Picking a Naked Palette

It's definitely not necessary for any normal person to own all three Naked Palettes, but being the beauty junkie I am, I of course do. What I love about the Naked Palettes is the fact that if you've got one, you've got enough shades in one slimline palette to create any look you could possibly want to. From neutral eyes to dark smokey looks one palette has you covered. You definitely don't need all three so here's the details for decision making!

All the palettes seem to follow a similar format. Twelve shades, a brush and a large mirror. A matte (Virgin, Foxy Strange) and shimmer highlight shade (Sin, Bootycall, Dust), a warm golden shade (Half Baked, Chopper, Trick), a bronzey shade (Smog, Snakebite, Factory), a darker bronze with a purpley tinge (Hustle, Busted, Blackheart) and a dark liner shade (Creep, Blackout, Blackheart).  I can't fault any of the palettes in terms of formula, they're all pretty much the same, although sometimes lighter shimmer shades can have a little more fallout than others, for the most part all the shades are intensely pigmented and seriously soft.

The Naked 1 was a palette I didn't actually think it would suit me. I picked up the 2 first off, and only splurged on the 2 after seeing my friend Joanna's one, she had hit pan on a fair few shades, and you don't do that unless you're pretty in love with a product. Anyway, it's a palette of warmer shades, so I tend to reach for it more in the colder months, I just feel like a warm smokey eye is perfect for winter! This palette has two matte shades (Naked and Buck) that are perfect for in the crease, and work with pretty much every other colour in the palette, always a bonus. I find with this palette I tend to work in pairs, Toasted on the lid with Hustle in the crease, Half Baked on the lid with Smog in the crease, Smog on the lid with Darkhorse in the crease, even Sin on the lid with Naked in the crease. This is the original palette and the one I feel is the most versatile, it's got bronzes, taupes, browns, pinks and blues, all with a slightly bronzed, grungy feel. Not a palette for you if you aren't a fan of a bit of glitter, but to be fair, all three of these pack more shimmer shades than matte. It's got everything you could ask for in a neutral palette, but it's definitely more than your average neutral range!

Naked 2 was my first Urban Decay Palette love. I was drawn in by the gorgeous array of taupe shades, and at the time felt like the cooler tones suited my skin more (in reality, I'm pretty lucky in that both cool and warm eyeshadow colours suit me!). This is a palette I tend to whack out a lot more when the weather starts to warm up. This is definitely a bit tamer than it's predecessor, more neutral, shall we say. It's got a few gorgeous shades in there that are perfect for that 'one colour wash' eye look (namely Snakebite, Pistol and YDK), as well as a lot of colour combos that work well together. the inclusion of the shade Tease was clever too, a gorgeous matte taupe that works perfectly when popped in the crease against any other shadow in the palette. They also included a matte black in this palette which is super handy for smoking out a look, deepening the crease colour, and even as a liner! I think this will probably forever remain my favourite of the three, it's just so damn wearable. 

And the latest addition to my Naked family is the Naked 3, a smorgasbord of rosy-hued neutrals that I never in a million years thought would work for me. I succumbed to the hype after realising I hadn't heard a single negative review and I'm so glad I did. Whilst on first glance all the shades look really pink (a shade I would never wear on my eyes) once applied they actually work really well. Like the Naked 1, this is definitely a warmer range of colours, but the taupier darker shades mean that they can be made to look cooler too. I love that this palette is so diverse, it has a good handful of matte shades, some gorgeous shimmers and then a couple of full on glitters if you want to jazz up the look. It doesn't have as many dark shades as it's older siblings, but what it's got is definitely enough to work with. I am totally in love with the darker shades in this palette, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart all look great alone or paired up, and have pretty much been my go to shades the last couple of months.  I'd say give this one a chance, it's not as scary as it looks!

Whichever Naked Palette is the one for you, you can be sure it's a good investment. If I could only have one palette for the rest of my life it would without a doubt be one of these, they've just got everything you need! I inevitably end up taking one of these when I travel too, since I know I'll be able to create any kind of look!

What Naked Palette is your favourite?

The Review: Stila Snow Angel Colour Palette

I don't have any palettes that contain both eye and cheek colours. I always thought it would be handy, but I never came across one that I really liked. I had been debating buying the Stila In The Light Palette for a while, when the Stila Snow Angel Colour Palette* came into my possession. 

Around the outside of this palette are 12 cheek colours, ranging from shimmering champagne and golden highlights, to matte terracotta bronzers, to pink and plum blush shades. Other than the convertible colours, I'd never tried any cheek products from Stila. They are really pigmented and buttery soft, and they all blend onto the skin really well, and surprisingly, all the colours can be worked well on my skin tone.  The only small problem is that the pans are really small and it's not easy to get a blusher brush in there, however, I can just about manage with my Space NK Contour brush. These also actually apply nicely with fingers, I like to just tap the colour onto the apples of my cheeks, and then blend the colour out with a fluffy brush.

In the centre of the palette are 18 Eyeshadow shades, including Stila's infamous Kitten Eyeshadow. These eyeshadows are amazing, super buttery soft, with incredible pigmentation, honestly I think these might be better than some of my Urban Decay shadows in terms of pigmentation. They blend really nicely too. There's a lovely mix of colours in this palette too, some beautiful neutral shades like Kitten, a couple of grey/purpley shades, a lot of copper colours, and also some olivey shades I'm excited to try! I love the names of the shadows too, they're Christmas themes, with names like Eggnog, Cookie, Icicle and Gingerbread.

I'm really pleased I managed to get my hands on this palette! My only gripe with this is that the packaging is pretty flimsy, I'm not sure the lid would hold up for travel which is a shame, but I still think it's worth it! It's no longer sold on the Stila Website, but you can find it here on Feelunique!

Have you tried any products from Stila?

The Review: NARSissist Palette

Ahhhh, look at the pretty! How much hassle was getting hold of this palette?! After ordering it off the NARS website less than half an hour after it was released, I was told over a week later that I would not be receiving the palette due to a screw up with the orders, meaning too many people were allowed to place an order. I should point out that everyone had received their palettes by the time they told me this, and people that I know put their order in after me, got theirs. Not impressed NARS. Anyway, by this point I wanted the palette anyway, but once I couldn't have it? I NEEDED IT. Well obviously I didn't need it, it wasn't a life or death situation, but I really really wanted it.

So anyway, this hit department stores on Saturday, and after a brief ring round I found a store that had it in stock and a few at that. I jumped in the car and headed on down, and managed to get my paws on one finally. The woman behind the counter was lovely and gave me a stack of samples too, and weirdly, it was five pounds cheaper in John Lewis than from NARS? Odd. Apparently each counter was sent around 16 palettes, which really isn't much. 

ANYWAY. Onto the palette yes?

Any of you who have been around this blog for a while will know I'm a big fan of NARS, particularly of their shadows. I love my And God Created the Woman Palette, and I've recently been using the Fairy's Kiss palette too, I have a few duos kicking around too which I love. The palette is expensive, but it works out for fifteen shadows, cheaper than buying three individually, so worth it, right?

The palette contains 15 shades, five matte and the rest shimmers, I find the shimmers to be slightly smoother in application, but they're all really pigmented.

This could loosely be described as a neutrals palette, it's got a nice mix of highlight shades, good light bases, taupes and browns, but their are a few neutral toned colours in there, purples and blues. 

So the shades. Top left we have All About Eve #1, a pink champagne shimmery base colour, super neutral, the kind of starter colour you expect in every neutral palette.

Next is Madrague #2 a matte beige/brown shade. It looks like a bit of a nothing shade in the pan, but it is brilliant for blending into the crease to add definition, or even on the outer edge with a pale shimmery shade like All About Eve #l on the lid. Bobbi Brown Frappe (in the Rich Chocolate Palette) is pretty similar.

I can already tell you that Fez is one of my favourite shades in this palette. A burnt coppery brown with golden shimmer, I can tell I'll get a lot of use from this. It's probably the most pigmented shade in the palette.

Next up is Bali, a very cool toned matte brown that looks kinda taupey. Another shade that will look beautiful in the crease, to add definition. 

Coconut Grove is a shade I already own, but have actually hit pan on which has NEVER happened to an eyeshadow of mine before. It's a beautiful matte chocolate brown, with the odd fleck of multicoloured glitter, and I mean odd, there's probably like fifteen flecks in the entire shadow. I love this for blending into the outer corner, but also as a softer liner alternative to black. 

Madrague #1 is a matte cream shade, a lovely option for all over the lid with just a flick of winged liner. This is kind of similar to Urban Decay Foxy from the Naked 2 palette, but less yellow toned. 

Nepal is a peachy rose shimmer shade, a gorgeous shade for all over the lid. Looks like some of the lighter shades in the Naked 3, but the formula and pigmentation is much better (I personally found the lighter shades in the Naked 3 somewhat disappointing). 

Ashes to Ashes is another shade I feel like will become a firm favourite. A shimmery light brown with a subtle violet base, it comes across as a light taupey purple. This looks good washed across the whole lid, with a little liner round the lashes. 

Brousse is another colour I've used before, but I was still pleased to find it in this palette, a beautiful deep violet shade. Again this has slightly taupey undertones, and I find it looks fabulous with other taupe shades. 

Mekong is a dark chocolate shade, similar to Coconut Grove but darker, with a heavier spread of multicoloured shimmer. The finish of this despite the shimmer is fairly matte, it's super blendable and adds a nice depth of colour.

Bottom left is Belissima #1 a heavy white shimmer, perfect for adding highlight to the inner corners of the eye, and under the brow bone. It applies certainly peachy when swatched, but barely notices on the face. 

Lhasa is a cool toned shimmery grey with lavender undertones, possibly my favourite shade of them all in this palette. One of those ones that will make a great starting point for a smokey eye, but look equally as good alone on the lid. I could be tempted to buy this shade on it's own in the future. 

Bad Behaviour is described as a deep pewter, but I would describe it as a dark grey tinged teal. It's a pretty shimmery shade unlike anything else I own, looks equally gorgeous in the crease and all over the lid. This is a Limited Edition shade from the Guy Bourdin collection, the shade I was drawn to most when the collection was released, glad I didn't buy it now! 

Dogon #2 is a blackened navy with teal shimmer, but it applies as more of a charcoal shade. Again this is different to any other shade I have in my collection, but it looks gorgeous paired with Bad Behaviour, and I'm surprised at how much these shades suit me. 

And lastly, Pandora, a matte black shade that ties everything together. Makes a great liner and is also incredibly handy for deepening the shade in the crease.

This palette is the same size as the Guy Bourdin One Night Stand Palette, making it perfect for travel, and not too bulky and clunky. There's a better shade range than in the Naked Palettes, perfect for day or evening looks as well as neutrals, or a hint of colour. 

I'm so pleased I managed to get my hands on this palette in the end, and I'm pretty sure this will be making an appearance in my February Favourites! And that marks the beginning of my spending ban!

What do you think of the NARSissist palette?

Urban Decay Smoked Palette

 Since starting my new job, I've been trying to get out of the makeup rut that I've been stuck in for a while. I'm trying to say no to neutral eyeshadows, full coverage bases and 'your lips but better' lip colours. I was trying to think about the products I used the most, and amongst them, my Naked 2 palette stood out. I really love my Naked 2 palette, I get so much use out of it, the colours are so wearable, and the formula is out of this world. Urban Decay eyeshadows really are the most pigmented, and buttery shadows that I've ever used. NARS are a close second, but Urban Decay are cheaper and nicer.

So despite the fact I've been avoiding the shops and sales like mad (once I start spending I am incapable of stopping) I decided to pop by my local Urban Decay counter for a little peek. 

Now, my one bug bear with the Naked 2 palette is the packaging, I find it doesn't always stay shut in my bag, and some of the individual shadows are slipping out of the pan, so whilst I considered the build your own palettes, the packaging is pretty similar. I very nearly was taken in by the Dangerous Palette, but all the colours are dark, so you'd still need another palette for lighter colours. Plus it comes with the same mini lip gloss that came with the Naked 2 palette, and whilst I like that, I do already have that.

I then stumbled upon the Smoked Palette. It's got four shadows more than the Dangerous Palette, a 27/7 glide on eyeliner in black, which I've wanted forever, and a sample size of the Primer Potion, which again I've been desperate to try. It's in a zip up palette, so no falling open here.

 Kinky, Freestyle Mushroom, Backdoor, Blackout

 Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded, Asphalt

 Kinky: is a light, neutral matte shade, that looks great across the lid, or as a highlight colour.
Freestyle: is a more pinky toned version of Kinky. A great base colour.
Mushroom: a grey taupey shimmer. I literally love this colour.
Backdoor: a dark matte brown. Works as an eyebrow shade for me (handy for traveling) but also a great crease or liner shade.
Blackout: this colour is actually in my Naked 2 palette, but I use it loads, it's the darkest matte black, that is a great defining colour, but you can blend it out too, to a dark grey.
Barlust: is a dark metallic brown, which is slightly golden toned. Gorgeous.
Rockstar: I'm so excited about this colour. It's a gorgeous jewel toned deep amethyst, with a silver shimmer.
Evidence: an intense blue shimmer.
Loaded: a beautiful emerald green shimmer.
Asphalt: a dark grey shimmer that looks beautiful as a defining colour paired with Mushroom.

I've been wanting to try the 24/7 liner in Perversion for forever, and it's fourteen pounds on it's own so what a bargain. This is a darkest matte black, the pencil is crazy soft, but once the colour sets, it's going nowhere. 

As an added bonus, this set contains a mini Primer Potion which I have yet to try, but also comes with a little book with suggested looks to try, an illustration and step by step guide, which is great if you don't know where to start. 

And the best part? It was in the sale for £29, only £4 more than the Dangerous Palette.

So there we go, my latest palette obsession. What do you think of Urban Decay eyeshadows?