I ain't gonna lie. I had no idea who Kristen Leanne was. Sure, I watch YouTube, but I only know the really big guys like LustreLux, Desi Perkins and you know, those people who go to Bora Bora with Tarte. I also only tend to know more bloggers since that is the space I choose to reside in so when I attended the launch party of this collection in Vancouver back in January, I was more excited to see the collection in person than the meet and greet with Kristen Leanne. Then I found out that she was the brains behind the hair colour Arctic Fox and it all made sense! A number of my saved photos for coloured hair had people with Arctic Fox hair colour so it was reassuring to find SOME sort of connection to Kristen as I was feeling like I had been living under a rock!
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Now, that I have watched a couple of Kristen's YouTube videos, I have a better understanding of where this limited edition collaboration with Urban Decay comes from. She loves colour and this collection is ALLLL about that. Yes, there are some neutrals in here, but this collection is definitely more for the makeup savvy.
Packaging is super bright and cute though the palettes are all cardboard with magnetic closures which makes the collection seem more playful than luxurious.
The Daydream Eyeshadow Palette* ($35.00 CDN) contains 5 new matte shades that are perfect for creating beautifully neutral daytime looks. This is THE transition shade palette for anyone and is probably one of my favourite matte eyeshadow collections in awhile since I am almost always about the "shimma shimma".
I both love and hate the Kaleidoscope Dream Eyeshadow Palette* ($50.00 CDN). It's obvious why I love it. It's shimmer central and a rainbow of colour. The shadows are super soft and pigmented and there are even duochrome shadows that look great on their own OR as toppers for other shadows. What I dislike about this palette has been said by a number of other people so I'm glad I'm not the only one, but the layout is just very strange. It makes you want to depot EVERYTHING! There are also no transition shades in the palette so I feel like if you get this palette, you almost *need* to get a palette like the Daydream one to tie a look together.
I would have had a review for this collection weeks ago if I wasn't so confused about HOW to use this palette. I didn't even know where to begin. I was immediately drawn to the blues, but how would I soften them?
As you can see, the swatches are stunning. Seriously beautiful. I had a hard time with TRM, the dark blue that I used in my makeup look as a little bit of fallout meant some intense blue smearing when trying to pick up the bits with a sponge. I had to redo my foundation around my undereyes and cheeks because I made the mistake of applying my foundation first.
I am not normally a highlighter person, but I have started trying to get into it because it honestly makes me feel better mentally when I look in the mirror and see that my cheekbones are shining like the sun. It's pretty awesome. Contouring a whole other story, but highlight just makes me happy. The Beauty Beam Highlight Palette* ($45.00 CDN) is da bomb. It has three shades: Soft Rose, White and Warm Golden Pearl that are perfect for everyone. I have watched tutorials with different skin tones and everyone looks good with these shades. I tend to use the lighter two more now, but Warm Golden Pearl would definitely be summer appropriate!
Colour payoff is quite nice and the texture of these is not quite as soft as what I have come across in the past from other brands, but it's still really nice to work with and more importantly, shows up on my face and looks amazing. I am keeping this palette out on my counter for daily use!
Ah, the lipsticks. There are three limited edition shades of Vice Lipstick ($22.00 CDN) in cool bright pink distinguished packaging with Kristen Leanne's name on the inside tube. I am a big fan of the Vice Lipstick formulation so I knew that I would have no issues with these! As for the actual shades, well let's just say that I will only be hanging on to one and that one is Bun Bun. The other two purple shades are just hard for me to wear even for a fun night out.
Cloud 9* is a comfort matte bright magenta which was beautiful, but made my teeth look really yellow. Granted, I am due for a tooth whitening session, but it was enough to not make me feel comfortable opening my mouth when wearing this shade.
Bun Bun* is a darker nude and is a shade that I am completely in love with! I cannot get enough of this shade! It's a gorgeous neutral and goes with everything!
Spellbound* is a deep plum shade and one that swatched well on my arm, but applied very patchily on my lips. I just could not get the center of lips to retain colour as it kept migrating everytime I tried to touch up the bare patches.
Since I didnt know what I was going to do for a makeup look, I turned to YouTube tutorials and found this one that felt relatively doable. I won't write out the steps of what I did to create this look since I followed the tutorial, but the only change I made was highlighting my cupid's bow.
Face:
Urban Decay B6 Vitamin Infused Complexion Prep Priming Spray*
Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation in Shade 3.5*
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores*
IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil*
Urban Decay Tinted Brow Tamer*
Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay x Kristen Leanne Daydream Eyeshadow Palette*
Urban Decay x Kristen Leanne Kaleidoscope Eyeshadow Palette*
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil in Perversion
Urban Decay Trouble Maker Mascara*
ESQIDO Lashes in Miss Dolly*
Cheeks:
Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Blush in Bittersweet*
Urban Decay x Kristen Leanne Beauty Beam Highlight Palette*
Lips:
Urban Decay x Kristen Leanne Vice Lipstick in Bun Bun*
Final verdict: This collection definitely has its appeal. Bright, intensely pigmented shades are incredibly fashionable right now and I love them too! The shades from the both the Kaleidoscope and Daydream palettes are beautifully pigmented and my only real gripe is the funny layout of the Kaleidoscope palette. I think the palette is unnecessarily bulky because of it. I am glad there was a nude in the lipstick trio to balance out the wildness of the eyeshadow colours because that nude is now one of my everyday staples!
You can find the Urban Decay x Kristen Leanne for a limited time at Sephora and UrbanDecay.com
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