Urban Decay/Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette

When I saw that Gwen Stefani and Urban Decay were collaborating on an eyeshadow palette, I knew I was going to have to have it. When Sephora made it available to VIBers ahead of everyone else, I had the kids immediately order it as part of my Christmas gift!!


I'm glad I did, because, of course, it sold out right away - and wasn't available to the general public until the first week of December. Now it's available at several stores, so hopefully, if you want it and didn't get it the first time around, you'll be able to grab it now.

Even though mine is a Christmas gift, I got Gus to let me snap some photos of it and do a few swatches so I could share it with y'all. I'm not allowed to actually use the shadows yet, but I could tell when I was swatching them that they're awesome.

First, let me just say that I have always loved Gwen. She's fabulous! I love her music, her style, she's gorgeous! - and she looks amazing for a woman over 40. But if you've ever really paid attention to her makeup, other than her signature red lipstick, the rest of her makeup is almost always neutral. And as you know, I love neutral eyeshadows, so this palette is perfect for me!

As I understand it, Gwen had a tremendous amount of input into everything, including the design of the box and the palette itself - not just the eyeshadow colors. The box would catch my eye if I walked by it in the store. I love the geometric shapes made up of gold stripes! And the gold logo in the corner is pretty fabulous, too.


The palette case is amazing! I love the little circular cutouts and the metallic gold. And this thing is HEAVY! You know I'm a geek - so the first thing I thought of when I saw the "circle thingies" was Doctor Who and the T.A.R.D.I.S.!!


Inside the case, the entire upper part, or left side, is mirrored. And there's a little nod to No Doubt, with the title of one of their songs printed in the lower right corner of the mirror - "Magic's in the Makeup". The eyeshadows are on the other side, of course. There are 15 in total, and they are almost full-size shadows! Each one is 0.04 oz., and a regular full-size UD shadow is 0.05 oz. The palette sells for $58 - and that's a steal considering that full-size UD shadows sell for $19-21 each!


I swatched the shadows on my arm and photographed them in natural light without any flash. I really love them all! The consistency is so creamy and easy to apply. You get amazing color payoff with just a little shadow. I just reviewed Tarte's Light of the Party Holiday Palette, and while I do love those shadows, there is really no comparison quality-wise to these Urban Decay shadows. The UD shadows have a much nicer texture, and you get more color in one swipe than the Tarte shadows give in 3-4 swipes.

The only ones that I noticed had any fallout/flaking were the glittery ones in the bottom row - especially "Pop". You definitely need a primer of some sort with that one.

Top row of the palette, from left to right: (with descriptions from the website)

• Blonde (pale beige/pink iridescent shift)
• Bathwater (pale beige with gold pearl)
• Skimp (pale nude satin)
• Steady (medium rose/metallic gold shift)
• Punk (reddish brown matte)

Middle row of the palette, from left to right: (with descriptions from the website)

• Baby (cool metallic rose)
• Anaheim (light taupe-brown matte)
• Stark (nude-pink matte)
• Zone (medium brown matte)
• Serious (smoky gray with iridescent floating pearl)

Bottom row of the palette, from left to right: (with descriptions from the website)

• Pop (pale coral with iridescent sparkle)
• Harajuku (metallic blue-pink/iridescent micro-shimmer)
• Danger (deep metallic royal blue/blue micro-shimmer) 
• 1987 (bright metallic yellow-gold)
• Blackout (blackest black matte)

I think the only color I won't use often will be "Harajuku". It's a pretty color, but when I use pinks like that, they tend to make me look like I have pinkeye, or as if I've been crying. Not a good look! But I might use it as an accent color, or maybe even mix it in my lipgloss.


I'm so, so happy that I'm getting this for Christmas! I definitely recommend it if you wear a lot of neutral shadows like me. It's well worth the $58 price tag, and it's a stunning package to either give as a gift or keep for yourself.

And...inside the box was a little sample packet...OF GWEN'S UD LIPSTICK SHADES!!!
Sorry. I had a little fangirl moment. Who has better lipstick than Gwen Stefani?? I die. They're supposed to launch in Spring 2016.


The card lists eight shades:

• Rock Steady - cream
• Spiderweb - cream
• 714 - mega matte
• Wonderland - cream
• Ex-Girlfriend - sheer
• Firebird - cream
• Phone Call - cream (exclusive to UD)
• Plaid - sheer (exclusive to UD)

And there were samples of Rock Steady, 714, Ex-Girlfriend, and Firebird...


The consistency and color payoff were awesome, so I hope the staying-power will prove to be just as awesome.


My favorite of these four is Firebird - mostly because I tend to wear more pinks. Even if I wear plums, nudes, and corals, they will all lean toward the pink spectrum. I can't wait to see Phone Call and Plaid - they look like they will be more "my" colors!

Did you get the Gwen Stefani palette?
Do you plan to get it?
Are you looking forward to the Gwen Stefani lipsticks?