Urban Decay and Gwen Stafani- A Palette to Make You Blush?

If you're anything like me, then you would have been left fizzing with excitement at the end of 2015 by the announcement that Urban Decay was teaming up with Gwen Stefani to create an eyeshadow palette. I love Urban Decay, I love Gwen Stefani, surely I would love a UD-Gwen collab, right? Sadly, I don't think I was the only one who was left feeling cold when the palette was unveiled. Its not that its bad, its just not terribly....exciting? After arguing back and forth with myself, I came to the decision that I wouldn't purchase the palette- it just didn't set my world on fire! Fast-forward to the start of 2016, and the release of an entire UD-Gwen collection re-ignited the excitement....which, for me at least, was short lived. A bunch of red lipsticks? *yawn*; a brow box exclusively for blonde girls? Well I wasn't really planning on dying my hair any time soon. Although the collection wasn't really up my street, I still had this niggling that I wanted at least SOMETHING, just one item of the Gwen collection, even if it was just as a memento- and besides, the packaging is adorable! In the end, and in part due to having the opportunity to get a sneaky 10 % off, I talked myself into purchasing the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Collection blush palette. The question is, was it worth it?

The Details

The entire UD Gwen Stefani collection is available from Urban Decay's website, where you'll find the 6-blush palette for £35. The packaging (which I am a massive fan of) is of the same style as the eyeshadow palette, with its polka-dot effect (white for the blush palette rather than black) and faux riveted 'UD Gwen Stefani' badge. The closure is the same as the naked smoky palette- a sturdy magnetic design- and of course, inside the lid there is a gloriously massive mirror with a pretty 'magic's in the make-up' slogan printed in the bottom corner.

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani 6-blush palette packaging.

The palette itself houses 6 shades in the same formula as the permanent UD Afterglow blush line. One of the shades is advertised as a highlighter and one as a bronzer (we'll address that later...). The 4 blush shades are: 'Cherry'- a light-pink satin; 'Easy'- a deep rose with gold shimmer; 'Hush'- a medium pink with gold shimmer and 'OC'- a soft-pink with peach shift. The highlight shade is 'Angel'- a champagne-nude shimmer and the bronzer is 'Lo-Fi'- a soft-bronze matte.

As much as I find the packaging mesmerising, I'm afraid that's where my love affair ends with this palette. Don't get me wrong, its not all bad! They are beautifully bendable and long-lasting, as you would expect from UD, and the pigmentation is sufficient without being over-the-top and risking your cheeks becoming clown-like. However I have two major bugbears; the palette is not wearable and the shade selection is very strange- let me explain. 

I have had this palette for well over a month now and I can count on one hand the number of times I've reached for it. The main reason for this, as you might have gathered from the shade descriptions, is there are no matte blush shades. Zero. Zip. Yes, the bronzer shade is matte, but that's it. Both 'Hush' and 'Easy' have an exceptional amount of shimmer in them- I'm talking disco-ball! I do like a shimmery blush on the odd occasion-nights out and the like- but for everyday use such as going to work and popping down the shop, it's too over-the-top. And let's not forget that lots of shimmer can be exceptionally unflattering when our skin isn't looking its best! 'Cherry' and 'OC' have more of a sheen than a shimmer, however I find the shift of OC a bit odd for a blush. On my skin-tone at least it looks incredibly unnatural. I mean, I know make-up isn't exactly natural,  but you know what I mean- it doesn't look like a natural flush of the cheeks, which tends to be the look I prefer. I'm hoping I'll perhaps get some use of the shade as an eyeshadow, but only time will tell. 

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani 6-blush palette swatches of all shades- 'Cherry', 'Easy', 'Angel', 'Lo-Fi', 'Hush' and 'OC'.

My shade-selection issue applies more to the highlight and bronzer shades. I appreciate that with a face palettes like this is can be difficult to have a one-size-fits-all when it comes to selecting shades, and as a light-medium skin-toned gal I know we're spoiled for choice in general when it comes to shade selection, so I shouldn't complain! The highlight shade isn't so much of an issue- its just a bit darker than I would like and, ridiculously, isn't as shimmer as one would expect from a highlight (I know, after all my moaning about TOO MUCH shimmer in the blushes!). Its comparable in colour to the Mary-Lou Manizer from The Balm, maybe just a shade darker and a tad more peachy with a little less shimmer, as such it may do as a blush/blush-topper for fair skinned gals. My skin is pretty pale just now with it being winter, but not pale enough to use it as a blush. I may get more use out of it as a highlight in the summer, but I can't see it ever being my go-to when I have Mary-Lou as an alternative. 

Comparison swatches of Urban Decay Gwen Stefani highlighter shade 'Angel' and the 'Mary-Lou Manizer' by The Balm.

It's the bronzer shade that is my biggest let-down. One of my reasons for purchasing the palette was that I thought it would be great for travel- blush, bronzer and highlight all in one- sadly the bronzer is straight up orange on my skin. I'm not sure on who this would work as a bronzer shade to be honest. I'm hoping I may be able to pull it off as a blush in the summer months, but I just don't find it a flattering shade on me. I feel like the inclusion of this shade was perhaps to appeal to medium skin-tones, but the again would you be tempted to buy a £35 palette for one shade? Probably not. It almost seems like the palette is having a slight identity crisis- is it a contour palette, or a straight up blush palette? I feel like it may have been closer to a triumph had they just gone with one or the other.

To Sum Up

Overall this palette is everything you come to expect from UD- excellent quality and gorgeous packaging to boot, and despite all the negativity of this review, I have to concede, not all is lost! I do really love the shade 'Cherry', it gives a lovely girly pink flush, and I like 'Hush' and 'Easy' for a more glam night-time look. The colour is also very long-wearing. I just wish they had included at least one matte blush and a more universal bronzer shade, or no bronzer shade at all- that would have made me a much happier camper and probably more inclined to reach for this palette on a daily basis. That being said, would I recommend you spend your hard-earned pennies on it? Sadly-no. I just don't feel the price of this palette is going to reflect how much use the average person is going to get out of it- which is down to the shades and finishes not being suitable for any one particular skin tone or type. Close Urban Decay, but sadly not close enough.

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