Our Verdict On The Game Of Thrones X Urban Decay Collection
The Game of Thrones hype is REAL! If you’re a fan of the show, no doubt you’ve been counting down the days to find out what’s really gonna happen between Jon Snow and Daenerys – will they fall in love and share the throne? (Okay, that’s a dumb hypothesis)! Anyway, Urban Decay partnered up with HBO to create the ultimate limited-edition collection of Game of Thrones-inspired makeup, and we’re SO here for it.
If you’re wondering what we mean by inspired, we’re talking eyeshadows, lipsticks, eyeshadow brushes, and eyeliners named after characters, places, and all things GOT! And guess what? The products launch today (April 14th) the same day episode one of the final season airs – who else is excited AF?!
We tried out all the products to see if these were just a hyped-about collector’s item or genuinely great products. Here’s what we thought:
The Game of Thrones Eyeshadow Palette, $65
What you get: 20 shades of matte, metallic and shimmer eyeshadows in probably the most uniquely-themed case we’ve ever seen. The outer box is decorated in swords, and when you open it, there’s a large mirror among a map themed-interior with a classic Daenerys quote. There’s even a pop-up throne – kinda redundant, kinda cool. The eyeshadows are on a tray that you can completely remove from the box.
What we thought: We’re pretty impressed with the eyeshadows. The palette is broken down into four shade collections that represent different places and the shade spectrum is really vast: you’ve got everything from green and blue metallics and rich bronzes in metallic and matte formulas to duo-chrome purples, golds, and pink.
The formulas: The metallics have amazing payoff and work really well with the brushes in the collection and also with fingers. The mattes are super creamy and pigmented and go on really smoothly, although we did feel they faded slightly through the day. We also noticed that although there was only a little fallout when applied to the lid, we did find chunks of the metallic eyeshadow landing on our cheeks through the day. Not ideal if you’ve gone for their boldest shade! We recommend using a lid primer, like the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, $24, and setting with a setting spray.
What we liked: We love that you can use the four categories to create a look you know will work (making life easier if you’re new to makeup), and that all of these colors work really well together as well. We created a dramatic winged look using Frozen and The Sight on the upper lid, and Weirwood Leaves and Bend The Knee on the outer lower lash line, with a pop of Hardhome on the inner corner to brighten up the eye – something we imagine even Cercei would be impressed with!
The verdict: Despite the fallout, we really enjoyed using and wearing these eyeshadows. You can create tons of different looks, from bold and sexy to neutral or pretty, and the formulas are really easy to work with.
The 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils, $22
What it is: A collection of four eyeliners in Urban Decay’s award-winning formula.
Dragon Smoke: A midnight blue with purple and blue shimmers
Lannister Gold: A super metallic, cool-toned gold shade
Winterfell Snow: The most unique by far; a pale, iridescent sheer formula made up of blue and purple shimmers
The Knight King: A beautiful, rich greenish-blue shade.
What we liked: This is such a creamy formula and it literally glides onto the lid effortlessly. The shades are all stunning, and that metallic gold shade is definitely a new fave for us. When applied, ther’s a little play-time so you can smudge and blend the formula out if you want to, but once it’s set, it stays in place all day long without budging!
The verdict: Whether you love GOT or not, these are worth checking out!
The Mother of Dragons Highlighter Palette, $36
What it is: If you’d bend the knee to Daenerys any day of the week, then you’re naturally intrigued by this highlighter palette with three new shades of Urban Decay’s Afterglow highlighter. Each shade is imprinted with a little dragon egg and named after Daenerys’ three children/dragons.
What we thought: Initially, we weren’t sure about the colors, but they actually look really pretty on and work for both fair to deep skin tones (fair skin tones can use the deepest shade as a bronzer), but we love that they’re diverse so that any GOT fan can wear them. The powder is finely milled and offers an everyday-kind-of-shimmer – you won’t blind people (in a good way).
Verdict: It’s pretty, but it’s not our fave product from the collection. The price seems a little high for the packaging.
The Game of Thrones Vice Lipsticks, $19
What it is: A collection of four lipsticks in a super-creamy, intensely-pigmented formula. If you’ve always wanted to embody your fave leading lady, then now is your chance.
White Walker: Deep-berry wine
Daenerys Targaryen: A cool-toned metallic red
Cersei Lannister: Metallic gold
Sansa Stark: A warm peach
What we thought: The formula goes on smoothly and is super comfortable on the lips. It has a soft sheen and didn’t really dry down, and these definitely aren’t transfer-proof.
We weren’t blown away by the shades, but they do suit the characters they portray (not that we’ve ever noticed a white walker in lipstick). The pigmentation was nice, and lasted really well (at least a few hours), although the shade Sansa Stark was much sheerer, and didn’t really come through on deeper complexions.
Tips: We struggled to get crisp outlines, so we recommend using this with a lip liner.
The verdict: The formula is nice, but we weren’t obsessed with the shades! The packaging is really cute and we like that each is unique to the character, so if you like these shades, these are definitely worth checking out in store.
The Eyeshadow Brushes, $28 (each)
We’ve always been a fan of the Urban Decay eyeshadow brushes, and they went all out and extra af for this limited edition collection with two brushes that mimic Arya and Jon Snow’s swords – not that we’ve ever seen either of them with eyeshadow on!
Jon Snow’s Longclaw Large Eyeshadow Brush: This is perfect for applying mattes all over the lid or blending out shadow.
Arya Stark’s Needle Flat Eyeshadow Brush: This little brush is perfect for packing metallic shadows on the lid, or dabbing shimmers on the inner corner. You can use the tip of the brush for applying eyeshadow on the lower lash line.
The verdict: Both brushes work perfectly, and although Jon Snow’s slightly heftier sword/brush takes a little getting used to using, these are definitely the cutest collector’s items.
Dracarys Lip & Cheek Stain, $26
What it is: A universally flattering red shade to give lips and cheeks a red flush.
What we thought: We’ll be straight up, we weren’t big fans of this. It took quite a bit of building to get pigment payoff and it just generally didn’t excite us. However, if you like a natural look, we say give this a try in store.
Final Verdict on the Game of Thrones x Urban Decay Collection: We’re actually pretty impressed. Faves for us were the eyeshadow palette, eyeshadow brushes, and the eyeliners, all of which we will definitely be using again. The attention to detail is as just as on point as Game of Thrones!
What do you guys think of this collection? Let us know which pieces you’d get in the comments below.
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