Friday, 14 October 2016

Urban Decay XX Vice Ltd Reloaded – A Showcase of the Brand’s 20-Year History


If you’ve yet to dip a brush in to an Urban Decay shadow palette, this new limited edition collection may pique your interest.

XX Vice Ltd Reloaded comprises 20 shades, chosen to reflect the brand’s 20-year output. There are vintage shades here, current ones, some new, and several cult classics. Specifically, three are totally new, five are vintage, five are past palette exclusives (including from Vice, Vice Ltd and Book of Shadows Vol II), and seven are bestsellers from Urban Decay’s collection of singles. 

The palette is a colour assortment: from neutral browns, golds and beiges; to blue, green, gold, pink and purple bolds. There’s a variety of finishes too, including mattes, metallics, glitters and shimmers. Inside the decorative jewel-inlaid case is a large mirror and a double-ended brush, making application on-the-go a doddle.  
When it comes to shadows, I’m a bit of a conservative lass, preferring to stick to the safe and understated. There’s enough in here to keep me supplied in that, plus a choice of fun colours to play around with when I’m feeling more daring.

It’s the first time several of the shades have been made available in Urban Decay’s revamped shadow formula – a blend of ingredients designed to deliver velvety texture, rich colour, staying power and blendability.

On the whole I found this a very workable palette, though a number of the shades were on the powdery side. I was getting quite a dusting from some of them when I swatched (naming no names Midnight Cowboy, Hot Pants and Anonymous). Interestingly, this problem seemed to focus around the lighter shades. I’d therefore recommend using these in conjunction with a primer - I like the original Urban Decay one (non-controversial – it’s widely considered to be one of the best).  

Swatches

I’ve split the palette into four rows:

First row (l-r): Midnight Cowboy (pink champagne shimmer w/ silver glitter), Gash (metallic brick red), Roadstripe (iridescent white w/blue-violet shift), Oil Slick (black matte w/silver micro-glitter), Suspend (greige-brown matte).

Second row (l-r): Mildew (deep metallic green shimmer), Hot Pants (pearly medium pink), Laced (pinky-taupe matte), Shallow (pale taupe-silver satin), 501 (deep metallic blue w/copper micro-glitter).

Third row (l-r): Acid Rain (pale yellow-green shimmer w/green shift), Asphyxia (hyacinth shimmer w/blue shift), Freakshow (bright purple satin), Misdemeanor (deep olive green matte w/green micro-shimmer), Smog (deep coppery bronze shimmer).

Fourth row (l-r): Anonymous (barely showing on the swatch but a pale peachy cream matte), Twice Baked (rich brown satin w/gold micro-glitter), Goldmine (bright metallic gold), UV-B (bright blue w/violet shift), Moonflower (metallic rose-gold w/gold micro-shimmer).

Faves

I’ve picked eight shades, scattered around the palette (not that it’s arranged in any particular shade order from what I can tell?), though almost half (three) can be found in the bottom row.  I’ve gone for Gash, Acid Rain, UV-B (vintage, all three), Midnight Cowboy, Mildew, Smog, Goldmine and Moonflower. 

Midnight Cowboy I particularly like, despite its rather powdery texture. It has a lovely warm pearly sheen and works  well as a brow highlighter and in the inner corner of the eye. Applied, the silver glitter isn’t really prominent but that does make it easier to use and blend.

Of course, choosing favourites is a personal thing. Perhaps predictably I’ve gone for shades that fit my more conservative eyeshadow personality, but I have thrown in a few bolds – most notably Goldmine, a highly pigmented bright metallic gold. I like using this in to the inner corner of the lower-lid, and into the eyeliner.  

Looks

I created the look using Goldmine in the inner corners, Twice Baked in the crease and outer corners of the lower lids, Moonflower blended above and Midnight Cowboy as a brow highligher.


The Urban Decay Vice Ltd Reloaded palette costs £43. It’s sold out on the brand’s website but at time of post it was still available at Debenhams here. More on Urban Decay here.

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