Urban Decay Uptight, 1993, Backdoor, Conspiracy, Nighthawk Vice Lipsticks

Urban Decay Vice Lipstick

Urban Decay Uptight Vice Lipstick ($17.00 for 0.11 oz.) is described as a “warm nude [with a Comfort Matte finish].” It’s a medium, peachy brown with warm undertones and a satin finish. It had fully opaque color payoff in a single stroke, and the color applied evenly due to the very creamy, smooth consistency. I noticed that the texture seemed to emphasize lip lines just slightly after I applied, but it did worsen as the color wore off (over a four and a half hour period) as the color gathered into lip lines. Marc Jacobs Beauty No Angel (242) (P, $30.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar). MAC Pillow Talk (LE, $17.00) is darker (90% similar). Estee Lauder Discreet (P, $30.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar). Colour Pop Pinch (DC, $5.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar). Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Marion (P, $18.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar). MAC Pander Me (LE, $17.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar). MAC Whirl (P, $17.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar). MAC Persistence (P, $17.00) is darker, warmer (80% similar). Urban Decay Carnal (DC, $22.00) is darker, warmer (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Urban Decay 1993 Vice Lipstick ($17.00 for 0.11 oz.) is described as a “medium brown [with a Comfort Matte finish.]” It’s a medium-dark brown with warmer, slightly orange-y undertones and a satiny sheen. It had rich color payoff that covered the lips with smooth, even coverage. The texture was very creamy, lightweight, and comfortable to wear and never tugged on the lips when applied from the tube. On me, the color lasted for five hours and was neither drying nor hydrating. Urban Decay 1993 (DC, $22.00) is less glossy (95% similar). Bobbi Brown Uber Nude (P, $24.00) is cooler (90% similar). Bite Beauty Molasses (P, $26.00) is darker (90% similar). MAC Among the Fireflies (LE, $17.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar). Urban Decay Carnal (P, $17.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Gustavo (LE, $35.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar). MAC Whirl (P, $17.00) is lighter, cooler, less glossy (85% similar). MAC Persistence (P, $17.00) is brighter, warmer (85% similar). Bobbi Brown Uber Suede (P, $24.00) is darker (85% similar). MAC Double Shot (P, $17.00) is cooler (85% similar). MAC Royally Riotous (LE, $17.00) is darker, warmer (80% similar). Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Marion (P, $18.00) is lighter (80% similar). Bite Beauty Marzipan (P, $28.00) is lighter, brighter, warmer (80% similar). NARS Het Loo (P, $25.00) is lighter, brighter, warmer (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Urban Decay Backdoor Vice Lipstick ($17.00 for 0.11 oz.) is described as a “frosted dusty brown [with a Metallized finish].” It’s a medium-dark, reddish brown with warmer undertones and a lot of fine pearl. It had mostly opaque pigmentation where the natural lip color came through very slightly, but this was one of the more pigmented Metallized shades. The texture was also a bit denser than most of the Metallized range, though it was still thinner than a Cream and had more slip. It lasted for four and a half hours and was lightly hydrating. MAC Caliente (LE, $17.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Blake (LE, $35.00) is cooler (90% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Temptation Waits (LE, $52.00) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar). Urban Decay Amulet (P, $17.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar). Chanel Inspiree (164) (LE, $36.00) is less shimmery, lighter (85% similar). MAC Carnal Instinct (LE, $17.00) is darker (80% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Guillermo (P, $35.00) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar). MAC Subverted (LE, $17.00) is darker (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Urban Decay Conspiracy Vice Lipstick ($17.00 for 0.11 oz.) is described as a “plum-bronze shimmer [with a Metallized finish].” It’s an intense, deep reddish-brown with warmer undertones and a lot of fine, copper pearl. Like Backdoor, it was more pigmented than not with a lightly creamy texture that applied easily and went on smoothly but could have been a smidgen more even on. This shade lasted for five hours and was lightly hydrating. MAC Subverted (LE, $17.00) is brighter, warmer (90% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Derek (P, $35.00) is lighter, cooler (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Urban Decay Nighthawk Vice Lipstick ($17.00 for 0.11 oz.) is described as a “brown-red [with a Cream finish].” It’s a deep, reddish brown with warmer undertones and a creamy, lightly glossy finish. It had mostly opaque color payoff, though there was a slight translucency to the color. This could look even redder if you have naturally red-tinted lips. The texture was lightweight, moderately emollient, and glided on without tugging, but it felt more slippery than most shades in the finish. I didn’t personally experience feathering, but it has enough slip that it might be an issue for others. This shade wore well for five hours and was lightly hydrating. MAC Legendary (LE, $19.00) is cooler (95% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Pavlos (LE, $35.00) is lighter, cooler (95% similar). Bite Beauty Cognac (P, $24.00) is lighter, warmer (95% similar). Bite Beauty #011 (LE, $36.00) is darker (90% similar). NARS Deborah (P, $32.00) is lighter (85% similar). NARS Jeanne (P, $32.00) is lighter, brighter (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

FORMULA OVERVIEW | Urban Decay Vice Lipstick ($17.00 for 0.11 oz.) is available in six finishes, which are primarily distinguished by level of sheen, shimmer content, and coverage. Mega Mattes are the thinnest and have the most “cling” as they are drier and more matte (but most are semi-matte and not a totally flat matte) and can be drying, though they are longer-wearing. Comfort Mattes are creamier, a little denser, with richer color payoff on average (they are the most pigmented out of the finishes), and have a satin finish that is fairly comfortable to wear, usually lightly hydrating, and longer-wearing. Creams are usually softer and creamier, though not too soft (they don’t mush or break from the base easily), with some being tackier and stiffer in the tube until they warm up against the lips; they have good color payoff, are hydrating, and are comfortable to wear but have more typical wear (four to six hours–six hours for deeper/richer shades like a red). Sheers and Sheer Shimmers have a more balm-like consistency that feels a little thinner but is wetter/more emollient than Mega Mattes, so ultimately, they feel quite different applied; they have sheerer coverage, though more semi-sheer to semi-opaque than very sheer, and have the shortest wear time at two to fours with light hydration. Metallized is the most shimmery of the finishes, though some of the other finishes have shades that are actually as shimmery (to me), but the Metallized formula has a thinner, more emollient base that isn’t as dense or as cream-like as the Creams; they feel more like the Sheers but a bit heavier and more pigmented (but seem to run semi-opaque to opaque, not always fully opaque) with average wear (four to five hours), light hydration. The Revolution formula–generally–felt a little more hydrating and pigmented on the lips, but these seem to wear a little longer; some of the shades that were in Revolution and are now in Vice (particularly the Creams, Sheers, and Sheer Shimmers) feel virtually the same on to me. The Comfort Mattes are the only ones that felt largely different–more satiny than matte, less dense compared to Matte Revolution.

A note on packaging: an average Revolution lipstick weighed 1.0 oz. in total, while a Vice Lipstick weighed 0.7 oz. in total. The weight distribution for a Revolution lipstick was: 0.2 oz. for the cap alone, 0.8 oz. for the base. The weight distribution for a Vice lipstick was: 0.2 oz. for the cap alone, 0.5 oz. for the base. The decrease is felt primarily in the sturdiness/weighted feeling of the base, so I find the older Revolutions to stand better on their own, but thrown into a cup or jar for storage, it doesn’t really matter. The more weighted base does give a greater sense of heft when applying, since you hold the base. The caps are the same total weight, but the Revolution caps are shorter and, as a result, maybe 1mm thicker, while the Vice caps are longer and spread the same weight of material over a larger area. All but two out of 120 lipstick caps felt very secure, and then about four were extremely secure and difficult to uncap, but otherwise, there is a soft “click” and the caps seem to stay on without easily coming off. All that being said, they seem to be the same packaging used in the Gwen Stefani and Alice Through the Looking Glass collaborations, though the interior tube felt a little higher-end, even though they all weigh the same. Revolution Lipsticks were $22.00 for 0.09 oz., which works out to be $244.44/oz., and these are $17.00 for 0.11 oz., which works out to be $154.55/oz. So while the packaging does feel less substantial and cheaper, you are paying $5 less and getting more for your money, but if you really liked the heavier base of Revolution lipsticks, you might miss that feeling with the new packaging.