Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass LE eyeshadow palette

It’s here, it’s here! It’s finally here! The review of the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette that is. I hope you are as exciting as me about this one. I already mentioned it in my favorites video last week, did a first impression on it in one of my most recent tutorials, but I thought I’d join the madness completely and do a full review, including swatches on this marvelous palette as well.

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass LE eyeshadow palette

Isn’t she stunning? This is definitely one of the more special palettes in my collection. From the shade selection to the packaging: this is definitely one to hang onto as it is a collectors item. I am not sure whether you can still get this, but since I cannot get enough of this palette I had to share it some more. I bought mine from Debenhams on Oxford Street the day it was released for around 40 – 45 pounds.

The packaging is classic Urban Decay. If you remember the Book of Shadows they used to do 5 – 6 years ago, then you will know what I mean. It’s bulky, but it’s pretty. I believe there was an Alice in Wonderland themed Book of Shadows all those years ago and to see them do it again for the movie is great. The box itself is already pretty. Like the outside of the palette, it has a very much kaleidoscope feel to it with all the mesmerizing, twisting colors. As if you’re falling through a looking glass yourself!

The rest of the box is so well thought through. Even the mirror has a little quote on it and the little pop up butterfly adds a nice tough. Gimmicky? Yes. Pretty? Yes! Completely inconvenient and over the top? Yes and yes. Truth be told a palette like this might end up at the back of my stash in a few months time only to be gaped at from time to time. It’s simply almost too pretty to use.

Like most Urban Decay palettes, this one comes with a dual ended brush. Urban Decay is one of the few brands that does good brushes with their palettes. These are soft and entirely workable. I love traveling with these as you have a decent crease and blending brush that can serve quite a few multitasking purposes. If you truly want to dive into the depths this palette has to offer, you will have to add in a few other brushes though.

Because isn’t she a beaut?! Don’t be fooled by those bright pops of color: this palette actually features 12 neutral shades and just 8 glitters and pops of colors. Everything else could have made it into a Naked palette. Which is why this palette is surprisingly wearable. Again, a thing Urban Decay does well: their Vice palettes, be very colorful and fun to play with, always have a few neutral shades to balance out the colorful ones. Here you get roughly 50/50.

There is no real rhyme or reason to the shade selection at first glance. It’s not as if you have very easily laid out quads and duos lined up, ready to go. The colors seem a bit scattered which can be intimidating if you don’t know what to do or where to start. There is a little bit of structure behind the shades though: each column is devoted to one of the main characters of the movie with shades inspired on their look an feel. My favorite row of shadows must be the third one: the orange and red are two of my favorite shades. However, all those bright pops also look stunning and take any simply look to the next level. Time for a closer look at the individual shades.

• Looking Glass: a nearly matte pale pink
• Hatter:  a matte vivid green with a hint of sparkle
• Lily: a white with a pearly pink shift
• Heads Will Roll: a turquoise with silver sparkle

• Time: blackened navy with multicolored sparkles (absolutely stunning for a smokey eye!)
• Reflection: a matte peachy pink
• Gone mad: a nearly matte purple with hints of shimmer
• Duchess: a shimmery peach with a pink shift

• Bandersnatch: a matte teal
• Dream on: a sheer purple with silver glitter
• Dormouse: a matte warm toned medium brown
• Paradox: a shimmery orange with golden shimmer

• Kingdom: a reddish tone shimmery brown
• Salazen Grum: a shimmery cranberry red
• Chronosphere: a deep taupe with a warm shimmer
• Metamorphosis: a matte periwinkle blue with a hint of sparkle

• Cake: a shimmery fuchsia with purple shift
• Chessboard: a matte deep brown
• Royal flush: an off white shimmer
• Mirror: a cool toned taupe with silvery shimmer

The swatches do not lie. The different textures are sometimes a little deceiving when you follow the Urban Decay ones. Some of the shades with hints of sparkle, pretty much show up matte on the skin. But that doesn’t take away from the intensity or prettiness of these shades.

Textures are overall nicely saturated and pigmented. The fully matte shades are the most bothersome, but when used over a color intensifying base such as a white or flesh tones creamy base, I found these shades to all show up nicely intense. This palette has some great transition and crease shades as well as three stunning highlights. Time is an absolute joy to behold on a swatch: the blackened navy base with different sparkles is just too good to be true.

Let’s move on to three different looks I created using this palette. Between these three looks I’ve used pretty much every shade on my eye.

Look 1:
Paradox, Salazen Grum, Lily, Looking Glass, Duchess,
Metamorphosis, Chronosphere, Dormouse, Reflection, Time

This is the look I created in my first impression make up video. So feel free to click here to view that. I kept this first look quite neutral, while adding a few pops of color. Who’d have thought I’m wearing the orange and red on my lid? As you can see most of these shadows are very intense, but I found that a shade like Metamorphosis does need a base.

Look 2:
Kingdom, Bandersnatch, Mirror, Dormouse, Chessboard,
Reflection, Looking Glass, Dream On, Royal Flush

For the second look, which I created minutes before heading out to work in the morning (yay for bright morning light!), I wanted to see how neutral I could go but still add a little bit of interest. The teal shade just called to me and I added it as a touch of something extra in my Outer V at the very last minute. I used Dream On on my lower lashline, which, when swatched doesn’t seem too impressive but I like the effect it gives on the lid.

Look 3:
Hatter, Bandersnatch, Cake, Metamorphosis, Heads Will Roll
Time, Lily, Reflection, Looking Glass, Gone Mad

But how could I ignore those popping bright shades? So I decided to use them all, together, in a look. This is the look I wore in my latest Monthly Favorites video. I used a base underneath to make the shades truly stand out and make them blend more easily. As you can see, Metamorphosis truly does pop when you use it over a base, and the same goes for all the other shades.

The biggest surprise for me in this palette? Cake?! That is the type of shade I usually steer clear from. Oranges, reds, blues, teals, greens and purples are all colors I can deal with. But pink? However, the purple undertone this has made it the perfect blend color for the crease in this look and I just love it. I can’t wait to use that as a center piece all over my lid. This is another shade that I think will look pretty when layered over a darker base.

Do I need to say more? I sure hope not, because this palette is simply stunning. The bright pops of color, which a good deal of neutrals makes this a surprisingly well-balanced palette that is very workable and versatile. In short, Urban Decay slays the eyeshadow palette game once again with one of the most fun palette releases of the year.

What is your favorite shade in this palette?