A few weeks ago, I posted about wanting a new eyeshadow palette and at the time I was checking out
this and
this one, but a makeup artist at Ulta suggested skipping them both in favor of the
Urban Decay Gwen Stefani palette instead. I had heard about this palette and I didn’t consider it because I thought it would be a lot of bright colors, lots of glitter, and shades that I wouldn’t be able to get a lot of use from. I’ve been in love with Urban Decay Naked palettes (I have
One,
Two,
Three, and the first
Basics and they all get a lot of use), so I wandered over to check out the
Gwen Stefani collaboration and I was floored, it was not what I expected at all! All of her collection was stunning, the palettes, lipsticks, all of it. The eyeshadow palette had beautiful, neutral colors with three jewel toned ones. The colors were gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!
A big difference with this
palette is that there are fifteen shadows 0.04 oz (the
Nakeds have twelve 0.05 oz shadows), twelve of which are new and exclusive to the palette and three that are from their permanent line and renamed for the collaboration. In the set, there’s a nice range of matte, shimmer, and pearl finishes. The shape is also different, it’s a large rectangle instead being slim. I do prefer the slim Naked cases since their shape makes them easier to travel with, but the Gwen Stefani set comes with a giant mirror which I really love.
Since my
Gwen Stefani palette arrived, I’ve been using it non-stop and I didn’t expect to be using it every single day. I haven’t even picked up another shadow since it came and I’m so in love with it! The colors are gorgeous and blend beautifully, I’ve created different eye looks that are very natural and perfect for work using the top two rows and the first pot in the last row. Punk (a reddish brown matte, last shade in the first row) and Baby (a metallic rose, first shade in the second row) are two of my favorite colors. Punk blends beautifully with the other colors into the crease and Baby is a gorgeous transition color. For some extra shine, I’ll use Pop (a pale coral with iridescent sparkle, first shade in the third row) in my inner lid and blend out to the middle, although I do get a bit of fallout from this shade. Admittedly, I have not used the bottom right four shadows, I just haven’t had a use for them yet. I think Danger (a deep metallic blue, middle of the bottom row) and Blackout (a black matte, last shade in the third row) would be gorgeous blended into the outer lid or as a bottom liner.
Overall, I’m very happy with this
collaboration, it really is gorgeous and I love the mix of shades and finishes. I think if you’re on the fence about the shadows, I would suggest going in and testing them out. I thought a lot about this palette and checked it out in person twice before purchasing. I wanted to be sure it offered something different than what I already owned and would be a versatile product to add to my collection. The quality is exactly what you expect from Urban Decay- long lasting, pigmented, and buttery. The colors really outshine my initial expectations of a
Gwen Stefani collaboration. I think it offers colors and combinations you don’t get from the Naked collections and provides more than a generic nude, smoky, or bronzed palette. The colors really are so beautiful and make your eyes pop, and I know I sound like a broken record saying that, but the more I play with the palette, the more I love it!
