Steal of the Century! Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil Stash Review

Seriously, this is about as no-brainer as it gets. Urban Decay has their 24/7 Shadow Pencil Stash (Holiday 2011) on sale right now. You get five travel pencils for nine bucks. Regular price was $34. That's a ridiculous deal. However, if you really want the math on this, here goes:

1 full-sized UD Shadow Pencil (.10 oz) = $20
5 full-sized UD Shadow Pencils (.50 oz) = $100
1 travel-sized UD Shadow Pencil (.088 oz) = $17.60 (not available separately, so don't worry about it)
5 travel-sized UD Shadow Pencils (.44 oz) = $88

Therefore, what should cost $88, and was originally Holiday-priced at $34, that I picked up for $12, is now on sale for $9. You're getting five pencils for about half the cost of one. Excuse me for a second...

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry. I, quite literally, had to stop typing for a moment to laugh at the utter insanity of that price. And the thing is, all but one of the colors in this set are available separately in the $20 full size. My brain is having a hard time wrapping itself around this one. If you like smoky eyes, glide-on liners, cream shadows, glitter shadows, highlighted inner corners, or are just too lazy to use a brush (like me this morning), do yourself a favor and pick up one of these sets. Heck, pick up two or three. Give away any colors you don't like, and you'll still end up way ahead of the game.

Right. Now, onto the review:

I picked this set up a while back, when I snagged the Rollergirl Palette, and have been borderline obsessed with it ever since. You might have noticed. Anyhoo, let's look at this thing.

Packaging: The set comes in a very sturdy, shiny cardboard holder. I've been keeping my pencils in the holder, and shoving the entire thing into a drawer in my bathroom. After a few weeks of this, the holder is still in practically mint condition, and my pencils have stayed nice and organized. The first time you go to take them out, though, you better have a screwdriver on hand. Those suckers are in there tight! I'm also a fan of how the outside of each pencil is the same color as the shadow, itself, and the names are clearly printed on each. Caps are clear, and appear to be thick enough to avoid breakage. 10 out of 10.

Colors: From left to right: Delinquent (glittery dark purple), Juju (frosted taupe), Rehab (bronzed brown), Sin (shimmering champagne), and Clash (glittery bright turquoise).

Photo Credit: Urban Decay

For me, the most wearable are Rehab and Sin, and I often use them in combination. I spread Rehad across the lid and under the lower lash line, and highlight my inner corners with Sin. I've also used Sin as a cheek highlight with nice results. Delinquent is a much more wearable purple than you might imagine, though I do tend to tone it down with a neutral crease color. Clash is an absolutely divine turquoise. It's not an everyday kind of color, but for those times when you want a serious pop of color, this is unspeakably beautiful. I've found myself planning outfits around it. Juju is the only clunker for me. It's probably the perfect color for somebody out there, but I just can't wear it. It's so close to my skin tone that it just makes me look ill and a little pasty. 8 out of 10.

Quality: I just want you to look at something really quickly:

Top to bottom: Delinquent, Sin, Juju, Rehab, and Clash

Each of those colors (and please, ignore my hairy arm...) was swatched ONE TIME in only ONE DIRECTION. That's how smooth and pigmented they are. Also, if you're a glitter girl, like I am, this is the only way to do glitter. There is zero fallout when applying. Wherever you put this is where it stays, glitter included. Blends like a dream--even with fingers--with color payoff in spades. 10 out of 10.

Wear: This is my eye after six hours of wearing Delinquent:

Makeup Used: Delinquent on lid, UD Busted shadow in crease,
UD Bootycall shadow on browbone, Sin on inner corner,
Tarte Lights, Camera, Action Mascara

It's still there, and it's still really purple. The glitter is exactly where I put it, with maybe one or two flecks of fallout. There is some creasing, but considering the heat and humidity of my current climate (think: Sauna in Hell), and the fact that it's been on six hours without primer (oh, yeah, did I forget to mention that? No primer needed! One less step in the morning!), I'd say that's doing pretty darn well. 9.5 out of 10.

Final Verdict: 9.4 out of 10. For this price, buy as many as you possibly can. Trust me, you'll use them.