Urban Decay Vice Palette: Review and Swatches!

Hi, everyone!

Get ready for the most exciting Christmas present ever! I was so happy to unwrap UD's newest, most addictive palette this holiday season, and I've been obsessing over it ever since!

The Vice Palette features 20 brand-new, exclusive eyeshadows in UD's new revamped formula. It contains mostly glitter and shimmer eyeshadows, with five eyeshadows that are either matte or demi-matte in finish. It's definitely an out-there palette, with plenty of outrageous colors that might not be up everybody's alley for everyday wear.

I'm gonna divide the palette into blocks and go about swatches that way :) The only shades that are a bit difficult to work with are Jagged, Provocateur, and Freebird.

Block 1

Desperation: This is a demi-matte gray taupe. It is very smooth and pigmented, and the shimmer doesn't really translate onto the skin as it does in the pan. It makes for very blendable smoky eyes or subtle everyday looks.

Muse: A gorgeous brown shimmer shadow with gold shimmer in it. This is intensely pigmented and smooth, and it is perfect for darkening up the outer corner.

Junkie: I know I say this a lot, but this shade is gorgeous. It's a complex jungle-green with tones of blue in it as well as gold shimmer. It's a dream to work with, as it's pigmented, smooth, and blendable. I love the way this looks next to Unhinged.

Chaos: Okay. Confession time. This is the main reason I even wanted the palette (TARDIS blue, anyone?) It technically has a bit of shimmer in it, but goes on like a matte blue. For a bright matte, this is wonderful. I would suggest applying this over a blue or white base to get the color to be as intense as it is in the pan.

Block 2

Jagged: I actually like this shade, even though it is the most frustrating eyeshadow to work with. It's an olive green with hints of brown and bits of gold shimmer in it, and it is EXTREMELY choppy. It crumbles as soon as you touch it, and it doesn't seem to bind well to the lid. However, I used this with Blitz (and tons of patience) the other day, and it made for a lovely crease color.

Blitz: This is a very interesting take on gold, because it's not really a yellow or orange gold, nor is it an antique gold. It's got a green tinge to it, and it is very, very VERY pigmented. This is probably one of the smoothest shade in the whole palette.

Penny Lane: This is another one of my favorites in the palette. It's the all-over-the-lid shade, but better. It's a light copper with a bit of gold in it, and it looks gorgeous on medium to dark skintones when put all over the eye.

Occupy: One of the more complex eyeshadows in here. It looks like an average dark gray glitter, but this shade is actually very blue-toned, which gives your smoky eyes a very interesting twist. It is smooth and pigmented, with minimal fallout.

Unhinged: Yet another beautiful shade. This one is like a powder mermaid! It is a vibrant turquoise that is smooth, creamy, and pigmented :)

Black Market: is a dark brown that borders on black. It has some shimmer in the pan, but none of it translates onto the lid, which makes it look matte. This is very intensely pigmented, and just a dab of it will help you create a smoky eye.

Block 3

Provocateur: This is a gorgeous lilac taupe glitter shade. While I love the way it looks on the lid, I have to say that it is a pain in the neck. You will get fallout, and more likely than not a sheer application. I would recommend using a glitter adhesive base.

Rapture: This is a really cool shade. It's a dark taupe with purple and red duochrome in it. When the light hits it, it will reflect back in a reddish purple tone. It is a bit more sheer than the rest, but it still yields decent color payoff.

Vice: This is a nice staple purple. I found that it looks totally cool when you pair it with Penny Lane. It makes the perfect unexpected everyday look!

Nevermind: This shade gives Blitz a run for its money. It's beyond smooth and pigmented, and applies almost like a cream. Shades like these are what make Urban Decay such a great brand! It's  a brownish taupe with a bit of a golden sheen, and looks great as an everyday color for darker skintones.

Echo Beach: This is the kind of shade that would be a staple for light to medium skintones. It is a light, metallic beige with a bit of brown in it, and it is a perfect neutral staple!

Anonymous: This is the kind of shade that would make a very nice highlight color on light to medium skintones. I do think it will look chalky on anyone with a darker complexion. It's very smooth and pigmented, but kind of limited to certain skintones. It is a light yellow beige.

Block 4

We have come full circle!

Noise: I was expecting Noise to be more like Chaos: matte and super pigmented. It's actually on the sheer side and has big flecks of gold on it. The gold does not bind well with the eyeshadow, which also means it doesn't make it onto the lid. The pink also has hints of purple in it, verging on a duochrome finish.

Armor: Is a fantastic shade that I have to admit I've been neglecting. I'm not big on grays for my eyes, but this is a really great dark gray with big silver sparkle in it. It is very smooth and pigmented.

Freebird: I seem to have a penchant for troublemakers... This shade is absolutely gorgeous! It's a warm baby pink glitter shadow that has the same problems Provocateur had. I don't mind it, seeing as I like the color so much, but to each their own!

Laced: This is a shade very much like Tease from the NAKED2 palette, but for lighter skintones. On my medium skin, Tease is the perfect color to help blend out darker colors on the crease, but I've found it's too dark and purple for lighter skintones. Laced is a bit more pink and definitely lighter, which makes it an instant friend to people with lighter complexions!

Phew! That was intense. Now for the fun part... Swatches!

Lt to Rt: Desperation, Muse, Jagged, Blitz, Penny Lane, Junkie, Chaos, Occupy, Black Market, Provocateur

Provocateur, Rapture, Vice, Noise, Armor, Nevermind, Echo Beach, Anonymous

Left: Freebird, Right: Laced (directly above Nevermind)

I forgot Unhinged!

So that is my review of each shade in the Vice Palette from Urban Decay! :) What a workout. Overall, I would definitely recommend this palette. It's so much fun to play with but still has those neutral staples that everyone needs!

What do you think of this?
xoxo Fanii