Most of the time when people say that something is shifty…it’s not usually a good thing, but when you’re talking about the new Urban Decay Distortion Eyeshadow Palette ($49), being shifty is great.
Five “shifty” duo chrome shadows
New limited edition Distortion just landed at Urban Decay, and the kicker is that top row of pale pastel-looking eyeshadows — one, two, three, four, five.
They look pale pastel in the pans, but they’re actually duo chromes that change color in the light. They’re designed to be layered on top of the other 10 eyeshadows in the palette, the ones in the middle and bottom rows.
You can definitely also wear them on top of any other eyeshadows in your collection, too, because there’s no exclusive high-tech stuff happening here, LOL! (But wouldn’t it be kinda cool and sci-fi if there were, though?)
If you’re an artsy-fartsy type who likes to get all mad scientist on your eyeshadows, like, by whipping up your own color concoctions on a Tuesday morning just ’cause, this palette should be a lot of fun.
The REAL magic happens when you layer more than two
That’s when I think the fun really starts — when you layer two or more of the shifty shades on top of the other shadows. That’s when things get interesting!
Like Shifty, which is a duo chrome green, and Space, which is a duo chrome light blue. When you put those two on top of forest green Hotbox? Oh, my gosh. The ensuing greenish, teal-ish, deep ocean blue mermaid scale creation is breathtaking, and when you layer that same trio of eyeshadows on top of a dark matte eyeshadow like Blackout? Game freakin’ over! The black darkens and deepens everything, turning it into something a sad mermaid would wear after a bad breakup.
Shag, and Velvet. Blackout is the only re-promote; everything else is new!
Shimmer (LOTS of it)
Almost all of the shadows (except for matte black Blackout) shine to some degree, but there’s no glitter, though.
If you want EVEN MOAR BLING, which is totally understandable, you’ll need to pat a glitter on top of your lids, and for that I like the UD Moondusts, because they aren’t too messy.
It’s time to cleanup, cleanup!
Speaking of messy, the shadows in this palette need more cleaning up than the shadows in UD’s last few LE palettes (the Heavy Metals Metallic Eyeshadow Palette and the Gold Griot and Tenant Eyeshadow Palettes from Basquiat).
It caught me off guard, because there I was, thinking I was living in this brave new world where UD eyeshadows don’t have any fallout anymore, ever, so it was fortuitous that I had my favorite makeup wipes on standby to whisk away the stray bits and bobs that landed on my cheeks and underneath my eyes.
There wasn’t too much to clean, though. It was totally handle-able.
A good value for creative peeps
I think this is an excellent palette for uber-creative types and the girls and guys who strive to do the kind of looks that nobody else ever dreams of.
If you’re all about cooking up your own colors and creations, you should know that even with the minor fallout, you’re getting a really good deal here. You get 15 eyeshadows total for $49, which breaks down to $3.27 per 0.06-oz. pan.
To put that in perspective, EACH of Urban Decay’s eyeshadow singles, which are also a tad smaller than the pans in this palette, normally go for $19. Each!
Obviously, though, if you’re more straightforward about your eye makeup, and you’re like, OK, I like one shadow on my crease, one shadow on my lid, and that’s it, Distortion probably won’t be a good fit for you.
Distortion is out there now waiting for someone to love. It’s available at Ulta, Sephora and the UD website.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
The look you’ve created is absolutely gorgeous!!!
I need another eyeshadow palette like I need a hole in my head. For some reason I’ve been eyeing this one on-line and had no idea they were color shifting duo/multi chromes. Now I’m thinking I really NEED it. Or maybe I need to get it for my Dear Daughter and she will kindly share it on occasion with her aging mother.
I like the idea of getting it for Dear Daughter and I plan on using that as my excuse in the near future, ha!
Did ya do any Black Friday shopping?
No shopping yet. Went for hike with Dear Family. Dear Daughter came down after the hike for a lunch of T-Day leftovers.
Oh, yes, I can’t tell you how often I buy makeup (and clothes and shoes) for Dear Daughter that she sometimes lets me borrow. It’s fun, I get to buy things that are pretty but not really my style and get to admire them when she wears them. Dear Husband says I spoil her and I guess I do. But she’s on her own and I don’t pay for her car or her rent or her food, so I feel like buying her something pretty, that she appreciates is a reward for her hard work.
How nice! It’s warm up here in the North Bay so I hope you guys are having nice weather, too. I’m looking forward to the day when I get to spoil Connor like that. 🙂
I did a little bit of Black Friday shopping for Christmas presents, yay! So I’m officially not waiting until the last minute.
I’m about to make a broth out of the leftover turkey. It’s my first time, so I hope it turns out OK.
Yeah, it’s in the 70s down this way. Just bought two cashmere sweaters for Dear Daughter that were on sale.
You sound like you’re a pretty good cook so I’m confident your broth will turn out. I remember reading some chef saying it’s hard to mess up broth, you just have to make sure you put what YOU like into it and let it simmer slowly for a while. I have a friend who makes lots of broth and then freezes it in ice cube trays. That way she can use as much or as little as she needs.
Oh how nice! I love cashmere for the warmth and light weight. I was tempted to get a cashmere open cardigan from Macy’s but then thought the better of it since I’m always covered in half chewed food and poop these days, haha. What colors did you get?
I *just* finished a lightning text session with my brother and his girlfriend (who is a chef). I sent a pic of the broth in progress and apparently I did a whole bunch of things wrong! I put in a few leftover mustard green ribs and was told to take them out because they can make the broth bitter. I also had orange peel and basil and up in the mix was then strongly advised to take those things out after 30 minutes (15 minutes left as of this comment) because they, too, lend a bitter taste if left too long. Good idea to put them in trays! I was thinking of filling quart-size freezer bags, but ice cubes will be easier to control.
I knew mustard greens could make the broth bitter, but I had no idea about basil doing the same thing. I guess you could do a tray or two of cubed broth and then so some freezer bags too. It might be tedious to thaw a ton of cubes.
I remember those days of being covered in food and fluids. Just remember as Connor grows those things will get easier, but then there will be different challenges.
I bought basics for her, black and a heathered camel color. I figure it’s safer to let her pick the trendy stuff herself.
Oh, BTW, I wanted to buy this palette today (for Dear Daughter) and I couldn’t find it in stock anywhere. Not sure if it’s sold out or hasn’t become available yet.
The look you created is STUNNING!!!! Now I’m going to have to swatch in store- like I need another palette ?Thanks Karen.
Thank you, Brandee! If you have any other Qs about the product please let me know. I’m happy to help.
TGIF, and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I love the look you did! It’s gorgeous! I’m excited about this palette. I definitely like layering and experimenting when I have the time.
I bet all those duochromes could be dupes for the 6 million colourfull highlighter palettes that are out right now too! Lol.
Hi Ash,
I think this is the palette for you then! Ami in the comments also mentioned that there’s a similar Kat Von D palette with *just* duochromes, so you have that option, too.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Did you do any Black Friday shopping?
I did a little Black Friday shopping but all online! Haha. The stores are too terrifying. I got a few things for myself and a few xmas gifts!
I’m actually Canadian so I had mine last month, hehe, but I hope you had a wonderful one and have a fabulous long weekend! ❤
Nice! I did a little bit too — gifts for other peeps. I almost got a sweater for me, but figured eh, I’m covered in half eaten food and/or baby poop most of the time, so what’s the point? LOL Oh wait… I actually *did* get something for myself, my bad! I bought a robe. 🙂 It looks warm and cozy, and it should be helpful on winter mornings.
If someone really wants to try the duochrome without investing in the whole palette, Kat Von D has a whole palette of just the duo chromes. It’s 4 or 5 colors and the reviews have the quality on par with this palette.
Thanks for the info, Ami! That’s very helpful.
How was your Thanksgiving, by the way? I hope you had a good one.
you look gorgeous with this look Karen..i wana ask you did you apply mac lip liner on all your lips first and then over it with the mac grand illusion lipcolour?
Hi Shaikha,
Thank you! I lined and filled in my lips completely with Night Moth first, and then did a layer of Grand Illusion on top. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi Karen, loved the look you did with First Offense, Territorial, Blackout, Velvet, Bleach. and Blur. I’m so curious to see how you would do the mermaid look you were writing about with Shifty, Space, and Hot Box. The way you wrote about it made me seriously think about getting the palette.
Wow! This is pretty creative. I’m sure 20 years ago I would’ve had lots of fun with this one. These days though, I’m not going for the unicorn look lol. Loving that orange shade though!