Urban Decay Vice 2

Talking about a long overdue post! These pictures have been sitting on the shelf for a while, but even though this isn’t the newest of palettes, I still thought I’d share the eyecandy. Later this week I’ll be doing a post showing some looks I created with this fabulous eyeshadow palette by Urban Decay. For now, I’ll be sharing with you the prettiness that is and swatches of all colors.

I bought this palette around Christmas time from Beautybay.com. It was a) on sale and b) I was finishing up a semester that had been hectic to say the least. So I decided I deserved a treat. I generally like Urban Decay palettes, so when I had looked at swatches and reviews online I knew this wouldn’t be a bad buy at all.

The palette comes in the box above. All the shadows are listed on the back and as you can see there are a few neutral shades in the bottom row but also deeper purples and blues and even some brighter pinks. When I eyed this baby up online I was especially interested in the two middle rows. There is an amazing olive green in there as well as a gold, a dark green and what looks like a dark taupe and 2 great purples. And Urban Decay does the best purple eyeshadows. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever laid eyes on their color called fishnets.

Like its predecessor, Vice 1, the packaging of Vice 2 is an almost square purple case. Where the first one has a rubberized texture this one is super shiny and has a smoked out almost tie-dye like print all over. The embossed and bejeweled initials of the brand are a little tacky looking but I find it does add to the appeal of this palette. I mean, the look of this palette is one of the reasons why I bought it (along with the eyeshadows inside it of course).

When I picked Vice 1 for best packaging when I did the perfect palette tag, I already hailed the large mirror that it comes with. Vice 2 comes with an equally large mirror a double-ended brush and a push-to-open closure that is neatly embossed with the brand name. Inside you will find 20 shades that have a good range to create some great eyelooks: from fun and colorful to more neutral and dark and smokey.

The top row consists of two dark shades with shimmer, the most amazing silver eyeshadow I’ve ever seen and a shimmery and a matte pink. The second row give you a gorgeous petrol and a shimmery blue, then a gold and a golden olive tone as well as a charcoal with a blue undertone. Row number three starts with a bronze shade, followed by a dark green and two different purple shades. It is rounded off by a shimmery taupe. The bottom row contains three neutral matte shades ranging from light to midtone to a bit darker. These make great highlight, crease and transition colors. The final two shades are a shimmery brass tones shade and a deep brown.

My initial thoughts on this palette were met and then some! I was not so sure about the pink shades in this palette but I ended really liking them. Especially the matte pink called X-rated has become a favorite shade in this palette. Also the purple Betrayal shade, all three mattes and the taupe color are favorites. I like the versatility of this palette. It can give you a neutral look, but I would personally recommend using the neutral shades in this palette to complement some of the more daring looks. In the looks which I will be showing you later this week, you will see what I mean!

Last but not least: time for swatches!

Top: (from left to right)

Smokeout, Lovesick, Shell Shock, Coax, X-Rated, Prank, Madness, Strike, Stash, Poison

Bottom: (from left to right)

Radar, Damaged, Voodoo, Betrayal, Derailed, Dope, Toxic, Habit, Ambush, Rewind

What do you think of Urban Decay Vice 2?