Urban Decay is one of those brands that I always get excited for. It’s the first brand I truly fell in love with and continue to indulge in over the years. I find that their philosophy is so different than most other makeup lines and I love that their items are all about having “Beauty with an Edge”. I find that some days I’m all about being ultra-feminine and other days all I want to do is be in head-to-toe black. Isn’t that the fun in fashion and beauty? Thankfully UD combines both into one gorgeous line.
Their latest collaboration with Gwen Stefani is a 90s girl dream. I personally remember dancing around my sisters bedroom to the Tragic Kingdom CD when I was younger. Gwen is the epitome of the cool girl who knows how to start trends, all while looking so gorgeous. I mean have you seen the woman?! She looks exactly the same as she did 20 years ago. She was a huge part of designing this entire line from everything to color selection to the packaging itself. And let me tell you, girl can werk. I was so excited to test out these products since I got oogly eyed the first time I saw them.
The eyeshadow palette* is surprisingly very wearable with a great blend of matte and shimmery shades – true to Urban Decay form (listed below, L to R and Top to Bottom):
Blonde (pale beige with pink iridescent shift)
Bathwater (pale beige with gold pearl)
Skimp (pale nude satin)
Steady (medium rose with metallic gold shift)
Punk (reddish brown matte)
Baby (cool metallic rose)
Anaheim (light taupe-brown matte)
Stark (nude-pink matte)
Zone (medium brown matte)
Serious (smoky gray with iridescent floating pearl)
Pop (pale coral with iridescent sparkle)
Harajuku (metallic blue-pink with iridescent micro-shimmer)
Danger (deep metallic royal blue with blue micro-sparkle)
1987 (bright metallic yellow-gold)
Blackout (blackest black matte)
You can find anything to create a natural look, something smoky, and even something with a bit of pop (see “Harajuku”, “Danger”, and “1987”). My absolute favorite combination lately has been to apply “Stark” all over the lid and “Zone” in the crease and lower lash line. It’s the first matte combination that I truly love! I also can’t wait to try out the cobalt-colored “Danger” with a liner brush.
Gwen handpicked these shades herself as a void for anything she dreamed of having in her collection. It’s such a great go-to palette and one I reach for on a daily basis. The only note is that the shades can have a bit of fall-out so make sure you tap off your brush before applying! Otherwise, these aren’t budging with my Urban Decay primer potion as a base. I can totally see myself using this as a travel palette since the shades work for any occasion.
The collection also contains a blush palette* which just gives me the best feelings. Gwen always seems to have this effortless glow that still looks fresh after dancing around on stage. The palette itself contains six different shades that can be used as a blush, highlighter, and contour (listed below, L to R and Top to Bottom):
Cherry (light pink satin)
Easy (deep rose w/gold shimmer)
Angel (champagne-nude shimmer)
Lo-Fi (soft bronze matte)
Hush (medium pink w/gold shimmer)
OC (soft pink w/peach shift)
I don’t know if I would necessarily use any as a contour, but the peachy shades would look gorgeous blended with a pinky tone come Summer. The formulas themselves are extremely pigmented and lightweight. My go-to combination has been a blend of “Cherry” and “Easy” and instantly makes me think of a youthful flush.
As with the eyeshadows, the blush is extremely pigmented – which is what I love. I just make sure to tap off my brush before swirling on my cheeks. The color then stays on my cheeks for a full 8 hours – which is great when you’re on the go (as I assume Gwen is constantly).
The last palette in the collection is the Brow Box*. Urban Decay already has two shades in their collection (a deep brown and a honey brown) but this is the first blonde coloring they’ve created. The box comes with two shades, a wax, two angled brushes, and a mini set of tweezers – all packed into a palm sized kit.
I mean, how friggin cute are those tiny tools?! The design of the box is amazing as the tools are housed in the bottom portion of the kit. There also are two large mirrors in both the top and bottom sections (with the lower mirror being more zoomed in to detail out the brows). This seems like such a small detail but for anyone who loves brows it’s huge! They really thought through the design when putting this together.
The shades themselves are perfect for my complexion, but obviously will only cater to those with lighter- to mid-toned blonde hair. The formula is extremely silky and glides through brow hairs without budge. I personally tend to love a cream formula when it comes to my brows, but am finding that the powders are great for filling in loose gaps or for when I want a lighter look. I also tend to pop this in my handbag when I know I may need to freshen up throughout the day.
Overall, Gwen + UD killed it with this collection. The packaging is simply gorgeous in all whites, golds, and blacks. The formulas are true to UD style: pigmented, long-lasting, and easy to use. And the color sections give you such a nice variety. At $58, $45, and $30 respectably they are a great bang for your buck.
Make sure to check out UrbanDecay.com or your local Sephora to snag these before they sell out! It is a limited edition collection and this sh*t is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
What have you, or would you, snag from this collection? On a related note, which classic Gwen song always gets you groovin? Mine has to be “Spiderwebs”. Also, did you catch that Ruby Rose is the new spokesperson for UD? YAS GURL. P.S. a full review of the MAYJAH lip colors are coming later this week! Be sure to subscribe below so you can follow along.
