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Urban Decay's Alice in Wonderland Palette

If you've seen my last Sephora haul on Youtube, you know I purchased the coveted Alice in Wonderland Palette by Urban Decay.  When this palette was first launched, I held out thinking I have the Book of Shadows vol II so why would I need this.  As we all know, in today's society it is a strenuous battle of "wants" and "needs".  When shopping last weekend, I saw it in Sephora.  Yes, many of the colors are in the Book of Shadows vol II, and some are from the Ammo palette, but some were shadows I didn't have.  This is also a makeup collectors item, and the packaging completely drew me in.  The top of the palette opens up to reveal a beautiful pop-up scene of Alice walking through a forest of mushrooms.    For anyone who loves Urban Decay, Tim Burton, Disney, or Alice in Wonderland, this is an absolutely MUST have this palette.  But there are many of us asking the question: Which of these shadows are the ones I don't have? Here is a rundown of each shadow and its dupe:

(16) Eyeshadows:

-Underland (Flash)
-Alice (Painkiller)
-Oraculum (Baked)
-Queen (Last Call)
-Chessur (Chopper)
-White Rabbit (Polyester Bride)
-Wonderland (Maui Wowie)
-Curiouser (Grifter)
-Muchness (X)
-Mushroom (Mushroom)
-Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again)
-Vorpal (S&M)
-Absolem (Homegrown)
-Drink Me Eat Me (Sin)
-Mad Hatter (Twice Baked)
-Jabberwocky (Oil Slick)
-Travel-size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero and Flipside
-Travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion

The eyeshadows are wonderful.  If you haven't used Urban Decay before, be warned that none of these are matte eyeshadows. They all have a shimmer to varying degrees from very subtle to large chunks as in Midnight Tea Party.  Some people were complaining that these are best selling eyeshadows that are renamed and not new colors, but if you are someone like me, who falls in love with a particular shadow, why not have an extra?  Considering that most of Urban Decay's single eyeshadow run you about $18, you can get so many of them in this palette for $50.  The eyeshadows have wonderful payoff, and used with the primer potion, stay on all day.  I love the consistency of all of Urban Decay's shadows, so although this was an impulse buy for me, I am not regretting the purchase.  I love having all of my favorite colors in one place, easily accessable and ready to be used together.  I do wish that Urban Decay would have come out with some exclusive colors specifically for this palette, but overall I think it's worth the price, and I'm glad I bought it.

So my questions for you are:
What do you think of this duped palette?
Did you buy it? If so what do you think?
Do you own any of the other Urban Decay palettes? 

 

Shadows and Concealer Stay and Don't Stray

While shopping at Sephora this weekend, I picked up Benefit's new eye primer - Stay Don't Stray.  I've used this for three days, and I must say, I absolutely love it.  I do need to tell you though, I'm not sure this product will work for all skin tones.  It's a very light nude shade that I'm not sure would work for olive or dark skin tones.  On me it works fabulous, but I am very pale.  I usually always put concealer and then my MAC MSF under my eyes, so this helps that stay there all day.   I have noticed a dramatic difference in the staying power of my concealer under my eye area which is the place I need it the most.  Using this as a concealer primer is quite tricky though.  You need to make sure it is completely blended and that you use a concealer that is quite thin...I use the MAC Select Moisture Coverage Concealer under my eye area so it works out great with that.  It also works similar to Powderflage, brightening the eye area to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

As a primer for your eyeshadows, it works quite well. My eyeshadows have been staying on all day, but I much prefer their discontinued F Y Eye as a shadow primer.  Shadows don't blend the same on top of the new primer, but they do stay all day.  All in all, I think this is a great product.  Your eyeshadows stay vibrant and true to color all day.  It also hydrates the eye area to lock in moisture, and fights signs of aging with Vitamins C & E.  It's also free of parabens, which we all try to stay away from.  It really goes on smooth and covers darkness and redness really well. 

Just a note about application.  This product comes in a cylinder with a pump dispenser.  Be careful when pumping out your product.  About half a pump is all you need for both eyes.  If you have any remaining, you can use it on areas that you will be applying concealer to keep your concealer on all day.