Hey everyone! The Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani collab has been highly anticipated since it was announced earlier this year. This eyeshadow palette is the first release of the collaboration, with lipsticks and a blush palette to follow in 2016.

Urban Decay always does a great job with the packaging of their products, but they really knocked it out of the park with this release. The palette’s metal frame feels both sturdy and luxe, and the combination of gold, black, and white reminds me a lot of the art deco style of the 1920s.

I have to admit, when the shades of this palette were first revealed, I was a little skeptical of whether I would like this palette or not. Given Gwen’s wild style in the 90’s and during her harajuku phase, I expected a lot of bright colors and innovative color schemes. Instead, the palette is almost all nudes/neutrals with only a few brights included.

At first, I was let down, but after doing a little research I realized that Gwen’s trademark look was neutral shadows, eyeliner, and a red lip. Occasionally she would do a pop of color like a baby blue lid, but for the most part, she kept her look pretty consistent and simple.

I own other Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes, so I am familiar with their shadow formula. This palette’s formula is consistent with the Naked and Naked Basics palettes, which have a pretty buttery consistency, making them soft and easy to blend out. There are matte, shimmer, and glitter shades in this palette as well, which is also typical for a Naked palette.

Now, onto swatches!

As you can see, the shadows apply smoothly and are generally pretty pigmented. None of the shades are what I could call a glitter bomb, but Pop, Harajuku, and Danger have medium to large chunks of glitter in them while the other non-matte shades have a pearlescent sheen to them.

This color range is wide enough for me to be able to do a complete eye look using only this palette, which is always a plus.

The main drawback to this palette is the size for the price ($58 USD). While this palette does have 15 shadows instead of 12 like all the large Naked palettes do, the total shadow weight is the same, so you’re actually getting less product per color. The palette is also a lot smaller than a regular Naked palette, so the $4 price difference doesn’t make much sense to me.

Aside from that, this is really nice palette with quality that is consistent with the rest of the Urban Decay line. Those with large palette collections would likely not need this palette, as many of the shades are dupeable. But for those with a small palette collection, just starting out, or are just looking for a neutral palette containing a couple brights to try them out, this palette would be a good choice for you.

Do any of you own this palette? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments! ❤