Urban Decay Swap {Review}

Pros: Great colour shades, good consistency
Cons: Bulky packaging, off-putting scents

For my third and fourth swaps, I traded in a couple of cosmetics counter brand lip products I had received as gifts at Christmas in exchange for two Urban Decay lip items: Lipstick in Nude and Ultraglide Lip Gloss in Gash.

I had really been hoping to swap for Urban Decay products after joining MakeupAlley, but had only been able to swap for more Everyday Minerals products the first couple of times. While swapping for more EDM is not a bad thing in itself, I really wanted to try UD without spending roughly $20 USD per item. And then by chance, I ended up swapping for two different UD lip products by two different swappers at the same time.

Lipstick in Nude

I was very happy to swap for this lipstick. If ever there was a MLBB, Nude is the perfect shade for me. As the name states, it is a very flattering nude lip colour. The consistency is very creamy and I think the coverage is good, though I can’t say for sure since the shade matches my lip colour so well. Maybe if I tried a darker shade I could get a better feel for the coverage. The consistency reminds me of e.l.f.’s Mineral Lipstick (read review). And check out the UD logo pressed into the lipstick. Pretty nifty.

For all the good aspects, the one drawback is that I don’t feel the lipstick is particularly long lasting. I have to reapply fairly quickly afterwards.

Urban Decay Lipstick in Nude
and Ultraglide Lip Gloss in Gash

The one thing I don’t love is the packaging. Sure, it looks nifty with the swirly vectors on the lid and the cute little sword, but it’s really thick and clunky. Kind of like the Everyday Minerals lip tints that I also thought were excessively bulky. I can’t see myself carrying around such a clunky lipstick in my makeup case–at the very least, I would be afraid the sword would break off–nor can I see a whole bunch of ’em clamoring for space in my makeup drawer.

Logo on Urban Decay Lipstick

I think it’s kind of strange that e.l.f. insists on putting scents into nearly all of their products. It’s one thing reviewers consistently mention, so I was surprised to discover that the UD lipstick also has a similar weird berry smell. It’s faint, but still noticeable. Personally, I would prefer not to have scents in my cosmetics, but I suppose the UD scent is not so bad.

Despite some limited criticisms, I’m very happy overall with the Urban Decay lipstick and may be amenable to purchasing some more in the future (though $20 is pretty steep when I can get e.l.f. Mineral Lipstick for $5).

Ultraglide Lip Gloss

My first official UD product, though I actually received it second.

I knew this was a guilty pleasure from the get-go, as Gash is a very dark red (somewhat of a deep berry) shade and as such, not suitable for everyday wear. I’m way too fair to wear a shade like this daily. Fortunately, because this is a gloss, it’s not as dark as if it would have been lipstick. It’s still probably better used for a gothic look on most.

Urban Decay Swatches for Lipstick in Nude
and Ultraglide Lip Gloss in Gash

The tube is skinny and rather long, with an angled tip (like e.l.f.’s Super Glossy Lip Shines). The gloss, like the UD Lipstick, also has a slight scent.

Images

Final Thoughts

Urban Decay’s Lipstick in Nude is a great product that I would have been happy with even if I actually bought it for myself. It might just be my Holy Grail lipstick, displacing e.l.f.’s Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Tan.

The lip gloss is a different story. If I were to spend $20 on an Ultraglide Lip Gloss, I would have chosen a more neutral shade than Gash that could be worn daily. But since I received it in a swap, I’m happy just to try it.

Bottom Line:

I’m very happy with both lip products. And it saved my about forty bucks swapping a couple of non-vegan lip items I wasn’t going to use. Many thanks to the those two swappers! I hope they’re as happy with my items as I am with theirs. o(^__^)o

View my profile on MakeupAlley if you are interested in swapping with me.