A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to a Beauty Boot Camp, held by Mecca Maxima and Urban Decay! This is one of the first official PR events that I’ve been invited to and, when I got the invite, I was so excited that I may have squeaked a little – I was also kind of convinced that I got the invite by accident (and I am still convinced about this) so I was pretty nervous in the weeks leading up. Excited, but also nervous. I wasn’t sure of what to expect and, since I am a fairly keep-to-myself sort of person, I also wasn’t sure that I would know anyone there.
But, I had such a great time today (yes, I am writing this the very night) and I came out of the event not only more informed about Urban Decay as a brand, but also very inspired by the beauty and content creation talks – aside from Steve K (the global make up artist for UD), we also heard from one of the Mecca social media team members about content creation and curation for Instagram and a YouTube team member about creating a successful channel and engaging videos. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos of the latter too (as I was much too busy trying to take in the information), I did make sure to document the wonderful event and get a few photos of Steve!
So, keep reading for some information on the Urban Decay brand, what they mean to me and some photos of the day!
What is Urban Decay?
Urban Decay is an American cosmetics brand that was founded way back in the 90s – back when the beauty scene was very different. They came at a time when commercial makeup was very simple, modest and less experimental. There were also far less products being marketed to the general audience; eyeshadow quads were probably as far as things went (palettes weren’t really a thing), no one knew what a primer was and if you wanted a lipstick, it was a choice between pink, red and nude. There was a clear hole in the industry that Wende Zomnir (co-founder and new chief creative officer) saw and she worked her ass off to make her dream a success.
Urban Decay is generally targeted to a younger audience, but their real reach spans further than that. Their slogan of ‘beauty with an edge’ really encompasses their entire brand concept – that they are experimental, innovative and modern. From the start, they have aimed to inspire creativity and fun in their audience.
So that begs the question: What does Urban Decay mean to me?
I’ve often said that Urban Decay is one of my favourite cosmetic brands and they still are. I wasn’t really into beauty when the first Naked palette launched (and I don’t think that was available in Australia anyway) but their Naked2 palette was the first ever full palette that I bought! I got it while I was in LA shopping with my cousin, and she loved it so much that she literally would not let me pass up on it (and I’m so glad that I got it). That palette has been with me from the start of my make up journey, back when all I knew how to do was a single wash of colour, and even through to my grunge phase – when I really loved that black shadow and I wanted desperately to be Taylor Momsen.
So, the brand holds a really special place in my heart and I feel like they do the same for a lot of beauty junkies out there. Urban Decay really changed the game back then and made such a splash and it’s impossible not to have noticed.
Product Recommendations
Here’s a couple of my favourite products from Urban Decay. They’ve also had so many new releases lately that I haven’t tried out yet (and a few more than I just received today) so this is by no means a full list:
- Naked 2 Palette | My OG love! I can’t not recommend this to people because I find it so easy to use, especially for beginners. It’s a gorgeous cool toned palette and, while it may not be so trendy now, it is a great staple
- Naked Heat Palette | And yes, if you’re looking for a more on-trend version of their eyeshadow palettes then the Naked Heat is perfect to check out! It has an entire collection of warm, burnt tones that are super flattering and easy to blend. They also have a new Naked Cherry palette launching soon (which is all pink tones) if you want something a little cooler.
- All Nighter Setting Spray | I legit finished my bottle this morning. I use this setting spray every morning (and maybe I use more of it than I should) and it has a great cooling sensation. It dries down to set your make up with a natural finish and helps with the longevity of make up too – especially if you have combination skin like me. It admittedly smells like super glue (and maybe it is) but it’s great if you can overlook that.
- Vice Liquid Lipsticks | I love these lipsticks, though I know a lot of people prefer the bullet versions. They’re soft and easy to blend out on the lips so very suitable for gradient styles. There’s a massive shade range, so something to suit everyone, and the longevity of it is pretty good. My favourite shade is Backtalk.
The Event
I got to this event at around 9:30 in the morning and we were greeted with breakfast, a stunning layout of purple flowers, neon lights, product displays and a bar (we had juice, okay – we were not getting drunk that early). After some mingling, during which I thankfully made a few friends even though I am an anxious small potato, we went into the next room for a video presentation and a message from Wende too! I actually thought that she would be coming to this event, but unfortunately she didn’t make it so we had their Global Makeup Artist Steve K here instead.
For the day, which lasted until around 3 in the afternoon, we had a makeup masterclass with Steve (in which some cheeky behind-the-scenes questions were asked) where we also talked about the beginnings of Urban Decay and his beauty career. There was also a talk on Youtube content creation, and the magic of Flatlaying (which I loved because I’m very active on Instagram but I still feel like I’m one of the worst flatlayers that I know).
Gift Bags (omg)
The gift bags – oh my god. I’m sure that people who have been to these events a few times are more used to this but I just get so excited when brands like me enough not only to invite me to these amazing events (which I know costs heaps to host) but also to gift me products to share with my readers.
For this event, I was gifted the All Nighter foundation and concealer (which will probably be great for my skin type), the All Nighter Setting Spray (which they personalised for us on the spot!), the Primer Potion, Vice Lipstick in Backtalk, Perversion Mascara and the Naked Heat palette. There was also this really cute little cookie with the palette on it and an Urban Decay branded USB and note book – which I will treasure and never use.
I know that I already have the Naked Heat palette, so I was considering giving it away actually, but I think that I will keep it. It’s one of the first PR gifts that I received from Urban Decay so I want to keep it as a sort of memento. The setting spray is getting used tomorrow to be honest (since I ran out and I planned on going to buy a new one anymore) and I will definitely be trying out everything else soon! I still have another primer potion open, but it’s the anti-aging version and I actually liked the original one more.
The only one that I will do more research before using is going to be the Perversion Mascara – I really hope that it is waterproof, or at least water resistant enough for me to use it.
So that was the event guys! I’ll go more into the products once I use and test them out (because I’ll definitely be writing reviews). After today, I have come to love the Urban Decay brand even more and I’m also so inspired by Mecca’s informative flatlay talk that I want to experiment more with the Instagram content that I create – be more experimental, change things up because, as they say, in the end it is only one post. And, if I were to only take one thing away from this event, it would definitely be that.
I want to thank Mecca Maxima so much for having me there today and I am so grateful for the opportunity. I hope to continue developing myself as a content creator and to bring everyone more amazing things in the future. I’ll definitely be working on some more creative imagery, and I also want to get back into my YouTube videos – maybe keep things more simple than I did in the future and really give you guys an insight into who I am as a person.
So, I hope that you enjoyed checking out this post! Remember to check out Urban Decay, exclusively available at Mecca Maxima for us Aussies – and keep your eyes peeled for their upcoming launches!