Urban Decay UK Review 2024

    
    
    
    
    
    

I am a huge fan of bold, colorful eyes, so you can imagine my excitement when getting my hands on the Urban Decay Wired palette. It is a pressed pigment palette with 10 electric shades of blues, greens, purples, and reds.

Now, because of a mix up with ordering the product, I had to wait a month for it to finally arrive, and this added to the hype (did Urban Decay do this on purpose? do they know how much I love whacky eyeshadow? Most definitely not, but you never know!).

So, when the postman finally handed me that beautiful Urban Decay package, and I finally held this palette in my hands… I was over the moon.

But, did it live up to my expectations?!

Read on to discover the truth about this palette and if it really is worth the hype!

How To Pick Eye and Face Palettes

It can be pretty daunting when it comes to choosing eye and face palettes! There are just so many different options out there, and loads look really, really similar. So, what are some things to consider when buying an eye and face palette?

Vibes

When choosing an eye and face palette for you, first consider what your vibe is and what key colors you want. If you are new to eyeshadow, getting neutral and brown shades is a good start. This means you can try out smokey eye looks! However, you may want to get a colorful palette like Wired by Urban Decay if you are aiming for bright, daring looks.

Budget

Budget is also a big factor when it comes to picking the right palette for you. A load of the low-end palettes look just the same as high-end ones. However, they may not be as pigmented or long-lasting.

Ethics

I always aim to buy cruelty-free and vegan makeup products when shopping, which may be important to you, too!

Eye Color

When buying eyeshadow palettes, you may want to buy colors that make your eyes stand out. This generally means going the opposite color from your eye color. So, if you have blue eyes, orange and reds look really striking. If your eyes are brown, picking light neutral tones and golds will really make your eyes pop!

Urban Decay Wired Review

So, let’s get to it! What do I really think of the Urban Decay Wired palette?

The main features of this palette are:

• Bright and blendable shades
• Hyperpigmented shades
• Velvety-smooth pigments

Initial Thoughts

I absolutely love the packaging of the palette. The cover of the box is stunning, with the lettering reminiscent of neon street signs. It is a hard plastic and feels pretty magical when holding it in my hands. When opening up the palette, you are greeted with a mirror and ten pans of pigmented colors.

Now, Urban Decay has divided the colors into two sections. One is ‘For Face, Body, and Eye,’ and the other is ‘For Face and Body. This confused me because, to be honest, I assumed the palette was an eyeshadow palette. Plus, where on your face are you actually going to put a dark purple color, if not the eyes? Am I missing out on some cool beauty trend here?!

After a quick Google, I found out that Urban Decay has divided the colors because some of the ingredients in four of the colors are not certified as eye-safe.

However, I saw that many beauty bloggers and Youtubers put on the non-eye-safe pigments in their eyes. So, what is the deal? I decided to give it a go anyways and try out the colors on my eyes. I mean, this is what I bought the palette for!

For Face, Body, and Eye Colors

To begin with, let’s talk about the colors described as ‘for face, body, and eye.’ There is Glitch, Chaos, Shock, Fluorescent, Current, and Jolt. I love the names of the colors. It really adds to the general feel of the palette.

The white pressed pigment, Glitch, is pleasant enough. I decided to use it a few times in the corners of my eyes, and it applied well and looks good, lightening up my look and defining the colors. I was pleasantly surprised about this, as at first, I thought that I would not use a white eyeshadow.

Chaos, Current, and Jolt all lived up to my expectations. When applying with a thick brush, they went on well. They are pretty pigmented, too, and I definitely feel I will get a lot of use out of Jolt’s light green color. I think they are sparkles in this color, too, which makes me very happy! I do think the electric blue color Chaos will be really helpful when trying out new makeup looks, too.

Now, onto the two colors that I was disappointed in. When I ordered this palette, I was pretty excited about the light blue color Fluorescent. I use a lot of blues, turquoises, and greens on my eyes and therefore thought that this color would be the color that I would use a lot.

However, it just wasn’t great. After applying it to my eyes, I felt as if you couldn’t really see it and had to use my fingers to layer it onto my eyelids. It took me a while for the color to actually look pigmented at all.

The purple color, Shock, was the same. When applying with a brush, it didn’t look pigmented, and I had to apply it repeatedly to get the look that I was after. However, the colors were easy to blend with others. I like using Fluorescent as the base with Chaos added in. But I really don’t think I will get much use out of Shock.

For Face and Body

Now, let’s look at the colors that are ‘For Face and Body. I have to say that these are not meant to be used on the eyes, but I did try them out as eyeshadow. These colors are so much more pigmented than the ‘For Face, Body, and Eye’ colors. I am wondering if the ingredient that isn’t eye-friendly is the ingredient that makes the colors pop so much.

The dark purple color, Gravity, is extremely pigmented, and I do love the color. I don’t use purples often, but this color will definitely be used on a night out sometime soon! I am absolutely in love with Slowburn and Savage. These colors are bright, bold, easy to blend, and look fantastic. The orange color, Switch, is just as good, and I can really tell I will be using it a lot. 

Looks Using the Urban Decay Wired Palette

Because this is a pigmented palette review, I thought I would try out some looks for you to see so you can really know what the makeup looks like when applied!

Now, I am no makeup artist, and my general vibe is whacking all the colors and glitter on my eyes and seeing what happens (I know), but here we go! I use pretty cheap primer and brushes, so I have no hidden secrets here! What you see is exactly what you get with these colors.

For my first look, I used Florescent, Chaos, and Jolt. I put on Fluorescent first and then blended Chaos in from the lashes upwards. This gave a bit of life to the Fluorescent color, but wasn’t as electric as the Chaos on its own. I then dabbed a bit of Jolt on the corners of my eyes.

I really quite liked this look, and I do think the colors work well together!

For the second look, I used Savage, Switch, and Slowburn. I did use them on my eyes, even though they are ‘For Face and Body’. Please be aware when using these colors on your eyes, as they are not certified eye safe!

I put the red color, Slowburn, on first nearest to my eyelids and then blended in the pink color Savage upwards. I then dabbed some of the Switch colors on the corners of my eyes.

I LOVE Savage and Slowburn. The colors are just so bold and bright. I liked the Switch, but it didn’t really work how I wanted it to work and looked messy.

A Day of Wearing Urban Decay Wired Palette

I have worn this palette out and about a few times now, and every time the colors stayed as bold and bright as they were when I first put them on.  I also got a lot of compliments, too.

Pros of The Urban Decay Wired Pressed Palette

Let’s look at some of the pros of the Urban Decay Wired Pressed Palette and why you might want to add it to your makeup collection!

• Bold Colors- Most of the colors are pigmented and beautiful. They are bright and bold, and if this is the kind of thing you are after, I would definitely recommend this palette.
• Cruelty-Free- All Urban Decay products are cruelty-free. They do not test on animals or use third-party companies that test on animals.
• Long-Lasting- This makeup doesn’t fade or smudge. Perfect for nights out!
• Fairly Affordable- This palette is fairly affordable and retails lower than most Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes.
• Easy to Apply- Most of the colors are pretty easy to apply. You can use your fingers or a brush to apply them to your eyes and face.

Cons of the Urban Decay Wired Palette

Of course, this pigmented palette isn’t perfect, and there are definitely some cons to consider when purchasing this product.

• Some Colors Are Disappointing- Two out of the ten colors that are in the palette are pretty disappointing. Fluorescent and Shock are just not as pigmented and bright as they should be for this type of palette. As Urban Decay is a fairly expensive brand, two out of ten colors not being good enough is, well, not good enough.
• Four Colors Are For Face and Body Only- I really don’t understand why Urban Decay has made a pressed pigment palette where four colors are for face and body only. Who is wearing these colors on the face and body but not their eyes? They are clearly designed to be for the eyes, and for them to be not eye-safe is just ridiculous.

Alternatives We Reccomend

Suppose the Urban Decay Wired Pallete isn’t for you. In that case, there are plenty of other bright eyeshadow palettes that might be perfect for your makeup needs!