I am a sucker for Urban Decay and I have been for so many years, ever since I got the Naked2 palette (one of my first higher end palettes every). Personally, I love their brand image – strong, bold and daring – and I am, of course, also a big fan of their new model Ruby Rose and so I’ve basically fawned over every release. This is a palette that isn’t yet available in Australia but will be selling at Mecca from the 26th of December (or so I’ve been told), otherwise you can also get them online.
This is their Heavy Metals palette and it is a limited edition release for the holidays. It is absolutely my favourite release this holiday and, if you were only to buy one product, I would highly recommend to check this out. It is an all metallic palette and actually conceptually reminds me a little of the Moondust palette – only these work really well without a wet brush too and there is much less fall out and glitter. The idea of this palette is that it has some bold, party shades but also neutrals that are suitable for every day wear. A lot of people tend to keep metallics and shimmers only for special occasions, but this palette plays on the idea that ‘heavy metal’ colours are for every one and every day.
So, let’s finish with me talking about this and go right into the palette!
The palette comes in a very striking metal case – which I love, partly because the design is so unique and also partly because I am extremely tired of paper palettes. The cover comes in the signature Urban Decay purple with the UD logo and a crushed metal side, which is “kind of like we smashed it while rocking out.” I love that they’ve carried that concept over so well.
In addition, the palette doesn’t open up like a traditional casing but instead slides out the end. To be honest, this actually makes it a little less convenient to work with – especially since it also means that the mirror is strangely housed in the middle of the palette – but I don’t mind too much. It’s pretty impressive so people get excited when I show it to them. That being said, the sheer size of this palette can mean that it’s a bit difficult to store. I have to put this in a seperate drawer because all of my others are much smaller and this isn’t fitting properly. I think that this is a definite drawback to this design, as it is larger due to the mirror placement and larger pans, but I don’t think I can think of a way to get around it.
On the back of the box, you have listed all of the colours they’ve included. All of them are new and exclusive to the palette, so you won’t find them available in singles anywhere, and the eyeshadow formula for this is also completely new – they have “bumped up the foiled effect to create our most metallic shadows ever” and also claim that they have worked on the formula of each colour individually, meaning that they all have a soft and cream texture and you won’t be having issues with inconsistency.
So the palette opens with two sides – one with bright colours and one with more neutral colours. The general idea is that the brights can be used for evening looks and the other side is more suited for daily make up. However, I find myself using them interchangeably and that there’s such a great range that I can always find something suited for what I want.
That being said, this is a limited edition, special release and so it’s understandable that this isn’t a very full palette. That is, while it’s possible to create a full look with only these shades, it really works the best when it’s used in conjunction with others.
The colours in this palette are absolutely amazing and they’re really consistent across the board! Although I did like some other holiday palettes (for example, ABH’s Prism which I just reviewed) this one definitely wins it in terms of wearability, formula and versatility! Here’s a list of the shades from the website:
Brights
- GROUND (metallic black w/iridescent shimmer)
- SPANDEX (metallic deep blue w/purple shift and blue micro-sparkle)
- METALHEAD (metallic deep purple)
- MULLET (metallic deep green)
- TWISTED (metallic gold)
- ALUMINUM (metallic warm gray-taupe w/iridescent micro-sparkle)
- DIVE (metallic medium blue)
- PUNK ROCK (metallic fuchsia)
- AMP (metallic bright teal)
- GLAMROCK (metallic silver)
Neutrals
- BASS (metallic bronze)
- DEMO (metallic bronze-rose)
- AFTERPARTY (metallic red)
- ROADIE (metallic burgundy)
- SCREAM (metallic mauve)
- GLORY (metallic golden bronze)
- STARFIRE (metallic bright copper)
- ANGELFIRE (metallic pale pink)
- MAIDEN (metallic beige)
- ACOUSTIC (metallic nude)
Look at those swatches! These are all finger swatches so they are a little bit stronger than what you would get with a brush. However, even with a dense brush, you can get all of them to almost this opacity with very minimal effort. Every colour in the palette is so wearable and I don’t have any hesitation even to wear them to work. The shadows don’t crease on my eyes at all and, using a glitter glue or primer, they also last throughout the day with very minimal fading. There is no noticeable fall out too, so it’s really mess-free to use.
The two silver tones, Aluminium and Glamrock, are different shades (one is a warm toned gray and the other is a pure silver) but I personally feel like they’re a little too similar for my liking and – when applied – there isn’t too much of a different. Aluminium is more reflective (as you can see in my swatches) but can easily be calmed down with a lighter application. I feel similar about Twisted and Glory; these two are more distinctively different to each other as Twisted is a very yellow gold and Glory is a more wearable cool gold (or a ‘golden bronze’). But I would rather have replaced one of these shades with something else for a bit more variety.
Overall though, I’m really happy with this palette and all of the positive reviews it has on the Urban Decay websites aren’t lying! If you’re a fan of bright, metallic eye looks then this is definitely something I would urge you to get your hands on before it’s discontinued. It’s easily becomes a staple in my collection and I’ll definitely be counting this as one of my top, favourite palettes of 2017.
Here’s my verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A palette of 20 exclusively new shades in a new metallic foil formula
THE GOOD
- Super unique and sturdy packaging
- Normal pricing (no mark up for limited edition products)
- Very blendable and easy to use
- Highly pigmented
- Great shade range
- Flattering on different skintones
- Split into both brights and neutrals so it is suitable for all occasions
- Minimal to no fall out
THE BAD
- A few shades are similar (Aluminium/Glamrock, Twisted/Glory)
RATINGS
- PACKAGING | 4/5
- PRICE POINT | 4/5
- FORMULA | 5/5
- PIGMENTATION | 5/5
- BLENDABILITY | 5/5
- COLOUR RANGE | 5/5
OVERALL RATING? 9.3/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
This palette is rated super highly by me! It is really well suited to my own make up style and preferences. I also absolutely love the formula and, even though I had some difficulty getting this palette where I had to have someone buy it for me online, I don’t regret it at all. This is definitely living up to the Urban Decay brand and, if this is a sign of what is to come in their new releases, I really can’t wait!
If you’re a fan of metallics or if you want to incorporate finishes in your day-to-day make up routine, then this is definitely going to be a product to check out. I hope that they release more palettes with this formula in the future because it is a total stand out for me and is one of the best that I’ve used.
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
I had to have a relative buy this for me from the Urban Decay website – I’m unsure if it has launched in Sephora US or Ulta yet but you can definitely check out. If you’re in Australia, Customer Service at Mecca has told me that the palette will be launching Dec 26 (Christmas?) in stores so you’ll have to hang on tight for a little bit! This retails for USD$55 and I expect that it will be just barely above the price of a usual Naked palette at Mecca.
