What is it?:  Urban Decay’s Preen Palette is a six shadow palette with a mirror and magnetic closure.  The Show Pony palette has the exact same shadows inside of it, it just has different packaging (see end of post).  The shades are all permanent with the exception of Painkiller, though that shade has also been featured in the Show Pony (duh) and Alice in Wonderland palettes.  The packaging is gorgeous and intricate.  It features a foiled peacock on the front cover.  The inside also has a peacock with a flat finish by the mirror and its paisley feathers are scattered on the rest of interior packaging.

Where do I get it?:  Unfortunately, this was a limited edition item that was released I believe in Fall ‘09.  I believe it originally retailed for $30, thoughI got mine in an ebay lot and paid approximately $11.50 for it.  If you want it, I would recommend looking on ebay.  If you wait long enough, you could also probably find a great deal on ebay using the saved search tool!  Also, I know that it is in stock on allcosmeticwholesale.com for $27 and I’m sure some other online makeup stores will have it as well.

Thoughts:  I was debating on if I should keep this one or sell it (as I said, I got it in an ebay lot) and obviously, I decided to keep it.  Honestly, the packaging was a huge selling point for me.  I also did not own Flash or Painkiller and those two colors alone are worth keeping it.  Painkiller is such a vivid, bright, sky blue with a nice silver sheen to it.  Flash is an interesting purple and is great as a blending color to brighten a smoky look.  It also kind of has a slight bluish duochrome sheen to it.  However, it can be a bit sheer.  Snatch is an interesting peachy pink that has bits of a glitter that is a mix of iridescent and gold.  Toasted is a color I had overlooked before, but it is actually a great neutral.  Smog and Mildew were already some of my tried and true favorites.  The quality is great as usual, though you might want to use a sticky base primer (I mostly gravitate towards Too Faced Glitter Glue) with Snatch to avoid any fallout.  This is a beautiful palette that houses an interesting mix of shades and I would definitely recommend it!

Below: Picture of Urban Decay’s Show Pony Palette

What is it?:  The Black Palette is a palette by Urban Decay centered around blackened jewel toned colors as well as a super black matte.  Obviously, it can be used to create an interesting smoky eye.  There are six shadows total, five of which can only be found in this palette (Cobra was recently in UD’s BOS IV and has since been released as a single).  The packaging is has a black glitter finish, and the glitter will not shed.  

Where do I get it?:  I thought this was originally a limited edition item, but it can still be found even though it was originally released in Fall 2010.  You can purchase it on urbandecay.com for $36.  I got mine in an ebay lot, and paid approximately $11.50 for it.  If you wait long enough, you could also probably find a great deal on ebay using the saved search tool!

Thoughts:  A lot of people have written some not so wonderful reviews about this palette, but I have to say that I really love this palette!  Sure, I wouldn’t use only colors from this palette to create a complete eye look (I barely ever just use one palette).  It is true that the colors might kind of muddle together if you use several at the same time.  However, it is a great and different way to smoke out a look!  My favorites are Cobra and Libertine, as I generally do darker looks centered around golds and greens.  All of the colors are awesome and interesting, though!  This palette would also be great to use as liner powders if you use them wet or with a bit of sealing gel.  

Keep in mind that primers matter!  Below I used several primers to show the different effects that the primers can create.  Surprisingly, the mini Eden primer included with this palette can somewhat mattify the colors (if you check out some other reviews, this primer mattifies more than the regular UDPP).  I think it was weird that this primer was included with this palette other primers could bring out this palette’s full potential (I think it could be to introduce people to the Eden formula, which also launched around the same time).  I think I like the effect that using Too Faced’s Glitter Glue underneath creates the most.  Keep in mind that primers used for sparkly shadows usually do not play well with mattes, as you can see with Black Dog below.  So, you might have to do a bit more work when dealing with these shadows, but I believe that the pay off is worth it.

Overall, this palette is great if you are want to do a dramatic, smoky eye with a twist.  Fans of neutral and natural makeup should stay far away!

Below: over UDPP in Eden

Below: over Too Faced’s Glitter Glue

Below: over Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy

I recently ordered a Pro sized Z Palette on ebay because I had 3 depotted shadows that needed homes.  I thought, why get a small one when I can just get rid of some bulky palettes and fill up a big one?  I paid $19 including shipping for this one.  It was a factory blemish so that is why I didn’t have to spend the standard $28 for this palette.  There is barely a dent on one of the corners, so if you do not want to get a Z Palette from a regular retailer, you should look for a deal on ebay!

These are all of the palettes that I got my shadows from.  I picked ones that I either have had for a long time and were looking quite worn, or ones in which the packaging was just incredibly bulky and taking up a lot of space.  Removing shadows from palettes is way easier than depotting them so I was up to this task.  Basically, all I did was get a knife and pop them out of their slots.  The cardboard quickly gives away and there is usually only small amounts of glue keeping them in place.  I didn’t do a great job cleaning off the glue, but figured who cares as the shadows are gonna stay in this palette (this isn’t a palette that I am going to use to switch out different pans of stuff all the time).

I did manage to scrape a couple shadows with my nails/the knife and that pissed me off.  Also, Darkhorse is very soft and was almost critically injured but is now in stable condition.  So, at least there were no casualties and I am pretty happy with the end results.  If you plan on putting some of your shadows into a Z Palette, you should probably make sure that you have some magnet sheets in case the shadows are not in a metal pan.  This applied to my MAC shadow and the small Too Faced shadows from their Liquif-Eye Palette.  Luckily, my MAC shadow had been bought already depotted and magnetized and my Too Faced shadows stayed put because of their tight fit (next time I will be more prepared). 

The Z Palette closed-I love that the lid is clear!  You can see that there is a dent in the right top corner.

I created a chart instead of putting a label on each eyeshadow.  The original post of this chart is here so you can click to enlarge if you wish.

So I recently got tons of Urban Decay stuff (that ebay thing wasn’t really planned) and this is what I got during their Friends & Family sale that occurred around 2 weeks ago.  Everything I got besides the Stardust gloss was already marked down in their sale section and I also got an additional 20% off!  This haul was $50 but it would have originally retailed at approximately $120. These are the first smaller palettes of theirs that I have bought (before this, I had their Box of Shadows 1-4 and their Ammo palette) since I felt that I usually had 2 or so of the 4 in most palettes.  I was pretty happy with most of what I got, though there were a few slight disappointments.

I actually did have 3/4 of the colors that were already in the Midnight Palette, but it came with a full size of my favorite lipgloss.  The price of it was a bit cheaper than the regular price of just the lipgloss, so of course I got it.  As far as the Rollergirl palette goes, the only color that I already had was Suspect.  I had been eyeing Verve for a while after seeing various swatches of it online so I decided to get it.  I was a little bit disappointed in Verve; it is really pretty and I have worn it several times to work but something about it was not what I had expected (it’s kind of like it has greyish undertones?).  However, I ended up liking Darkhorse a lot more than I thought I would.

As you can see below, any of Urban Decay’s shadows that have “Midnight” in the name are quite prone to glitter fallout.  However, I always use Too Faced’s Glitter Glue as a base and I experience no problems.  Urban Decay should come up with a stickier primer for these shadows!

This is their lightest shade of concealer and I am quite pleased with it.  

I was a little disappointed in their Stardust lipgloss but I think I am to blame for it.  The one I got is called Midnight Cowboy and it is basically like their Lip Junkie gloss in Midnight Cowboy (which is my favorite) except a bit sparklier.  In the swatches below, the Lip Junkie gloss is on the right and the Stardust gloss is on the left.  It’s still nice and I know I will go through it, I just should have picked the peach one instead.  The other two swatches are of the concealer in CIA and the 24/7 pencil in Whiskey that was included in the palettes (There is no swatch of Crush because I knew that I wouldn’t use a pink gloss so I sold it as a part of a lot on ebay).  Not included in the swatches is their primer potion in Eden.  I swatched the shadows on my arm that was primed with it, though!  I am hoarding the older style bottles because I do not like the new packaging, so I grabbed another while it was still around.

I hardly ever buy any of their stuff at retail because I know they always do some cleaning before they release new seasonal collections.  Did you guys pick anything up?   

What is it?:  The Kimberly palette was a limited edition half sized palette (the regular palettes usually have 8 shadows, this one has 4) that has some cool toned neutral and fun colors inside of it.  It was released during the holidays and features the art of a child, Kimberly, on it.  A portion of the proceeds went to an organization that provides care for ill children.  

Where do I get it?:  I picked this half sized palette up in December when it was on sale for $9 (from Sephora, originally $20).  It is sold out now, though :(  However, there are tons of this one on ebay.

Thoughts:  Well, of course I had to have this as I own all of her older style rubberized palettes (the only one I need to hunt down on ebay is the sister palette to this one-Evelyn).  Even though my collection is kind of extensive, it only featured one color (Rad Purple) that was found in the older rubberized palettes.  Because the colors are cool toned, all of these are very wearable on me.  I usually look awful when I wear pink/red eyeshadows, but the light pink (Believer) is beautiful.  Shakespeare is an interesting light taupe/leaning more towards brown color.  Dorian Grey is an interesting take on a metallic ash.  Another win for the Kat Von D for Sephora brand.

I recently finished a bottle of Urban Decay’s Tinted Moisturizer that I got in November during their Friends & Family sale.  So, one bottle lasted me about 4 months, though I did cut this moisturizer with Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel.  I did this because it is surprisingly thick and not so moisturizing.  If you used it the way I did without mixing in more moisturizer, I think it would probably only last 2-3 months.  The pump also dispensed too much product.  I bought two at the time because they were around $5 each and I will be using the second bottle.  However, it definitely would have not been worth it if I bought it at its regular price (I don’t remember the full price for the old packaging, but the new larger size is 1.69 fl. oz. for $30).  I hope they changed the formulation with the new tubes!  When I am through with these I will try another kind of foundation.

Btw, on my nails is Zoya’s Delilah and my ring finger is topped with Sephora by OPI’s Don’t be Eggnogious.

I have had this deluxe sample of this night cream for a while and finally used it up.  I haven’t yet met a Korres product I do not like.  All of their Quercetin & Oak formulas give visible results (though I have yet to form deep wrinkles).  Some people might not be able to deal with the scent (smells similar to Play Doh) but this does not bother me.

I thought I had taken a picture of my finished deluxe sized tube, but I guess I threw it away before I got the chance.  I also really like H2O+ and this stuff was very moisturizing without being heavy.  There are some weird beads in it though that were not very mushable so I just swept them off my face after rubbing the lotion in.

So bad news:  I FAILED this Project Pan.  I saw Sephora’s NARS VIB promo and really wanted to get the stuff so I placed an order :(  It did not help that I had an online credit sitting on my account, either.  Since I broke it, I also ended up indulging in Zoya’s Valentine’s Promo (Delilah was the red I picked out) and I did some drugstore haulage from Ulta in which I got a few L’Oreal Infallible shadows and a Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strip.  I will show these off soon, since I love both!  As far as this failed Project Pan, maybe I should have started out with a smaller number.  I want to keep documenting finishing my products, but not totally restrict myself from buying.  Any suggestions on how I could change the “rules?”

Whoa!  I cannot believe how awesome this color combo came out!  I was mesmerized with my hands for forever.  The base is a dark blurple that has bright teal show up when the light hits it.  I also see pink undertones too it.  Also, these colors are both cheap!  The Wet n Wild was $.99 and the Love & Beauty was $2.80.  Wet n Wild can be a bit goopy but it is worth the extra work.  Also, Love & Beauty’s non shimmer colors take forever to dry so it is good to do really thin coats!   

First, I used my Sephora by OPI hydrating base coat.  Then I put on a coat of Wet n Wild’s Eggplant Frost.  Then I put on two thin coats of Love & Beauty’s polish in Glistening Purple (had to look this up on Forever 21’s site because it wasn’t on the label).  I topped it off with Milani’s Glosse Top Coat.  Later that week I put Make Up For Ever’s Glitter in #6 on the tips.  

I just wanted to say that I am so impressed with this color (even if it is pretty thin and you can still see your nail line after 3 coats).  This picture was taken after I had worn it for 7 days!  I used Sephora by OPI’s Hydrator Base Coat and Milani’s Glosse Top Coat.  I am not sure if this is limited edition, but it was part of their As Good as Gold Holiday ‘11 collection.

I have tried Pixie Epoxy!  It’s kinda like it foils shadows for you and I love it because I’m not always the greatest at foiling.  Also, saw you were thinking of getting Too Faced’s Glitter Glue.  It is actually a bit different from the Pixie Epoxie.  It still gives a dry look but holds the sparkle in place so there is no fallout.  You can tell with the swatches on the same Fyrinnae review how different the effects are.  Also, I am wondering what a featured post is?  I did notice that I got some new followers though so I guess it is from that :)  Hope you don’t mind I posted this, thought other people might be interested in Glitter Glue vs Pixie Epoxy

Melissaphora was trying to decide between these two sets of UD’s mini liners that are on Sephora.com and I thought that it would be a fun to do a short post to compare the two and put up some swatches.  Last year, I got their 15th Anniversary Pencil Set and just happened to have some minis of the ones that are not in that set (so no, I did not break my no buy, yet…lol).  

The first group of swatches are from the Dark set and the second group is the Brights.  Included in the Darks is Corrupt, Graffiti, Oil Slick, Ransom, and Stash.  In the Brights is Eldorado, Rockstar, Electric, Binge, and Corrupt.  Both sets retail for $19.  I was immediately drawn to the Brights but when I thought about it, I usually only frequently use Eldorado and Corrupt (and Corrupt is in the other set).  With the Darks, I love Stash and Corrupt, like Oil Slick (be wary that there are silver glitter particles in this one) and Ransom, but basically hate Graffiti.  Then I realized that the Darks set would probably look better with green/brown eyes (I have green eyes), whereas the Brights would look better with blue eyes.  Either way, both sets are a great way to try out some fun colors.  If you have a pretty large stash, it will probably take forever to go through a full sized pencil anyway (especially with a color like Electric).  

Here is the UDPP that I bought as soon as the new packaging was available on Sephora.com.  I feel like the formula is different than the one that was in the old genie style bottle!  I definitely have experienced a bit of creasing with this one when used alone.  However, it could have been due to the fact that I was used to the doe foot applicator and could have been applying too much.  To get through this tube I mixed a bit of the tube formula with the old bottle formula.  Luckily, I had stocked up on the old formula during the holidays.  After I go through those bottles, I might switch to TFSI.

What is it?:  This is an eyeshadow palette that includes nine eyeshadows.  Their shades range from shimmery to sparkly.  Overall, the shadows are in this palette are pretty cool toned.  The mix of colors is quite varied.  The colors are not really neutrals, they are like tamed down/muted fun colors, if that makes any sense.  The shadows are circular and are around the size of a quarter.  The packaging is cute and has a giraffe print on it.  There is a good quality mirror inside, and the magnetic closure is quite sturdy.

How do I get it?  This palette is available on Sephora.com.  It originally retails for $39.50 and their individual shadows retail for $16.  I ended up seeing this palette on hautelook.com for $20.  Keep an eye out on that site as it might make another appearance!  Also, I have heard a lot of people being able to find theBalm’s stuff heavily discounted at TJMaxx for even cheaper than the hautelook price.  I couldn’t find any in the store close to me, but it’s worth checking out.  Ebay is also another great alternative.

Thoughts:  I think that this is a really nice and versatile palette.  The shadows are smooth, pigmented, and true to their color in the pan.  Depending on how big your stash is, some of these colors might be ones similar to others you own already.  All of the colors are great, but four were especially impressive to me.  Surprisingly I liked Safe Bet Annette.  Pinks usually look terrible on me but this one is muted and wearable.  Come-Hither Heather is a unique taupe.  Guilty Gwen is an excellently pigmented black with sparkles and the sparkles actually show up when you swatch the color!  The stand out color to me though is Runaround Rebecca.  It’s a color that shifts between light brown and light green.  It’s like a cool version of a red-brown based duochrome that flashes blue (like UD’s Lounge or TF’s Label Whore).  I really love it because the warmer version doesn’t always look the best on me.  Out of the 3 Shady Lady palettes, this one is my favorite!  I think that this palette is definitely worth $20, and is still a good deal at the original price.  I did this look with this palette (I should do another since I do not really love how it turned out).    

OMG this thing is so damn funny.  Inspired by the Shit Girls Say video, it’s Shit Beauty Gurus Say!  Must watch!

What is it?:  This is an eyeshadow palette that includes nine eyeshadows.  Their shades range from low shimmer to medium shimmer to sparkly.  Overall, the shadows are in this palette are more cool toned than in their Vol. 1.  There is a good mix of neutral shadows in here, and the more colorful shadows are more muted than bold.  The shadows are circular and are around the size of a quarter.  The packaging is cute and has a zebra print on it.  There is a good quality mirror inside, and the magnetic closure is quite sturdy.

How do I get it?  This palette is available on Sephora.com.  It originally retails for $39.50 and their individual shadows retail for $16.  I ended up seeing this palette on hautelook.com for $20.  Keep an eye out on that site as it might make another appearance!  Also, I have heard a lot of people being able to find theBalm’s stuff heavily discounted at TJMaxx for even cheaper than the hautelook price.  I couldn’t find any in the store close to me, but it’s worth checking out.  Ebay is also another great alternative.

Thoughts:  As with the first palette, I think that this is a nice but not amazing palette.  The shadows are smooth, pigmented, and true to their color in the pan.  The colors colors are really subdued though, so they do not get me very excited.  I think that this would good palette to use at work.  I think that even the colors that are not neutral would be fine to use since they all have a pretty muted quality to them.  The colors are pretty basic and dupeable, but it’s nice to have them all in the same palette.  I would say that the colors I used in THIS LOOK were my favorites (though the look is kinda fugly).  Caught in the Act Courtney is really pretty, and it is also in the 1st palette.  Insane Jane is also a really great taupe.  Feisty Felicia was a bit disappointing because it does not look like how it does in the pan when it is swatched (it appears as a black with some sparkles in it).  Out of the 3 Shady Lady palettes, this one is my least favorite.  I think that this palette is worth the $20, but I would skip it at the original price.  It is nice and sensible, but I’m not really in love with it (it’s kind of boring compared to the rest of my collection).  Will be posting the last palette soon!

What is it?:  This is an eyeshadow palette that includes nine eyeshadows.  Their shades range from low shimmer to medium shimmer to sparkly.  The shadows are mostly warm and have a good mix of neutrals and fun colors.  They are more muted than bold.  The shadows are circular and are around the size of a quarter.  The packaging is cute and has cheetah print on it.  There is a good quality mirror inside, and the magnetic closure is quite sturdy.

How do I get it?  This was originally available on Sephora.com; however, only the 2nd and 3rd addition are available there now.  It originally retailed for $39.50 and their individual shadows retail for $16.  I ended up seeing this palette on hautelook.com for $20.  Keep an eye out on that site as it might make another appearance!  Also, I have heard a lot of people being able to find theBalm’s stuff heavily discounted at TJMaxx for even cheaper than the hautelook price.  I couldn’t find any in the store close to me, but it’s worth checking out.  Ebay is also another great alternative.

Thoughts:  Overall, I think that this is a nice but not amazing palette.  The shadows are smooth, pigmented, and true to their color in the pan.  The colors just do not get me that excited.  I think that this would good palette to use at work.  I think that even the colors that are not neutral would be fine to use since they all have a pretty muted quality to them.  The colors are pretty basic and dupeable, but it’s nice to have them all in the same palette.  I would say that the colors I used in this look were my favorites.  Caught in the Act Courtney is really pretty, and it is also in the 2nd palette.  Out of the 3 Shady Lady palettes, this one is right in the middle (my 2nd favorite).  I think that this palette is definitely worth the $20, but I would skip it at the original price.  It is nice and sensible, but I’m not really in love with it (it’s kind of boring compared to the rest of my collection).  Will be posting the other palettes soon!