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! :)

Review: LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer

Although I love urban decay primer potion (for my review, click here), I had to switch to an oil-free primer - cue LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer! At first, I was a bit apprehensive and scared to leave my favorite product behind... but after I hadn't used a primer in a few days, and my eyeshadow was looking lackluster and dull, I decided I had to do something. I had to make this switch because i just got Xtreme Eyelash Extensions, and the use of oil-based products is strictly forbidden - that is, unless you want your new, very expensive lashes to slide right off. I did a little bit of research online before my purchase, and went to ulta to see if they had any. luckily, I ended up grabbing the last one - thank goodness they had it, because I immediately fell in love.

The product comes in a tube, which is ideal for squeezing out every last bit of it. I like the casing - it's a gunmetal, shimmer grey (refer to the bottom picture). It is as long as my blackberry tour and holds a ton of primer - it contains .47 fl oz, whereas primer potion contains .34 oz. It also costs $20 while primer potion costs $18. It glides on easily, and doesn't crease at all.

I truly feel that this item and urban decay primer potion are comparable. I think the two products should tie for best primer, and I award the LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer with an A

review: urban decay primer potion

i have been using the original urban decay primer potion for well over a year now and can honestly say i will never stop purchasing it. this primer really holds eyeshadow and eyeliner in place for hours and hours and allows for the shadow to not crease.

the original formula (left) is a sheer nude which is extremely light, dries invisibly, and will work on every skin tone. it also leaves behind no residue or greasiness. it also now comes in two colors other than original - sin and eden. sin (middle) is a champagne/bronze shimmer which can act as a color by itself, or adds something extra to your eyeshadow. eden (right) is a matte nude color which acts as as a no-makeup looking primer. it also serves as a base to match your skin tone. all of the wands are now bent, so application is easier and more precise. personally, i prefer the original since it is sheer and works with everything, but feel free to give the others a try! the original formula is fantastic, so i'm sure the other two are as well! A