Review -- Urban Decay Vice Palette 2

 I've been pretty sad lately, so I've been employing a few different strategies for boosting my mood.

There have been quite a few "Charlie's Angels" marathons with my big sister -- the original series, of course. I wasn't around to watch it when it was actually on back in the day, but my sister has always been a big fan and '70s TV is so charmingly bad that it's bound to make you laugh.

I've also tried working out more and getting back into a running routine -- though shin splits and blisters have kind of put a crimp in that. 

So I finally found myself turning to a tried and true coping mechanism -- retail therapy.

I've done quite a bit of makeup shopping in the past two weeks.

I'm still sad, but at least I have pretty new makeup to play with. 

That's how the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette found its way into my makeup drawer.

I purchased the first Vice Palette last year, and it has definitely been one of my most used palettes since I bought it. UD's shadows are usually excellent -- they do have a quite a few shades packed with chunky glitter that can be a mess, but even those are usable if you apply the right base first -- and they're a brand where the shadows that are found in palettes are the same quality as those sold as singles. (That's certainly not always the case -- M.A.C. palettes, I'm looking at you.)

In addition to the shadow quality, though, what I love most about the original Vice Palette is the blend of natural, everyday shades and bolder, more colorful options. While they aren't as many matte shades as I might like, it's definitely a standalone palette that has everything you need to create a complete eye look so you don't have to bust out any additional shadows.

The Vice 2 Palette is similar, though it includes darker, richer shades that lend themselves to a variety of smoky eye looks that are lovely for fall and winter.

Let's start with the packaging, though.

The Vice 2 Palette is made of plastic, which is easy to wipe clean if you have tendency of leaving smudged fingerprints all over your makeup like I do. The plastic has a pretty purple marbleized design and a raised crystal "UD" on the cover that is pretty snazzy.  Vice 2 is the same size and rectangular shape as the original Vice Palette, and has a large mirror on the inside that you could actually use to put on your makeup if you were traveling.

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette

Like the original Vice Palette, Vice 2 also has 20 brand new shadow shades from UD.

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette

They include: Smokeout, a black satin; Lovesick, a black with iridescent glitter; Shellshock, a metallic silver with silver glitter; Coax, a shimmery warm pink with gold glitter; X-Rated, a light pink satin; Prank, a rich blue green with blue micro glitter; Madness, a turquoise satin; Strike, a shimmery antique gold; Stash, a shimmery olive green; Poison, a charcoal with iridescent glitter; Radar, a shimmery golden brown; Damaged, a metallic emerald green; Voodoo, a shimmery blue purple with purple glitter; Betrayal, a blue purple duochrome; Derailed, a metallic taupe brown; Dope, a peachy pink satin; Toxic, a shimmery pink copper; Habit, a matte nude; Ambush, a metallic bronze-y brown; and Rewind, a matte midtone brown.

The palette also includes a double-ended brush with a flat shader side and fluffy blending side, just like the original Vice Palette.

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette Top Row

From l. to r.: Smokeout, Lovesick, Shellshock, Coax, X-Rated

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette Second Row

From l. to r.: Prank, Madness, Strike, Stash, Poison

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette Third Row

From l. to r.: Radar, Damaged, Voodoo, Betrayal, Derailed

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette Fourth Row

From l. to r.: Dope, Toxic, Habit, Ambush, Rewind

The Vice 2 Palette is a lovely, high quality palette with some really striking shades.

For everyday looks, Toxic is a gorgeous lid shade for blue-eyed folks and Derailed is a perfect shade for a one shadow look. Stash is a great shadow for a more natural look when you don't want to use plain old neutrals.

When it comes to deeper, shades, Prank, Madness, Poison and Damaged (Seriously, how gorgeous is this green shade?!) are absolutely stunning and all make fabulous smoky eyes. I also love purple shadow, so Voodoo and Betrayal are other favorites.

Reviewing a palette like this is always a little difficult because whether I'd recommend it or not depends largely on what type of makeup you like and what type of makeup you already have in your collection.

In terms of quality and variety of shades, I'd definitely recommend the Vice 2 Palette to any makeup lover. Like the original Vice Palette, I wish that it had a few more matte shades, but I feel that way about most palettes so that's hardly a deal breaker.

However, if you prefer mostly natural or neutral shadows or already have a pretty large collection of shadows, you can definitely skip this palette without missing out on anything too special.

I do think that it would make a lovely holiday gift for any makeup lover in your life because while some of us may not want to shell out the $59 for the palette ourselves, we'd happily take it if someone else spent the money. (Am I right?  I think I'm right.)

I paid for this palette myself, and I'm happy that I did. However, I suspect that I'll reach for my original Vice Palette more often than Vice 2 based solely on color selection. We'll see if that holds true as the year goes along, though.

Are you tempted by the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette? What do you look for in a palette when you're deciding whether or not to buy?