Travel with Urban Decay This Summer

Urban Decay Summer of Love Shadow Palette ($29.00) is a new-for-summer eyeshadow palette that features four eyeshadows (0.04 oz. each), a miniature Sin Primer Potion (0.09 fl. oz.), and miniature Bourbon 24/7 Eye Pencil (0.03 oz.). The eyeshadows included in the palette are Flash (bright iridescent purple), Maui Wowie (medium gold with silver glitter), Chopper (coppery fawn with silver microglitter), and Smog (deep coppery bronze).

Everything in the palette is available individually, should you only fall in love with one of the shades! As such, everything included is also permanent. However, for those who do not already have the majority of these eyeshadows either individually or in various past-released palettes, you get a good amount of product in the palette itself.

Normal eyeshadows are 0.05 oz. (and retail for $17) while the palette versions are 0.03 oz. — still plenty to use. The eyeliner is typically 0.04 oz. (and retails for $17) but 0.03 oz. in the palette. Plus, you do get the mini-sized Sin Primer Potion (my least favorite of the primers, though–so metallic!). All in all, the palette is a good deal with lots of value–if you don’t already own the shades in it.

• Flash is a cool-toned violet purple with a slight iridescence. It’s very smooth, pigmented, and vibrant.
• Maui Wowie is an antique gold with silver glitter. It has great color pay off, and I swear this version felt so much smoother than the one included in the Alice in Wonderland palette, which felt much grittier. You may encounter some fall out with this shade from the glitter.
• Chopper is a muted copper with a gilded-bronze sheen/shimmer. It has nice pigmentation and applies smoothly.
• Smog is a deepened chocolate brown with a warm bronze sheen. It, too, is a vibrant shade that has rich pigmentation.

Urban Decay seems to really love releasing summer palettes with a series of browns and then a pop of color. (Remember Get Baked from last year?) I do like this color variation a lot better than last year’s, because I feel like there is a good amount of differentiation between each shade.

The packaging fits with their theme–definitely groovy and all that–but I’m not digging the vintage photographs on the back. I would have personally loved to have seen the floral pattern continue around the mirror, like it did in Get Baked. It’s cool that the graphic designer’s parents are now immortalized in a makeup palette, but for me, it’s just, “Who are these random people?” Like the majority of Urban Decay products, it is made out of sturdy cardboard. I like these flip-open palettes, because they’re slim, streamlined, and easy to travel with and store.

It’s a nice option for a summer palette, but as always, I wish Urban Decay would release new shades of eyeshadows rather than using their permanent shadows. It makes it hard to purchase as a fan, just because you probably own all of them with the palettes you already have! Maybe Urban Decay should make palette forms available of all their eyehadows so we can just mix and match throughout the year!

P.S. – I think I have enough mini-sized Bourbon liners to get me through year 3000.

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

• Product: 27/30
• Value: 10/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you don’t own a lot of Urban Decay eyeshadows, this palette makes a fun option for some summery shades. It’s a great value if you don’t have any of the shades, and the quality of the products within the palette are tops.  It’s easily skipped if you own half or more of the shades/products in it.

Availability: Urban Decay

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Eyeshadows: Flash, Maui Wowie, Chopper, Smog

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Liners: Corrupt, Bourbon (Included in the palette), Underground, Stash

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.

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