I cannot tell you how excited I was when the Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani eye shadow palette landed on my doorstep (an early Christmas present to myself oops hehe!) The internet went crazy when it was announced that Gwen was working with Urban Decay to create this palette (and a lipstick collection which is due out in Spring 2016).
I was lucky to be one of the few who managed to purchase this on Urban Decay's UK site on Sunday 22nd November 2015 when it launched. The palette sold out almost immediately but you can now buy this at Selfridges here and Debenhams here.The palette will set you back £40 so perhaps make a quick adjustment to your Xmas list!
It took a few days to be delivered and once I got my hands on it I squealed with excitement (literally!) The packaging was simply amazing! Very true to Gwen and the outer casing really reminds me of Gwen and Akon's tune The Sweet Escape (YouTube it now!)
The back of the box in true Urban Decay style features all the shadows in the palette! I love this touch as if you are picking this up in the shop then you can see what you are getting without opening the case. The interior is a hot pink and white polka dot print, another nod to Gwen's taste as she loves pink.
Once I ripped open the package the palette itself is so stunning with a gold casing and black and white polka dot pattern inspired by Gwen's love for black and white graphic prints. The black polka dots give the illusion of empty eye shadow pans but don't you worry they are all beautifully hiding inside. The front case also has a metal tag displaying the info for the collab. I love how expensive the packaging looks very chic!
Inside are 15 beautiful shadows, 12 of these are new and designed by Gwen and Urban Decay and 3 (Skimp, Stark and Blackout) are from the original Urban Decay range which are Gwen's faves! This collab is unique to Urban Decay as its their 1st celebrity collab and as Gwen and the founders of Urban Decay are good friends this makes a perfect 1st time. From start to finish you can see how much Gwen has had in the development of this product from the shadow names to the design of the palette and colour format. I love all these finishing touches!
Inside the palette is an amazing size mirror to enable us girls to recreate that 'Gwen' look on the go. The cute little note in the corner is a shout out to a No Doubt tune 'Magic in the Makeup'. So cute!
The shadows are so buildable and blendable and all compliment one another. You are going to be able to recreate so many looks with this palette. For my tutorial and live swatches and review check it out on my YouTube channel here.
From left to right - Blonde, Bathwater, Skimp, Steady, Punk
- Blonde: nude beige with iridescent pink shimmer
- Bathwater: nude beige with gold pearl shimmer
- Skimp: Pale nude satin
- Steady: Rose gold metallic warm tone
- Punk: A brown matte with reddish undertone (my fave!)
From left to right - Baby, Anaheim, Stark, Zone, Serious
- Baby: Rose gold metallic cool tone
- Anaheim: Light brown taupe matte
- Stark: Pink tone nude matte
- Zone: Medium brown matte
- Serious: Smoky dark grey with slight iridescent shimmer
From left to right - Pop, Harajuku, Danger, 1987, Blackout
- Pop: Very light coral/rose gold metallic with shimmer
- Harajuku: A baby pink with blueish undertone metallic slight shimmer
- Danger: A dark royal blue with slight iridescence
- 1987: Metallic yellow gold
- Blackout: Dark black matte
Overall the shades contain more nudes than loud pops of colour which I love as I am a huge fan of the natural eye with a bright lip! Some of the nudes are quite light so for those with darker skin tones I think these may not be to your liking; but you could def build up a smoky eye and make the most of the few pops of colour in here. There are the few jewel tone shades which will be great to create a different look but this palette def screams Gwen and her style. For some Urban Decay fans they might be wanting something a bit brighter so I would recommend the Electric palette over this collab palette.
I personally love everything about the palette even though the price tag hurt a little, but it is def worth it for me as I know I will get a lot of wear out of the nude shades and as a plus it will make a perfect addition to my makeup dressing table.
Whats your fave shades? Have you managed to pick this up yet?
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