Beauty #TBT – Urban Decay Book Of Shadows NYC Eyeshadow Palette

I mentioned this palette in my Christmas Beauty Tag post and it reminded me that I’d had pictures of this sitting to do a Beauty #TBT on this since November… 2015. I just came to edit them, but actually ended up redoing the pictures as you can really see some usage progress over the past year.

I received this in 2012 from my sister at Christmas time, I remember popping it on my Christmas wishlist after seeing it in the Boots catalogue (back when Urban Decay still sold in Boots!) and my sister managed to get this as it was a ‘star buy’ of the week and she worked at Boots so got staff discount on top, so it would have been a really silly cheap price compared to what an Urban Decay palette would cost you now.

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This is from their ‘Book of Shadows’ Collection and I think more than any other item in my collection if I lost everything this would be the item that I would be most sad at it’s loss of. It’s chunky and impractical for travel, but at the time of receiving it as a university student it was a great palette for me, neutrals and bright colours for nights out, it was everything rolled into one.

The top flaps open to reveal a pop up NYC illustration which at one time lit up but sometime over the past year I seem to have exhausted the batteries and mine no longer does. It also has a mirror at the back but because the palette is so chunky, and all the pop ups in the way it’s really awkward to actually use.

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Something I’ve only realised when doing this post is that the drawer which holds the shadows does actually slide all the way out. You’ll notice there’s some holes to the right of the shadows, this contained a mini travel sized primer potion and some half size 24/7 liners in Zero (black) and Ransom (a bright lilac), I have used up Zero and the primer potion, I know I have Ransom somewhere but I just can’t find it.

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  urban-decay-perversion-uzi-reloaded-kush-nyc-palette-swatches

Perversion – My favourite black shadow, I like it because it’s pigmented, but not too pigmented so it’s really buildable and doesn’t totally ruin a smokey eye by being over the top. Very close to hitting pan on this.

Uzi – White shimmer with silver glitter, pretty but very chalky and almost itchy texture. Used to use this a lot and close to hitting pan but don’t use it very often any more.

Loaded – Blackened teal shimmer with forest green flecks. I’ve never used this colour too much but I think I will start to more now.

Kush – Definitely the least used colour in the palette for me, as it this bright ‘money’ green is not something I ever opt for, I am intrigued to have a play with it though since I’m more creative that I’ve ever been with colour.

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Midnight Cowboy Rides Again – I think this has now been renamed to just Midnight Cowboy. Really pretty rose gold shimmer, this is a colour which has seen a significant dent in it over the past year.

Last Call – Kind of a cranberry but with a plummy undertone, a colour which I discovered I absolutely love this Autumn.

Rockstar – Blackened purple shimmer, have actually used this quite a bit under the lashes recently but it’s so, so pigmented I literally just need to touch my brush on it and it’s enough so still looks practically untouched.

Money – Icy mid blue shimmer with silvery green glitter flecks.

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Haight – There’s two bright blues in this palette when I think there shuld have only been one personally as they’re pretty damn interchangeable. This is a slightly brighter turqoise shade but the difference between them is definitely minimal.

Maui Wowie – This is probably my favourite eyeshadow of all time and definitely has the biggest pan hit of the ones I’ve hit on. This is a gorgeous champagne gold with a few fine flecks of silver glitter. When I start using this shadow I fall into a rut of using it for weeks and weeks!

Smog – Everyone who knows Urban Decay knows smog, a gorgeous wearable bronzed brown shimmer. Hit pan on this shade in 2016.

Bordello – I’ve really overlooked this shadow in this palette, it’s a gorgeous dark rose colour which definitely deserves more love than what I give it.

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Radium – The second blue, more of a ‘pure’ blue than Haight. They look more different in the pan then they do swatched.

Snatch – A pastel rose shade with gold glitter flecks, think I’m getting quite close to hitting pan on it. This shade reminds me a little bit of Uzi in that it’s texture is a bit chalkier than the others, but it’s not quite as bad and doesn’t have the same itchy feeling

Suspect – This pan has gone from untouched to a good chunk of pan hit in the year… It’s a great shimmery light taupe that is a great shade for when you’re in a rush and only have time to whack one colour all over the lid.

Psychedelic Sister – This is one of my favourite shades in the palette, although I don’t use it very regularly any more. A gorgeous bright jewel toned purple, wore this a lot for going out in university and will be trying to use it more often now I haven’t reached for this in ages.


Whilst this palette is was limited edition, it doesn’t come with totally bad news, at the time of it’s release all of these shadows were permanent in their normal collection, and there’s only one that’s been discontinued since – Uzi, which doesn’t surprise me as whilst it looks nice the formula of this is very chalky and scratchy compared to every other UD shadow. If there’s a shade here you like the look of you can get it still now.

Do you have any favourite shades from this palette? What are your favourite palettes that you’ve had forever?

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Helpless Whilst Drying

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18 Comments

  1. January 19, 2017 / 8:37 am

    This looks lovely. Much more appealing then some of their newer palettes. The quality of the eyeshadows looks better too x

    • January 19, 2017 / 9:08 am

      Totally agree, the colours in here are much more easy to wear jewel tones. I’ve been tempted by the spectrum palette, but I think I’ll only pull it out 4/5 times a year. This gets so much love!

      • January 19, 2017 / 9:19 am

        The spectrum palette does look lovely. I always look at it when I’m in Debenhams. I’m like you though, I probably wouldn’t get much use from it x

  2. January 19, 2017 / 11:15 am

    This palette looks awesome! The fact you’ve owned it for over 4 years and still use it makes me smile. These shades are so vibrant and beautiful – I can see why you love it x

      • January 19, 2017 / 8:23 pm

        That’s great if there’s a shade you really like in particular 😊

    • January 19, 2017 / 10:24 pm

      I can’t follow you. But I will glad to because I am a makeuplover

  3. January 19, 2017 / 2:08 pm

    These shadows are amazing. I swear Urban Decay never dissapoints with their formula!

  4. January 19, 2017 / 3:00 pm

    I need to try this but looks so cool and pigmented !

  5. January 19, 2017 / 3:02 pm

    I missed when urban decay was in boots but I remember really wanting this when it came out. I have one of the book of shadows, the one with butterflies, and I live the colours but put it in a Z palette because it took up so much room. I think one of my all time favourites is the UD vegan palette, I think it was the first UD palette I got, second hand I think, and I still go back to it all the time. Either that or the Balm Jovi palette.

    • January 19, 2017 / 3:40 pm

      I just looked up the vegan palette, hadn’t heard of it before! Looks so pretty! Ahh yes I remember the one with the butterflies it was either the one before this or the one after I seem to recall! I am I right in remembering that one is actually quite neutral! It is chunky, luckily it fits perfectly in one of my awkwardly small height dressing table drawers but it never travels with me cause it’s such a chunky one!

      • January 19, 2017 / 4:03 pm

        I love the packaging for the vegan one but it’s mainly the fact it has both half baked and twice baked in there, they seem to do one of the baked colours in most palettes but not a mix, so it’s good for travel rather than having to take a few palettes to cover the different colours. I think the butterfly one is more neutral than a lot of the book of shadows, about half of them are pretty neutral and there aren’t any really bright colours in it. I found it cheap in a blog sale without the primer or eyeliner so I bought it I think after they stopped doing most book of shadows. I wish they did them more. I know the packaging isn’t practical but they just seemed so special with the pop up bits and the drawer.

  6. January 19, 2017 / 3:59 pm

    Gah, so pretty. So many of UD’s big palettes have such chunky packaging and are not travel-friendly, but the packaging is spot on. Love that it could light up, too!
    Crazy that you hit pan on 3 of the shades already, and looks like you’re getting close with some of the other ones. The shades are incredible!

  7. January 19, 2017 / 5:56 pm

    LOOK at all that pan! 😮
    I couldn’t ever get into these UD palettes – they’re more of a show piece rather than a functioning palette for me. I prefer no frills.
    Loaded and Last Call are my favourites from your swatches.
    And I own Smog as a single. I keep forgetting I have it though… UD formulas aren’t my favourite for eye shadows. I find they fade / crease on me.

  8. kathy
    January 20, 2017 / 2:01 am

    These are so frickin pigmented!!
    Kathy x

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