Review and Swatches: Urban Decay Vice 2

If you love Urban Decay eyeshadows run, don't walk, to the nearest Ulta/Sephora near you and pick this up.  I made the mistake of not buying the original Vice palette.  By the time I realized that I really wanted it, it was sold out and nowhere to be found.  Fortunately I found it on Amazon for a reasonable price.  This time when Urban Decay announced that they were releasing another edition of the Vice palette I knew I wasn't going to miss out.  I bought my Vice 2 palette the second weekend after it was out.  Sadly, when I got it home I found that several of the shadows were shattered.  Sephora was awesome in exchanging it for a new one.  This is the first UD palette that has ever broken on me.  I'm thinking the new formulation makes the shadows really soft and prone to breaking.  I would not recommend traveling with this guy.

This palette is a beauty. I'll begin with the packaging.  The case is a hard shiny plastic with a purple abstract orchid design. I actually prefer the shiny hard plastic of this palette over the matte plastic packaging of the original.  The matte plastic is very difficult to keep clean.  The hard plastic can easily be wiped clean. It is topped with the same crystal UD logo that was on the original Vice palette. One of the really great things about the Vice palettes are the mirrors.  It opens up to a full-size mirror that stands on it's own at a 90 degree angle.  Just like the original Vice palette, Vice 2 comes with a double ended eyeshadow brush. This palette comes 20 brand new shades.  None of the colors are part of UD's permanent line nor are there any repeats from the original Vice palette. Vice 2 has a lot more jewel toned shadows than it's predecessor.  A majority of the shadows are shimmery.  If you aren't a fan of shimmery shadows don't be put off.  The shimmer in these shadows is very fine and not glittery or obnoxious.  What I love most about this palette is the formulation of the shadows. Aside from being highly pigmented they are extremely buttery and soft and blend like a dream.

This palette is a steal at $59.  It comes with 20 shadows that are approximately 0.8g of product.  The permanent single shadows from Urban are $18 each for 1.5g of product.  I can't emphasize this enough - get it before it's gone! Below are swatches and descriptions of each color directly from the Urban Decay website.

Smokeout: dark taupey-black satin
Lovesick: black matte w/ iridescent micro-glitter
Shellshock: bright metallic silver
Coax: medium metallic pink w/ golden iridescent micro-sparkle
X-Rated: baby pink satin

Prank: deep navy matte w/ turquoise floating pearl
Madness: bright metallic blue shimmer w/ blue micro-glitter
Strike: antique gold shimmer w/ silver micro-glitter
Stash: deep olive green shimmer w/ iridescent micro-sparkle
Poison: charcoal satin w/ iridescent micro-sparkle

Radar: metallic brown shimmer w/ iridescent micro-glitter
Damaged: bright metallic emerald shimmer
Voodoo: metallic purple shimmer w/ iridescent purple micro-glitter
Betrayal: bright purple satin w/ blue shift
Derailed: medium metallic taupey-brown shimmer

Dope: warm champagne satin
Toxic: metallic copper-pink shimmer w/ tonal mico-glitter
Habit: light nude matte
Ambush: metallic brown satin
Rewind: medium brown matte

Claims: "Every shade features our Pigment Infusion System™, the proprietary blend of ingredients that gives the formula its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability"
Finish Texture: Mostly velvety, shimmery shades with a few matte colors
Scent: N/A
Long Wearing: Yes, especially when worn over an eyeshadow primer and/or eyeshadow base
Packaging: Hard plastic case
Price: $59
Availability: Sephora, Ulta and urbandecay.com
Limited Edition: Yes

Pros:

• Highly pigmented shades
• Smooth buttery texture
• Price/value
• Full-size mirror
• Packaging

Cons:

• Shadows are extremely soft and may be prone to breaking - not convenient to travel with

Overall: Urban Decay has done it again.  They have put out a gorgeous eyeshadow palette that did not disappoint.  It is no wonder that this brand is among the most popular in the beauty community.  Make sure you get your hands on one of these pretties before they are gone!