Review: Urban Decay Books of Shadows Palette
By marlena • Nov 16th, 2008 • Category: Articles & Reviews
Intrigued by the many colors in this big palette, I had to purchase this Urban Decay palette so I could try it out and review. I never expected Urban Decay to come out with such a large eyeshadow palette!
Product: 5 out of 5
Packaging: 1 out of 5
Quality: 5 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Would I buy again? Yes
Price: $45 (or less on eBay)
Where To Buy Online:
They describe it as:
A palette of sixteen eyeshadows: eight best-sellers and eight exclusive new shades found only in this palette.
Urban Decay Book of Shadows Palette is the largest (and most unique) palette Urban Decay has ever offered. Nestled inside a pull-out drawer, there are sixteen eyeshadows, two premium brushes, and a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion. There’s also a large mirrored vanity, framed by one-of-a-kind 3D pop-ups of Urban Decay graphics: birds, skulls, and flowers spring forward against a backdrop of flourishes, jewels, and butterflies.
Collection includes:
- Perversion (matte black)
- Last Call (plum punch)
- Grifter (sheer lavender with lots of silver microglitter)
- Mayhem (deep purple)
- Baked (rich bronze)
- Smog (deep coppery bronze)
- Sidecar (bronze sparkle)
- Gridlock (medium brown)
- Shakedown (shimmering taupe)
- Roach (deep brown with reddish sheen)
- Scandal (peachy-pink)
- Midnight Cowboy (golden beige with gold glitter)
- Goddess (midnight blue with lots of electric blue microglitter)
- Shattered (bright green/blue shift)
- Absinthe (electric green)
- Protest (dark green)
PROS:
- There are 16 shadows to choose from with lots of variety in colors
- Comes in a neatly packed box that is easy to travel with
- Price is right for the many products you get
- Colors are pigmented, blend easily, and stay on well
- Includes a sample size bottle of primer potion as well as 2 brushes
- Includes a mirror which makes for a better traveling palette
CONS:
- The drawer is a pain in the butt to get out!
- Not enough variety in textures (all shadows are shimmery except one)
Overall Opinion:
This is probably my favorite eyeshadow palette put out by Urban Decay as it includes so many colors- 8 of which are new colors. The shadows themselves are really pigmented and blend easily, but I wish a few matte colors would have been included so I wouldn’t need to use other shadows to tone down the shimmer. And, the drawer is such a pain to pull out! It would have been much better if Urban Decay skipped the useless pop-ups and made the shadows easier to get into.
MUG Seal of Approval: (4 out of 5)
*Swatches taken from yummiebitez.com
Thank you! Your eye make-up looks really gorgeus, could you tell what products you used this time?
Hola, Marlena, from a neighbor (Well, I’m in Detroit :P)
Could you tell how you get such amazing volume in your hair? I saw the tutorial where you used the roller, but your hair was curly. Here it’s straight and still amazingggggg.
You’re gorgeous–keep it up, lady!
Hi Marlena… Luv all ur videos & luv U…. U seem so nice & down to earth… beautiful face …. Anyhow can U do a review on LORAC or a tutorial on LORAC MAKEUP…. thank u so much
Marlena you have sooo much talent… You look so young, how old are you?
Hi Marlena,
I consider to try something from UD, so this is very helpful. thanks
These colors look beauuutiful!! I think this shall be my first Urban Decay purchase (aside from UDPP, of course) I think this is a good (and inexpenisive) way to sample their product. What did you think about the brushes?
Btw, thank you for making your reviews so detailed and honest! They have guided me the right way more than once.
hey i was watchin vids on youtube and another girl had the same box of shadows she said that she jus removed the glue that was n the inside end of the box or something like that and the box was alot easyer for her to pull out! so hoped it helped!
i just got this and it opened soooooo easily lol. just luck i think. its lovely and the colours are so pretty. love the video that you did after this im so gonna do it for uni 2marrow. your amzing and very pretty. well done and do please keep up the good work. lol
lubna xx
I bought this palette and absolutely love it, especially Mayham and Goddess!
i’m sooooo glad u swatched these e/s!! i love shimmery colors. sooo ud sounds like a nice purchase for me. i should have went with the book of shadows but i went with the ammo palette. darn it! next up mufe!! oh the choices. i love the mac neutrals but i LOVE color.. i’m kind of branching out from MAC for my pinks and other colors.
i always LOVE your reviews, you always give really professional opinions that help me figure out what i want to buy…
i’m wondering… if i was to buy the book of shadows pallet, could i trust the mail service to NOT be too rough with it and end up with a bunch of expensive, but broken, shadows??? (i’m buying online) what do you think???
Hi everyone
I did the tutorial on this look- it’s the one after this review. And, I get volume in my hair by putting the velcro rollers in the roots, and teasing the crown (just a little), then spraying with hairspray- roots only.
Also, I wasn’t too fond of the brushes that came with it- they’ll do ok, but aren’t great. And, the UD palette should be fine during shipment- they’re packed in the box pretty well
they all look shimmery to me. which one isn’t?
Your videos are such a big help to me…. Love it… Very interesting.
The only one that isn’t shimmery is Perversion- it’s a matte black. I wish UD would have mixed the finishes and put some matte ones in there
Hi Marlena,
Im fairly new to Makeup geek website after coming across your video’s on Youtube and now im completely ‘hooked’ on watching your tuturiols and reading through the information on your website!
There SO helpful, clear to understand and has really inspired me.
I have just purchased the UD Book of shadows from Ebay and can’t wait for it too arrive so i can have a ‘play’!
Keep up the great work Marlena, your so talented and beautiful.
All the best
Laura (from the UK) XX
Hi Marlena!
I am just like Laura and new to Makeup Geek! I absolutely love it. I believe I do my makeup decently well, but I wanted some pointers on how to apply eyeshadow better, so I googled it, and voila another website talked about it and used one of your video’s because they felt you explained it so well, now I’m hooked.
Thank you so much for taking the time to show everyone your tricks of the trade. All of the styles I’ve seen so far have been very pretty and seem so easy. I plan to shop today to get some pretty colors and more brushes. I think the UD Book of Shadows will be one of them.
Thank you again!
Desiree, from California
Definitely makes me wanna drop by Ulta or Sephora and up one. I’ve been a tad apprehensive to purchase Urban Decay, but after your review, I can definitely find reason to do so now! Thanx!
i recieved the UD book of shadows this morning and im so excited!!
The packaging is super cute and the eye shadows are really pretty (great for the christmas season!)
By the way, i never had any problems opening the packaging, so perhap something is wrong with your one marlena?
Im going to have a play with it this evening and follow your tuturiol and see what ‘looks’ i can create!
Laura X
Hi everybody! Do you know where i can buy the book of shadow. Icome from canada and its expensive for me to buy it online! Tank yo very much.
Alex
I can’t find Urban Decay make-up anywhere in South Africa!!! I sooo much wanted the Book of Shadows..
Hi Marlena,
I am a make-up artsit in Trinidad, I recently found you website and I am in love with it, I have been looking at all your tutorials. I have never seen the Urban Decay in Trinidad and I WANT that Urban Decay book of eyeshadow, where can I purchase it on line other than ebay that is the Sephora website is out of it too.
I must say that I am excited having found you website, it is really really really great. I am finding lots of inspirations.
Thanks
Hi Marlena! I got my Book of Shadows a few weeks ago and I was going to wait until X-mas to use it (Crazy! I know) anyway, I couldn’t resist and started using a few days ago! OMG! I LOVE IT! Especially because I love Shimmery eye shadows! Thank you for the techniques, I now understand that my entire eye should not be shimmery all the time! I’ve learned so much! I’M HOOKED!!! Anyway, we love you in L.A.!!!
Dani!
Just a little note regarding the primer potion. I do adore using it on myself as well as my clients, but i felt that I was using it up awful fast. That is untl my husband cracked open the genie tube to reveal 10 times the amount of product hiding in the swells of the tube. So dont chuck it out before using some cutting tool to open that baby. You will be surprised. Just be careful not to hurt yourself in the process.Cynthia