Urban Decay Haul: Ammo Shadow Box Plus, Velvet Rope 24/7 Liners and Concealer

I was so excited when I got my little package from UrbanDecay.com yesterday. Urban Decay held their Friends and Family Sale last week with a whopping 30% discount throughout its entire online store. It was my first time to shop at that site, and I am glad to say that ordering was a breeze, payment was easy (I could use Paypal on the UD site which was surprising, but awesome!!), and shipping was uber fast. I got my haul in as little as four days and I only paid $6 for shipping. I could have had free shipping if I let my haul reach $75, but these are the only items I'd wanted. Yes, I bought these for way below 75 bucks! Originally total would have been $82, but the 30% discount was amazing; I saved over $25! I got the Ammo Shadow Box Plus, plus meaning it came with a full-size tube of Urban Decay Primer Potion for only $39 without the discount, so I only paid $27.30 for the box of ten shadows plus the UDPP! I also got the 24/7 concealer in Light-Medium, and the Velvet Rope 24/7 Liner Travel Set. Here are my thoughts on these.


NOTE: As of this writing, Ammo Shadow Box Plus ($39) is currently sold out on the UD website, although they still have the Ammo Shadow Box for $34, without the UDPP.

Okay, let's start with the Ammo Shadow Box Plus. As I mentioned, the "plus" meant a full-size UDPP. I would never have bought a full-size UDPP for retail if it were not included in this kit and if it weren't on sale. Why? A lot of you are probably wondering why I never use UDPP in any of my looks. Well I used to have one two years ago, but I gave it away. Let's just say I was never impressed with it. Didn't like the staying power of my shadows with it; I liked MAC Beige-ing shadestick a lot more and prefer the way it makes my eyeshadows look vibrant compared to the UDPP. Then when I saw those pictures proliferating in blog-landia about how devious and scheme-y the UDPP container where there was a lot of product hidden in the tube and you needed to cut your genie tube in half just to scoop out 50% of the product, I promised to stay far far away from an overhyped product in such a horrendous container. I mean, why do I need to saw my tube in half just to scoop out a substantial amount of product that I paid for anyway? Besides, I am SO satisfied with my Beige-ing shadestick and Soft Ochre paint pot that I don't really need it. So anyway, the fact that it was almost free for the price I paid for this kit is okay with me.

On to the shadow box. I kinda like the cardboard box with the magnetized closure even though it looks cheap compared to the ornate metal or sturdy plastic that MAC uses for its holiday palettes. I like the Ammo box because of the simplicity of the lines, the thin casing which is perfect for travel, and the pretty design in front. It depicts a pistol that spews animals, hearts, skulls, botanical accents and squigglies- so Urban Decay-ish. The pink on matte black is also very appealing. When you open the box, you will see a real mirror with ten little squares of eyeshadows, individually labeled with a rather cheap-looking sponge applicator which I didn't care very much for. I heard that UD is replacing (or has already replaced - as evidenced by Sephora's UD Book of Shadows) this with real brushes.





The shadows are beautiful, very pigmented and glide effortlessly on the skin. If you are into glitter and shimmer, this palette is for you, but stay away if you are repulsed by anything glittery. The shadows are wearable during the day if you use the neutral ones and even the brighter ones as I discovered that they are quite buildable. The texture of the shadows is slightly different from MAC's as it has a very slippery texture. MAC's glide like butter on the lids but UD shadows are a little bit more slippery, I believe.


Swatches were applied over UDPP.

Smog is a pretty bronze coppery brown. Mildew is a shimmery olive green, Oil Slick is a black with chunky silver glitter, Last Call is a pinkish plum. Chopper is a shimmery coppery beige.



Maui Wowie is a beautiful green-tinged beige-gold, Shattered is a shimmery icy blue, Polyester Bride is a platinum-white, Grifter is a lilac pink and Sin is beige-gold with pink tones.

My favorite colors would be Maui Wowie (amazing wash color), Sin (another beautiful all-over lid color), Mildew (I haven't met a green I didn't like), Smog (pretty for neutral looks) and Chopper. These are the colors that are very wearable for me and I could use even every day. The rest are pretty accents to give more oomph to your eye looks, like Oil Slick for a smokey eye and Grifter and Shattered for blues and purples.

The downside is the chunky glitter fall-out. I used this today and I could see glitter on my lips, cheeks and undereye area during the day. A solution would be to use it wet although I really don't like using my pressed shadows wet. I have used UDPP for base.

All in all, the Ammo Shadow Box Plus is a great value for high-quality shadows. It comes in a convenient palette for one to tote around for travel. The UDPP thrown in is a bonus so you don't need to scrounge around for a primer.





I am glad I bought this set during the sale because I really saved a lot. I now have ten of these mini-liners from Urban Decay, two of these are the black eyeliner in Zero which I don't mind because I use it almost every day. I already bought my VIP 24/7 Glide On Liner Travel Set that contains the bright liners from UD, and now with Velvet Rope, I also have the more subdued but still very smooth, easy-to-apply liners.



My favorites are Yeyo, 1999 and Stash. I would have loved Bourbon but I think it's a wee bit too light for my taste. I am planning to get MAC Pearl Glide liner in Molasses because it's the perfect dark chocolate brown that I am looking for. I need Yeyo as white liner really opens up the peepers and makes them look more awake. I have Fascinating eye kohl from MAC, but Yeyo definitely glides better on the lids and on the water line. No drag or any tugging whatsoever.

Lastly, the 24/7 Concealer is a-ma-zing. I used it this morning to conceal blemishes and even my dark undereye circles, and what impressed me was that it is SO creamy for a pencil concealer. You wouldn't even feel any tugging even if you use it on your sensitive undereye area. So soft, creamy, but it is opaque enough to hide all the blemishes. Truly amazing.

All in all, I am very happy with my UrbanDecay.com purchase. I will be on the lookout for more UD products I can snag online, of course hopefully with another coupon code as great as the Family & Friends one.