Monroe Misfit Makeup | Beauty Blog: Urban Decay BackTalk Palette Review & Swatches

March 16, 2018

Urban Decay BackTalk Palette Review & Swatches


When the Urban Decay BackTalk Palette hit SEPHORA last week I ran (okay, more like I immediately clicked the buy button) to grab it up. Backtalk is one of my absolute favorite Vice lipstick shades. The creamy mauve pink is flattering on everyone, it's no wonder this is the No. 1 selling, cult-favorite Vice Lipstick shade! Having a palette created around your favorite pink lip color? DREAMS. As excited as I was for this palette, and still am, it turned out to be quite surprising!



Like two palettes in one, this travel-ready case holds eight nude-mauve, soft berry and muted rose Eyeshadow shades on one side and four coordinating shades of blush and highlighter on the other. The casing is cardboard and flip turn style with a removable magnetic mirror dividing the two. I appreciate the sleek, somewhat non-bulky design but the mirror has a tendency to fall out and the palette does not stay closed with out it inside. It's not the most practical design but it is something I haven't seen done before.


Many, myself included, thought this palette was going to be Urban Decay's answer to a NAKED 3 Basics Palette. It is not at all, but that is not a bad thing! Despite appearing a pink toned berries palette oddly enough it is on the warm side.


The eyeshadow's swatch and wear with much more orange/red based warmth for being inspired by a cool-toned mauve lipstick. The rosy berries have a Fall/Winter feel to them while the soft peachy pink's nod to Spring. I think the color range in this palette is going to please both cool-toned and warm-toned eyeshadow fans alike because there is something in here for both.


Every shade features proprietary Pigment Infusion System™ for velvety pigments that blend easily, stay rich and last for hours. While these shades all swatched pigmented they had a drier feeling to them than what I'm used to from Urban Decay palettes. I had to go over them with my brush multiple times to build color on my eyes. Normally with UD eyeshadow's one or two passes gives me even, pigmented color. It seems the quality has been knocked down a notch from the NAKED Palette's, more to a Too Faced level. I always feel palette's suffer a little when more bang for your buck is packed in to them. These are very hard pressed so they will require a bit more work to build color.

The first four shades are more of what I was expecting from this palette. 3 Sheets is a soft matte light pink highlight shade. Bare and Curve are very similar to each other being shimmering champagnes. A little too similar but I love these type of shades on the lid so I don't mind. Backtalk is just what I was picturing for the eyeshadow shade match to the VICE Lipstick in the pan. It applies more of a warm dusty rose than a cool mauve though.

Here is where the shades in Backtalk really start to warm up. Attitude, WTF, and 180 all have underlying reddish orange tones. I could easily see these in the NAKED Heat Palette. Pretty colors, just not the expected cool-berries.

 (swatched over no primer)
3 SHEETS (pale pink-nude matte) BARE (light pinky-peach satin)CURVE (metallic rose shimmer with silver micro-glitter) BACKTALK (soft rosy mauve matte) SHADE (deep fuchsia satin) ATTITUDE (metallic red-copper) WTF (reddish brown matte) 180 (metallic brown-red)


Not a part of Backtalk, but I wanted to share some 24/7 Liners that I thought would pair well with  looks created with this palette. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils are the best pencil liners ever. Gliding on smooth, pigmented, to set and stay in place for hours. Distortion is a shade I have been wearing a lot lately. The smoky brown is a softer alternative to Black. If you want a serious, true sooty black though Zero is your girl.

It's hard to believe but I have never tried Urban Decay Blushes before. That is half of the reason I was so keen on Backtalk. I wish these were more cool-toned blushes, but I need to get over it! This isn't a cool-toned palette. If they had just called this a Spring palette I probably wouldn't be pouting over it right now, but my heart was set on completely cool-toned palette because we never get any.


The softer shades Low Key and Party Rock are more like highlighters than blushes and don't have a lot of pigment, just shimmer. I think they should have noted that this is a blush AND highlight palette. I don't care for Cheap Shot and Double Take on my very cool-toned skin. They have too much "rudiness" to them. I do like how Low Key and Party Foul look as highlighters, they have a soft gorgeous glow. Each blush allow you to create pretty monochromatic looks when paired with the eyeshadows. Just be prepared for more of a sheer wash of color than a highly pigmented blush.


CHEAP SHOT (medium pink-nude)DOUBLE TAKE (rich mauve with slight shimmer) LOW KEY (pink-peach) PARTY FOUL (light pink-nude shimmer).

When the Backtalk palette was decidedly warmer I was slightly disappointed. I really wanted to see a completely cool-toned palette in the slew of warm ones out these days. Except, I really like the colors! They are flattering to my green eyes and I love the all-in-one palette concept of coordinating eye and cheek colors. It wasn't the palette I was expecting, but one I unexpectedly still liked. I do hope Urban Decay gives us cool-toned eyeshadow fans something really to talk about (like a truly cool mauvey taupey berry Naked 3 Basics!).


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