As first impressions go this is a very aesthetically pleasing palette, a black textured box with a beautiful 3D translucent logo with bright merging colours to highlight the type and variety of shades to be discovered when opening the box. “FULL SPECTRUM”, the print name of the palette, is printed in merging colours below the logo.
Upon opening the box, you are greeted by the sight of 21 colourful powder shades, brighter and bolder than arguably anything UD has produced in the past (other than perhaps the Electric palette). Each of these shades is subtly infused with glitter. It also comes with a double-ended brush, which is of usual excellent Urban Decay (UD) quality.
UD have lived up to the name of the palette and undoubtedly produced a “full spectrum” of colours for the user; they are in 7 columns of 3, the first 6 being 3 different shades of red (seeping into pink) orange, yellow (including gold), green blue and purple. The last column consists of dark grey, silver and white.
My current favourite look involves the use of the purple shades “Sketch” and “Faded”, together with the silver shade “Iced” and the white shade “Bump”. After putting on black winged eyeliner, I like to use a medium sized brush to dust “Iced” all over my brow bone. It is a subtle yet iridescent shade, perfect for this area. I then like to put a parallel line of “Faded” just above my eyeliner – a perfect go-between for the intense black of my eyeliner and my dusting of “Iced”. A muted, shimmery shade of purple like this makes way for its slightly darker twin “Sketch”. “Sketch” is a beautiful, intense shade of purple that I put just below my lower eyelashes, to create a bold look. I like to finish this look off with a dab of “Bump” on the inner corners of my eye for brightness.
As the Electric Palette is so big, when I go out, I tend to take a smaller albeit cheaper palette to top up the makeup although this isn’t necessary for hours due to the Electric Palette’s long-lasting durability.
I have to admit, I am not really an eyeshadow kind of person – my life generally is a hub of activity, and I must admit I don’t really like spending a great deal of time on makeup. However, and although this palette is bold and I still wouldn’t particularly consider using in my day-to-day life, I adore it for nightlife and special occasions. Anyone who knows me knows I am partial to wearing a lot of dark colours/black, and the way some of this eyeshadow can brighten up a night-out outfit is simply electric. Fans of more subtle makeup may prefer to check out UD’s Naked palette.
However, it’s not to say this palette is without its criticisms. Due to a lot of the Spectrum colours being glittery or duo chrome, these shadows are very much powder rather than buttery – which can lead to fallout, both on the face and in the pallet. With regard to the face problems, using a primer should eradicate any issues. I’m unsure how to solve the palette problem – possibly something I need to look into? Also, remember the golden rule – never mix powder eyeshadow with cream eyeshadow!
I have bought sparingly from Urban Decay over the years, due to my keenness to try other brands and the “broke” stereotype that seems to follow students (unfortunately, its true!). At an eye-watering £43.00 for the Electric Palette, Urban Decay has never pretended to be a cheap alternative. However, what they lack in deals they certainly do not compromise on quality. Overall, an excellent palette. 9/10 from me.
Rating - 9 out of 10.
