Review: Book of Shadows NYC by Urban Decay

At first I wasn't sure about buying this - mainly because I already have Volume II [which contains Perversion and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again], and The Naked palette [which is entirely filled with neutral shades], plus three of the new shades are green - which is usually a no-no for my blue eyes. 

But when I saw the final palette in Boots and picked it up to read the description on the back whilst wandering around in a I-need-to-finish-my-Christmas-shopping-now panic, I noticed that a woman was following me around the store and telegraphically ordering me to put it back down, so I naturally flipped her off in my head and went ahead with my purchase...

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Contents

* Exclusive to this
palette and not 
available to purchase separately.
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EYESHADOWS

Perversion - Matt black.
Uzi - Silver with glitter, so there is some fallout.
Loaded - Deep shimmering green. It almost looks navy in certain lighting*
Kush - Medium green, with a shimmering finish. *
Midnight Cowboy Rides Again - Mega glittery champagne. Gorgeous colour, but the large amount of glitter is very messy.
Last Call - Pinkish plum, with an lilac shimmer.
Rockstar - Deep blue-based purple. I think this is meant to be matt too, but there is a hint of shimmer. *
Money - My favourite in this palette. Blueish mint, that is the almost the exact same shade as is seen on US dollars. Contains silver micro glitter*
Haight - Cheerful swimming pool blue, with the shimmer finish. *
Maui Wowie - Gold with a greenish base. Contains silver micro glitter.
Smog - A shimmery golden copper.
Bordello - Shell pink, with a lilac shimmer.
Radium - Slightly darker than Haight and a heck of a lot brighter. Has a shimmery finish. [Not for the timid as when I say bright I mean it] *
Snatch - Another favourite of mine. A lovely shade of apricot, with silver micro glitter. *
Suspect - A light bronze with golden shimmer. *
Psychedelic Sister - Bright purple, with a blue/pink shimmer. *


24/7 EYELINING PENCILS

Zero - Traditional black kohl.
Ransom - Bright purple, with some iridescence.


Primer Potion - 3.7 ml

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Packaging
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It comes in a box with a flip lid and a pull out drawer.

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging and this doesn't disappoint. When you open the lid [It's magnetic] famous landmarks from NYC literally pop up; This includes the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge and a yellow taxi cab. Actually on the lid is a mirror framed by skyscrapers. And in case of people scoffing and sarcastically asking "does it come with lights" you can point out that yes, it does. The skyscrapers and Brooklyn Bridge have LCDs inside them :)

The lid is purely for decoration. As with the previous Books Of Shadows, the cosmetic items are all housed in the drawer. The drawer can be pulled out completely so it is easy to place on a dresser whilst you use it and it is easy to fit back into the case too.

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Wear
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EYESHADOWS

I'm not sure why I noted which shadows have a shimmery finish, it'd would have been quicker for me to note which ones didn't. It's because the shadows are so finely grained, highly pigmented and apply so creamily [their actually all powders] that makes them so gleamy. As you'd expect from such a rich shadow, the application, blending ability and wear is exceptional - over the years I've tried almost every brand on the market and have yet to find a comparable shadow. The shimmery shadows and micro glitter finishes last though my working day, even without using the primer potion - over eight hours.

It's the matt shadow that is the least impressive - the colour applies as a grey and it shows wear after five hours. But then again black isn't really a day-to-day shade [not for me anyway], so I don't use it anyway. But you do, then the primer potion and being prepared to layer is a must.

The micro glitters are contain finer glitter particles then the regular glitter finishes, so I've never had any problems with product fallout and the base shadow for these finishes has the same wear as the regular shimmers.

The application of Uzi and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again is very important [particularly MCRA as it contains the most glitter]; it really reduces the fallout. ALWAYS use primer potion and apply the shadows with a finger using a patting motion, as opposed to sweeping motions with a brush. This gently pushes the shadow into the primer, so it sticks to the skin better. If a bit of the glitter still falls onto your cheek before you leave the house use a bit of sellotape to remove it, don't try to rub it off with a wet wipe of cotton wool as that can push it into your make-up.


24/7 EYELINING PENCILS

The pencils are a creamy formula, so they don't drag across the skin, so there is no scratching to the skin. Once applied to the lid, the liner will stay put until I wash it off. [I once fell asleep without removing my makeup. In the morning the liner still looked perfect].

However when it comes to rimming my waterline is a letdown; Every time the line has disappeared within two hours. I don't have overly watery eyes or wear contacts/glasses.

If you're fond of smudging your liner you'll have a hard time with these. They're described as being smudge-able for 30 seconds until the formula sets, but I found smudging close to impossible immediately after application.


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Verdict
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I don't regret it one little bit. I've been using my set for a few weeks now and have used all of the green shades a few times [even all three at once last week], in fact Money is now my favourite Urban Decay shadow [the green is light and the blue tinge and silver glitter make it very wearable]. The only colour I'm not sure about is Kush - the shade is a tad too warm for my eye colour to be worn alone. I either blend it with another colour [Loaded is my favourite for this] or smudge it under my lower lashes like a liner.

All of the brighter shades can be worn regularly with blending or using under the lashes, so if colour is not your thing I'd still highly recommend giving this a go and experimenting on mixing the shades up to find a unique combination. Out of the sixteen shadows and two liners the only things I'll never use are Perversion and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, and out of those only one is because of because of the lackluster quality.


I know that £31 seems like a lot of money to spend on a single make-up item to some people, so allow me to break down the individual prices and ease your guilt: Individual eyeshadows are £12.50 each, the 24/7 eyeliners are £11 each and the Primer Potion comes in at £11.50. So you smugly inform people that you have actually paid £31 for £233.50 worth of product. If you happen to be in smart-mouth mode add that you've saved £202.50 (Fine print: Individual product sizes are a bit bigger].


My Book of Shadows: Volume II is the same size as this and I still have plenty of product left in that almost one year later.

The Urban Decay website contain make-up application guides. Vist here:
http://www.urbandecay.com/stealOurLooks/index.cfm


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RRP
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£31