The special limited edition Urban Decay Jean-Michel Basquiat Collection is a collaboration inspired in every way by the groundbreaking artwork of Basquiat. The colors, shade names, and of course the incredible packaging is all an homage to one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.
The collection is a very robust collection including both neutrals and bold, playful colours. There are an impressive three palettes in the collection inspired by Basquiat’s paintings, each packaged in mini reproductions of his work.
The Urban Decay Gold Griot Eyeshadow Palette ($49 CAD) is a gorgeous palette of eight flattering neutral shades. It is a very complete palette offering a full range of shades including matte base, transition, and crease shades, along with beautiful metallics and deeper contouring colours. It’s one of the palettes that you can actually create a full look from start to finish without having to reach for any other shadows. The shadows all performed beautifully and are richly pigmented. The only thing I could find to complain about was a part of me wished there was a stronger contrast between the shades Suckerpunch and Influence.
The eight shades are:
- Enigma – neutral pale nude matte
- Levitation – warm pale nude matte
- Not For Sale – medium sienna matte
- Suckerpunch – warm brown shimmer
- Influence – brown satin with gold shimmer
- BK – gray matte-satin
- Pseudonym – deep navy matte
- Crown – very metallic gold
On the other side of the spectrum we have the Urban Decay Tenant Eyeshadow Palette ($49 CAD). This bright and colorful palette just screams fun! The shadows in this palette are really great quality for brights. Neo, Les, and Graffiti are a little less pigmented than I would like but still good quality.
The eight shades are:
- Studio – pale pink matte
- 1960 – bright pink matte
- Neo – rich aubergine with micro-shimmer
- Les – charcoal-black matte-satin
- Graffiti – deep metallic green
- Exu – bright green shimmer
- Boom – bright teal matte
- Untitled – rich deep blue matte
The Urban Decay Gallery Blush Palette ($45 CAD) includes two blushes, a highlighter, and a bronzer. Such a great face palette! The powders are crazy pigmented and have a beautiful creamy smooth formula. It is the Afterglow blush formula which is exceptional. The shades are breathtaking. The only drawback for me is the highlighter is way too metallic for my tastes on my face but it is STUNNING on the eyes. It’s a real beauty.
- Jawbone – medium bronze
- X-Rated – medium pink
- Noho – radiant berry
- Now’s the Time – gold-champagne shimmer
There are three new exclusive shades of Urban Decay Vice Lipstick ($21 CAD) in the collection. Each with it’s own unique packaging based on Basquiat’s work. All three shades have phenomenal color payoff. If you like any of these colors then I’d jump on these because the formula is fabulous on all three.
- Abstract – nude-taupe Cream
- Epigram – neutral sienna Cream
- Exhibition – medium pink-purple Comfort Matte
To round out the really beautifully executed collection, seriously there are no big duds here, are the three new shades of Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil ($25 CAD). The waterproof liners have beautiful opaque and vibrant color payoff. I mean just look at Anatomy in my look below. It’s practically trying to jump through the camera!
- Anatomy – sienna matte
- Vivid – bright teal matte
- Post Punk – bright neon green with a hint of pearl
Here is the look I created with the collection. I’m wearing the Gold Griot palette and the Anatomy liner on the eyes, X-Rated, Jawbone, and Now’s the Time, from the Gallery Blush palette, and both Epigram and Abstract on the lips.
If you are a Basquiat fan, or if you just find yourself drawn to the incredible packaging and shades of this collection, then I don’t think you will be disappointed. While a lot of the colours in this collection aren’t ones I would personally wear, the quality and performance can’t be denied.
Your swatches of this collection are gorgeous. And it’s funny because I wrote into Temptalia because I was wondering what kind of coloring a person would have to have to wear the eyeliner and it’s beautiful on you. I can’t wear brown or orange near my eyes, so I went with the Tenant Palette and love it. I actually wear it as if it were Pastel Goth blending it into a lighter base shadow– and it’s really fun. I am actually tempted by all the lipsticks, especially Epigram. The swatches of them look gorge.
I plan to purchase Exhibition and Abstract from the lipsticks.