Mini-review & swatches: Urban Decay Skull Shadow Box

Since the Urban Decay Skull Shadow Box is still on clearance for $12 on the Urban Decay website (retail: $36), I wanted to get a mini-review and swatches up ASAP in case you were thinking of picking one up. I purchased this palette shortly after the Urban Decay clearance sale started, and now that I've had some time to play around with it, I'd like to share my opinion of this palette with you.

Urban Decay Skull Shadow Box

(9 x 0.03 oz, retail: $36; clearance price: $12)

This palette comes with nine small pans of shadow and one double-ended sponge-tip applicator (though after reading the reviews on the UD site, it's apparently supposed to come with two).

Six of the nine shades in this palette contain sparkle. Since my camera sometimes has a hard time picking up sparkle in photos, I've circled the shades that contain sparkle in the following photo:

(shades circled contain sparkle/glitter)

If you're not a fan of sparkle, I'm afraid that you won't get much use out of the majority of the shadows in hits palette. There are two mattes here (Oil Slick and Twice Baked) and both contain a fair amount of sparkle. The other seven shades are shimmers, and four the seven contain sparkle.

All of the following swatches were done on bare skin (no eyeshadow primer):

Cherry -  a light pink shimmer that's highly pigmented and contains a fair amount of sparkle. Easy to apply, easy to blend and very impressive color payoff for such a light shade. (If you want a full-size version of this color, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

Midnight Cowboy Rides Again - a deep, neutral champagne shimmer with a high amount of sparkle. There's so much glitter in this shadow that it makes the overall texture crumbly. Lots and lots of fallout with this one, so proceed with caution. (If you want a full-size version of this shadow, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

Grifter - medium lavender shimmer with glitter (although not as much glitter as Midnight Cowboy Rides Again. The texture is smooth and buttery and the pigmentation is wonderful. (If you want a full-size version of this color, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

Vert - if you're a longtime lover of Vert, you better get your fix while you still can because this shade has been discontinued. It's one of my favorites from UD--a vibrant, shimmery, electric green that's wonderfully pigmented, goes on like butter and contains no sparkle/glitter.

Oil Slick: a black matte with a fair amount of glitter. We've seen similar shades by Wet n Wild, etc. so I just can't get excited about this one, although I will say that over primer, Oil Slick is a very intense matte black. (If you want a full-size version of this shadow, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

Shattered - people either love or hate Shattered, and I'm in the "love" camp. I've never had a problem with the pigmentation of this color, although some say it's too sheer for their liking (you can build for more intensity and I do suggest wearing it over primer). This aquamarine shimmer has the loveliest golden duochrome effect--my pics don't due it justice. By the way, this, along with Vert and Blunt, do not contain any sparkle/glitter. (If you want a full-size version of this shadow, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

Blunt - if you're a warm-tone junkie, you're probably going to love Blunt (which pairs very nicely with the color next to it in this palette, Chopper). Blunt is a golden champagne shimmer with no sparkle. It has that signature UD buttery texture and blends like a dream. (If you want a full-size version of this shadow, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

Chopper - not as much of a glitter bomb as Midnight Cowboy Rides Again, Chopper does contain a good amount of sparkle so you'll need to be careful during application. This is a beautiful shimmery copper with great pigmentation. (If you want a full-size version of this shadow, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

Twice Baked: like Oil Slick, this is a matte shadow with some sparkle in it (not a lot, but you can see it when on the eye). It's a very pigmented matte chocolate brown. (If you want a full-size version of this shadow, it's currently on clearance for $9 here.)

One more thing I'd like to add in case you've never seen this palette in person: the pans are very small--almost like children's play-makeup:

To whom would I recommend this palette?

If you're new to Urban Decay eyeshadows and you want to try a variety of different colors and finishes without breaking the bank, then I think this is a great way to do that. Even though the pans are small, you'll still get dozens of uses out of these shades and I think you'll be able to easily determine which colors you might want to purchase in full-size options. If you're drawn to colorful eye looks, then you'll probably enjoy this palette. Also, if you love shimmer and sparkle, you'll probably enjoy this palette as well. Oh, and if you are a Vert fan and you're running dangerously low, this could be one of your last chances to get this color since it's now discontinued.

To whom would I not recommend this palette?

If you're not big on color and you don't like sparkle in your eyeshadows, then this palette is not for you. Six of the nine shades contain varying degrees of sparkle, and you can also expect some fallout with some of these shades. If you're more of a neutral, earthtone person, there are enough shades here to catch your eye, but only if you don't mind sparkle along with your earthtones. Also, if you don't like working with small shadow pans, then you'll probably want to skip this one as well.

If you think you'd like to purchase this palette, get it while it's still on clearance for $12 (I have no idea how much longer this sale is going to last, but it's been up for a couple of weeks now). 

Do you already own the UD Skull Shadow Box? If so, do you think it's worth $12? I'd love to hear from you!