Get Into A Summer State of Mind With New Urban Decay Beached Makeup Collection

Come late June, we all start to share the same type of images: reading a lighthearted book while laying on a hammock suspended between palm trees; splashing along the seashore, giddy with excitement over the sensation of sand in between our toes toes and the saltiness of the sea breeze kissing our skin; lounging on a giant-sized pool float with a refreshing fruity cocktail in one hand; watching the sunset from a wooden pier dock, the breathtaking blood orange, rusty red, tangerine, coral, and sepia tones making our hearts skip a beat. These vignettes capture the collective imagination because they’re so deeply rooted in our psyche as being emblematic of the summer season.

Tapping into this imagery, Urban Decay recently unveiled its Beached Makeup Collection, a 9-piece collection consisting of two powder bronzer compacts, two new 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencil shades, three new Vice lipstick hues, and the centerpiece: an eight-color eyeshadow palette that perfectly marries the sandy, earthy, and roasted colors we associate with beach expanses, desert dunes, raffia handbags and wooden wedge sandals. The packaging, meanwhile, conveys the chill vibe of the season, as palm tree tops adorn the boxes, as well as the cases and tubes of all the products — save, of course, for the eye pencils. The palm tree imagery nods to the summer theme of the collection but it also remains true to Urban Decay’s DNA in that it feels like an image that could have been taken in LA — one of those ubiquitous photos of sky-high palm trees in neat rows lining the streets — and hence it speaks to the Venice Beach-based brand’s pride over its California heritage.

I had the chance to check out the eyeshadow palette and the three new Vice lipstick shades, so if you’re curious about this beach-themed collection, let’s dive right in!

URBAN DECAY BEACHED EYESHADOW PALETTE

In my opinion, the Urban Decay Beached Eyeshadow Palette ($34 at UrbanDecay.com) might just be the brand’s best palette thus far in 2018. The shades are richly pigmented, blendable, and can be layered to deliver as much intensity as desired, plus they work quite well together so that you won’t find yourself reaching for other shadows in your makeup arsenal to complete any one look.

Below, you’ll find swatches of Salt, a creamy white sand color with a hint of shimmer for a true satin finish; Blaze, a very light metallic peach shade with pink shift that gives the hue an otherworldly, ephemeral, hazy quality; Heatwave, an intense metallic rust shade that borders on copper but has more reddish undertones; and Daybreak, a matte terra-cotta shade that makes me think of the red rock formations in Sedona, Arizona.

Next, check out swatches of the remaining four eyeshadow hues: Wedge, a deep metallic brown with copper pearls; Plunge, a captivating color with a metallic sheen that almost borders on a deep teal shade but manages to have enough blue undertones to teeter on the edge between blue and green; Double Dip, an electric teal blue hue with a metallic finish; and 16th Street, a metallic bronze shade with specks of gold shimmer.

The aquatic shades in the palette, of course, have an instant magnetic pool, but the reddish and earthy tones are equally lovely — especially when you want to update a nude eyeshadow look and infuse it with some personality.

URBAN DECAY BEACHED COLLECTION VICE LIPSTICKS

Three new Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks ($18 each at UrbanDecay.com) were introduced as part of the Beached collection: Heatwave, which is billed as a metallic rust color; Tower 1, which is described as a light metallic peach with pink shift; and 100 Degrees, which is described as a bright coral pink with a sheer finish.

Now, with the exception of the Heatwave shade, I personally found the lipsticks to be a bit of a let-down. Granted, this is simply a result of what I associate with Urban Decay’s lipsticks: full-coverage, high-intensity, show-stopping, richly pigmented color in edgy but wearable hues. On all of those fronts, the Heatwave shade delivered. It even seems to evoke the sultriness and steaminess of summer.

The Tower 1 shade, however, felt like a complete disappointment to me since it was barely noticeable on my lips — instead of coating my pout with a touch of peachy color, the combination of the glossy sheen and the shift pearls left my lips looking dirty, as if I’d just eaten a glazed donut and still had some of that glaze on my lips. Also, the color looked more yellowish on my skin than anything else, so it almost made me look like I had a case of jaundice, washing my complexion out and then muting the natural rosiness of my lips and instead adding those yellow tones. Yikes!

As for the 100 Degrees shade, I found it pleasant enough but, since I tend to gravitate towards lipsticks with matte and satin finishes, the sheerness of the lipstick didn’t appeal to me. I would have much preferred to see a full-coverage iteration of this shade as part of the collection, but I do understand that some UD fans gravitate towards sheer tones, so there’s obviously an audience for lipstick hues such as this one. That said, I wouldn’t describe this color as a true pink since it teeters on the edge between pink and red, so that’s definitely worth noting.

Below, you can check out the three shades for yourself:

If I had to buy one lipstick shade, I’d definitely pick up Heatwave time and time again. But again, if you’re into sheer tones, the 100 Degrees lipstick might also appeal to you.

Overall thought, the star of Urban Decay’s Beached Makeup Collection is the Eyeshadow Palette — it captures the easy-breeziness of summer and makes the ultimate splash.