Just a quick hi and some swatches of the Urban Decay summer 2012 nail kit to hopefully brighten your Tuesday.

It’s raining here today, and the forecast calls for more rain this week, so brightness is certainly something I’m hungry for.

I’m wearing two coats in each of the swatches below. Still not sure about pricing, but I’m assuming the kit will cost about as much as last year’s, probably around $28.

Woodstock

Showboat

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Paint splatters, huh?

Hmm…

The paint splatter packaging for Urban Decay’s new summer nail kit gave me an idea this afternoon. More details to follow, but here are some pics and white paper swatches for now.

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An almost empty Urban Decay Build Your Own Eyeshadow Palette

One of the first gigs I got after college was working in the filing room at a law firm, where I spent hours and hours alphabetizing case files.

Two years of that left me 1) bored out of my gourd and 2) with a chronic compulsion to put things in alphabetical order.

The condition even manifested itself earlier today, as I started sifting through Urban Decay’s newly revamped $18 Eyeshadow Singles (available in a whopping 68 shades).

Naturally, it just made perfect sense to me to place them in alphabetical order — ABC Gum with Asphyxia, Baked and Bender, and so on like that. And then I thought, what if I put them in alphabetical sets using the Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette ($18; includes a six-pan palette, the exclusive shade Walk of Shame and a shadow brush)?

Wouldn’t ya know it? Organized alphabetically like this, I think some of these palettes actually turned out pretty darn cool! Another win for the alphabet.

Before we dive in, here’s some background on the shadows:

• They represent the next generation in Urban Decay Eyeshadows, replacing the old shadows with a new formula and packaging
• Among the 68 shades (there are 64 in the pics below), there are some totally new colors, some former bestsellers, and some fan faves previously only available in UD palettes
• The shades are spread out among five different finishes in satin, shimmer, sparkle, duochrome and matte
• Urban Decay says the new shadows are softer than the generation they replace, with richer pigments, a longer wear time and colors that distribute more evenly
• Each of the shadows pops out of its packaging and can be placed into Urban Decay’s Build Your Own Palette ($18; includes a six-pan palette, a pan of Walk of Shame and a brush)
• I felt that UD’s original eyeshadows were pretty soft and pigmented, but these new versions seem even more pigmented and buttery than before, yum!
• If you don’t feel like building your own palette, right now on urbandecay.com, you can also find five palettes pre-filled with colors selected by bloggers and v-loggers

A-B:
ABC Gum, Asphyxia, Baked, Bender, Blackout, and Blunt

From the left, top row: Baked, Asphyxia and ABC Gum; Bottom row: Bender, Blackout and Blunt

From the left: ABC Gum, Asphyxia, Baked, Bender, Blackout and Blunt

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Contrary to the rumors circulating in the kitty modeling world, the new Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara ($20) was NOT named after Tabs.

Although I can see why some would believe that to be true…

“I’m too husky for this box.”

If the Big Fatty Mascara name rings a bell, you’ve probably seen it before. It’s been a part of the Urban Decay line for years (in the psychedelic red and yellow tube). UD just revamped it and gave it a new outfit.

BFM promises a bit of everything — volume, length, definition, curl hold and jet-black color in a lightweight formula.

Urban Decay also traded the original Big Fatty’s over-sized Diorshow-esque bristle brush for a minimalist approach. The sleek new brush head is designed to fan out lashes.

And those little nubs really get in there! When I used this today, my fringe looked s u p e r s t r e t c h e d out.

By the way, if you love the original Big Fatty, you still have time to stockpile. It’s still available on urbandecay.com.

I never gave the original Big Fatty a try, but I like what I’ve seen from this new version so far, especially the thickness I get from it at the base of my lashes.

Before (top pic) and after two coats of Big Fatty Mascara (bottom pic)

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This year at Urban Decay HQ, spring is a season of covert concealers and secret government agencies — or so it seems, based on the cool code names given to these new 24/7 Concealer Pencils ($18 each).

CIA, DEA, FBI, NSA, ATF, DOD, KGB and MI6? Those are some heavy hitting acronyms right there.

The first four — CIA, DEA, FBI and NSA — are repromotes of Urban Decay’s existing concealer pencils, with the same formula, but dressed in new packaging, while the other four — ATF, DOD, KGB AND MI6 — are new additions to the line designed for darker damsels/covert spies.

Last weekend I worked with the ATF, DOD and KGB on a very important case involving my dark under-eye circles and skin imperfections on my face. I directed ATF, a mid-toned dark golden beige, to take out my dark circles and dispatched DOD (a warm, dark tan) and KGB (a dark golden caramel) to work on my face.

Was the operation a success? Well, yes and no.

These guys are soft! — and creamy, but I mean that in a good way. I like the way they feel and what a cinch they are to apply. The formula sinks right into my skin and doesn’t look like it’s just chilling on top.

24/7 Concealer Pencils from the left: CIA (a light creamy ivory); DEA (a light peaches and cream); FBI (a light medium beige) and NSA (a medium beige); $18 each

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