Early last month (November) I decided I would take advantage of Sephora and splurge on the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette ($59 US – available on Urbandecay.com). I didn’t pick up the original Vice Palette that came out last year because I just wasn’t interested in spending the money on it and the colors were not those I would use often. I’m glad I took advantage of the opportunity to pick up Vice 2 because it is no longer available online at Sephora.com and I was able to cash in on some points by shopping there instead of through UD’s website.
I have seen the original Vice palette in person and was very impressed, but not nearly as impressed as when I received the Vice 2 in the mail and opened up the box. The palette itself is breathtaking… sporting purples and marbleized looks that are totally showstopping. I’m glad I decided to get it because packaging alone has won me over. The palette has 20 ALL NEW eye shadow shades. If you are one that loves color, this palette is definitely a great one to add to your makeup arsenal. What I love most about it is that it offers a few neutral shades and mattes so that you can create a vast variety of looks without having to turn to other palettes for a transition shade, highlight or black.
You have a variety of shades in this palette that you can create a bright bold look with (Madness, Coax, Betrayal) and colors to do a nice brown smoky eye (Smokeout, Rewind, Ambush and Habit). The palette sports the awesome pigmentation of Urban Decay shadows and have that buttery feel we are all used to when using UD. Some of the shimmery shades do offer some fall out – but considering the size of the glitter/shimmer in those colors – that is definitely expected. If you are looking for an even bolder look in some of the shades, use them foiled or over a sticky base to keep that bright color and shimmery effects.
If I had to choose one shade I absolutely love… it would be Prank. This shade is gorgeous when used wet, as an eyeliner or even to smoke out a look. Definitely a shade that goes well in this palette and it’s great that they included something along those lines because I absolutely love it.
For the look above I am using the following colors from the Vice 2: Rewind – Transition above the crease, Habit – Brow highlight, Ambush – Lid Color, Betrayal – lower lash line pop of color, Strike – pop of gold in the middle of the lid. Like I mentioned previously – this palette can be used for a wide variety of looks. If you are someone that tends to lend more towards neutral makeup – then this palette may not necessarily be the right fit for you. However, if you love neutral colors but love a “pop of color” from time to time, this palette offers a wide range of color options for you to use.
Now – let’s talk swatches. I have been trying to take photos of swatches several times over the course of the last couple of weeks. I’m not sure if it’s because some of the shades have color shifts or because our lighting here has shifted due to the Winter season – but some of the shades in the swatches are a tad bit different then how they look in the palette. Please be sure to look at the palette photos for shades… though I’ll be honest and say that the swatches are very much still true to color. I swatched them on bare skin (no base or primer) and all photos were taken in natural light without flash.
Row 1: Smoke Out (metallic/shimmer grayish black with pinkish red reflects), Love Sick (Matte Black with silver micro glitter), Shell shock (shimmery frosty silver), Coax (shimmer/metallic rose pink with light gold sparkles), X-Rated (a shimmery baby pink)
Row 2: Prank (a black/blue with teal sparkle), Madness (rich metallic blue), Strike (shimmery yellow gold), Stash (Olive Green with Gold Sparkle), Poison (charcoal gray with micro sparkles – check out the “whole” palette photo for an accurate photo)
Row 3: these swatches varied from what they look like in the palette. Again, I tried several times to get an accurate color swatch but it just didn’t photograph well for me. If these colors are used with certain bases, it can definitely lend to similar shades pictured here due to the fact that some of these have awesome reflects and shimmer as well as color shifts.
Radar (a gorgeous metallic bronze with gold micro glitter), Damaged (metallic / shimmer emerald green), Voodoo (a beautiful plum metallic purple with iridescent micro glitters), Betrayal (a lavender purple with a blue shift / duo chrome), Derailed ( a shimmery metallic taupe brown)
Row 4: Dope (a light peach champagne satin), Toxic (a copper metallic pink with pink micro glitter), Habit (a matte nude cream brown), Ambush (metallic brown satin), Rewind (a deep matte brown – it looks like a taupe in the swatch – but it lends for more of a brown shade)
The palette also came with a double ended (dual-ended) brush that I like. I love that there is a shader brush and a blender in one so I don’t have to worry much about which brushes to use. The brushes are soft and like any UD brush – it works well and does the job right.
All of the shades in this palette are awesome, I didn’t come across any of them that didn’t work to par or didn’t have enough color payoff. I overall think this palette is a great buy and investment because you can use the colors in so many different looks – the options are endless. You get a total of 20 shades at 0.03 oz each for a total of 0.6 oz of product. You also get a large full sized mirror in the palette (which is awesome for creating your looks). The palette is very sturdy (trust me – I’ve dropped it at least 10 times) and like I mentioned above… it’s gorgeous – definitely one for display.
Overall – if I had to rate it on my Sparkle Scale I would definitely give it 5 Sparkles… which I never do. I believe this palette is well worth the investment, is highly pigmented, offers a pretty nice color range and like most Urban Decay shadows, they feel buttery and awesome on the skin. Staying power is average and long lasting when used on a good primer or base. I didn’t experience any creasing after testing them out on their own – however, I did do a wash of color to create the look so I did not pack color onto my lids. If you are looking to invest in a palette that you will love for years, then this is definitely a good buy.
For my YouTube friends – I’ll be showcasing this palette in a “Quick Review” in the next week or two so stay tuned for that. Subscribe to my new channel here
{Self Purchased}
