I got the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow palette for Xmas, and I was so happy, as I’d been eyeing from the moment it came out. At first glance it might not seem so special especially if you are into the very bright and colorful eye-shadow palettes from UD such as the Vice palettes. This one is a little more subdued. But that is only an initial impression because this palette is a wonderful mix of great neutrals with pops of color.

The packaging

The packaging has the Gwen Stefani stamp all over it and even though it’s similar to the Vice palette packaging which is quite sleek with a magnetic closure. This definitely feels a lot more luxe in the hand and not so plastic-y. The Palette has a real heft to it and a nice weight. The coloring of white and gold is very classy and slightly vintage all the while maintaining a modern vibe to it : just like Gwen’s fashion style!

The cardboard box mirrors the actual palette with the exception of the interior sporting bright hot pink polka dots.

The mirror is very big and very good quality. I love the fact that it has hinges so it is very usable, especially if you are traveling as you can keep it tilted at just the right angle to suit your needs. most palettes have flimsy mirrors that you need to prop onto something to use them which is not that convenient if you’re staying in a hotel or hostel.

The palette comes with a bonus Gwen Stefani lipstick sampler. This is a chance to get a sneak peak at the lipstick collection Gwen Stefani and UD are launching for Spring  2016.

The shades you get are from top to bottom:

Rock Steady : is a bright burgundy with a cream finish

714 : is a bright warm red with a mega matte finish

Ex-Girlfriend : is a beige neutral with a sheer finish

Firebird : is a bright purply fuschia with a cream finish

The range has a couple more lipsticks  mentioned on the back of the sampler :

Spiderweb : a cream finish

Wonderland : a cream finish

Phone call : a cream finish

Plaid : a sheer finish

The Eyeshadow Swatches

From right to left :

Punk is described as a “reddish brown matte.”

Steady is described as a “medium rose with metallic gold shift.”

Skimp is described as a “pale nude satin.”

Bathwater is described as a “pale beige with gold pearl.”

Blonde is described as a “pale beige with pink iridescent shift.”

Baby is described as a “cool metallic rose.”

Anaheim is described as a “light taupe-brown matte.”

Stark is described as a “nude-pink matte.”

Zone is described as a “medium brown matte.”

Serious is described as a “smoky gray with iridescent floating pearl.”

Pop is described as a “pale coral with iridescent sparkle.”

Harajuku is described as a “metallic blue-pink with iridescent micro-shimmer.”

Danger is described as a “deep metallic royal blue with blue micro-sparkle.”

1987 is described as a “bright metallic yellow-gold.”

Blackout is described as a “blackest black matte.” 

The Eyeshadows

The palette includes fifteen eye-shadows – twelve that are new, three that are repromotes. The texture is typical UD quality. They are creamy and very blendable. They are long wearing. It’s worth mentioning that the glitter is under control with this palette (which is not always the case especially with early UD palettes).

The colors lean towards warm undertones. However a lot of the colors are for very fair to light skin tones just like Gwen Stefani. On the one hand I love that she created her own custom UD palette especially suited to her style and coloring, on the other hand this palette is not universal as it won’t be wearable for deeper skin tones. I find it refreshing that the star here actually had a hand in everything regarding the palette. A lot of times, you’ll just have a product with a name slapped on it almost as an afterthought.

In this collaboration, Gwen clearly influenced the outcome of the product : the style is different from the bold and colorful usual UD and the colors are truly the colors that she wears on stage. Her emphasis has always been on bold lips and her eye make up is pretty tame and the palette reflects this quite well. There are a couple pops of color and these might not be to everyone’s taste but I think it spruces things up a bit and lets you be playful with your eye makeup.

The names of the colors reflect the important things in Gwen’s life from her band No Doubt (which by the way I’m a fan of) and her later solo career such as with the reference to her Japanese styled Harajuku dancers.

The Eye makeup look :

I chose to do a neutral eye look as this is what most of the palette has to offer.

I put Blonde all over the lid as a base color. I used Anaheim as a crease shade and put Steady on the mobile lid. I used Baby as an inner corner highlight. I darkened the outer corner with Serious. I don’t like to do a completely neutral look so I added Danger for a pop of color along the lower lash line.

My final thoughts :

All in all I love this Gwen Stefani UD Palette. For $58.00 or 53,95€ for 0.60 oz. you get $228 worth of eye-shadows! It’s a great value for money. If you don’t have a lot of neutrals and are light skin toned then this is a great addition to your make up collection. If you are a fan of Gwen or a UD palette aficionado, this is a great collector’s item as well. Go and get it.

If you are darker toned skin or you like bold looks, or already have a bunch of neutrals then this palette isn’t a must have.

I still think UD and Gwen did a great job, and am thrilled to have it. What do you think of this palette? Yay or Nay?

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Link :

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette