Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette Review

I still had some money left on the Sephora gift card my husband got me for my birthday, and as soon as I saw the Gwen Stefani Blush Palette ($45 at Sephora.com) from Urban Decay, I knew that's what I was going to spend it on. I've been a Gwen Stefani fangirl since No Doubt first came out in the '90's and I'm still obsessed with Tragic Kingdom (it never gets old). But I have also admired how flawless she always looks, so having the opportunity to own products that she created together with one of my favorite makeup brands is kind of a no-brainer for me. So keep on reading to see my full review and swatches of this gorgeous palette! 

Like the Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette that was released first, this palette has a beautiful graphic design that was created with the same vibe as the decor in Gwen's home. Basically, Urban Decay wanted this to be something that would look great sitting on her vanity and be something she would like looking at every day. So it's not just inspired by her like some celebrity collabs are...she actually had a major hand in the design, how cool is that? 

The two Gwen Stefani palettes look very similar on the outside with the main difference being that the blush palette is white and gold while the eyeshadow palette is black and gold. This is a really luxurious-looking palette and it feels very heavy and substantial. I actually prefer the white and gold design of the blush palette over the eyeshadow palette because it doesn't show fingerprints as easily.

Inside, there are six .09 oz blushes. A single Urban Decay Afterglow blush is .23 oz for $26, so basically, you're getting the equivalent of close to 2.5 full-sized blushes in here, which would cost around $65. So the $45 price tag is actually a pretty good deal for the amount of product that's in here.

Inside, there's a full sized mirror with the words, "Magic's in the Makeup" in the lower right corner. The blushes have their names printed above them (I love when brands do that). Overall, it just looks and feels high-end, yet not stuffy. It's probably the coolest-looking piece of makeup I have on my vanity table right now...I love everything about it.

The shades inside are stunning and I love the variety that's in here from cool Barbie pink to warm rose to peach and bronze. I've seen some negative reviews about the shade selection being only suited to light skin tones, but from what I understand, this palette was created for Gwen to actually use herself, so it makes sense that it would be shades that would suit her best. Luckily, I have a very similar skin tone, so this entire palette suits me perfectly...it's not often I can say that!

• Cherry is a light pink satin...that classic cool-toned Barbie pink, perfect for Spring & Summer.
• Easy is a deep rose with gold shimmer and one of my favorites in the palette...but I need to use a light hand because it's very pigmented.
• Angel is champagne-nude shimmer which I use as a blush topper since it's a little too dark to highlight with. Medium to deep skin tones could definitely use it as a highlighter though.
• Bronzer in Lo-Fi is a soft bronze matte that I actually like to use just under my cheekbones for definition, then top it with a pop of color on the apples of my cheeks. It's a great nude/bronze base.
• Hush is a gorgeous medium pink with gold shimmer, but it's too light to use on it's own as a blush, so I like to layer it over another blush to create a soft glow.
• Highlighter in OC is a soft pink with peach shift...it's a really pretty unique shade due to the color shifts in it. On my cheeks, it shows up as a pale peach and I use it on days when I want a really natural glow, but again, it's too dark for me to use as a highlighter and it's also not super shimmery.

The blushes are Urban Decay's long-wearing Afterglow formula and they're soft, blendable and finely-milled. They go on sheer and can be easily built up, but I can see why some of these shades don't show up on darker skin tones, because they're pretty light.
They also layer really well, even though they're all different...I often find myself using three of them at the same time on different areas of my cheeks, then blending them all together.

From Top: Cherry, Easy, Angel, Lo-Fi, Hush, OC

Overall, I'm obsessed with this palette and love layering the different shades to create so many different looks. Plus the ultra cool packaging just puts it over the edge. This is a great way to try Urban Decay's Afterglow Blushes for less and own an awesome limited edition palette designed by Gwen Stefani! 
Have you tried any of the new Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani Collection yet?

Grab yours now at Sephora.com.