Made Up in Boston

"A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction." -Oscar Wilde
Showing posts with label Urban Decay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Urban Decay. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Wearable Wednesday With the Naked Palette!

Ever since I got the Naked Palette, I've been gravitating towards the same shadow combo everyday. It's soft and simple, and very neutral. It's the perfect everyday eye look for me!

(Natural lighting and with flash)
Face: 
Maybelline 24 HR Super Stay concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder, E.L.F. Studio Blusher/Bronzing duo, Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose
Eyes:
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Side Car, Smog, Naked, Virgin)
Revlon ColorStay eyeliner in Black
L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in Carbon Black
Brows:
Filled in Urban Decay Buck
Lips:
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie
So far I'm head over heels loving the Naked Palette! It works for every possible occasion, from everyday makeup to glamorous evening looks. My brother-in-law is getting married this summer and as a bridesmaid (and the official wedding party makeup artist), I'm going crazy thinking of all the color combos I'm going to test out on the bride and my fellow bridesmaids using this baby :) There's really no look you can't achieve with this palette!

Today's hair:
Just a simple semi-up do, and so simple and quick to do! You just pull the front pieces of your hair back alongside your scalp, give them a quick twist in the middle, and secure the twist with some bobby pins. It takes all of 30 seconds to accomplish this look.

I feel very Duchess of Cambridge with this do.

What's does your everyday makeup consist of? Do you have the Naked Palette, and if so, which shadows do you use the most?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Review: Urban Decay Naked Palette!

This Christmas morning, a lone Sephora bag sat under the tree. Since I am the lone (read: obsessive) makeup addict in our family, I suspected the bag had my name on it and my excitement level skyrocketed. Excitedly, I tore into the bag to see that my awesome mother-in-law had given me the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

The stuff legends are made of, people.

I've lusted after this palette for two years now, but every time I marched into Sephora, wallet out and ready to purchase, it was sold out. I had a pretty darn good substitute in my Stila In The Light palette, but my mind kept going back to the Naked Palette and I hoped that someday I would finally get my little mitts on it.

And then finally.....
(Yes, this post totally warrants the Success Kid meme.)

The Naked Palette contains 12 neutral shades that are supposed to flatter any skin tone or eye color (Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half-Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, and Gunmetal). It also comes with Urban Decay's flat Good Karma brush and a sample size of Urban Decay's Primer Potion (oh man, I love this stuff!!).
Most of the shadows are pretty heavy on the shimmer, with only two matte shadows in the entire palette (Naked and Buck). The two matte shadows aren't as heavily pigmented and I find that I need to use a considerable amount of product to achieve any color on my eye lids (see swatches below; the mattes are decidedly "meh"). The shimmery shadows are buttery smooth, give rich color payoff, and are very easy to blend. They definitely make the palette.
I used this palette the day after I got it (specifically Toasted, Hustle, and Creep), and didn't experience any of the allergic reactions some people claim to have when using this product. However, when I later used Sin and Buck my eyelids erupted in crazy red scaly patches and itchy white bumps.

-The hell?
The same eyeshadows, when used on my sister-in-law, created no issue. I tried them a second time, and BAM! Same thing: red, itchy miserableness.

Always a glutton for punishment, I tried it a third time, just to be sure it was in fact the makeup. The third time proved to be the charm, and my eyelids didn't react to Sin or Buck at all. This led me to conclude that perhaps the issue wasn't with the eyeshadows themselves, but rather it was with my brushes. I realized I hadn't cleaned them in a good long time (you can say "ick!", I won't feel judged), and that lack of cleanliness was more than likely the culprit.

A good soak in the sink revealed just how much gunk (and possible germs) were living in my brushes. No wonder my eyelids freaked out!
So remember ladies, get thy brushes to a cleanery! Or else you might end up with a pair of puffy red eyes yourselves.

Do you own the Naked Palette? What are your favorite shadow combinations? Share in the comments!