Only few make up collabs were as anxiously awaited as Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani. After all, Gwen Stefani is an absolute icon, both of female kick-ass-ness in music (Just a Girl remains a timeless feminist anthem), as well as in style and beauty. Stefani has produced non stop beauty inspiration ever since the 90s, and her look is as current now as it was 20 years ago. No matter how crazy the combo, she made it look enviable. I mean, who else could rock hot pink eyeshadow used for contouring like she did in No Doubt's Ex-Girlfriend video? Or penciled on brows? Or a forehead full of glue on rhinestones? She kind of took a more vintage-glam beauty routine ever since I Know We're Cool, but she never stopped bringing it.
People didn't know what to expect from the collab (bright shades from Gwen's punky roots, or the subtle tones she favours these days?), but hope was set high for the result to be nothing but fabulous. And finally, the day is here! You can shop the first fruit of the UD x Gwen collab right now. Spring will bring the second part of the collection, a lipstick line (HALLELUJAH). I received this palette for reviewing purposes, and I was PSYCHED to get into it.
The palette boasts 15 eyeshadow shades, almost all of them original colours designed in close collaboration with Gwen Stefani, whose hands are all over this palette. Most names of these eyeshadows are direct references to No Doubt songs or other elements of Stefani's career, and fans will have fun placing all of these words like puzzle pieces.
The packaging is gorgeous, a sturdy plastic box with magnetic closure, and graphic black, white and gold print that reminds me of the design in Stefani's Sweet Escape video. Gwen to a T.
And how cute is that little "Magic's in the Makeup" detail on the mirror? Also a No Doubt song title, and perfectly apt for this collab that illustrates Stefani's neverending love affair with beauty.
A close up of the shades, the real reason to buy (or pass on) this palette!
I have to admit, when I first saw the product images of this palette, I was... not sure how to feel. I had expected brighter shades from the collab, and this mix of nudes with a couple of seemingly random bright shades didn't seem that striking or cohesive to me. However, seeing the palette up close and personal, playing with the colours and swatching away, my opinion made a 180: this is a lovely palette that offers the user a variety of different options.
There's a great mix of mattes, satins and shimmery shades in here, and whether you love the punchy vibrancy of old Gwen, or the sleek timeless glamour of current Gwen, this palette will get you there. And despite many of the shades seeming very similar in the pan (or even in my swatch pictures), there's subtle but clear differences that make every colour stand out. Let's look at the swatches!
Blonde was immediately a favourite of mine when swatched: super pale satin yellow in the pan, but when swatched, it actually reveals a light pink duochrome that makes this eyeshadow both cool and warm, depending on how the light hits it. Amazing. And you gotta love that frosted finish. Bathwater is a buttery pale gold with a shimmery finish. Skimp is a new favourite highlighter, great to use on the browbone. It seems rather matte warm beige in the pan, but in use, there's just enough shimmer to add some extra glamour to your look. Steady is a warm copper with a metallic sheen - a bit less buttery than the other shades next to it, but still a gorgeous colour. I like to wear this all over the lid with lots of mascara, warming up my complexion with that soft wash of copper. And on the far end, there's Punk. A gorgeous colour that sits somewhere between brown, burgundy and plum, making it neither too warm nor too cool. I think this shade would work on almost any complexion. Perfectly smooth matte shade, great for smokey eyes!
Baby seems like a straight transplant from Naked 3: a cool, metallic taupe/rose gold that sparkles on the lid and is a great shade for holiday party looks. Anaheim is a neutral taupe brown, matte and perfect for blending in the crease for simple daytime makeup. Stark is a warm beige, also matte and buttery smooth, darker and warmer on the skin than it appears in the pan. Zone is a yellow leaning warm brown. Too warm to really look good on me, but for darker or warmer complexions than mine, this one is a perfect basic. Serious is a muted, warm grey with micro glitter, very reminiscent of the shades in the UD Naked Smoky palette.
Finally, the playful last third of the palette! Pop is a sparkly pale coral with lots of microglitter. The amount of glitter makes this one more prone to fallout than the other shades, but using a good primer keeps that from being an issue. Beautiful highlighter shade! Harajuku was my only real letdown of this palette. Lord knows I'm a sucker for everything pink, and past-me was OBSESSED with Gwen's hot pink look in Ex-Girlfriend. Harajuku looked so promising in the pan, but I feel like it applies relatively sheer, even when you really pack on the product over a good primer. I guess you could say that makes the pink more wearable, but it did disappoint me a bit. Danger, on the other hand, is stunning. Richly pigmented, velvety electric blue with shimmer, and intensely saturated without even trying. Love! 1987 is equally sublime, and my swatch doesn't do it justice. The colour is a mustardy leaning gold, smooth like a dream, intensely pigmented. A bit too yellow/warm to work for my complexion, but truly prime quality. And finally, Blackout. This shade first appeared in the Naked 2 palette, where I fell in love with it instantly. True charcoal black, completely opaque coverage in one go. As intense as kohl pencil, one of my favourite eyeshadows ever.
As always, I created some make up looks to demonstrate the versatility of this palette!
Here, I'm wearing Blonde all over the lid, Steady in the outer corner, and Punk blended out in the outer V and throughout the crease. I finished with some Blackout along the lashline, and Skimp on the browbone. LOVE this look and how it came together.
This look is where I put Harajuku to work: I used the pink eyeshadow along the lower lashline and in the outer and inner corner of the eye. I used Steady and Pop on the middle of the eyelid, and finished with a cat eye.
Ah, Danger! Here I used Danger all over the eyelid, Harajuku on the inner eyecorner, and Serious blended into the crease and on the lower lashline. A blue smokey eye, so 80s, so love.
Finally, this cut crease look I'm insanely proud of: Blonde all over the lid, Stark and Anaheim blended in the crease, Punk used to create the cut crease and on the lower lashline, and skimp on the brow bone. I finished with a hint of 1987 in the inner corner of my eye, and eyeliner of course!
And the fun doesn't end there. Like I said, Urban Decay is also launching a lipstick collection with Gwen. The eyeshadow palette comes with some samples of this lipstick collection, and I was stoked to swatch.
Applying lipstick with a pencil from a little tub never creates as much colour coverage as applying straight from the tube, but I was still way impressed with all of these shades. 714 is a signature Gwen colour: vibrant, true red, with a lovely matte finish. Ex-girlfriend is my personal fave, a beautiful sheer nude pink, and despite it being sheer, the pigmentation is still amazing. I'm wearing it in the first two make up looks. Firebird is a fuschia purply pink with a cream finish, and it stays like a trooper: even after eating a full meal and rubbing my lips, they were left with a beautiful berry stain. You can see it in a full face pic in the blue smokey eye look above. Finally, Rock Steady is a cool toned burgundy, much more berry toned than the sample made it seem. I'm wearing it in the cut crease look above.
All in all I think this is a beautiful collection, both for fans of Gwen and UD, as well as for those who are still looking for a (mostly warm toned) palette that combines neutrals with popping colours! And I can't wait for that lipstick collection.
The Urban Decay Gwen Stefani palette sells at €52 at Ici Paris XL.
All in all I think this is a beautiful collection, both for fans of Gwen and UD, as well as for those who are still looking for a (mostly warm toned) palette that combines neutrals with popping colours! And I can't wait for that lipstick collection.
The Urban Decay Gwen Stefani palette sells at €52 at Ici Paris XL.
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