Reviews: Full Spectrum Palette by Urban Decay

I'd like to start out this review by saying that I'm way, way behind with reviews. For example, I think I bought this palette back in November...or wast it October? Either way, I've been meaning to review it for a long time. Ideally, a product should be reviewed when it's new, but I think you can still get this palette--actually, I think it's on sale on Sephora's website--so I figure it's still worth reviewing, in case you're thinking of getting it.

Before I start the review, I want to acknowledge that I know that this palette has got a lot of bad reviews. In particular, a lot of YouTubers said that they were disappointed with this palette. So, before you buy this palette, do your research. Don't just purchase it on my recommendation.

Now, the basics: you should know that this is a limited edition palette and comes with 21 shadows and a double ended brush. Currently, it's on sale on Sephora's website for $32, but it was originally $55. You can buy it from Ulta, Sephora, and, of course, Urban Decay's website.

First of all, the packaging is very nice. As you can see, it's black hard plastic with the letters UD in rainbow colors. It's very attractive packaging, but it's very bulky packaging. It's a 6 x 6 square, and it's about 3/4 inch thick. That's a BIG palette. I'm not a fan of how meaty the packaging is. This isn't something you can travel with, and it's kind of tough to store. However, it does come with a huge mirror. So, if that matters to you, that's a plus.

The actual shadows themselves are kind of a mixed bag. I was drawn to this palette because it's so colorful, and I've been more into colorful eyeshadow lately. Seriously, when they say this is the full spectrum, they mean it. There's blues, yellows, reds, greens, oranges, pinks, white, silver, and black. In terms of range of shades, this is a really great palette. There are a lot of shades that are extremely unique. I feel like a lot of colorful shadows aren't actually all that bright. They tend to be darker and more matte and more...meh. I'll say this for these shadows, they're bright, vibrant shades. Shades likes Mean (acid green), Calavera (sparkly, sunshine yellow), Jones (clementine, sparkly orange), and Faded (violet with gold shimmer) are, in my experience, very unique.

However, in terms of the actual formula of the shadows, it's--as I said--a mixed bag. Some of these shadows are lovely and pigmented and beautiful...and some are not. In particular, the glittery shades tend to be more sheer, which I think is pretty normal. But, the majority of these shades are actually, in my opinion, pretty pigmented. True, these aren't the most pigmented shadows I ever used, but they're pigmented enough for my purposes, and they build up really well, especially if you layer them over a white base. (Seriously though, if I'm doing any sort of colorful look, I always layer it over a white base; it just makes the shadow that much more vivid). Also, I kind of don't want my colorful shadows to be super pigmented right away because it's much easier to build up a color than it is to take it down a notch once it's on your eyes.

Aside from pigmentation, there's not anything wrong with these shadows. They do have a little bit of fall out, which is something I don't really mind because lots of shadows--expensive and cheap--have fall out. However, they are quite blendable and long lasting. Honestly, I wouldn't expect anything else from UD.

My favorite shadows in this palette are Alchemy, Gossip, Warning, and Faded. (Side note, is anyone surprised that the red and pink shades are my favorites?) These shadows are all really gorgeous, pigmented, and just--frankly--wonderful. My least favorite shadows in this palette are Midnight Blaze and Sketch, which are both extremely unpigmented and just blah ( to my mind, 2 bad shadows out of 21 isn't that bad). Those are the extremes, but there are a lot of shadows in the middle, and those shadows are just fine.

That being said, based on the pigmentation, I'm not sure it's really worth $55. For $55, I feel like all the shadows should be pigmented and gorgeous. However, now that it's on sale, I think it's worth picking up if you like colorful shadows.

Final rating: 6.5/10