Urban Decay just announced a new eyeshadow palette to be released this holiday season along with the (somewhat boring and uninspiring) Naked Ultimate Basics palette.
And like the Ultimate Basics, I won't be buying.
Urban Decay is having an interesting moment right now. They're releasing a lot of things. They came out with the enormous Vice lipstick line and Moondust palette, just came off a collaboration with Gwen Stefani (that included an eyeshadow palette, blush palette, lip products and brow products), had the Alice Through the Looking Glass palette, the Ultimate Basics palette, and now this.
The thing is, I really can't remember the last time Urban Decay came out with a palette that was both hyped and celebrated. Naked 3 was pretty big, but as time has passed, a lot of people have remarked that they don't like that palette too much because it requires a pretty specific skin tone and eye color to be really flattering. Naked Smokey wasn't a huge success. Last year's Spectrum palette as well as the Gwen Stefani palette went on major sale to get rid of stock. The Alice palette (which is also limited edition) is still currently in stock as well, months after its launch.
Personally, I no longer own any Urban Decay palettes, and I doubt I ever will again. In the past, I have owned: Naked, Naked 2, Naked 3, Naked Basics, and Gwen Stefani. I decluttered all of them because I just don't like the Urban Decay formula. These shadows have so much fallout and many are packed with glitter. I find the shadows to be pretty dry when compared to some of my favorite formulas, and I've never been a fan of their matte shadows.
But, I will say, as soon as I saw the first pictures of the Full Spectrum palette, I was immediately drawn in by the colors.
And it instantly reminded me of Kat Von D's very coveted holiday 2015 palette, Mi Vida Loca Remix.
If the Mi Vida Loca Remix palette was still available, that would get my overall vote because of the different finishes (matte, shimmer, and satin) as well as the inclusion of neutral shades. Since the Full Spectrum palette will only have shimmery shadows, the Mi Vida Loca is a more cohesive and comprehensive palette, but it is no longer available. And people who missed out on it will probably be thrilled for the Full Spectrum palette, which also offers more practical packaging than the Mi Vida Loca.
Personally, as much as I love looking at these bright, beautifully colorful palettes, I know that I would little to no use out of them. That is why I passed on the Mi Vida Loca last year. I considered it several times, but knew it wouldn't be a smart purchase. And honesty, I have never regretted not having it.
My two most colorful palettes are the Juvia's Place Nubian 2 and the Viseart Dark Mattes:
Although these are not the most colorful palettes--and certainly don't look like the Full Spectrum palette--they completely satisfy any and all need and want for color in my collection.
But for those very unlike me who would love to have a colorful eyeshadow palette, there might be some other considerations to keep in mind when thinking about the Full Spectrum palette.
The first is cost. The Full Spectrum palette will cost $58, which is a very typical price for a palette this size from Urban Decay. Still, $58 is expensive for an eyeshadow palette that may not have the best quality. And that's the second thing to consider.
Urban Decay feels very hit or miss lately, leaning more toward misses. The Gwen Stefani, Alice, and Naked Ultimate Basics palettes have not received unanimously glowing reviews. They all seem to fall into "meh" territory, where they are not bad necessarily, but they are not great either. For some people, "meh" is perfectly acceptable, especially when they are fans of the brand, but for $58, I personally want better quality than that.
The Full Spectrum palette also reminds me quite a bit of the Alice Through the Looking Glass palette (still for sale).
18 shadows in the Full Spectrum palette are said to be new to Urban Decay, and three shades are repeats, including two (Hatter and Metamorphosis) from the Alice palette. It concerns me that two of the shades are the same from the Alice palette because I wonder if the quality with be the same as well, which was lackluster.
I think everyone always has high hopes when a new makeup item is released, but unfortunately, it seems as though Urban Decay's quality has slightly slipped as of late. I would hope the quality of the Full Spectrum palette would be different, but it's hard to say with confidence.
For a less expensive palette that has received mainly positive reviews, I would recommend Juvia's Place Masquerade palette.
Although it doesn't cover the "full spectrum" of colors like the Urban Decay palette, there are certainly some nice, bright, beautiful colors in here. I've been really impressed with my Nubian 2 palette, so I imagine the quality of the Masquerade palette is the same.
The Full Spectrum palette is really going to boil down to personal preference. If you love color and have been salivating for the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix palette, this might be an excellent addition to your collection. If, like me, you don't wear color too often, this palette might be an easy pass. I am hopeful that Urban Decay improves the overall quality of their shadows and that this is a nice offering, but I won't be buying.
No comments:
Post a Comment