Urban Decay Box of Potions Review

Hey there all! I really wanted to get this post done before Sunday, when the Sephora Friends and Family sale starts, because I think this is a great deal. Pictured below is the Urban Decay Box of Potions that contains their best selling Eyeshadow Primer Potion (also knows as UDPP), and their 4 newest primers:

- 1 oz Complexion Primer Potion - Brightening

- 1 oz Complexion Primer Potion - Pore Perfecting

- 0.3 oz Eyelash Primer Potion

- 0.07 oz Lip Primer Potion SPF 15

This set is already a fabulous deal because all the primers are FULL size, and this set is only $65, and the value of the entire set is $114. Ahhh, this speaks to my cheap heart...

So I tried all the primers except the eyelash one, and I can say that most of them are hits. The eyeshadow primer potion is fabulous, makes your eyeshadow LAST and LAST. It is a cult fave so you probably know all about it. If you look at the pic above, you will see that the wand is bent, which is a new feature to this primer. I think Urban Decay got lots of complaints that the packaging makes it hard to get all the product out, and instead of changing the packaging, they redesigned the wand so you can dig out more product. Hey, I guess that much improvement is better than nothing, right? =)

I tried both the face primers, and I was most excited about the pore perfecting one, because my pores are giii-normous, but I actually ended up liking the brightening one better. The tubes seem small, but are quite large:

I use just a dab to cover my whole face. Actually, the amount shown below was too much, I only needed about half to 3/4 of that much to cover my face and neck.

The one pictured above is the pore perfecting one, but the brightening one looks similar and I use the same amount. I apply to moisturized skin, before applying my makeup. The pore perfecting primer is a bit thicker and I can actually feel it on my face. Both have silica but the pore perfecting formula makes it feel heavier and I can tell that I am putting a veil of product on my skin. Once I got past that, and applied foundation, the primer really did make a difference! I don't think it shrinks pores, but it makes the pores less apparent, which is the point of the primer. It also make my makeup last through the night.

The brightening face primer felt a lot nicer on the skin. It is light and feels like moisturizer. Once it dries and absorbs, I can't tell that I am wearing the primer. I felt that this one did actually make my skin a bit brighter and a little lighter. Not light, as in my foundation wouldn't match, but just a tad...perhaps lightness is my measurement of brightness? In any case, this primer also made my face makeup last longer than without a primer.

I am a bit biased towards the brightening face primer, if only because of the feeling on the skin, but I know I will use both and they both give great results.

I also tried the lip primer:

This baby looks nude colored in the tube, but really does not give off much color. I tried to swatch it on my hand, but the swatch was not visible so I did not bother posting it. If you have really pigmented lips, it might neutralize the color just a shade or so, but will not erase the color like a lip erase or concealer will.

My expectation with this primer was that my lipcolor would last longer. Unfortunately this was not the case. I tried it both with lipstick and with lipgloss, using primer on only half my lips and no primer on half my lips. The end result was that I had the same amount of fading on both sides. There are two things that I do like about the primer:

1. It has SPF, and I find that most lipsticks and glosses don't

2. It moisturized my lips.

After my lipstick starts to fade, I usually get that dry, crackling look if I don't keep reapplying the lipcolor. With this primer, my lips did not get dry and crackly. They felt moisturized and the lipcolor faded evenly. Would I buy this again? Probably not, but I will definitely use it up, and I don't feel guilty about having it because I got such a good deal on the set.

Overall, if you have been considering getting 2 or more of these primers, that I recommend getting this set. Especially if you want to try the face primers, since those retail at $30. Plus, if you get this during the Sephora F&F sale next week, the whole set will cost you $52, which is a mega steal!

In other news, I am super exhausted and this may not be the best written post, but I just wanted to get it up since I won't have time tomorrow to even touch my computer. Tomorrow (Oct 17) is Diwali, which is the Indian equivalent to Christmas. It is the most celebrated holiday in India because we consider it to be our New Year. In India, businesses and schools are closed for about 2 weeks, and people celebrate like crazy! The streets are decorated with flowers and colorful garlands, households cook for several weeks prior to Diwali to prepare special sweet and savory goodies, everyone is in the street doing fireworks till the wee hours of the morning, and the whole country is in a festive spirit. I was lucky enough to be in India during Diwali a few years ago and I had the time of my life! I always get a little sad when I am home here in the US because it just doesn't feel like Diwali without all the fun and merriment. However, my family and I do try and have a Diwali party at our house so the party is tomorrow evening and my mom and I have been cooking all week to get ready, which is why I am so tired right now. That being said, I am really excited to see all our family and friends and just enjoy this special time. =) Diwali is definitely my favorite holiday....what's yours?

Please let me know how you guys are doing! I'm anxious to find out what you are lemming right now.