Filed In: Urban Decay

Urban Decay | Pulp Piction Palette & Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

October 14, 2014

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the cult-fave film Pulp Fiction and inspired by the über-cool character of Mia Wallace (find my previous review here), Urban Decay has released a limited edition 5-shade Pulp Fiction Palette along with Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner, to help you channel that shady lady’s fierce yet sultry look.

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Palette & Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Palette (ingredients list)

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Palette

Pulp Fiction Palette, Limited Edition (CAN ~~$41.00~~ $19.00) | No detail was overlooked when creating this palette; the exterior box bears the movie’s logo in the front with a quick breakdown of the contents on the back, while the red interior of the box recreates gunshot & blood splatter. The palette comes in a thickish cardboard casing with a magnetic closure that includes a full-sized mirror on the inside, and features the fateful biblical passage from Ezekiel, famously quoted in the movie by Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson) with the words ‘be cool honey bunny’ on the back (again, a line from one of the opening scenes in the movie). Also included with the palette, is an illustrated card detailing how to achieve the Mia Wallace look. The shades included are:

Righteous – bone (matte)
Tyranny – camel (matte)
Vengeance – chocolate (matte)
Furious – ivory (slight sheen)
Anger – ebony (slight sheen)

All five hues have a buttery soft texture, are super blendable, and exhibit hardly any powdery residue kicked up upon a brush swirled through them. The 3 full size squares of colour are more warm than cool leaning, but their neutral nature makes them suitable to a wide range of skin tones, while the subtle sheen of both Furious and Anger, gives them slightly more dimension — but only just. The red dual-ended brush that’s included is decent enough, but I prefer using my own brushes just the same. Apart form the velvety feel of each shade, they have good staying power as well, going easily a full 9 hours with zero fallout, fading or creasing (when worn over primer).

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Palette

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner (ingredients list)

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner, Limited Edition (CAN $23.00) | This liquid eyeliner bears a clear base that’s filled with ultra fine black and silver glitter. The fine-tipped brush allows for precise placement along the lash line, but this can be layered over and/or thickened by simply turning the brush along its side to benefit from slightly more width. There’s a slight cool sensation on the skin upon first application, while the product itself is relatively quick drying and once it’s set, there’s no budging. The unique combination of both black and silver glitter definitely lends this eyeliner a “gunmetal'” tone, giving it a more ramped up edge than just silver alone would. When layered over black (such as the Anger shade from the above palette), Gunmetal provides illumination but does not stand out too overtly, or for an edgier and more unique/editorial look, it can be worn solo on the lower lash line. Staying power: until removed.

Urban Decay | Pulp Fiction Gunmetal Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

As a huge Pulp Fiction fan, it was a no brainer that I would have to have these Urban Decay pieces, but what makes this collection even more impressive (apart from the packaging that’s perfectly on point with the entire theme of the movie), is the quality: superb. Three of the hues in the Pulp Fiction Palette are brand new from the brand, and even with the plethora of nude shades available from Urban Decay, these are still neutrals that can easily be dressed up or down (especially when you throw Gunmetal into the mix) – and I have been reaching for them quite a bit lately. Right now on both the Urban Decay and Sephora websites, the Palette has been drastically reduced in price – now’s your chance to snag such a sweet deal, honey bunny.

Available for a limited time, find more information via www.urbandecay.com

*Disclosure: Press samples provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

September 26, 2014

From the movie that spawned a nail polish colour (dark, blood red) that became a world-wide cult trend, Pulp Fiction celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and Urban Decay has recently released a capsule collection commemorating the event. Starring Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color, this shade will definitely help you channel your inner mob-girl vamp … or at least, your nails will.

The ingredients that are needed to create a ‘cult following’, are not obvious, but after decades of the same old/same old in the world of nail lacquer (read that as: neutrals, pinks & reds), the beauty world was ripe for something new, something avant-garde … something that would make us all sit up and take notice. What most people don’t know about the by now-iconic vampy hue worn in Pulp Fiction by Mrs. Mia Wallace (portrayed by Uma Thurman), was that it was actually inspired by black marker; CHANEL’s legendary #18 Rouge Noir that was worn in the film, was never seen on the fashion runway as most people believe – although the dark nail trend was born then just the same; at the last minute, models’ nails were quickly coloured in with black marker before hitting the catwalk, which subsequently sparked the birth of a deep & edgy nail shade, #18 Rouge Noir.

The year was 1994 when Pulp Fiction exploded onto our consciousness, and apart from making religious rhetoric combined with foul language fashionable, giving rise to an entire new beauty trend, and getting to see John Travolta dance on the big screen once more (for those of you too young to remember Saturday Night Fever, go rent it), something even more exciting happened to me: I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. Oh yeah, I also bought the first run of CHANEL’s #18 Rouge Noir, which I still have AND still wear to this day – 20 years later, but now Mrs. Mia Wallace will be sharing the spotlight with it.

Uma Thurman as Mrs. Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color, Limited Edition (CAN $18.00) | I am obsessed with details and this product pushes all the right buttons: for starters, there’s the instantly recognizable lettering on the box along with a [blood]red interior bearing a printed excerpt from the movie, followed by the bottle cap – adorned with a skull on top – that has been re-issued in a darkly shimmering jet black colour. The lacquer is a deep blood-red hue which bears a cool-leaning blue undertone in the base, and filled with ultra fine shimmer in shades of bronze, copper and oxidized gold to balance it all out, making it suitable for all skin tones. There’s an amazing overall depth of tone to Mrs. Mia Wallace, and the final look is as though nails are lit from beneath – the glow that emanates from the nail centres is mesmerizing, at other times giving off a look of lustrous moiré satin. The formula is medium-thick in consistency which works in this shade’s favour, helping it stay exactly where placed without any pooling along the cuticles or nail edges. Highly pigmented, the first coat shows the bluer base notes which darkens significantly by a second coat – all of it laying down in a completely self-levelling & brush stroke-free way, coming to a high gloss natural finish. Due to the intense colour saturation, do not skip applying base coat first, to avoid any possible staining. Coats applied: 2, plus top coat

NOTE: The brush is long, tapered, and thinner than what we’ve seen lately (most brands seem to be heading to bushier, chiselled, and/or shorter brushes) and according to Urban Decay, is made with ‘a 400-strand brush to pick up & deposit more product’. There’s a flexibility to the brush that had me re-thinking the way I usually apply my polish and even though it felt a little floppier than what I’m used to, the pro is that it makes for a very precise application – something very good to have when dealing with a shade this pigmented.

In deference to Pulp Fiction‘s ‘Nail Polish Hall of Fame‘ status (yes, I made that up but seriously, I can’t think of any other movie that had such an impact on nail polish), I decided to show Mrs. Mia Wallace alongside CHANEL’s #18 Rouge Noir (reviewed here), and included CHANEL’s #637 Malice (reviewed here) due to the closer colour match (see last swatch). How they compared:

CHANEL #18 Rouge Noir (2 coats) Same base hue as Mrs. Mia Wallace, but without any shimmer and which appears browner beside the rest (more dried than fresh blood)
CHANEL #637 Malice (2 coats) Similar tone to Mrs. Mia Wallace, although several degrees deeper and with magenta ultra fine shimmer

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection – skull detail on cap

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection – raised logo detail

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection – closer look at the brush

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection

Urban Decay | Mrs. Mia Wallace Nail Color (LE), Pulp Fiction Collection vs. CHANEL #18 Rouge Nior & #637 Malice

Deep red hues are not that rare anymore, but even in this colour family, Mrs. Mia Wallace stands out; I know that a lacquer is special, when I don’t want to remove it. There’s a pulsating intensity to this shade – a look of freshly spilled blood, if you will – which makes it all the more perfect when you consider the inspiration behind it. The fact that it’s drop-dead gorgeous, doesn’t hurt either. Plus, I love the little skull on the cap.

Available through select Shopper’s Drug Mart stores (Canada), Sephora, and Urban Decay. Find more information:

*Disclosure: Press sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

Urban Decay | Naked Basics 2

September 16, 2014

Urban Decay knows a thing or two (or three) about getting Naked; first there was the original (and by now cult-fave) Naked palette which went on to spawn 2 more in the series, then came the pocket version: Naked Basics – a travel friendly/purse-sized palette with 6 wearable nude shades, and now the latest in the lineup to hit the shelves, is Naked Basics 2 – six new neutral shades to ooh & aah over. And collect. Perhaps even, to covet.

How perfectly does this photo of Marilyn Monroe (below) capture the essence of the Naked Basics 2 palette? Smouldering, sensual, playful, elegant and except for the chiffon scarf, basically naked.

One of my style icons: Marilyn Monroe circa 1953 for Playboy Magazine (source)

Urban Decay | Naked Basics 2

Naked Basics 2 (CAN $35.00) | A portable palette comprised of 6 neutral shades ranging from pale to deep. The outer casing has the same rubberized finish and raised lettering as the original Naked Basics, and both are exactly the same size as well, with a good-sized mirror on the inside lid. Below, a breakdown of the hues:

SKIMP – sheer peachy nude with a satin finish (perfect for under the brow bone & highlighting/inner eye corner)
STARK – matte flesh tone
FRISK – pale taupe with mauve undertones, matte finish
COVER – milk chocolate, matte finish
PRIMAL – mink taupe, matte finish
UNDONE – charcoal grey, satin finish

For a fan of neutral shades such as myself, you can never have enough nudes in your makeup wardrobe. What Naked Basics 2 really represents, is a streamlined version of colours every woman should have – and then the entire concept goes one step further, by shrinking it all down to portable proportions (and eliminating annoying extras, such as those dinky little brushes you get with other palettes).

Compared to the original Naked Basics palette, Naked Basics 2 leans a touch cooler and I’m happy to say that there are no repeats in the shade selections either. The lightest shade, SKIMP, is almost unnoticeable against my skin tone right now except for a light sheen when the light catches it, but should be more visible when my Winter pallor sets in (which it inevitably will). The four middle matte shades are all creamy and blend well, even if they fall a touch light on my skin tone, but also happen to be the perfect neutrals for those with fairer complexions. The last shade, UNDONE, was a surprise, applying much sheerer and with a light satiny sheen to it than what appears in the pan, but I actually like that it gives a nice smoked out edge to a look, is super easy to blend out, and will never come off as too harsh or stark. On my primed lids, staying power was pretty good, with the lightest hue predictably being the first to fade, but overall lasting about 8-9 hours.

Urban Decay | Naked Basics 2

The main differences that I note between the two palettes, is that Naked Basics is a touch more warmer leaning than Naked Basics 2, although both palettes have colours that can be made to work on a variety of skin tones. There appears to be slightly more pigmentation of the shades in the original palette as well, but I also noticed that they tended to have more powdery kickback when swirling my brushes through them – a factor that’s not as apparent with Naked Basics 2.

All in all, there are enough shade differences between the two palettes to justify owning both *happy dance*

Urban Decay | Naked Basics 2 (top) & Naked Basics (bottom)

Urban Decay | Naked Basics 2 (top row swatches), Naked Basics (bottom row swatches)

There is much to recommend the Naked Basics 2 palette; the shades are all totally wearable, the size is just right for tossing in your makeup bag, and the price is relatively decent considering you get 6 good-sized eyeshadow shades (not huge, but not teeny either). For anyone with a skin tone darker than mine, you may find these will be too muddy and in that case, the original Naked Basics palette should be a much better option. For those with rather fair complexions that have a hard time finding the right neutrals, look no further. For those days when I want an understated makeup look (an undressed nude? Oxymoronic, perhaps?), then this palette fits the bill like a charm, with the matte shades keeping everything cohesive (nothing like glitter or shimmer to ruin a good naked look). Happily, this is not a limited edition item – props to Urban Decay for that.

Available now through Sephora and Urban Decay’s website. Find more information via:

*Disclosure: Press sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

Urban Decay | Perversion Mascara

September 5, 2014

The newly released mascara from Urban Decay, Perversion, has “Bigger. Blacker. Badder” as a tagline, and I can tell you right here and now how correct that is. From the brand that started the cruelty-free cosmetics trend and continues to titillate its loyal fan base with not only provocative names, but outstanding and cult-fave products (hands up if you own any one of their Naked palettes), comes a mascara that will make others cry uncle – it really is that badass.

Urban Decay | Perversion Mascara

Perversion Mascara (CAN $26.00) | Mascara is my Kryptonite & the only beauty product I would want to be with if stranded on a deserted island, but finding one that meets all my strict criteria can be a challenge. Perversion comes in a pewter outer casing with violet lettering and bears a densely bristled thick brush and promises to provide length, volume and a rich deep coating of colour to your lashes. One thing I immediately noticed, is how easily the wand/brush slides out of the tube – a good sign, as I hate those super tight seals which can result in excess product collecting there and gunking up the opening. There’s no nasty scent to this formula, perfect for those with sensitivities, and application is relatively straightforward. As this is a wetter type of mascara, I recommend doing the upper lashes first – wait a couple of minutes – then go in for the bottom lashes. Some people may find that this type of larger brush head can be a bit cumbersome to manoeuver, but holding it at a slight angle to your lashes can solve that.

From the very first swipe across my lashes, I could see that major length, volume, & a lustrous black colour were reached, and while I actually could have stopped there, I went ahead with a second coat (my usual). The impact is immediate: this is what they refer to, when they say “sooty lashes”. I can honestly say that Perversion has got to be one of the blackest (if not THE blackest) mascaras I have come across to date – and I’ve tried billions (give or take a few). Wear time is excellent as well, staying true until removed 12 hours later, with zero smudging, flaking, smearing, or fading. Using a dual-phase remover (my personal fave has been the one from Neutrogena for many years now & I totally swear by it) works best, otherwise you may find yourself scrubbing to get it all off – something you should never, ever do. Ever.

The following swatches show Perversion at both 1 coat and 2 coats respectively, without any lash combing. A mascara this intense will clump at some point – in this case at the 2-coat level, but then again, I don’t know of any mascara that won’t clump to any degree.

Urban Decay | Perversion Mascara

Urban Decay | pre-Perversion Mascara

Urban Decay | Perversion Mascara, 1 coat

Urban Decay | Perversion Mascara, 2 coats

Urban Decay | Perversion Mascara

As a self-proclaimed ‘Mascara Mistress’, Perversion pushes all my buttons (see what I did there? Perversion/buttons … a little beauty S&M) and for those who love a lush lash look (triple ‘L’ factor or beauty alliteration this time. I’m on a roll), then this product can definitely provide all that. There’s really not much more to say, other than the proof is definitely there and that I absolutely love it.

Available through Sephora, find more information via:

*Disclosure: Product sample provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

Spotlight on Favourites: Urban Decay Lounge Eye Shadow

September 5, 2013

Something I’ve had on my mind to write for quite some time now, is actually a departure from my usual type of post, and thus I’m introducing what I hope will become a regular series here on the blog, my “Spotlight on Favourites” – products that I love, or use regularly, or rediscover and find that I love & thus now use regularly … etc.

Every so often, I find myself in a beauty rut, although I’m not really sure why that is. Brand overload? Too many products coming out too quickly? Themed collections redux? Whatever the cause, I tend to turn inwards at times like that and take a good hard look at what I’ve already accumulated … which happens to be a lot. Perhaps even bordering on hoarder status. Not giving any of it up, however.

One such item that stood out, was a lonely little ole eye shadow from Urban Decay that’s been sitting neglected in one of my makeup drawers for years now; Lounge – a strange creature that morphs from rust, to teal, to taupe, and EXACTLY what I was looking for. With its complex colouring, this is a shade that transcends the seasons and by virtue of its multi chrome nature, has the ability to look like you applied several different hues to your lids. Pure magic, I tell you.

Now for the bad part – this is a shade that is no longer available from Urban Decay, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why. Since this new series will focus on products I own that are/or have become personal favourites, I apologize in advance for any unintentional lemmings that might get stirred up, but I’m hoping you can get inspired by these posts just the same! ♥

Urban Decay – Lounge Eye Shadow

Urban Decay Lounge Eye Shadow – When I first swatched this shade at a Sephora counter a few years ago, I was stunned; its gel-like and gliding application blew me away, but the colour(s) are what had me hooked. What at first appears to be an iridescent taupe, has so many more levels going on, as it can flash a rich russet, a grey-ish teal, or even a soft brown at times. Because of this multi-chrome nature, ‘Lounge’ has the ability to look different depending on which part of the lid you apply it on – appearing as a softer wash of colour across the lid, moving to a deeper intensity in the crease and meeting somewhere in the middle when layered along the lashline – and thus achieves that coveted “one-product-that-does-everything” status (yes, I just made that up, but it really should be a category). Even more surprising, however, is how different it looks in the pan (ie: more mushroom/taupe) and when actually applied (ie: rust with green/silver sheen) – eye shadow Houdini aka: makeup illusion.

Why did I reach for this shade now, you might ask? Well, I had just returned from my holiday and with my skin still quite tanned, it basically made so many of my newer shades not only unworkable for me right now, but they all tended to look muddy as well. I wanted something that could liven up my eyes and draw light there, while also being easy & quick to work with. The sly qualities of this shade do all that … and more. There is almost no powdery kickback when you dab/swirl your brush in the pan nor did I note any fallout, while the pigmentation – while not overly saturated – is even and consistent. ‘Lounge’ applies velvety smooth and perhaps due to to its inner iridescence, seems to have a longer than usual wear time, going easily 7 hours before any noticeable creasing and topping the 10-hour mark with a primer underneath. By using a larger headed fluffy brush, you can apply this shade as a light veil of colour across the lids – perfect for daytime/the workplace or as an understated look, and switching to a denser smudger-type of brush, results in so much more drama and sultry-ness … oozes sexy, in fact.

The following four frames show just some of its many facets:

Urban Decay – Lounge Eye Shadow swatch (varying views)

Urban Decay Lounge Eye Shadow vs MAC Club – Going through the rest of my eye shadow collection, yielded only one that had some similarity – MAC’s Club, which is also part of their permanent lineup as well as making appearances every so often in newer collections and/or seasonal palettes from this brand. While ‘Club’ has similar properties – multi tonal as well as iridescence, it seems to not only look, but lays down as a mirror image to ‘Lounge’, with its green hues dominating the taupe/rust tones. Still, in light of the fact of ‘Lounge’ being discontinued, it’s good to know that there are other options available. Another difference is that I found ‘Club’ to have more of a “bruised” look due to its more somber hue, and while application was effortless with this shade as well, it’s definitely not as pigmented as the Urban Decay.

*NOTE: I do have a MAC pigment called ‘Old Gold’ (permanent as well) that also has similar properties to ‘Lounge’, but as this is a loose powder and definitely more gold leaning, I opted not to swatch it here – but a stunning shade that is worth looking into just the same.

Urban Decay – Lounge Eye Shadow vs MAC Club

Maybe the real reason this series was created, should actually be attributed to laziness: I wasn’t in the mood for a task-heavy and complicated makeup look, but I wanted to appear like I had spent quite a bit of time creating a complicated makeup look. It worked, and thus now the moral of the story: when wanting to impress while exerting a minimum amount of effort, opt for a shade that has a neutral base tone (in this case the taupe/russet colour) with some complimentary iridescence thrown in (teal/silver) to create a unique and one of a eye look, no fuss, no mess. Only your makeup drawer need know for sure.

Hope you all enjoyed this feature and do feel free to let me know if this type of post is something you’d like to see more of – I do so love your feedback!