Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay, the reigning master of all things Naked, can also be attributed for making large multi-coloured eyeshadow palettes something to covet. The latest iteration in the series, Vice 4 (Vice 3 previously reviewed here) draws its inspiration from the mesmerizing colours of an oil-slick (true fact: pavement oil slicks have been known to hypnotize me) and features 20 never-before-seen shades from this brand, an accomplishment that seems like a minor miracle, given the plethora of colours UD has come out with over the years.

PS: This palette is now CAN $45.00 (from CAN $70.00) on www.urbandecay.ca You’re welcome.

Details, they get me every.single.time. and Urban Decay has outdone itself here; starting from the outer box with its multi-tonal geometric array and back cover that clearly displays all the shades, inside are even more wonderful perks. The Vice 4 palette comes housed in a bag bearing a matching holographic pattern (as seen on the outer packaging) on a black background and is large enough that it can also be used as a makeup bag and/or brush holder, if desired. Another nice touch to the bag, is that it can also fit an iPad mini – intentionally designed this way when the brand realized that the previous Vice 3 bag was being adapted for that use (although that one was a much tighter fit). The palette casing features a two-tiered lid (and oversized mirror on the inside) with a ‘dimensional web of broken-down facets‘ that continues the oil slick theme, and after you’ve torn your eyes away from this visual overload, the beauty continues inside …

The 20 new shades inside come in a variety of finishes: matte, satin, pearl, metallic, and micro-glitter, and range in colour from neutral to jewel-toned with Urban Decay’s Pigment Infusion System™ a ‘proprietary blend of ingredients for rich, velvety, blendable colour that lasts‘. There is a synthetic-haired dual ended brush included as well (if you own other UD palettes, you’re sure to already have this brush) but I prefer using my own brushes.

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette (exterior packaging)

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette (inner sleeve)

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette & dual-ended brush

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette (detail of the intricately worked cover)

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay | Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette (macro)

Urban Decay | dual-ended brush of the Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette

Row 1:

Bones – oyster satin with pearl
Framed – light neutral, pink undertones, matte-satin
Discreet – soft dusty mauve, lilac undertones, matte
Bitter – reddish brown matte

Row 2:

Grip – taupe matte with iridescent micro-glitter
Fast-Ball – metallic peachy pink with pink micro-glitter
Grasshopper – metallic emerald with green micro-glitter
Flame – bright orange with gold micro-glitter

Row 3:

Deadbeat – black satin with iridescent micro-glitter
1985 – metallic fuchsia with fuchsia micro-glitter
C-Note – frosted green with micro-glitter
Low – brown matte with iridescent micro-glitter

Row 4:

Beat Down – deep metallic violet with blue micro-glitter, inky undertone
Underhand – burgundy-brown satin
Arctic – bright teal with tonal sparkle
Crowbar – black with golden metallic pearl and micro-glitter, olive undertone

Row 5:

Pandemonium – metallic plum with iridescent micro-glitter
Harlot – metallic lavender
Robbery – deep metallic brown-gunmetal
Delete – deep chestnut brown matte-satin

From the swatches above, it’s clear that all shades in the Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette have something in common, regardless of the finish: excellent colour payoff with a smooth application. Some of the hues with more obvious sparkle need to be patted in to avoid any potential fallout, while the mattes are so insanely buttery soft that I caution you to not dive in too vigorously with your brush, unless you want to see the product damaged. Interestingly enough, I find the term ‘micro-glitter’ here a little misleading, as those shades labelled that way are actually quite smoothly applying, with none of the pesky glitter pieces one usually associates with that word. Regarding staying power (and applied over primer), the results are excellent with the colours staying true without any significant fading or creasing until removed.

And if all of the above wasn’t enough to convince you, how about that price? Run, don’t walk.

Urban Decay products are available through Sephora and select Shopper’s Drug Mart/Pharmaprix stores across Canada. Find more information via www.urbandecay.ca