Review: Urban Decay Naked Palette

I was super excited when I heard that Urban Decay was coming out with a new palette for Fall 2010! I knew it would be a great product because Urban Decay is one of my favorite brands... I know I can always rely on them for good quality makeup! This palette includes 12 shades, a double-sided eye pencil, and a mini Primer Potion. 5 of the shades are new, 7 are permanent, and 1 is a comeback.

As you can see, the packaging on the palette is absolutely GORGEOUS! It's a dark brown velvet texture, with gold lettering etched into the velvet. I feel like it's not as funky as the other palettes from Urban Decay that I own - it's very sophisticated, and really embodies the neutral eyeshadow shades found within it.

This photo was taken with the flash off. You can see that 10 of the shades are primarily neutrals and browns, with two grey/black shades in there as well. You can also see the double-sided 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil - the colors are Zero and Whiskey. Zero is a black pencil, while Whiskey is a reddish brown pencil, which is a new addition to Urban Decay's collection.

The two photos of the palette were taken with the flash on. You can clearly see which shades are shimmery and which are matte. For more information about the shades, refer to the pictures below! (Note: I feel that all of the colors are great as an all-over lid color with the exception of Virgin, which would be a great highlight)

These are the first four shades with the flash off (top) and on (bottom). The names and descriptions are as follows:

Virgin: (New) A frosty, creamy, very light beige. Great as a highlight color on your brow bone or on your inner tear duct.

Sin: (Permanent) A shimmery nude.

Naked: (Permanent) A tan matte.

Sidecar: (Comeback shade) A shimmery dark beige It was in the first Book of Shadows, but not sold separately.

These are the next four shadows with the flash off (top) and on (bottom). The shades are:

Buck: (New) A matte dark tan.

Half Baked: (Permanent) A shimmery light yellow-bronze. One of my favorite shades of all time :)

Smog: (Permanent) A shimmery tan-bronze.

Darkhorse: (New) A bronze chocolate brown with a subtle shimmer.

These are the last four shades. The shadows are:

Toasted: (Permanent) A shimmery light brown. It reminds me of a darker version of Sin.

Hustle: (New) A frosty, shimmery, dark brown. It reminds me of a darker version of Darkhorse. It's named after an Urban Decay Ultraglide Lip Gloss, Hustle.

Creep: (New) A black shadow with blue-silver shimmer.

Gunmetal: (Permanent) A dark grey shimmer.

One of the best things about this product besides, well, everything else I've mentioned so far is the fact that all of the shadows are full size. Normally, an individual Urban Decay eyeshadow is $17, so 12 of them would be $204! This means that you're saving $160!!! Technically, with the cost of the double-sided eye pencil and the mini Primer Potion, you're saving more than $160... how great is that?!

Ultimately, I believe that Urban Decay's Naked Palette is one of the greatest makeup purchases I have EVER made! It's great quality, the shadows are all highly pigmented, and the cost can't be beat! In all seriousness, everyone should have this product! Good job, Urban Decay! :) A++++++++

Note: The Naked palette keeps getting sold out on both urbandecay.com and sephora.com. I will definitely let you know when it's back in stock so you can get your hands on this awesome item! :)

makeup trend alert: green eye shadow and liner

lately, i have been wanting to wear green eyeshadow and liner as much as possible. This is partially because green is on the opposite end of the color spectrum from brown, which makes brown eyes "pop".

When searching through some other makeup sites, i noticed that green eye makeup is all over the fashion forecast for the spring, not only just for brown eyes, but also for all different eye colors. the reason why this color is so flattering is because it makes the whites of the eyes look whiter.

I usually wear green eye makeup in the form of eyeliner under my eyes, but here are some other ways that green makeup can be applied:

- a light green shadow applied in the inner corner of the eye

- shadow or liner smudged along the lower lash line

here are some of my favorite green liners to use:

1. urban decay 24/7 glide on eye pencil in mildew - a deep, dark metallic green

2. urban decay 24/7 glide on eye pencil in covet - a bright green

3. urban decay 24/7 glide on eye pencil in stash - a brown-green

4. sephora nano eyeliner in silver green

you can find the 24/7 liners at sephora and at ulta. they are the same price at each store.

hope this post inspired you to try green eye makeup! :)

review: kat von d. romance eyeshadow palette in ludwig

i am absolutely in love with the kat von d. romance eyeshadow palette in ludwig that i picked up at sephora and try to use it every chance i get! you can only buy this product at sephora, since it is made specifically for the company. the colors are gorgeous, so soft, and glide right onto your lid.

this palette comes with the following colors:

- lucifer - matte black

- orbi - green shimmer with flecks of gold

- dimebag - lime green shimmer

- clay - beige with flecks of gold

- tequila - yellow shimmer

- downtown - copper shimmer

- baroque - bronze shimmer

- leather - dark brown

this product gets an A+!!!! :)

review: nyx jumbo eye pencil in milk

nyx jumbo eye pencil in milk is a great base for eye shadow. it also is a great stand-alone shadow as well. i have learned that it allows shadow to stick to it and stay on almost all day, no primer necessary. it also allows for shadow colors to really pop and gives a more intense backdrop for the shadow you have selected to use.

the consistency of this pencil is extremely creamy which allows for blending. it is also a matte white color which is very versatile for whether or not you want to keep your eye shadow matte.

i initially purchased this pencil from ulta to use for my mermaid halloween costume (see below for a picture - you can't really notice the turquoise as much, but you can see nyx in milk around my tear duct and waterline). i wanted to use different shades of turquoise shadows and wished to use white in order to intensify the colors. this worked and stayed on all night, no reapplication necessary. i also used false lashes and the use of this product did not pose a problem.

this product is also extremely affordable. i believe that i paid around $3.00 for it. unfortunately, although i purchased it at ulta, it is not for sale on the website.

stay posted - i will be reviewing other nyx jumbo pencil colors soon!

A+

i'm currently obsessed with: the alice in wonderland eye shadow palette by urban decay

so i am coveting the alice in wonderland eye shadow palette from urban decay! this adorable little palette has 16 very sparkly shadows, 2 travel-size eyeliners (zero and flipside), and a travel-size primer potion. there is also a very cute pop-up style scene that opens when you open the mirror, making you feel like you're in wonderland itself. the best part of the whole set: all of the best-selling eyeshadows are renamed with alice-in-wonderland names (the white rabbit, alice, queen, drink me eat me).

you've seriously gotta be a mad hatter not to want one.

here's a list of all of the actual names of the shadows:

-Underland (Flash)
-Alice (Painkiller)
-Oraculum (Baked)
-Queen (Last Call)
-Chessur (Chopper)
-White Rabbit (Polyester Bride)
-Wonderland (Maui Wowie)
-Curiouser (Grifter)
-Muchness (X)
-Mushroom (Mushroom)
-Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again)
-Vorpal (S&M)
-Absolem (Homegrown)
-Drink Me Eat Me (Sin)
-Mad Hatter (Twice Baked)
-Jabberwocky (Oil Slick)

here's a close up of all of the colors:



note: the palettes are not available on the actual urban decay site, but sephora and ulta still have them. be sure to get them fast because they're limited edition!!!

daytime eye look: college classroom

since i attend college, i like to keep my look fairly natural in the classroom. i also like to be able to do my eye makeup in less than 2 minutes because i am often late for class (hahaha). this look complements almost every outfit i wear, and it can be easily transitioned to a nighttime look when more shadow is placed on top of it. here it is! <3

1. urban decay primer potion (best primer i've found) all over the lid and all the way up to the brow bone. i like to add a little near my tear duct as well so that the shadow stays put there too (just try not to get it in your eye... trust me it hurts).

2. mac eyeshadow in naked lunch (a medium beige shimmer color) all over the lid. era by mac (a tan beige shimmer color) also works nice too if you want your eyes to be a little darker. both colors are gorgeous!

note: the colors of the pictures may vary depending on your computer screen brightness/resolution

3. super important!!! Add a highlight color such as rice paper (a gold/yellow light shimmer-frost color) by mac to your tear duct and under your brow area to make your eyes look more wide/awake. this is especially important for me because i have all early classes this semester :-/

4. (Optional) You can definitely stop there and your shadow will look awesome!!! I tend to add mac eyeshadow in handwritten (a rich matte chocolate brown color) to my crease area to add more depth to my eyes and blend it. I sometimes also (it depends if i have time or not) add brown eyeliner (also by mac) to my waterline and right below it. i then smudge the area right below my waterline with a pencil brush to smoke it out.

don't forget!!! mascara! you can also curl your lashes to make you look more awake as well!

hope you enjoyed this! xoxo