smooth texture. This shade felt a smidgen powdery. NARS Paramaribo is more golden. MAC Venetian Tarnish is similar but a cream formula. Urban Decay Snakebite has less of a bronze sheen. MAC Tempting is just slightly lighter. MAC Bronze has a stronger orange undertone.

Mushroom is a gray-brown–it’s a very intense taupe. It had good color payoff, and a really soft, dense texture. This is part of the permanent range. MAC Keep Your Cool is more muted. Chanel Illusoire is less brown.

Ace is a dark charcoal gray with a hint of blue shimmer. It had good color payoff and applied smoothly and evenly. Urban Decay Asphalt is similar but a smidgen grayer and lighter. Tarina Tarantino Silver Shoes is lighter. Bobbi Brown Gunmetal is extremely similar. Make Up For Ever #1 is similar. Urban Decay Gunmetal is a little frostier.

Naked is rosy light-medium brown with soft pink shimmer. It’s semi-sheer and emphasizes natural pink tones in the lips while adding subtle warmth and shimmer. Chanel Troublant is darker, plummier.  This shade wore for three hours when I tested it.

Last year’s Dangerous Palette included Haight, Mildew, Virgin, Oil Slick, Rockstar, and Gunmetal, 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 don’t really seem similar to me; there’s no highlighter shade in this one, and it’s generally darker, smokier. It is, however, similar to Urban Decay’s Smoked Palette–given that Smoked is $49 but contains 10 eyeshadows (plus a full-sized Perversion eyeliner), I’d probably opt for that one instead. It has three overlapping shades: Loaded, Evidence, and Mushroom, while Barlust will work as the bronze hue, Rockstar as a purple, and Asphalt for a gray.

Of the three palettes, I think this one is the least worth getting while the Smoked palette is around. You just get so much more (almost double the eyeshadow, plus the eyeliner) for $13 more.  The quality is absolutely there; the shades are soft, smooth, and pigmented across the board.  Gravity was the “least” pigmented with decent to good color payoff and did have minor, but noticeable, glitter fall out while worn.

The Glossover

	Dangerous A
	Of the three palettes, I think this one is the least worth getting while the Smoked palette is around. You just get so much more (almost double the eyeshadow, plus the eyeliner) for $13 more. The quality is absolutely there; the shades are soft, smooth, and pigmented across the board.
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 9.5/10 Texture 9.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4.5/5
	Where to Buy
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Urban Decay Dangerous Eyeshadow Palette (2012)

Urban Decay Dangerous Eyeshadow Palette (2012)

Urban Decay Dangerous Eyeshadow Palette (2012)

Urban Decay Dangerous Eyeshadow Palette (2012)

Urban Decay Gravity Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Loaded Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Evidence Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Deeper Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Ace Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Naked Lip Junkie

Urban Decay Naked Lip Junkie

Urban Decay Naked Lip Junkie

Urban Decay Naked Lip Junkie

Urban Decay Dangerous Palette Look: Mushroom (inner lid), Ace (outer lid),
Evidence (crease), Loaded (crease), Skimp (browbone), Mushroom Eyeliner (8 Hours of Wear)

Urban Decay Dangerous Palette Look: Mushroom (inner lid), Ace (outer lid),
Evidence (crease), Loaded (crease), Skimp (browbone), Mushroom Eyeliner (8 Hours of Wear)

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette ($49.00 for 0.30 oz.) includes ten eyeshadows: Kinky (soft ivory peach with a matte finish), Freestyle (light pantyhose nude with matte finish), Mushroom (warm grey with shimmery finish), Back Door (true dark brown with matte finish), Blackout (blackest black with matte finish), Barlust (dark golden brown with metallic finish), Rockstar (deep aubergine with shimmery finish), Evidence (deep navy blue with shimmery finish), Loaded (deep emerald shimmer with metallic base), and Asphalt (deep gunmetal with silver micro glitter and metallic base); one eyeliner in Perversion (blackest black); and a mini Primer Potion (in Original).

• Kinky is a pale, neutral beige with a matte finish. It had good color payoff and was soft to the touch, though slightly powdery. This is a new and exclusive shade to this palette. Urban Decay Booty Call is slightly darker and more orange. MAC Vanilla is a little darker. MAC Chamomile is yellower. Bare Escentuals Chance is a smidgen more cool-toned but very close. MAC Blanc Type is very similar.
• Freestyle is a light-medium brownish peach with a matte finish. It had good color payoff, but it was a little powdery. This is a new and exclusive shade to this palette. Bare Escentuals Stealth is more orange and shimmery. Inglot #341 is darker and a little pink.
• Mushroom is a gray-brown–it’s a very intense taupe. It had good color payoff, and a really soft, dense texture. This is part of the permanent range. MAC Keep Your Cool is more muted. Chanel Illusoire is less brown.
• Back Door is a charcoal brown with a hint of gray and a matte finish. This is a new and exclusive shade to this palette. MAC Dance in the Dark is very similar. MAC Legendary Black is browner. Bare Escentuals Amnesia is slightly darker.
• Blackout is an intense, deep dark black with a matte finish. It has good color payoff and doesn’t have any powderiness. This is part of the permanent range. Milani Pitch Black is slightly softer. Sugarpill Bulletproof is comparable.
• Barlust is a shimmery red-toned medium-dark brown. It has a soft, buttery texture with great color payoff. This is a new and exclusive shade to this palette. If the name sounds familiar, it was used for a nail polish that was similarly colored. MAC Havana is lighter. Bare Escentuals Pumped is more matte. MAC Roasted Chestnut is lighter and warmer. MAC Make Your Mark is softer, lighter. MAC Carbonized is similar but less metallic. Urban Decay Lost is less red-toned.
• Rockstar is a dark, smoky purple with subtle red undertones. It has a very buttery and smooth texture with great color payoff. This is part of the permanent range. MAC Indian Ink is almost like a matte version, though it is a little darker. Lancome Zip Me Up is a bit lighter. Estee Lauder Cyber Lilac is a touch lighter.
• Evidence is a medium-dark navy blue with a metallic sheen. It had decent to good color payoff, but it was a little dry compared to the other shades. This is part of the permanent range. It’s similar to a host of blues: Tom Ford Cobalt Rush, Bare Escentuals Climax, MAC Thru the Night, Wet ‘n’ Wild Earth Looks Small From Down Here, and Inglot #428–just to name a few.
• Loaded is a blackened green-teal. It goes on very, very dark–you will lose some of the strength of the overall green/teal if you blend it out, but it doesn’t look full-on black. This is part of the permanent range. Bare Escentuals Max Volume is a bit lighter and greener. OCC Poison is greener. theBalm Jealous Jordana is less intense, slightly greener.
• Asphalt is a medium-dark gray with very, very fine teal and silver micro-shimmer. The color payoff is decent, but it’s a smidgen sheer and not as buttery in texture as some of the other shades. This is a new and exclusive shade to this palette. If the name sounds familiar, it was used for a cream eyeshadow that was similarly colored. Tarina Tarantino Lovely Jewel is lighter. Make Up For Ever #1 is a smidgen darker. Bobbi Brown Gunmetal is very similar. Estee Lauder Black Chrome is a fraction darker. Urban Decay Gunmetal is a smidgen cooler-toned–a hair more silvered. theBalm Inspirational is less shimmery, grayer.

Overall, it’s a good palette; the best performing shades were Mushroom, Barlust, Rockstar, and Loaded. The “worst” (which weren’t bad!) performing shades were Evidence and Asphalt, which were both a little dry.  Kinky and Freestyle were a marginally powdery but applied well and had good color payoff, despite being lighter in hue, which was impressive.  Three of top Urban Decay eyeshadows are in the palette, too (Mushroom, Rockstar, and Loaded) along with the lovely rich black Perversion eyeliner.  I tried a few different combinations (none of which I ended up liking, but for testing purposes, still worked), and I averaged around eight hours of wear with minimal fading but no creasing over bare lids. With a primer, the wear was perfectly intact after eight hours of wear.

One thing I disliked about the palette was the composition. This has no impact on the rating at all, because it’s very subjective and doesn’t affect the quality of the product. Like The Black Palette, it has lots of dark, smoky colors–totally appropriate for the palette–but it seems like this is a palette you’d tote around with you, as if it was an all-in-one palette for great smoky looks. There are too many dark shades to build more diverse looks. I would have loved to have seen one or two more shades (perhaps something cool-toned–maybe a silver, silver-blue–hey, Strip would have been a great addition to the palette).

Kinky and Freestyle are the lighter shades in the palette, but it’s missing a genuinely cool-toned one, and perhaps one with some shimmer/satin in it, rather than matte. I tried layering Kinky over a few shades, but it seemed to make more of a mess than lightened the underlying color. Freestyle read a bit too warm against most of the colors when I tried playing with it. If you want a one-and-done palette, maybe this isn’t it. If you want lots of Urban Decay eyeshadows, it could be a great choice.

Each eyeshadow is 0.03 oz. (compared to 0.05 oz.), which means the palette contains $108 in eyeshadow, plus a full-sized eyeliner, which normally retails for $19, and then a small primer potion containing 0.13 fl. oz., which is worth $7. The palette contains $134 worth of products for the $49 price tag. It’s still a great deal–it’s just not as good as previous palettes, such as Naked and Naked 2, which both contained 12 full-sized (as in 0.05 oz. each, so 0.60 oz. worth of eyeshadow–double this palette) eyeshadows, plus two comparable extras (brush and primer).

Honestly, I don’t mind that the eyeshadows aren’t full-sized; it’s hard to get through a full-sized eyeshadow, especially some of the darker shades, of which there are plenty of in this palette, but at this price tag, it’s a little tougher to swallow, given that they’ve done much more value-packed palettes.  It’s something to pay attention to in case this a trend of things to come, but the palette on its own is still a good value and well worth the price tag–assuming you want more than 3 shades!

The Glossover

	Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches A-
	If you want a one-and-done palette, maybe this isn't it. If you want lots of Urban Decay eyeshadows, it could be a great choice. The palette on its own is still a good value (but not as good as palettes have been in the past) and well worth the price tag--assuming you want more than 3 shades!
	Product 9/10 Pigmentation 9/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 9.5/10 Application 4/5
	Where to Buy
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Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Kinky Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Freestyle Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Back Door Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Blackout Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Barlust Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Rockstar Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Evidence Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Loaded Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Asphalt Eyeshadow

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches (Part 2)

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.
• Evidence is a dark navy blue with a subtle sheen. This is a shade that most brands have–we’ve seen it often–and it’s similar to MAC Deep Truth (less intense), MAC Blue Sheen (less intense), Inglot #428, Make Up For Ever #308.
• 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.

The Glossover

	15th Anniversary A
	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
	Where to Buy
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See more photos & swatches!

For photos of the palette itself, please see part one.

Vanilla, Omen, Ace

Flow, Evidence, Blackout

Chase, Deep End, Half Truth

Urban Decay Vanilla Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Vanilla Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Omen Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Omen Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Ace Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Ace Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Flow Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Flow Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Evidence Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Evidence Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Blackout Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Blackout Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Chase Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Chase Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Deep End Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Deep End Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Half Truth Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Half TruthEyeshadow

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette