I recently got a 20% off code for beauty.com – one of my preferred online retailers.  So, I went to order some Christmas gifts for my daughter.  Being a fan of Urban Decay cosmetics, I immediately noticed this “palette” and added it to my basket (I was in a bit of a hurry, and was kind of exhausted after going through item after item for my daughter, trying to make sure they didn’t contain parabens, weren’t made in China, etc.)  Knowing that Urban Decay palettes usually come with one eye shadow, I assumed the product image with this item was accurate.  I also assumed that “Rebound” was the color of the eye shadow provided.  Yeah, let’s just say that the old saying about the spelling of “assumed” is appropriate for this situation…

Product image:

actual image from beauty.com website

Beauty.com Product Description Excerpt (which I clearly didn’t read, expecting the image to be enough information for my purchase decision):

Rebound- a pink, peach, green and blue flower design.

Pop your four favorite UD shadows out of their cases and into this collectible (and completely customizable) palette!

Urban Decay usually sells their buildable palettes with one neutral shadow, but this time around they’re letting you unleash your inner type A and call all the shots. With four empty spaces and a massive selection of shades, the options are limitless. (Plus, you can swap out shades whenever you get a craving for more.)…

Important Note:  This item is also sold at Ulta.com, UrbanDecay.com, and Sephora.com, but with a more accurate product image:

actual ulta.com product image

actual Sephora.com product image

However:   Other sites are showing the inaccurate product image, including Macy’s and BeautyBay.com.  Additionally, regular purchasers of Urban Decay cosmetics are accustomed to getting an eye shadow single with the palette, so there’s that.

It’s a Mystery:  Perhaps when Urban Decay started marketing the product, they sent out 2 different versions of the product images and retailers chose the product image they wanted to use.  It’s hard to know the reason for the issue.

Good News:  I contacted beauty.com about the inaccurate product image and they gave me a refund for the item.

Bad News:  They haven’t changed the product image.  Hopefully, my “review” on the product will serve as a warning to people, but if someone is in a hurry like I was, they probably won’t read the review, either.

Bottom Line:  Product images should match the actual product.  Yes, we should all be good consumers and read the fine print.  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect the product shown to be the one that arrives in the mail (or comes in the box, if you’re buying at a store).  It would be very easy to include a “eye shadow shown not included” statement at the bottom of the photo.

FYI:  If you’re looking for an Urban Decay palette at a great price, check out “Melt” , which DOES come with an eye shadow, and costs $18 – the same price as an eye shadow single.  In the UrbanDecay.com sale section, there’s a great deal on the “Glinda” palette, which is a super-great bargain at $24 for 6 eye shadows – 2 of which are actually split into 2 colors, so you really get 8.