Urban Decay Vice Palette – review, photos & swatches
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Have a weakness for eye shadow? Can your quest for pigment make you consider depraved behavior? Is your love of shimmer downright immoral? If so Urban Decay has the answer for you, the shadow junkie, and the answer is The Vice Palette.
This limited edition palette (meaning: buy it before it’s gone, you’ll cry, I’m serious!) whispers luxury from moment one. From the foiled, embossed UD logo on the cover, to the spot varnished shadows shades on the back. And that’s just the box! My inner design nerd was pleased before we even got to the actual palette.
But once inside that beautiful box, it’s my inner makeup junkie’s time to swoon. Beyond the jewelized logo and the rubber-feeling case that opens with an almost hydraulic-like accuracy, lies 20 brand new shadows. Which UD fans know is a big deal! No repromotes here, just 20 shades you don’t have in any of your other palettes.
And oh, what shades they are…
You get a fabulous range of color in Vice; wearable neutrals, rich jewel tones and a few pops of wild color to keep things fresh. And every matte, satin, shimmer and glitter is in their new Pigment Infusion System, which gives the shades “velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability”.
I’d agree with that for the most part, but the glitter shades are problem children (dry, chunky texture and loads of fallout). But luckily, there aren’t more than a few of them in Vice (Jagged, Provocateur, Freebird).
Enough of my chatting, let’s get a closer look at shades!
And as a bonus, you’ll also get a double-ended Good Karma Shadow and Crease Brush, a really good brush that’s hardly an afterthought.
Ready for swatches?
Desperation, Muse, Jagged, Blitz, Penny Lane
Muse, Jagged, Blitz, Penny Lane
Desperation – brown-tinged grey taupe with a satin finish
Muse – blackened reddish brown with bronze sparkle
Jagged – olive brown with chunky gold glitter
Blitz – foiled gold metallic with a hint of khaki
Penny Lane – peachy copper with gold shimmer
Junkie, Chaos, Occupy, Unhinged, Black Market
Chaos, Occupy, Unhinged, Black Market
Junkie – emerald green with gold micro glitter
Chaos – rich cobalt blue matte (almost blurple!) with a very fine shimmer that’s only noticeable in the pan
Occupy – steel grey blue with silver micro glitter
Unhinged – medium metallic aqua
Black Market – subdued black satin
Provocateur, Rapture, Vice, Noise, Armor
Provocateur – chunky, glittery greyish pink
Rapture – greyish purple shimmer
Vice – true grape with grape and red shimmer
Noise – hot pink with pink micro glitter
Armor – grey taupe with silver micro glitter
Nevermind, Echo Beach, Anonymous, Freebird, Laced
Nevermind, Echo Beach, Anonymous
Nevermind – golden light brown shimmer
Echo Beach – golden tan shimmer
Anonymous – matte ivory
Freebird – peachy-pink nude with chunky glitter
Laced – matte pink-tinged mushroom
Whew, I kinda feel like a need a cigarette after that! Here are my overall thoughts…
Pros:
• beautifully designed, gimmick-less palette that utilizes it’s space well
• a GIANT, high-quality mirror
• great value, $59 for 20 nearly full size shadows
• fabulous range of shades and textures; bright to neutral, shimmer to matte
• other than the glitters, these are the trifecta of a perfect shadow formula: great pigment, long wearing and smooth texture
Cons:
• the raised logo, though beautiful, makes it hard to stack
• the three glitter shades miss the mark and stick out like sore, glittery thumbs
we heartsters, will this be one Vice you won’t be ashamed to have?
Buy it at Sephora, or at Urban Decay during their Friends and Family Sale for 20% off (use code FFHOLIDAY12 through 10/13/12).
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also may contain an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
Ugh…I think I might have to get this one. UD was my first non-drugstore eye shadow purchase and I love the new formula but I haven’t given in to any of the palettes. I feel like this one might be calling my name. I love the colors.
@dwj1 – I think you may need it too! Get it during UD’s F&F sale and it’s only $47.
Love, The Enabler
I’ve spent the entire morning trying to resist ordering this, but I forgot about the F&F 20%! I’m caving as we speak… thanks @stef !
Finally UD puts out a palette with 100% new colors! That’s pretty awesome. I would go for it but I’m more of a Naked Palette kinda girl :) This is still a must-buy for the UD fan though! Their eyeshadows are outstanding.
ARGH, WANT SO BAD. However, I’m going to be good because as great as these are, I probably won’t get much use out of 40% of these shades (just out of personal preference) so I have to say no. HOWEVER, I am putting several of these colors on my radar in hopes they pop up elsewhere in smaller palettes or as singles… Provocateur, Rapture, Vice and Muse look great; and although I think I have shades similar to Blitz and Penny Lane (MAC’s pigment in Olive Green and paint pot in Rubenesque?) they still make me want to reach through the screen and make them mine, mine, mine!
Plus, the packaging? LOVE.
Although, I don’t own a UD palette—how does it hold up after repeated use? This might make a good gift for my best friend, but if it couldn’t hold up to being used a lot or being jostled every weekend in a drag kit, it wouldn’t be worth it. Ladies, thoughts?
Oh.. ohhhh I want this palette.. I mean WOW, this is just to die for! I just have to scrape it up somewhere to pay for it! Nevermind, Echo Beach, Anonymous, Freebird, and Laced sold me at first glance.. but then, Provocateur, Rapture and Vicethen sucked me in deeper.. I won’t wear some of these but they look amazing in the palette anyway! Wow..
I’ve been considering bunyig this palette for about a year. I was a little hesitant about purchasing it because I didn’t want to be disappointed in the pigmentation of the colors, and then have this kit of nearly useless eyeshadows just lying around. I watched numerous videos on YouTube with people using this palette, and finally decided to go ahead and give it a try. I am SO glad that I did! The colors really are as pigmented as they look, and all you need is one swipe of your brush, and you have all the color that you need. I use this along with Urban Decay Primer Potion, and it makes the color even more vibrant and it literally stays on ALL day without any fading or creasing. I put it on around 6 AM and it lasts until I take it off, usually around 10 PM. I haven’t tried it without UDPP, so I’m not sure just how long it lasts or if the color washes out a bit. A big plus for me is that this doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes; which is ALWAYS an issue for me when trying out new products.
I bet this limited edition palette–will go quick. It is the perfect holiday gift for the makeup lover.
I just ordered this yesterday and am DYING waiting for it to arrive. I tried to resist but couldn’t. I was going to get Book of Shadows III but decided I didn’t neeeeed that one since I had so many other UD palettes. ;)
Wow, the hint of green really comes out once Blitz is swatched! I’m disappointed that the glitter shades like Jagged don’t hold up as well upon application, it’s so beautiful in the pan. This is SO going on my Christmas wish list!
This is TOTALLY going on my Xmas list. I have been loving my Naked 2 Palatte and this array of colors looks fabulous! I literally drooled over the Desperation, Muse and Jagged swatches above!
Wow, I agree with the comment above great item for the Christmas list. So many colours! I love it.