Few beauty collections have been so anxiously awaited and heavily debated as the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani collaboration. I already reviewed their eyeshadow palette and four of the lipstick shades earlier (read more about that here), but today I'm showing you my impressions of the second part of the collection, which I received to review. I'm prettttttty sure all of you are most excited about that blush/highlighter/bronzer palette, so let's check that one out first!
I had to share a pic of that adorable graphic/glam packaging. It all goes so well together, and it's all so very Gwen.
The UD x Gwen blush palette contains six products. On my skintone, four of them can be used as blushes (Cherry, Easy, Hush and OC), two as highlighters (Angel and Hush) and three as bronzers (Lo-Fi, Hush and OC). My categorization is probably quite different from how other people have classified these powders, but with neutrals like these it really depends on your skintone and preferences whether something qualifies as a blush, as a bronzer or as a highlighter. If you're on the pale side, my categorization will work for you.
I swatched the shades, from left to right you see Cherry, Easy, Angel, Lo-Fi, Hush and OC. I consciously kept my swatches light and sheer so you can see how these will translate onto your skin, because you won't use these packed on to full saturation unless you want to use them as eyeshadows. The quality is great all round, these powders apply smoothly and they wear very well throughout the day. If I apply Angel or Hush in the morning, you can be sure that glow will last all day. Just like with the eyeshadow palette, the blush palette is mostly warm toned, but in a way that is also wearable if your complexion is cool toned. No burnt oranges here.
Cherry is a pale, cool toned pink with a satin glow, super sweet and girly. Easy is a raspberry pink and the most pigmented out of the palette, so you will need to use a very light hand with this one unless you want bright pink cheeks. In the swatch, you see that Easy contains gold microglitter, but it actually isn't noticeable when you wear the colour on your cheeks, unless some direct light hits it. Angel is a muted gold highlighter that is shimmery rather than glittery (which makes it A-OK for use all over, even on the bridge of the nose etc), and while it looks a bit yellow on my arm, it blends in nicely with my skintone when used on the face.
Lo-Fi is a warm, matte bronzer, which might double as a contouring powder if you're very warm toned. Hush is THE BOMB and I love it with all my heart and soul and I'd buy it again and again if I could, but if you want a more succinct description: it's like the peachy, slightly more shimmery sister to Angel. The same kind of gold toned shimmer, but it sits in a soft, pinky, peachy base. Hush is beautifully neutral and I love using it as a bronzer for the most gorgeous summery glow you can imagine, but you can also use it as a blush if you're pale, or as a highlighter if you're more dark skinned. OC kind of defies explanation and warrants another swatch to truly show what this one does:
See that? OC is a warm, peachy tan colour, but it has a pale, cool pink shift. It's like a duochrome, really unique for a blusher/bronzer, and the cool toned shift makes the powder a lot less orangey/warm toned than it seems at first glance.
Let's see what these look like on my face.
Let's see what these look like on my face.
Dude, have you ever seen a more STUNNING bronzed look on super pale winter skin? I sure as hell haven't! I live for this combo and I already dread the day when I will hit the pan on Hush. Stunning.
As you can see, Angel is not as warm/yellow toned as it seems in the pan, and it gives the skin a beautiful glow. I personally prefer more cool/neutral toned highlighters, but that doesn't mean I won't continue to use and love this one.
Cherry is so cute and sweet. I've sort of moved away from bright blushes in favour of more neutral ones, but the satin glow on Cherry is just perfect for my pale winter/spring skin.
As you can see, Easy packs a bit more punch and feels more matte than Cherry. No glitter visible.
And then there's OC. It is inimitable, and original like Aaron Burr would say. I prefer using it as a blush, actually, and it's great for pairing with bright make up because OC is subdued, but still totally unique. You'll have to swatch it for yourself to truly appreciate it!
Then there's the brow kit, which contains a mirror a wax, two slightly different shades of taupe eyebrow powder, a tweezer and two angled eyebrow brushes in one compact little package.
The tiny box is a bit difficult to work with because the compartments are so small, but the quality is aces. Luckily, although the powders are lighter than what I usually work with, I can actually get away with using them if I go for a softer make up look. You can see what the eyebrow kit looks like on me in the full face pic where I show Cherry.
As you can see, my regular eyebrow powder is darker and more cool toned.
For this effect, I first prep my brows with the wax (applied and combed through with one of the brushes), and then I follow up with the darkest eyebrow powder. The wax is a total gamechanger for someone like me, because I used to just use powder on its own. Using wax keeps your eyebrows in check, makes your eyebrow makeup last much longer, and the powder colour is also more intense because it clings to the wax. The eyebrow kit is a great tip for blondes or light brunettes because it's still hard to find a good, natural eyebrow colour. The tweezers are way too small and finnicky to work with, though, I don't find them practical in the least.
And of course, there's the stunning lipstick in 714 with matching lip pencil. You can see me rock 714 in the picture where I show you what OC looks like in a full face pic. 714 is BRIGHT red, smooth, matte and heavily saturated. It might not be as long lasting as some other mattes I've tried, but because it's a drier, matte formula, it reapplies neatly and precisely. A true red like this is indispensable if you love that glamorous, slightly retro inspired beauty look.
In short, the UD x Gwen collection is nothing but lovely. I think the products would work best for pale people with slightly warm leaning undertones, like Gwen herself, but they made a conscious effort to make these colours work for other people as well. I still regularly reach for my UD x Gwen eyeshadow palette, ad have been using the blush palette nearly every day since I got it. Stunning collector's items with real value for money!
Prices:
Gwen Stefani Blush Palette - €45,00
Gwen Stefani Lipstick - €24,70
Gwen Stefani 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil - €20,40
Gwen Stefani Brow Box - €36,40
Gwen Stefani Brow Box - €36,40
I love that Gwen actually designed products that are super wearable and flattering rather than some kind of gimmicky collection that is inspired by her aesthetic. Are you in love yet? If you're curious to see what the blushes look like on someone with a slightly darker skintone, check out Beautylab's review here!
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