Beauty lovers everywhere sat up and paid attention when news broke that Urban Decay would be collaborating with the red lipstick wearing goddess, that is Gwen Stefani. Unsurprisingly as soon as the new Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette was released, it immediately sold out across the pond and the same occurred when it launched on the UK Urban Decay website, last week.
Given Gwen’s eclectic style, I was expecting a palette, full of brights that wouldn’t really work for daily wear. However, she surprised us all with practical and wearable neutrals and a couple of jewel tones to mix things up. What I love most about it, is that she’s managed to create a palette combining matte, sheen and shimmer that can be enjoyed by a wide range of skin tones.
“UD carefully crafted the shadows with Gwen, filling a void by creating the exact shades she always wished she had in her collection. In the end, they loaded this palette with her 15 must-have shades of Eyeshadow (12 are NEW, and three are from the UD shadow collection). With an insane range of neutrals and a few jewel tones to mix things up, this is Gwen’s go-to kit to achieve her most iconic looks. And with these shades in your arsenal, you’ll have everything you need to recreate these signature looks for yourself.
Gwen had a hand in everything, including the case, which was inspired by her love of black-and-white graphic prints and antique gold accents. She also handpicked most of the shade names, which were inspired by her songs. There’s even a nod to the No Doubt song “Magic’s in the Makeup” on the palette’s huge mirror.”
Each eyeshadow in this palette features UD’s Pigment Infusion System™, the proprietary blend of ingredients that gives every shade its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability.
Shades included:
Blonde (pale beige w/pink iridescent shift)
Bathwater – pale beige w/gold pearl
Skimp – pale nude satin
Steady – medium rose w/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 w/iridescent floating pearl
Pop – pale coral w/iridescent sparkle
Harajuku – metallic blue-pink w/iridescent micro-shimmer~
Danger – deep metallic royal blue w/blue micro-sparkle
1987 – bright metallic yellow-gold
Blackout – blackest black matte
I found that quite a few of the first 10 shades appeared quite faintly on my skin tone – a couple practically blended in, but I think pigment would improve with a primer used underneath. They’re great nudes for easy eye looks which I’d happily wear on a daily basis. Would I have bought the palette, had I not received a sample? No, because I own a couple of UD Naked palettes and other palettes which they’ve released, so I think I’m covered on the nude front. The nudes in the Naked paletttes are more vibrant on my skin tone sans primer too. It is, however, a great collector’s item and start up palette if you don’t own a lot of eyeshadow and are quite cautious with your eye looks.
Oh and a heads up, the Gwen Stefani Urban Decay lipstick line is on its way. UD posted a teasing snap on Instagram, a couple of weeks ago. That deep pink is calling out to me!
If you want to get your hands on the palette, you’ll need to be quick for as preas it’s limited edition.
How much is it? £40
Where can I buy it from? Urban Decay store, 5 King Street, London WC2E 8HN – 0207 240 9486 (limited stock still available). Available elsewhere (I presume Debenhams.com) on December 3rd.
*PR sample
