The Urban Decay Nocturnal collection slipped into stores in January and went straight under my radar! It’s like I was barely even aware of the launch at all. So when a few items showed up in my mailbox via Beauty Boutique I was a bit like “hmmmmm” since I’d heard practically nothing about it!
The Nocturnal collection focuses on a bunch of wearable dark shades while also balancing it out with some neutrals and sheer colours (via the lipsticks). The packaging on the eyeshadow palette really hearkens back to the old days of UD packaging – solid cardboard with a printed theme. It’s a nice throwback to their roots, and it definitely made me smile.
The Nocturnal Shadow Box is in the same vein as their regular line of Shadow Boxes (like the Ammo one). This one just has an updated shade range with some mattes, some satins and a few shimmers thrown in the mix. It also contains three shades from previous Vice palettes – Delete, Armor and Heroine.
The top row is really your basic set of neutrals and they definitely lean more warm toned.
The second row is where the magic happens. Shades like Heroine, Lounge, Backfire and Fireball are where I found the bulk of my makeup inspiration came from.
I was also hugely impressed with the pigmentation and blendability on these shades. A few recent palettes from UD have left me wanting (and therefore a bit unexcited about further releases), but this one re-invigorated my interest in the brand. And it’s funny too, because this is a palette that I would never have given a second glance based on the colour palette – it just felt too neutral/too dark. I was very wrong, and you’ll see what looks I managed to create near the end of this post.
The latest versions UD‘s lipsticks have been an absolute winner for me this year so I was more than happy to try out some new shades. There are a few more lipsticks in the Nocturnal launch, but I have Lawbreaker (Sheer Shine) and Backstab (cream).
At first glance I was sooo not into Lawbreaker. I mean it’s a brown, how boring is that? But I should really know better than to judge makeup products just on first glance alone. Because Lawbreaker is a sheer shine formula, it glides on the lips easily and provides a boost of shine alongside the colour. I was pleasantly surprised!
Backstab has a cream finish with a hint of pearl to it. Like Lawbreaker, it’s exceptionally comfortable to wear, although this one isn’t a sheer so you’ll definitely experience more pigment on your lips overall.
Urban Decay Nocturnal – Look 1
You may notice I look a bit darker in these photos than I normally do – I’ve got fake tan on and as such I used a much deeper foundation.
Look one involved using the gem tones fro the palette and Backstab lipstick.
I have Backfire through the crease, Lounge on the lid and Heroine through the crease. I feel like this photo turned out a little bit messy (which is disappointing to me), but this look floored me. It was so, so freaking flattering and I had a lot of compliments on it when I wore it on Snapchat (my snap is muyourmind).
The look came together so well and so easily that I didn’t even feel like I needed winged liner to amp it up which is a shocking rarity for me!
Urban Decay Nocturnal – Look 2
I tried to use more neutral colours on the lids (and kinda failed) and I’m also wearing Lawbreaker lipstick. See how it doesn’t come off nearly as brown a the tube would lead you to believe?
I’m wearing Riff through the crease, Fireball on the lid, Backfire in the outer corner, with a bit of Delete to deepen it up. I’ve also got Half Baked on the inner corner.
Final Thoughts
Considering I was very “meh” at first glance about the Urban Decay Nocturnal collection, I can barely believe that I’m now telling you just how excited I am about it! The eyeshadow palette is so much fun! I think the colour balance looks a bit odd in the pans, but they work together so, SO nicely on the lids! Also with the the lipsticks – although not what I usually find myself attracted to, were such a nice complement to the eyeshadow palette.
Is this worth your money? 100 times yes!
Products were provided by BeautyBoutique.ca, but I’m not currently seeing this collection online on their site, so definitely check in stores. I do, however, see them up on UrbanDecay.ca!
The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post may contain affiliate links.
