Urban Decay Game of Thrones Mother of Dragons Highlighter Palette Review & Swatches
Urban Decay Game of Thrones Mother of Dragons Highlighter Palette ($36) is a new, limited edition highlighter palette that contains three brand new shades of Urban Decay Afterglow Highlighter that’s launching on April 24th with the rest of the UD Game of Thrones Makeup Collection.
I dunno if Daenerys’ will take the Iron Throne but she is dominating the UD Game of Thrones Collection thus far with her own highlighter palette and a cheek and lip stain!
I mentioned in my review of the Urban Decay Game of Thrones Dracarys Lip & Cheek Stain how cool it would be if Dany got her own eyeshadow palette as her personality invokes both cool and fiery shades. Her House does get a nod in the upcoming Urban Decay Game of Thrones Eyeshadow Palette but sadly, she doesn’t not get her own palette. We’d probably have a really huge collection if we addressed all the characters in GOT with their own palettes so, I do understand why UD decided it best to go with one big palette to represent all the houses vying for the throne versus individual palettes for each beloved character. Doesn’t mean a lot of fans, myself included, aren’t a little disappointed by that though!
Technically the palette is actually more of a nod to Dany’s three dragons aka children (she successfully hatched them after dragons have been extinct for many years) Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion. Those are in fact the names of each highlighter you’ll find in this palette (and the names of each dragon). One of the most interesting aspects of the palette is the design they used on the box and compact featuring a 3D-like dragon scale in shades representing each of the dragons. The design isn’t actually raised but it gives the illusion of a 3D design and it looks very lifelike in a certain light. When Dany first gets her three eggs they are considered petrified and for decorative purposes only. As she begins to care for them and apply heat the color changes and becomes intense and more jewel-like in tone. I dunno if these shades in the palette really represent her dragon’s colors well and they do seem repetitive to shades we’ve already seen in in the Afterglow Highlighter Collection but none the less, collector’s will want to get their hands on this I’m sure.
Personally, I think they could have done something crazy and wild with these highlighters. It’s a bit of a miss opportunity. Dragons have such unique and interesting duochrome scale shades and that would make for amazing highlighter shades. While this sounds amazing I guess in theory a jewel-toned duochrome highlighter probably wouldn’t work so great for everyday use. So, in the end we’re presented with shades that are a lot easier to wear than the ones I envision in my imagination.
Inside the palette you’ll find a generously sized mirror as well as the three highlighters which are embossed with a dragon’s egg. The names of each highlighter is printed below each shade. The highlighters are 0.14 oz in size. A full-size is typically 0.23 oz and $26. That means you get a total of 0.42 oz of highlighter which is equivalent to two highlighters. It’s quite a nice value.
The formula actually feels a lot more velvety compared to the original Afterglow Highlighter. The texture has a soft, buttery feel that doesn’t kick up a lot of powder when a brush is applied to it. It applied relatively easy for me! I struggle with highlighter so that’s saying something. They are a bit frosty in my opinion and if you’re not working on a very smooth surface you might find they cling a bit to drier areas or uneven skin texture. Just prep well and make sure your face is hydrated well prior to application for the smoothest finish. For my look below I applied Dragon over the new Dracarys Lip & Cheek Stain and swept on a little Rhaegal on top of it for warmth. It adds a nice luminosity to my skin! Do use a lighter touch when applying as you can easily get a little too much glow with a heavier application. I try to avoid that since I have a rounder face and using a ton of highlighter feels like it makes my fuller face look even more full! The formula wears well and I had a nice glow that lasted six plus hours with some fading as I headed into hour seven.
I really liked the packaging and the formula but I do think there’s room for greater things here and there’s a bit of a missed opportunity with these shades! I wouldn’t be adverse to a fiery orange or a red highlighter. That seems like it would fit Dany’s dragons more accurately!
Oh well
Urban Decay Game of Thrones Mother of Dragons Highlighter Palette launches later this month!
Will you be indulging?
Where to buy
Urban Decay Ulta Sephora Macy’s
Urban Decay Game of Thrones Mother of Dragons Highlighter Palette is a new palette inspired by Daenerys Targaryen three dragons in Game of Thrones. This palette contains three new Afterglow Highlighter shades all named after Dany’s dragons. Each highlighter is 0.14 oz in size and the palette is priced at $36. I expressed in my review that there isn’t a lot of unique or new here! I do feel like these shades have been done before in the Afterglow Collection and it feels like a missed opportunity to create something really gorgeous based off the scales of the dragons like a fiery red or orange highlighter! Urban Decay played it pretty safe with these shades. That being said the highlighters performed well! They have a soft, buttery texture that applies and blends easily although, be sure to properly prime skin for the smoothest application. The formula wears a solid six to seven hours before I saw fading.
- Great packaging with a 3D dragon scale-like look!
- Generous size and good price.
- Velvety texture that applies and wears well!
- Shades aren’t unique enough and repetitive to shades we’ve seen from UD before.
(bulleted list for who)