Review: Urban Decay Sample Set

Hey everyone! I'm so happy I finally got to try Urban Decay eyeshadows and the famous Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion :)

Urban Decay Sample Set - Half Baked, Evidence eyeshadows, Primer Potion

I got this sample set from House of Flair - I was picked to be one of their August 2012 guest bloggers! Yey! 

Anyway, I know you all have heard of Urban Decay and there are hundreds of reviews about these products already but I want to tell you my thoughts about them.

This set contains samples of two UD eyeshadows - Half Baked and Evidence - and a sample of the UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

Here are the eyeshadows.

Urban Decay describes Half Baked as a subtle, lustrous bronze shimmer eyeshadow...

Half Baked
*source*

...and Evidence as a deep navy blue shimmer eyeshadow.

Evidence
*source*

Both have luminous sheen and no glitter.

Swatches (no primer)
L: Half Baked
R: Evidence

As you can see, these e/s are already pigmented even without primer. Half Baked is such a gorgeous shade! Well, you know me, I love neutrals, and Half Baked is a great lid wash for me. Evidence is a really interesting color. To me, it looks like it has a tiny hint of purple. I don't know, maybe it's just me :)

There's also a simple tutorial on how to use these eyeshadows together. 

Here's how I used the two together. I actually just followed the eyeshadow chart.

Note: This photo was filtered :)

What can I say? These eyeshadows are really nice. They are pigmented, they go on smoothly on the lids and are easy to blend. The color's buildable, too. They're soft and not chalky or grainy at all.

Thumbs up:

• Good pigmentation
• Goes on smoothly
• Easy to blend
• Buildable color
• Not chalky
• No fall-outs

Thumbs down:

• Price - Priced at $18 (on Urban Decay's website) for a 1.5-g eyeshadow pot
• Availability - Urban Decay currently doesn't ship internationally, and they don't have stores in the Philippines. BUT the good news is that you can order these and other UD products through online stores like House of Flair.

Giving these 4 out of 5 stars! I would have given them 5 if they were a lot less expensive. I'd recommend these to those who don't mind spending $18 for a single pot of eyeshadow. But I do think that the Urban Decay eyeshadow PALETTES are worth investing for, based on the reviews I've seen :)

Now, the primer.  

This primer claims to give long lasting, crease-proof and more vibrant eyeshadow that lasts up to 24 hours.

Eyeshadow Primer Potion
*source*

And it does make the eyeshadow appear more vibrant, as you can see in the photo below.

Upper: With primer
Lower: Without primer

It also does prevent my eyeshadow from creasing for several hours. Note that I have oily lids. I wasn't able to test if it really does help my e/s last for up to 24 hours like what UD claims, though. I don't wear my makeup for 24 hours straight! Haha. I tried rubbing the swatches on the back of my hand lightly, though, and the ones without primer faded but the ones without didn't budge as much. 

As for the consistency, mine has already dried up a bit so it has to be blended immediately once it's on my lids, or else it'll give an uneven and patchy finish. I believe that this is not mostly because of the formula itself but because of how the product is packaged in the sample set. In sample sets like mine, it's hard to keep the primer from drying up because it just comes in a peel-off sachet packaging.

Thumbs up:

• Makes my eyeshadow more vibrant
• Keeps my eyeshadow from creasing on my oily lids
• Makes my eyeshadow last for several hours 
• Doesn't make my eyeshadow hard to blend on the lids

Thumbs down:

• Mine has already dried up a bit because of the peel-off packaging
• Price - Regular price is $20 (on Urban Decay's website) for 11 ml of product
• Availability -  As I've mentioned, Urban Decay currently doesn't ship internationally, and they don't have stores in the Philippines. BUT you can order it through resellers and online stores like House of Flair :)

Giving this primer 4 out of 5 stars, too. Would have given it all 5 if it were more affordable. I'd recommend this to those who have oily lids and are willing to invest on a really good primer. If eyeshadow doesn't really crease like crazy on your lids, I think you can settle for a less expensive primer. 

If you are interested in these or any other Urban Decay products - or almost anything from the US that's not available in the Philippines - I suggest you visit House of Flair's website.

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http://instagram.com/p/OvbJ8TLBN5/

You can order almost anything from there - cosmetics, clothes, shoes, bags, books, home items and many more (except for food and electronics). Just browse your US online store of interest, tell HOF the items you're interested in then place your order. More info on pre-ordering from House of Flair *here.*

AND here's one more thing - HOF ships all orders for free nationwide at no minimum order amount! Cool. We love free shipping, don't we?

Visit House of Flair on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for more updates :)


And that's it for this long post! I'm gonna have to save up for a NAKED palette. You know me... I love neutrals.


Disclaimer: Products were sent by the online store but the views and opinions expressed in this post are purely mine and based on my own experience with the products.