Hello, Born to Run! Have we run into each other before…?
No, I think I’m just confusing you with another UD palette (Naked on the Run)…or maybe it’s because I’ve seen your same (or very similar) colors in other Urban Decay palettes before.
Urban Decay Born to Run Eyeshadow Palette ($49, 21 shades, full-size mirror)
According to UD, 17 of the 21 eyeshadows in the Born to Run palette are new, but I swear, the orange-y and reddish browns look like they teleported straight outta Naked Heat and the Petite version.
And the metallic magenta, green and purple could’ve been pulled out of the Distortion or Trouble Maker palettes. The peach and golden look familar, too…like a few shades from Daydream.
It’s as if UD went fishing for shadows from their other recent palettes and baked them into a wearable “everything” palette — good for anyone, any time, any place.
Makeup in my current corner of the world is usually pretty casual and conducive to writing at home, chasing Tabs around the house, running errands and taking Connor to toddler things, so I’m all about the shadows in top row, which are the most job/errand/everyday-friendly ones.
For the most part here at the headquarters of Tabs the Cat Industries LLC, the employees (haha, it’s just me) don’t like to wear makeup that looks too overdone (it’s a rare day when I don falsies or do dramatic liquid liner), so I like wearing matte beige Weekender with matte golden brown Riff in the crease, and shimmery pale rose gold Stranded on my lids with a teeny bit of satiny dark emerald Radio on my upper lash lines as a liner.
While I’m sure Born to Run would be fab on longer trips, I can only vouch for it on trips to the library for story time, the gardening store (my dill plant has aphids, gah!), and to Tar-ghay to get tubs of baby kale.
It handles all of those errands with aplomb.
Also, I like that these shadows look the same in pics taken with a studio flash as they do in selfies taken outside — whichever way, they don’t look too heavy or too sparkly — and they don’t make my lids look covered in hella lines.
Biggest pros: the shades are very pigmented, so I don’t have to apply layer upon layer to see the colors, and none of the colors so far (*knocks on wood*) irritate my sensitive eyes.
Biggest cons: they’re almost too easy to blend… I know that sounds crazy, but they’re easier to push around than other UD eyeshadows. Like, when I did my first pass at this palette, I actually wiped off that first attempt and started all over again because the shimmer went too high and too far out as I blended. I didn’t anticipate that.
No biggie…but it took a minute to get used to.
So, the grains will go wherever you want them to, but then they’ll go past that point, so I feel like I have to be extra careful with placement on my lids; otherwise, funny eyeshadow.
Also, there is some fallout with these, but it’s not an epic amount. Fallout with the mattes and satins is reasonable, but with the shinier metallics, you’ll probably need to clean up with a makeup wipe before putting on foundation.
I’ve been feeling like the colors in UD’s other palettes over the past months have leaned more artsy/Instagrammy than practical, but this one seems practical. And, real talk…I love how the shadows don’t age my lids. I think if you’re shadow savvy and can handle blending a fairly complex look, you can have fun with this variety of colors and finishes.
That said, if you can’t blend for sh*t, well, this one’s gonna be tricky.
I’ve definitely seen iterations of these colors in other UD palettes, so Born to Run isn’t groundbreaking, but I think it’s a gorgeous overall, no doubt.
It’s worth a spin if you haven’t pulled the trigger on another UD palette lately (like within the past couple years), and especially if you wear neutrals a lot, but also like wearing color every once in a while.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Erin says
I’m glad you said what you said about blending. I have such little lid space I need it really precise… I’m not into super complicated looks because of my lack of lid space but if I’m going to use two to three shades I like them to stay where I put em and blend out where I want.
Karen says
You’ll have to stop short of where you usually place things… It’s a little extra work, but at least they’re easy to blend, which is a plus.
Agata says
I like it but, I agree, it’s definitely not groundbreaking. We have seen all these colors before. I haven’t bought any UD eyeshadow palettes in a while.
Karen says
Hey Agata,
I like their color combos because I have a thing for jewel tones but at a certain point it starts to feel repetitive, ya know?
How are you and the baby doing? Home stretch now!
Shannon says
Dude, I might need to get this!! The most recent UD palette I have is Naked (yes, the original) so this would add a boatload of fun stuff to my arsenal. Plus I’m all about those shadows that blend hella easy, lol. Adding it to the short list…
Karen says
Hi Shannon,
That’s a classic! BTW regarding yoga (from our last exchange), I used to do Iyengar yoga and it was my favorite out of all the styles.
Mia says
I’m really keen to try out orangey brown shades, so I’m torn between this one and the Naked Petite Heat.
I know deep down though that I won’t get much use out of the colorful shades in Born to Run so Petite Heat is a better choice for me.
This does look like a great collector’s item! Will definitely swatch it once it hits the stores.
Karen says
I think Naked Petite would be a better fit for you then. I like it, but it’s SUPER orangey so I don’t wear it often. It’s fun though. 🙂
smeegal9 says
Thanks for the review and swatches! Your kimono is rather cute. Where did you get it?
Karen says
Hi! It was a gift for my birthday from my mother-in-law. She got it in Hawaii. I’m not sure what the store is but the brand is Global Village.
Fieran says
I was just about to compliment your Kimono Karen. It looks awesome. Love the combination of the camisole with that Kimono 🙂 Looking good!
Savannah says
I’m really interested in this for some strange reason and I haven’t cared about anything UD in like 6 years… I might give it a go!
Linda Libra Loca says
To be honest, I haven´t bought a UD Palette in years, and I feel as if this one would actually really work for me. Like you I stick to neutrals most of the time, but having a few jewel tones in the mix wouldn´t be too bad… I am seriously tempted!
Indya says
Ahhh, this palette. I can’t decide between this one and the Makeup Shayla one from ColourPop. Both look similar to me and I must choose only one! Since this one is permanent, purrhaps I’ll just wait it out.
Tatiana says
I just repurchased the original Naked palette. Not sure I need more shadow, but I do like Guilt Trip, Wanderlust, Drift and Radio. As well as the neutrals.
Lupe says
Hmm I wanted to get this, but I have definitely seen these shadows from UD before. Doesn’t look like anything super new to me. :/