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This product was gifted to me by Mecca Maxima. I was not paid for this post and affiliate links are not used.
2018 was definitely the year of eyeshadow palettes because there were so many great releases – and I also bought way more than an average person really needs. Amongst them, there were also a handful of products that I was graciously gifted by Mecca Maxima – just to try out really. Although this following palette was not right at the top of my ‘best palettes’ list (which I should write soon), it was a close runner up!
This is the Urban Decay Backtalk Palette, a travel friendly palette inspired by the popularity of the Backtalk shade from their Vice Lipsticks range (described as a mauve-nude pink). It includes a series of eyeshadow shades, all in berry and rose-mauve shades and also four cheek shades (two blushers and two highlighters) on the other side. This is actually very different to what Urban Decay has done in the past and, although I was initially unsure about the packaging design, I’ve come to really love this.
The Backtalk Palette was released as a limited-edition product to Mecca Maxima and, as such, it’s no longer available. However, it is a permanent product in the Urban Decay collection and is still available on their website – so I have my tail crossed that it will come back! Otherwise, feel free to check out the rest of the Urban Decay products available (I would especially recommend their Born to Run palette which is one of my top picks of the year).
So, let’s get into this review!
Product Description
As previously mentioned, this palette is inspired by the Backtalk lipstick shade, which is Urban Decay‘s current top seller and a cult classic (and it’s also super pretty – enough for me to have it in both bullet and liquid lipstick form). It is described as “two palettes in one”, with both eyeshadow and cheek shades – which is perfect for on-the-go. I’ve used this palette both at home and for short travel trips, and loved how handy it is.
According to the product description, the eyeshadows feature a “Pigment Infusion System™ for velvety pigments that blend easily, stay rich and last for hours.”
See the official description here:
Has there ever been a better or more important time to give some serious clapback? Show your unstoppable femme power with Backtalk Palette, a go-anywhere, do-anything kit inspired by Backtalk, our No. 1 selling, cult-favorite Vice Lipstick shade.
Like two palettes in one, this travel-ready case holds eight nude-mauve, soft berry and muted rose eyeshadow shades on one side and four coordinating shades of blush and highlighter on the other. Forget about being a lady and give ’em what they deserve.
Packaging
The packaging comes in a super pretty, liquid satin printed case (with the unit carton matching the actual palette, so I won’t discuss them separately). The palette is made of a very sturdy matte finish cardboard with UV varnish detailing (that is, the type is ‘glossy’) and a magnetised closure. Overall, the feeling of it is very luxe and high quality. Even though it is made of cardboard, it feels quite substantial.
In addition, the two sides of the palette (one for eyeshadow and one for cheek) are divided by a removable double-sided mirror which can be used sitting in the holder or removed for easy access. It has a thick border around the edge, which makes the mirror a bit too narrow so this isn’t the best mirror I’ve used.
It’s important to also note that the mirror needs to be replaced into the palette (facing the right way) for it to close – this is something that I thought would bother me more but, since I would always put it back together before putting the palette away, it hasn’t caused any issues for me.
Overall, I like the concept of the packaging. I think that it looks really great and the quality is good too (both of the material and the magnetic closure). It does have some downsides – the bulkiness and the narrow mirror – but I hope that Urban Decay will improve on and release more palettes using this sort of format.
Shade Range & Formula
The palette contains 12 eyeshadow palettes in varying formulas – they are generally either matte or metallic, with some small variations in between. See the shades listed below:
- 3 Sheets: pale pink-nude matte
- Bare: light pinky-peach satin
- Curve: metallic rose shimmer with silver micro-glitter
- Backtalk: soft rosy mauve matte
- Shade: deep fuchsia satin
- Attitude: metallic red-copper
- WTF: reddish brown matte
- 180: metallic brown-red
In general, the descriptions online (as well as most of the official swatches) are very accurate – par for the first three shades which are more sheer than advertised. The shades can be built up to a vibrant opacity but, otherwise, they are quite neutral and I would consider them a medium pigmentation. The mattes are very smooth and velvety, and the metallics are very vibrant too.
Bare and Curve can look like very similar shades in swatches but are different once you see them in real life. Curve has a sightly more rosy undertone and contains silver micro-glitters, which give it an extra sparkle. Bare, on the otherhand, is advertised as a satin and has a more soft metallic finish. They’re both great for inner corner highlighting.
Moving on to the cheek side, you’ll find two cheek colours (both which have some small shimmers) and two highlighters, which I personally find to be very subtle. They’re not blinding enough for my personal tastes, but I can see that many others will prefer this more muted highlight (which will also be more flattering on textured skin).
- Double take: rich mauve with slight shimmer
- Low key: pink-peach
- Cheap shot: medium pink-nude
- Party foul: light pink-nude shimmer
Personal Experiences
When the Backtalk Palette was first teased, I was really interested in it because these shades are exactly my style – I love rose and mauve tones, whether it is in lips, eyes or cheek. My only hesitation about it was the packaging and so I decided not to purchase it. That is, until I saw this palette demonstrated by Urban Decay‘s global make up artist and I fell in love with these shades again! I was lucky that Mecca Maxima sent me over this to try out but, to be honest, I was ready to cave and buy it myself anyway.
My journey with this palette was a bit of an up-and-down but I am personally very happy to have it in my collection. The shades are blendable and easy to work with, with minimal fall out and buildable pigmentation. I wouldn’t say that this is a super bold palette so this is most suitable for someone who likes more wearable looks. If you’re a fan of k-beauty, this would also be a great palette to be working with because you can do smokier looks without it looking too dramatic or heavy.
The blush shades are very pretty and both have a subtle sheen that gives your cheeks a nice glow. My only complaint, as previously mentioned, would be that the highlighters are too subtle. I prefer something brighter and more pigmented. Out of everything, I find them to be the least buildable.
Longevity wise, I found this palette to be pretty good! I took it travelling and it wore well for most of the day with a primer underneath. There was no noticeable creasing except for where my eyes watered (which is inevitable, unfortunately). It started fading by later in the afternoon, but didn’t look too bad either. The blush also work well in the day and only faded alongside my foundation. However, the highlighter was so subtle that I didn’t really notice it… even when it faded.
So, here’s the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
An eye and cheek palette inspired by neutral berry and mauve-rose tones
THE GOOD
- Beautiful and high quality packaging design
- Travel friendly (with dual sides)
- Removable mirror for ease-of-use
- Soft, blendable eyeshadows that are also suitable for beginner use
- Buildable pigmentation
- Good variety of shades in varying finishes
- Containing both eye and cheek shades – all very flattering
THE BAD
- Narrow mirror
- Mirror needs to be replaced before it can be closed
- Bulky packaging
- Muted highlighter shades (not blinding enough for my personal tastes)
RATINGS
- PACKAGING | 4/5
- PRICE POINT | 4/5 (more affordable than the standard Naked palette)
- SHADE RANGE | 5/5
- PIGMENTATION | 4/5
- BLENDABILITY | 5/5
- LONGEVITY | 4/5
OVERALL RATING? 8.7/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
This is a palette that I personally really enjoy – everything from the shade selection, formula to the packaging is really down my alley. I also love this as a travel palette, since it means I don’t need to carry multiple products. It does have its downsides though and I definitely think it suits a certain make up preference.
I would recommend this for someone who likes softer eye looks, ones that are more wearable rather than super bold and bright. Although these shades are well pigmented, they are also relatively neutral. For the cheek and highlight shades too, I find that they mostly target light to medium skintones (especially with the highlight) and I’m unsure of how these would work on a deeper skintone.
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
This is currently unavailable on the Mecca Maxima website but they are the official Australia/NZ stockist for Urban Decay, so you can definitely find all of their stuff on the website and keep an eye on in-case they do bring this back. If you’re from any other country though, check out the official Urban Decay website where it’s still available!
