Urban Decay Vice Palette

Urban Decay's stellar reputation for creating extraordinary eyeshadow palettes continues with the recent release of the Vice Palette. I wasn't intending to get this initially as I was very happy with the 15th Anniversary Palette from fall 2011. I finally caved with I realised that Sephora France was selling it at only €39, surprisingly cheaper than the US (US$59 = €45), UK (£42 = €52) and Singapore (S$88 = €55), plus I had a 10% discount voucher.

Vice contains 20 new eyeshadows that were created exclusively for this palette in UD's new velvety formula. This is great especially if you hate Midnight Cowboy which appeared frequently in UD's earlier palettes.

The packaging is beautifully sleek, a refreshing departure from the boxy design of the earlier variants of the Book of Shadows. Hopefully, the rubber material will not become a sticky mess like NARS' rubber compacts later on. Like the 15th Anniversary palette, the lid has a faceted raised logo.

The push-button mechanism is pretty clever, as it causes the lid to rise in a slow fluid motion, revealing a huge mirror under the lid.


The eyeshadows are made in the USA, while the brush is made in China. Each eyeshadow is 0.8g/0.03oz, just slightly more than half the size of UD's regular eyeshadow singles (1.5g/0.05oz).

The 20 shades are a good mix of metallic, glittery, satin and matte shades. The texture varies depending on the finish. Some feel ultra velvety and rich whereas some shades like Jagged and Provocateur are more dry and gritty due to the glittery particles.

There are some shades that look similar to those in other UD palettes. Nevertheless, I loved the wonderfully smoky metallic and vibrant shades in Vice which provide for endless creative possibilities. In particular, Junkie, Provocateur, Chaos, Rapture and Armor stood out to me.


These swatches were done on bare skin without primer. Most shades required just one to two swipes each. Jagged, Chaos and Anonymous required more layering than the rest.






For this look, I applied Junkie along the upper lashline with Chaos in the middle of the lid, Provocateur along the lower lashline and inner corners, Echo Beach over the browbone area and Armor above the outer half of the crease.

Junkie has become a fast favourite, for the bright pop of emerald color that it gives. It has a more velvety and blendable texture than Chaos, which has a semi-matte finish.

Used over a good primer, the eyeshadows last very well over more than six hours without creasing or fading. There is some fallout during the application process so it's best to do your eye makeup and clean up the fallout before doing your base makeup.


Other products used include: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Fashionista Fashion Secret Gel Eyeliner in 24/7 Style, Lancome Blush Subtil in 02 Rose Sable, K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow S01 and 1Day Lash Perm mascara, RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer EX01, Addiction Tinted Moisturizer 01 and Dear Liar Lipgloss, and Paul & Joe Face Powder 001.

The double-ended synthetic brush works pretty well but I still prefer my other brushes for more precise application.

My go-to eyeshadow brushes by MAC and Louise Young.

Vice makes a welcome addition to my arsenal of UD palettes. UD may be best known for its Naked palettes but those have never appealed to me as I prefer more colorful combinations.

As you can see in the pic below, Vice is much slimmer and compact compared to the Book of Shadows palettes. I highly recommend it if you like shimmery eyeshadows and want a diverse fun mix of shades.

News broke earlier this week of L'Oreal's acquisition of Urban Decay. While I do like several brands under the L'Oreal empire like YSL and Armani, it's sad to see Urban Decay lose its independent status. Hopefully, this won't mean a diminishing of its fiercely creative spirit and product quality in pursuit of ever-rising revenue, which is pretty much the depressing story of MAC under Estee Lauder.