Wearing: Urban Decay Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette‘s “Fast-Ball” (inner corner), “Flame” (lid and lower lash line), “Bitter” (outer and crease, blended out), and “Delete” (outer edge). Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in “Stark Naked” (see the rest of the collection’s swatches here). Upper liner is their 24/7 Liquid Liner in “Smog” – discontinued, unfortunately – and lower liner is the new 24/7 waterline pencil in “Rail.”

Urban Decay recently sent me a preview of their upcoming holiday releases, which reminded me that this year is flying by in the blink of an eye. The holiday season is already upon us? Slow the heck down, 2015! However, when such gentle reminders come in the form of pretty packages full of glorious makeup, I don’t complain — and a new palette full of bright jewel tones and shimmery, pigmented hues is the way to my heart. Back when I didn’t even really wear makeup, my big sister and I would go to the UD and Hard Candy outlet store and buy lipsticks with chunky glitter finishes and crazy colored eyeshadows, and since that’s where my love started, it’s how I identify them. Don’t get me wrong – I love my neutral-driven Naked palettes, but when I think of Urban Decay, I instantly think of punchy color and ubiquitous glitter. Give it all to me!

Given the variety of hues, I fell in love with the Urban Decay Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette upon first glance, zeroing in on the pinkish orange shades that seemed to be missing from my arsenal. There are a few matte finishes (with “Bitter” being a standout), but most are either shimmery or glittery, with varying degrees of pigment and fallout. The swatches (shown on Kim’s tattoo-less arms) show the eyeshadows with no primer, to give you an idea of their opacity without building. If you want more impact and longer wear, I highly recommend using a primer underneath these or any other eyeshadows; it truly makes a difference in terms of color, longevity, and preventing creasing.

A lot of people have gripes about the glittery shades, which is understandable — there’s always a bit of fallout and it goes on a little more sheer than you might expect, when using a brush. But that’s an easy fix, so it doesn’t bother me. For the glittery shades like “Flame,” “Low,” and “Crowbar,” in particular, make sure you 1. use primer, and 2. use your finger to apply (instead of a brush) OR apply with a damp brush. If you want to check it out and decide for yourself if this palette is for you, the Urban Decay Vice 4 Eyeshadow Palette will be available for purchase on September 12th.