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The Best Urban Decay Eyeshadows + Overview

Urban Decay Eyeshadows
Urban Decay Eyeshadows

Urban Decay Eyeshadow ($19.00 for 0.05 oz.) is an extensive range of powder eyeshadows with a variety of finishes from matte to metallic and everything in-between. In general, I would describe the formula has moderately dense, mostly smooth, lightly buttery, and pigmented. Their matte eyeshadows tend to be a little dusty or powdery, but they are usually easy to blend and build-up on the lid (if they aren’t super pigmented).

I believe I have reviewed and rated the majority of the existing range, though there are probably a still a few I haven’t come across. This list will contain some shades found in permanent palettes (unfortunately, at this time, we don’t have anything in the system that distinguishes something available only in a permanent palette vs. permanent single). I hope it helps! (You can see the full list of shades sorted from best to worst here.)

I’d love to hear about your must-have eyeshadows from Urban Decay, and if you’ve tried any, I’d love it if you could take a moment to leave a quick rating or write a review!

Top 35 Urban Decay Eyeshadows

63 Comments

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Julia Avatar

I love UD’s eyeshadows! My collection consists mostly of palettes, with a few full sizes that I replaced as I hit pan. I think my absolute #1 favorite is Toasted, which is in Naked 1. I hit pan so I bought a full size for my 4-pan BYO palette. It’s a pinky coppery brown and the texture is so buttery… it’s just beautiful. I used to wear it almost every day with Virgin (probably my all-time fave eye highlight shade, btw!) and Sin. Clearly I fear no shimmer lol.

Rachel R. Avatar

What an amazing list. There are even a few shades I don’t own (yet). I love UD’s purples, greens, teals and blues. I think they overall do an amazing job with them, especially when compared to most brands’ efforts. Now if they’d only make Gash permanent again.

Anne Avatar

Riff is my favorite, of all time. Color: perfect for my blue eyes, copper brown hair and fair, warm coloring. Lasts all day; applies easily and smoothly. Just a little sparkle keeps it from being flat, but not so much so it feels odd in a somewhat conservative office setting. Great neutral against which I can play other colors. I actually have bought a few of these to hoard, just in case UD discontinues.

Erica Avatar

Meh. I have yet to be impressed with anything Urban Decay. I bought tonic and snare. I’d give these eyeshadows a C+ at most. Just mentioned to me. Lol

erica Avatar

Well the Ulta I bought them from is an hour away. They are sitting in my drawer. Every UD product I have ever bought just sits or I toss it. I should never bother with them. Lol

Anna Avatar

Can someone please tell me what blue/purple color eye shadow that is in the very first photo on this post?! The one in between the light lavender and the gray/green eye shadows?

Nancy T Avatar

Definitely a few of my personal favorites both listed above, plus I have other HG shadows within UD’s range.
Roach, X, Chase, Smog, Fireball, Tease, YDK, Sin, Verve, Mushroom, Rock star, Dive Bar all make the cut for me out of what I own. Also love the satin and shimmers in Naked Smoky, but manage to make all but Password and Radar work very well for me over primer. I really hope they make Junkie, flashback, Burn and Protest PERMANENT!

A Avatar

I love the colour, but my single of Bender was weirdly terrible – very dry and powdery, and it was hard to get pigment with a brush. I tried getting a replacement but it was the same. Bad batch maybe?
That said, my Naked Basics and custom quad with Lost, Blunt, Chase and Moonflower get very regular use from me. They’re pretty standard colours but I would recommend them all.

Nicole Avatar

Yep, I know I’ve told you this Christine. On UDs website , if you sign up for their rewards program, you get to pick a free single shadow ( any one you want!) the month of your bday with a purchase of any amount.

Susan Parker Avatar

I bought both the original Naked palette and the Naked 3. I ended up giving them to my daughter because they irritated my eyes too much. I loved the colours but the fallout was awful. I tried them with several quality primers but none of them helped. I want so badly to buy the Spectrum palette but I don’t want to risk the disappointment. ?

Genevieve Avatar

These beautiful colours remind me of how good UD is – great quality and pigmentation across a broad range of colours. My favourites are: half baked, mushroom, haight, s & m, bender and deep end.
I don’t own any single UD shadows, but have lots in my palettes.
My favourites from those are: Pistol, Busted, YDK from Naked 2
Vice 2: Madness, Derailed, Damaged and Ambush. All great colours.

Thank you so much for this overview Christine – it is fantastic.

Mariella Avatar

I’d forgotten about Derailed and also Stash from V2. And I meant “Ambush”, not “Armour”…I always mix up those 2. I don’t think I have Armour but I think Ambush is a dupe, which is another reason I confuse them all the time. I’m so glad I got Vice2 – some great and wearable colours and some pops of excitement!

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I have mostly palettes and a few singles. Was surprised to see several colors I wasn’t aware of. I like to do a gold, bronze, brown eye as it lights up my blue grey eyes. Prefer matte for crease bc of age and a bit of crepiness, however that’s spelled

Fran Avatar

Christine, this is great! I can see that I need to add Bender, Radium, Haight, Snare, and S&M to my collection (I do have Tonic). I do like UD’s eyeshadows very much, but the Naked palettes don’t really excite me, and the quality in the LE palettes is often uneven. I think focusing on high-quality singles in the colors I love is the way for me to go 🙂

Fran Avatar

Yes, I love my Urban Spectrum palette 🙂 I also really like my Electric palette. The color Freak from that palette is one of my all-time favorite eyeshadows.

Mariella Avatar

So few people have Snare (certainly here in Canada but even on MUA, I think mine is the only review for it!) – it’s so difficult to get because it’s only available at Sephora stores inside J.C. Penney or through UD’s site. I love so many of my UD shadows and palettes. Colours that stand out for me – Snare, Mushroom, MIA, Toasted, Smog, Suspect, Loaded, Haight, Deep End, Midnight 15 (I think it’s LE), Deeper, Half Truth, Dragon (from Vice 3) and Undone (Naked2Basics). Wow….I didn’t realize just how many are favourites til I stopped to think about it and I could probably go on and on….

Ginny Avatar

From their palettes I love Stark, Skimp, Cover and Blackout. Holy Grail contoured eye right there. The only single I own is Lounge, good color that works on everyone. That’s all the UD I own! I have put them on my list multiple times but ultimately bought singles from MAC and MUG because they offer pans. I really wish UD did that. I wouldn’t even care about how they priced them, it’s just about the convenience.

Kristina Avatar

Hey Christine! I know you provided the links, but is there any way you might consider also including the swatches in a post like this? Or swatches instead of product photos, if it would be too long otherwise? That would make things a lot easier for people reading on mobile devices 🙂

Claire L Avatar

Oh, I so miss my Naked3 palette! My mum ‘tidied up’ our bedroom when we were away in Italy last year and I don’t know where it is. I suspect either it’s been thrown out or put away in their attic. Believe me, I was furious when we came back to find everything changed and ‘tidied up’. Unfortunately the flat belongs to my parents and they think they have the right to do what they like with it without asking us. I did buy a cheap W7 dupe but it’s not as good and not the same. Maybe I’ll just buy another one and enjoy using it again. I love my Urban Spectrum palette too!

Astrild Avatar

Sin is probably my favorite all over the lid eyeshadow. I love UD eyeshadows. Naked1 and 2 are my most used palettes by far.

Emilie Avatar

I’m surprised Buzz made it so high on the list, mine is absolutely terrible! I do enjoy all the other Naked3 shades on this list, though. I have 8 Urban Decay palettes, but I don’t have any single UD eyeshadows (except for one Moondust). I’m planning on purchasing Sidelined soon though, it’s gorgeous!

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