Hark! Another Vice palette. Yes, really. Vice LTD.
Urban Decay Vice LTD
I had other content scheduled to go live today, but I wanted to talk about this while it is relevant, so…here we go! Vice LTD makes Urban Decay’s fourth Vice mega-palette, following Vice, Vice 2, and Holiday 2014’s Vice 3.
Edit: I’m an idiot, this has been out for almost two months BUT my point is the same.
Which is…they released it entirely too close to Vice 3.
Frankly, even as a fan of Urban Decay products (I may or may not have just picked up Naked2 Basics for myself, more on that later this week), I can’t help but raise my eyes and sigh a little. It isn’t a unique offering for them. Sure, the shadows in Vice LTD aren’t identical to those in its predecessors, they’re so similar; unless you’re a collector, it is pretty well pointless to get all four.
I’m having a little trouble finding, “stock,” manufacturer photos from the first three and I don’t want to jack a photo from someone else’s work, but if you search Google Images for the Urban Decay Vice, Urban Decay Vice 2, and Urban Decay Vice 3 – compare it to what you see above; you’ll see what I mean.
Urban Decay seems to have a template or formula that they use to build these palettes…they all have a very similar look and feel; Vice LTD is no different. You’ve got some neutrals, most of them are shimmery. Although they’re great for someone who is starting out or someone that doesn’t have much variety, they are all identifiable – take away the packaging and color names, anything that brand-wise identifies it as Urban Decay and most people who pay attention to makeup are going to go, “Oh, hey, a Vice palette…”
You know, like how you can identify a Nickelback song before Chad Kroeger even starts singing.
Okay, that was a low blow. I’m sorry.
A large part of Urban Decay’s appeal is their uniqueness – that they weren’t just another cookie-cutter brand. The fact that they were so different, combined with their stellar quality, allowed them to rise quickly to become an industry leader and trendsetter; let’s face it, how many companies have copycat neutral palettes these days? Respectable companies and skeezy knock-offs alike are still trying to ride on the coattails of Naked. It’s all of this that makes me expect more from Urban Decay; I expect them to cultivate something unique, not yet another Vice palette – it’s like when you’re watching a TV show you love, and you get to the next week’s episode only to find that it is a recap episode – disappointing.
Vice LTD is still fun – I really dig that bright pink (just like I love the pink in Everything Nice) as well as a few other shades, but I was just hoping for something a little different. Maybe a Naked Basics-sized palette of more colorful hues – maybe something to complement the Electric palette. Or maybe Junkshow (the pink from this), maybe a couple of the fun shades from Vice 2 into a smaller palette for people new to experimenting with color to test the water without committing to a $60 palette. I don’t know. Something…something different.
2015 is very young, so here’s hoping it is an inventive and successful year for Urban Decay.