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Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette ($34.00 for 4 x 0.06 oz.) is designed to help you recreate the look Mia Wallace’s look from the movie. Urban Decay says there are three new shades (so two are repromotes), but these were all new to me (at least, by these names). When I first saw the palette, it reminded me of Naked Basics, and there is overlap. Righteous is closest to Foxy, though it is lighter and brighter than Foxy. None seemed similar to Tyranny. Vengeance is darker and more shimmery, with a stronger red tone (versus yellow) than Faint. Furious is very similar to Venus, though Venus’ texture is quite different. Anger is more shimmery, less warm-toned compared to Crave. They are similar enough, however, that if you rarely use the Naked Basics palette, I’m not sure that this one would be much more useful. The Pulp FIction palette leans warmer overall. I found the eyeshadows to be very blendable, easy to use, and fairly pigmented across the board. I wish the palette itself was more compact, because then it would be travel-friendly, and though the colors are dupable, they work well together for a mostly matte neutral eye.

Righteous is described as a “light cream matte.” It’s a very light and bright, yellow-toned beige with a matte finish. It had a very soft, finely-milled texture, but it was powdery, and it had decent to good pigmentation. It lasted for eight hours on me before fading. Too Faced Meow (LE, $16.00) is cooler-toned. bareMinerals Pacific Sands (LE) is darker. Too Faced Rockabilly (P, $16.00) is similar. Kat Von D Lifelike (P) is less warm-toned. Laura Mercier Buttercream (P, $23.00) is similar. Urban Decay Bleach (LE, $18.00) is a touch darker. Urban Decay Foxy (P, $18.00) is darker. MAC Vanilla (P, $15.00) is similar. MAC Blanc Type (P, $15.00) is less yellow. Inglot #353 (P, $6.00) is more muted. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Tyranny is described as a “warm brown matte.” It’s a medium-dark, orange-toned brown with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff, and the texture was soft without being powdery. This shade stayed on well for eight hours before I saw signs of fading. LORAC Unspoken (P) is darker. MAC Rose Cloud (LE, $15.00) is lighter. Kat Von D Glasswing (P) is lighter. Makeup Geek Latte (P, $5.99) is similar. Makeup Geek Frappe (P, $5.99) is more shimmery. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee (P, $5.99) is lighter. Urban Decay Beware (LE, $18.00) is very similar–a touch darker at most. Inglot #357 (P, $6.00) is darker. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Vengeance is described as a “deep taupe-brown matte-satin.” It’s a medium-dark brown with soft, warm undertones and a satin shimmer. It had excellent color payoff, and the texture was soft, dense, and buttery while being extremely easy to apply. On me, the color wore well for eight and a half hours before it started to fade along the edges. YSL Saharienne #3 (P) is cooler-toned, more shimmery. Givenchy Taupe Velours (5) (P, $23.00) is less shimmery, cream. Divergent Bold Espresso (LE) is similar. Makeup Geek Bada-Bing (P, $5.99) is darker. Urban Decay Twice Baked (P, $18.00) is lighter, warmer. Dior Fairy Golds #5 (LE) is more shimmery. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Furious is described as a “white satin.” It’s a warm, bright white with subtle yellow tint and a pearly sheen. It was slightly powdery, and though it had decent pigmentation, it could have been more opaque. I didn’t notice it start to fade until after eight hours of wear. Too Faced Purr (LE, $16.00) is more shimmery. Milani Bella Ivory (01) (P, $3.99) is similar. Chanel Quadrille #2 (LE) is a touch darker. MAC This or That #1 (LE, $21.00) is less shimmery. Urban Decay Venus (P, $18.00) is very similar. MAC Mylar (P, $15.00) is brighter. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Anger is described as a “black satin with slight tonal sparkle.” It’s a dark black with a satiny sheen. It had so-so colorpayoff, due to its slightly dry, powdery texture. It wasn’t as blendable as I expected, and when you have a richer black eyeshadow like this, it’s important to have that blendability. On me, the color stayed true for eight and a half hours before fading. NARS Sycorax (P, $29.00) is more shimmery. Anastasia Black Diamond (LE) is warmer. Urban Decay Lovesick (LE, $18.00) has more sparkle. MAC Fashion Legend (LE, $15.00) is cooler-toned. bareMinerals Lights Down (P) is darker, cooler-toned. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

See more photos & swatches!

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette
Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay Righteous Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Righteous Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Righteous Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Righteous Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Tyranny Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Tyranny Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Tyranny Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Tyranny Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Vengeance Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Vengeance Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Vengeance Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Vengeance Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Furious Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Furious Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Furious Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Furious Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Anger Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Anger Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Anger Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Anger Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Eyeshadow: Righteous (inner lid), Tyranny (middle of lid),
Vengeance (outer lid/crease), Anger (crease), Furious (brow bone)

Urban Decay Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Eyeshadow: Righteous (inner lid), Tyranny (middle of lid),
Vengeance (outer lid/crease), Anger (crease), Furious (brow bone)

92 Comments

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Rafaela Avatar

I love Pulp Fiction, but I am trying to be a more conscious buyer. The palette looks amazing, but I think it would be a little redundant in my collection since I own the Theodora Palette.
What do you think Christine? :T

Rafaela Avatar

Thanks very much for your opinion Christine. I dont use Theodoras enough to buy it, indeed!
I have a neutral MAC quad that I love better, as well as Naked 1 and 3.
I will save my money, hope Urban Decay continou to make movie inspired palettes!

MakeupTray Avatar

Colors are a bit too common, imo. This seems like another variation of Naked Basics. The packaging is pretty though. Tyranny is the best color and wish it was sold seperately

SNL Beauty Avatar

Tyranny is a dupe from the physicians formula matte quads, in Classic nude the reddish brown color. I love this color, (its also a great eyebrow powder for red heads)

Georgie Avatar

Tyranny is totally hideous IMO – I love all the other shades but couldn’t justify hating one shade when there’s only 5 in there! Also the packaging is seriously cool.

Chanel Avatar

This is a nice “quickie” palette if you’re in a rush and you want to do something simple.but other than that I don’t see anything creative about this other than the packaging. I think it Looks like naked basics as well and that palette is boring in my opinion

xamyx Avatar

Apparently there’s no overlap with Naked Basics, after all. Still, this runs a bit warm for me, and I don’t think it’s worth it to stalk counters…

Sandra Avatar

I was thinking Righteous was a repromote of Skimp and Vengeance was the repromote of Missionary, but I could be wrong. Hard to tell from a computer scene. I wonder if I am even close. Any thoughts anyone.

Jenny Avatar

I’m confused, in the “Get the Look,” Anger is used as a highlight shade? And in the back of the package, Furious/Anger is switched with black on the left and highlight on the right..

Mariella Avatar

Now that I’ve ordered this (on sale), I’ve come back to look at this thread and just noticed the very same thing. UD’s mixed up the colours in their own “look” and also on the back (or else Christine got one that had been assembled “upside down” for that 2 sided pairing – perhaps they rushed putting together the press samples or perhaps the folks at UD simply got it wrong! I’d assume the white shadow is for inner corner/browbone and the black for lining the eyes in their instructions.

Abigail Avatar

It seems a little weird to me that they would make a whole palette dedicated to one look. Like obviously you can use the shadows any way you want, but since everyone is saying these colors are pretty basic it doesn’t seem like enough of a selling point.

Mariella Avatar

Abigail, it’s like the Too Faced palettes that have 9 shadows in them. They’ve always got 3 “looks” that involve nothing more than moving across each section (usually “Day”, “Classic” and “Fashion”) horizontally. Someone new to makeup might not realize that you can actually mix them up any way you want and use just one shadow or 2 or even 7 in one look. With this palette, I’m sure a lot of looks are possible (not just the one shown on the box) and there are even more possibilities if you combine it with other shadows you already own.

Valerie C. Avatar

I really like this. I don’t own many palettes and this is perfect for the look I wear all the time.
Thanks for the review!

Helene Avatar

I also thought this palette was quite like the Theodora one, and I do think Tyranny looks a little like Beware, and Broken might be quite like Righteous, I don’t think Vengeance looks like any of the darker shades in the Theodora. It’s hard to compare my swatches and yours, Christine as we have different skintones and it’s really hard to compare on the screen as well. So this is just in my oppinion.
I had fun, swatching and comparing, though, and Theodora might be the palette for tomorrow, I had forgotten how much I liked it. 🙂
I still don’t think I’ll get this palette as I have loads of neutrals. I do think it’s a quite nice one, though.

Mariella Avatar

What’s absolutely CRAZY is that, in spite of having so many neutral palettes and single shadows, I don’t think I have a single shadow from the dupes you’ve listed (though I do have a few of the “possible dupes” from the dupe list). So this might mean that I actually really have no choice but to buy this palette….really, NO option at all!

Mariella Avatar

I know – I’m sure I have dupes, just not ones you’ve listed, so I’ll have to take a look at it in-store at least to get a sense of whether or not what I have is close (it’s bound to be), though I really do like the way this is put together in terms of colour, quality and overall compactness.

Veronica Avatar

I like the all matte look, but these are all too warm for me. Same problem I have with all of their other neutrals. 😛 It definitely gets you the Uma Thurman look, though.

Jaa Avatar

I, too, wish the palette was a bit more compact. I already have the Naked Basics so I think I can happily give it a pass. Thank you for keeping us updated on all the new releases, Christine! 🙂

Helena Avatar

I might have to buy this purely for the packaging. I loved the shadow names, I loved it more when I saw the front, but “be coll honey bunny” on the back killed me, it’s too perfect. I’m ttrying to justify it since I don’t really have any neutrals, but the reason is that I use greys and blacks as neutrals because I’m so cool toned (and very pale)… Hmmm…

Jen Avatar

Urban Decay did a great job with the whole Pulp Fiction collection. All the colors are true to the Mia Wallace look, which I love. I understand why many people aren’t sold on this palette. To some people Urban Decay is all about bright, fun colors. Others feel it is too close to the Naked palettes or too easily duped. To me it’s a nice tribute to the 20th anniversary of the film. It will definitely find a home in my collection along with the lipstick.

Mariella Avatar

The great thing about Urban Decay, to me anyway, is that they cover both of those bases – brilliantly bright shadows like Haight, Shattered, Asphyxia, etc. and more subdued or neutral shades….something for everyone’s tastes or everyone’s various needs. I’m not a fan of the cinematic Pulp Fiction but I’m really loving this little collection (well, the palette and the lipstick, anyway!)

CeeCee Avatar

I’m actually really excited about this. I love Urban Decay’s eyeshadow formula but shimmery eyeshadows are not the most versatile depending on how you look at them (whether they don’t work for your eye shape or the occasion). Their matte formula is great too so I can’t help but get excited.

It’s also refreshing to see a really wearable themed palette

Ginny Avatar

I really like it. The two brown tones are beautiful and I like the matte/satin mix. I won’t be getting it because I actually think it’s a little expensive for three shadows and two half shadows. And also because eye shadows are totally resistible to me (lipsticks, another story!). And is the case cardboard? It would get smashed in my bag lol.

Ginny Avatar

Oh, perhaps you are right about absorbing shock. I would think the edges would get frayed and such? I tend to… toss my makeup around. I should probably treat it more carefully…

Elanora Avatar

Anger looks like it barely showed up on your crease! If it’s that sheer is it worth buying just for the three browns? Because Furious is a very common color to be found. I’ve never bought a high-end palette so I’m very iffy about this one

Elanora Avatar

Is it that pigmented with a brush? I have a problem where I swatch an eyeshadow and it looks great but if I use a brush it’s so sheer it’s ridiculous?
I loved the look Kandee Johnson did with this palette, but I’m not a professional and don’t think I could do it well. Is it worth the buy?

Savvy9 Avatar

The Mrs. Mia Wallace look was my best friend’s signature look in high school. At the time (mid 90’s) high school girls around us did not wear looks like this. She wore UD’s Gash lipstick with a dramatic, flicked black satin finish liquid liner… I am really disappointed in the choice of liner. I was just thinking about all of this a few weeks ago and when this collection previewed I was so excited and ready to buy… not so thrilled now, but maybe… because I am warm toned and sentimental.

Alia Avatar

In person this palette is so much more amazing than it looks online.. I was not going to buy it and then i swatched it in person at Macys and had to have it…really beautiful and the texture of the shadows is amazing

Denise Avatar

I strenuously resisted this palette when it first came out. Now I’m glad I did, since it’s available from multiple sources for $16! I just got it this week from ULTA.

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