Urban Decay Born to Run Palette | What am I Missing? • Girl Loves Gloss

[dropcap]E[/dropcap]ight years ago Urban Decay dropped the Naked Palette on us all and the world suddenly took note that they had a kick-ass eyeshadow formula. Those of us who’d known the brand BN (that’s ‘Before Naked’), know they had awesome metallic and glitter shadows. Urban Decay climbed up the ranks creating a namesake for neutral palettes everywhere. Many many brands took inspiration from this, often even attempting to replicate it over the years.

Since these days, there have been very few duds in their shadow lineup as far as I am concerned. Then the Born to Run Palette dropped. People immediately loved the mix of neutral and colour and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive… except it falls short for me, in a big way.

One thing I never worried about with Urban Decay eyeshadows was their impact; Pigmentation and pay off were never even a question. Then recently they launched the Backtalk Palette which was much more muted than I expected from the brand. While the shades didn’t perform badly, they just needed to be built up more than I am used to from the brand. This wasn’t a poor quality issue, but rather a preference on my part. The formula most certainly was not the rich, foiled-like texture I had been used to.

So then the Born to Run Palette launched and there are hoards of great reviews on YouTube… and I’m finding myself the odd woman out. While the shades in the pan look incredibly vibrant and full of depth – heck, they swatch amazing – they don’t apply with a brush the way I expect. The transfer of colour from brush to lid just isn’t there. I find myself working much harder to make varying shades play nice with each other. Then once I do get the look I desire… it fades within hours. I have truly never had this issue with Urban Decay’s formula, which makes me come to two conclusions: They’ve possibly changed the formula, or I got a dud.

I know the question is begging to be asked: “Did you try a primer?” and the answer is: Several. I even went and got Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, a cult classic, and I still could not boost the longevity of these eyeshadows!

So what am I missing? Why am I struggling to make this palette work when it has such amazing reviews? I find the orange and purple hues particularly disappointing, which for me a deal breaker since I don’t wear green.

It’s a damn shame. I debated even posting this review because it completely contradicts my previous love for Urban Decay’s eyeshadow formula. It won’t turn me off the brand though; I truly think this might be a case of different strokes for different folks. If you love this palette and have found a way to make it work – please let me know! In the meantime, there have been rumblings of some new Naked Palettes launching now that the original has been retired and I am here for them!