Friday 31 December, 2010 at 9:50 am Archives, Reviews, Swatches
Dearest Minions
I’ve been so busy with the holidays that I haven’t had much time for glitz and glamor Q.Q but since I love you all soOooOoo much, I wanted to stop and show you one of the Xmas gifts I was most excited about!
I had a huge bag of goodies and somewhere in the mix was a mysterious wrapped box! Turns out my boyfriends mommy got me the new (and very limited edition) Book of Shadows Vol. III.. OMG! If you’re unfamiliar, that’s the New York styled palette with LED’s and pop-up cut outs.. uhm adorable.
Eyeshadows (my descriptions)
Perversion - Matte charcoal black (less pigmented than oil Slick, but gives more even color)
Uzi - Frosted white/silver with chunks of silver glitter
Loaded - Deep army green with shimmer
Kush - Bright leafy green loaded with fine sparkles
Midnight Cowboy Rides Again - Beautiful champagne color with large flecks of glitter throughout
Last Call - Creamy metallic pink/maroon
Rockstar – Frosted black cherry
Money – Medium green with frosty finish
Haight - Metallic teal with shimmer
Maui Wowie - Intense bright gold with shimmer and silver glitter
Smog – Medium shimmery copper
Bordello – Rosy pink with tiny flecks of glitter
Radium - Electric blue with a shimmery metallic finish
Snatch – Frosted pale pink
Suspect - Creamy light copper with frosty finish
Psychedelic Sister - Intense metallic purple
Extras
24/7 eyeliner in Ransom (travel size)
24/7 eyeliner in Zero (travel size)
Primer Potion (travel size)
24/7 Liners
I’ve wanted to try the UD 24/7 Liners for a LONG time, I have mostly been eying Zero, Bourbon and Yeyo (I REALLY need a good white liner ::sad face::) So getting the extra mini liners was like an Aaaaaaaah moment lol. I liked the colors UD includes in Vol. III, a basic black and a gorgeous metallic purple that can be paired with a lot of shadows. Swatching them on my hand they felt extremely smooth and distributed pigment well, never clumping up. I’m not sure if the 24/7′s are meant to be waterproof, but imo they are!! my swatches stayed on and literally wouldn’t come off without makeup remover. I’m excited to try more colors from the range.
Primer Potion
I own the full size Primer Potion and I have to say I’m a little shocked.. Way back when everyone was going crazy for udpp I forced myself to grab some and to my surprise I really couldn’t see what the hype was about. I thought it dried funny on the lid, felt heavy and didn’t really control the crazy, chunky glitter UD loves to throw in their shadows. So when I got my NYC palette I wasn’t thrilled to see the baby primer… until I started swatching.. and wtf? its a bit different I’ll admit, its both thinner and almost does a better job than the big boy living in my makeup drawer.. Whats more is that the doe foot on the baby is totally different.. strange! I’m thinking I may have gotten a wonky batch with my full size so I may have to buy another and try it again.
Packaging
Omg.. where to even start, first off the palette is beautifully put together and at a glance it screams NYC. Looking down at the box it makes you instantly feel a burst of creativity!! From the embossed lid to the pop-up underneath it couldn’t be more whimsical. I don’t think I’ll use the mirror because its surrounded by the pop-ups, but I’m still glad they decided to put it in. The palette is made of very durable cardboard and feels sleek and smooth to the touch, It feels like the UD Ammo Box so I know it will scratch easily.. eep! The pull out drawer is convenient and can be removed from the palette which is really nice. The last thing I’ll mention is that unlike other UD palettes, there are no makeup brushes included.. not a huge deal for me because I hate their crappy, stiff brushes anyways! hehe.
Color Payoff
I’m a color whore.. ok that’s harsh, I’m a color… enthusiast? Yeah! much better. Anyways I really love bright and bold shadows, loaded with pigment. One of the first things I do when I tear open a new eyeshadow kit is swatch everything, blend them all over my hands and try them with and without primers. I haven’t been let down by any of my UD shadows past or present so I was optimistic I’d adore Vol. III as well.
I think most of the shadows are unique, with the exception of Uzi which reminds me a LOT of UD Polyester Bride, but with a more silvery tone. Some stand out favs are Kush, Radium (duh!), Perversion and Haight. I love the depth of all the colors and think they look great on top of udpp. I got medium to long lasting wear from the ones I’ve tried (Smog, Uzi, Midnight Cowboy, Last Call and Maui Wowie). All in all Vol. III is a really nice set and is packaged perfectly.. I’m so.. in love lol.
Price
I own two UD palettes, one was gifted to me from a contest I won last year and the other I bought sometime during the UD friends and family sale (30% off sale). Though I was given one and got the other palette on sale I still think Urban Decay’s prices are fair, especially for the number of shadows they put in their sets. My NYC palette was a Christmas gift, but I was still curious of the price (I expected it to be pricey because of it being LE)… Online Vol. III goes for $54.00 which really isn’t bad for 16 (semi large pans) eyeshadows, two mini liners and a udpp! When I compare the NYC palette to my UD Ammo Box (1o shadows) I feel ripped off.. the pans in the AB are SMALL and it doesn’t come with any extras for $36.00.. ouch. Vol. III is a fantastic deal and a really great way to start a UD collection, as it includes a lot of universal shades that pair well and includes the must have primer potion, plus liners.
Aww thats cute…
I have a soft spot for certain items in my makeup drawer, like lippies that were gifted from various people.. to tiny extras from random contests.
I got to thinking about when I first started dating my bf… ::swooooon:: and I’m suddenly much more attached to my Book of Shadows palette now! I realized my first ever trip to New York was actually with my bf and his mom (Vol. III was her Xmas gift to me this year.. remember?). I’m not sure if it was intentional on her end or not, I just think that’s really cute and I really love it even more now! Do you guys have weird sentimental grips on your cosmetics?? haha… let me know, I cant be the only one lol.
I really have enjoyed the products I’ve tried from UD, with that being said I gave the Book of Shadows Vol. III 4/5 cakes because I did have three repeat shades (which is not the palettes fault lol.. its fantastic!). I also took cakes off for the pop up feature.. it looks brilliant, but can’t be displayed properly! When I open the lid it literally slams shut, which would make it difficult to use the mirror. This may be due to the lid being heavier or a conscious design decision for saving the life of the LED’s in the instance that you goof and leave it open.
“Love” Miss Massacre
