A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

There seems to be a general consensus that the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette isn’t as cool toned as people were hoping…. in comparison to the first, and as a cool-toned girl myself, I’m sticking my head above the parapet to proclaim that they work nicely on cool-toned complexions.  Now, those first 4 shades in the palette (from left to right), are warm.  Undoubtedly.  But the rest, are certainly neutral enough to make them a flattering fit for my skintone.  My only major irritation with the Naked 2 Palette is the inclusion of Half Baked (again), it doesn’t suit me, and we’ve been there already.

I (like many other makeup fans), would be thrilled to see Naked 3 (yes, I’m going there already) filled with matte shades.  Urban Decay’s mattes are under-rated and a palette of matte neutrals would make such a great flanker to Naked 1 and 2.

As a 30 year old, I’m just not sure how much longer I’m going to be able to get away with this amount of shimmer on my eyelids. I’m hoping a FOTD will demonstrate the kind of shimmer you’ll get from the Naked 2 Palette and help you make an educated decision on whether you’ll be jumping all over this on release date or leaving well alone.

Verve on the lid  |  Tease in the crease  |  Blackout in the outer corner (and to line)  |  Bootycall to highlight

I’m also wearing the Naked Lipgloss which is included in the palette.  I don’t like this – it’s thicker than treacle, mintier than a glacier full of polos and doesn’t really serve any colour purpose.

The Naked 2 Palette will be released in the UK on 9th January 2012, priced at £36 and available from instore and online from Debenhams before rolling out to House of Fraser from February 6th.

As promised earlier, here are some swatches from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. These have been swatched using a brush over primer.

Firstly a reminder of the shades in the pan.

Rollover the above image to reveal the shade names. Also check out some swatches on a darker skintone courtesy of VexInTheCity.

Come back this lunchtime for a quick comparison between the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette and the original Urban Decay Naked Palette where I share my thoughts on whether you really need this one in your collection or not.

*press sample

EDIT: The Naked 2 Palette will be released in the UK on 9th January 2012, priced at £36 and available from instore and online from Debenhams before rolling out to House of Fraser from February 6th.

Yes, the rumours are true and the worst-kept secret is finally out. Urban Decay are releasing a follow-up to the best-selling Naked Palette and Urban Decay’s Naked 2 Palette will be heading to the UK very soon.

Unlike its predecessor, the UD Naked2 palette* is housed in a tin – an instant packaging love as a more robust, portable alternative to the velvety-cardboard containing the original. Also worth mentioning is the mirror which stretches the length of the entire lid and the double-ended eyeshadow brush which offers both a laydown and blending option.

Swatches coming up later today…

* press sample

EDIT: The Naked 2 Palette will be released in the UK on 9th January 2012, priced at £36 and available from instore and online from Debenhams before rolling out to House of Fraser from February 6th.

My dislike for all things Midnight Cowboy is well-documented.  I don’t have a problem with the colours, au contraire (Rodney), I love the peach-champagne-y goodness that MC, MCRA and its coven of glitter-witches bring.  It’s just, well… a bit of a pain innit?

Now imagine an entire palette based around Midnight Cowboy and it’s equally glitter-tastic night-time shades…

Oh HAI Urban Decay Midnight Emergency Kit*!!  I need an emergency GLITTER cleanup!

The styling reminds me of those “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters you see in billions of guises everywhere nowadays but the silver wallet is hugely resilient to being thrown in the bottom of a bag.  It is a touch chunky considering the fairly slimline contents, I’ve sized it up against my Nintendo DS below…

…it’s very well protected and I can see the whole shebang lasting and lasting without so much as a scratch on it.

The contents of the Midnight Emergency Kit include:

 4 Eyeshadows (Midnight Cowboy, Midnight Sin, Midnight Rodeo and AC/DC)
 1 Lip Junkie Lipgloss (Midnight Cowboy)
 1  Travel-Sized Eyeshadow Brush

I’m not sure how many variants of Champagne a girl needs for a night-time look… something a little blacker wouldn’t have gone a-miss in this palette but I can’t deny that there are four very pretty shades included.

Here’s the rub.  All four will produce major fall out, either during application or after.  Eschew your beloved Urban Decay Primer Potion and use something like Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy to get them to stay stuck well into the night and for the love of God, don’t do your foundation before applying these shades.  Make use of those two tips and you’ll be able to give yourself up to the glitter monster and save your curses for something else.

Pretty yes?

Also included in the kit is a rather lovely lipgloss that doesn’t do too much on it’s own but applied over lipstick, turns your lips from daytime chic to night-time party in an instant.  The Midnight Cowboy shade is a sheer, glittery champagne that looks beautful worn over the top of a neutral lippie to give a bit of oomph and added sexiness.

The final inclusion comes in the form of a travel-sized eyeshadow brush…

It does what it says on the tin and it does it well.  Urban Decay brushes are some of the most under-rated synthetic brushes around.

A couple of FOTDs showing the kit in action…

At £28, I think it leans fairly expensive for what it is and will only really appeal to glitter demons and those under the age of 22.  Of course, there are plenty who will fall into that bracket and I can see this making a spectacular Christmas gift for those who would appreciate it.

However, in the face of some of Urban Decay’s other recent offerings… it’s a thumbs down from me.

Urban Decay Midnight Emergency Kit is priced at £28 and available on counter now and online from House of Fraser, HQ Hair, Debenhams and BeautyBay.

* press sample

With their palettes taking main stage, it’s easy to forget about Urban Decay’s other product releases and this Autumn sees quite a few new introductions from the U.S. brand.

One in particular that I think will prove to be popular are the new Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors.  Currently available in five shades, these chubby lip pencils feature varying textures and finishes that promise high impact colour.

I would describe Big Bang as a medium-textured pencil, it’s not going to need constant sharpening but it doesn’t drag across my lips either.  This particular shade (Big Bang) contains a hefty amount of glitter which I didn’t find bothersome despite expecting to be irritated by a rough or scratchy finish from the particles.

Big Bang is a vibrant magenta that leans cool and contains a blue-pink glitter.  Despite the high-gloss moniker, I didn’t find this particularly glossy.  Shiny, yes (from the glitter) but not glossy in the traditional sense.  Neither should this be confused as a lipstick/gloss hybrid.  This particular shade is far more lipstick than lipgloss in both application and finish.

It packs a punch of colour and applies evenly with an impressive opacity even at first swipe.  Once on, it stays put nicely with no additional feathering and only minimal transfer to other objects.  It can be blotted to shift a little of the glitter if you find it a bit too disco.

Big Bang delivers a good 3/4 hours of wear before fading evenly and leaving a hint of a stain behind.  I think I’d love it more sans glitter but either way, this introduction to the new line has ensured that I’m destined to head to my nearest Urban Decay counter to check out F-Bomb (the creamy red) and Crush (the hot creamy pink).  As far as I’m aware, these are not limited edition.

Oh and incase you were wondering, the eyeliner in the above lip swatch is one of their new ones too…

Yup, Urban Decay appear to be on top form this Autumn.

All Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors* are currently in stock online at BeautyBay.com priced at £14.00 each.

* press sample

I promised both a day and evening look with the new Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary palette, so here’s the more work-friendly version.  I couldn’t bring myself to *just* the neutrals, so I threw a bit of smoke into the mix with the inclusion of Half Truth.

I used: Flow (on the lid), Half Truth (in the crease and under the eye), Vanilla (browbone and inner corner)

The rest of the FOTD is helped along by…

MAC Face & Body Foundation in N1

Benefit Dallas Bronzer / Dandelion Blush

Bourjois Rose Exclusif Lip Gloss

And just because I know you’ll feel my pain, I’ve managed to gouge a chunk out of Half Truth with the sharp tip of my brush, my favourite shade!  Distraught!  Bah.  Have a lovely weekend people xx

Here’s a quick (who am I kidding, this took me frickin’ ages) evening FOTD with the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection.

I used: Evidence (on the lid), Omen (in the crease and under the eye), Vanilla (browbone and inner corner)

Rest of the FOTD is helped along by…

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Cream Foundation
NARS Torrid Blush
Rimmel Volume Lipstick in Foxy (oldie but goodie)
Baci-Lingerie False Eyelashes #660

I’ll do a daytime FOTD next, any requests to include a particular shade?

I’ve posted about the packaging and I’ve posted individual close ups of the eyeshadows alongside their official descriptions.  This post will document the swatches from the new Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection* alongside my thoughts on each eyeshadow.

Midnight Rodeo is as Anitacska has been warning me, the love-child of MC/MCRA.  A beautiful base colour, spoiled by chunky glitter that will be ALL over your face in minutes if you’re not very careful about tapping off as much glitter as possible.  Urgh.

Tainted is a disappointment to me too.  A slightly amped up lilac yet it looks more dirty mauvey in the pan, less… prissy and simply more exciting!  Still, the texture is nice, the gold shimmer is a pretty touch and it could well be a grower.  No glitter.

Deeper is a ridiculously well-pigmented shade of awesomeness.  Copper with a firey gold sparkle (not glitter), it’s like a big beasty teddy bear and will make a fantastic liner on green eyes.  It looks a touch ‘grainy’ in my swatch (like Mignight Rodeo) – it’s not… that’s my bad.

Midnight 15 is a velvet-smooth, pale silver taupe.  A great inner corner highlight or an allover wash to brighten the area.  It has some (not too many) silver glitter particles.

Junkshow is a shocking pink with violet flashes.  Smooth shimmer with no glitter, I can see this one getting a lot of use on days when I’m feeling a little brave!

M.I.A is one of the most buttery eye shadows I’ve ever swatched.  It’s a deep chocolate shimmer with no glitter.  Hugely versatile.

Vanilla, the obvious highlighter is a smooth pale gold.  No glitter.

Omen is a violet with strong blue flashes.  Clearly, it’s stunning and builds up with great intensity though you’ll find a dupe (albeit a more greasy version) for a £1 in MUA’s eyeshadows.  Glitter free.

Ace is a graphite that is a good shade lighter than my swatch suggests (sorry).  A nice alternative to black for darkening the crease colour with a good texture.  No glitter.

Flow is a beautiful, neutral lid shade.  A shimmery peach that doesn’t pull too warm for cool skin tones.  Very pretty if not hugely exciting.  No glitter.

Evidence is a cracking midnight blue with some great vivid flashes.  It benefits from some building up and has a slightly hard texture.  No glitter.

Blackout, it’s matte black.  Move along.

Chase almost looks foiled right?  Another ridiculously buttery eyeshadow with a high-metallic finish.  Very pretty and glitter-free.

Deep End is a beautiful green/blue mix that leans slightly more green to my eye.  It’s a pretty shimmer with impressive pigmentation.  No glitter.

Half Truth is a smoky purple with multi-coloured shimmer.  Probably the most unique shade in the palette and my favourite!  Tres jolie!

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My top 5 shades:  Half Truth, Deeper, Chase, Evidence, M.I.A

The Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection is available to buy online at Debenhams.com, priced at £39.00

Have your favourites changed now you’ve seen the swatches?

* press sample

The new Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection* offers fifteen new shades, that’s one for each year they’ve been around.  Fifteen years huh?  I wonder when they launched the brand to the UK market?  I can probably remember back to around 2005/6 but don’t quote me on that… as I think I’ve said before, it was their nail polishes that used to catch my attention back then.

Anyway, 15 years… 15 new shades.  Let’s take a closer look at them.

Midnight Rodeo (medium metallic brown w/silver and gold glitter)

Tainted (pale matte purple with golden shimmer)

Deeper (deep shimmery golden brown)

Midnight 15 (oyster pearl w/silver glitter)

Junkshow (bright pink w/fuchsia shift)

M.I.A. (soft shimmery dark brown)

Vanilla (shimmery white gold)

Omen (shimmery metallic bright purple w/blue shift)

Ace (dark gunmetal shimmer)

Flow (soft peach shimmer)

Evidence (deep metallic blue)

Blackout (darkest, most saturated black)

Chase (metallic bright bronze)

Deep End (bright teal shimmer)

Half Truth (shimmery smoky purple)

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As far as the range of shades go, I think Urban Decay have taken a good line with this palette.  They seem to have placed a focus on the usable, a term which shouldn’t be confused with neutral.

However it may suffer from being a little non-commital, I’ve already heard grumbles from neutral-lovers saying that it reminds them too much of the Naked Palette (I guess there’s only so many variations of Bronze out there) whilst the brights fans may feel a little ignored with this release.

I’ve also read a couple of grumbles that there are no mattes in this palette which I have to agree is a real shame as Urban Decay have released some incredible and under-rated matte shades over the years.

Before swatching (my opinion may change!), the initial stand-out beauties for me are: Tainted, Midnight 15, Ace, Evidence and Half Truth.  I hope they don’t disappoint.

Swatches tomorrow but in the mean-time… Best shade there?  How about the worst?

The Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection is available to buy online at Debenhams.com, priced at £39.00

* press sample

Well, it’s reached our shores… the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection* has arrived in the UK and is currently available online at Debenhams on a limited edition run.

Released in celebration of Urban Decay’s 15th Anniversary, the eyeshadow collection features 15 never-seen-before full size shades.  These aren’t re-releases of older shades in palette form, you’ll find no MCRA in this palette.

It’s gonna get a bit picture heavy…

demonstrating the reflective finish, not flipping a ‘V’ – promise!

You can’t really hold an Urban Decay palette in your hands without having some thoughts on the way it’s been presented.  The 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection waves goodbye to the cardboard packaging of old in favour of plastic.  It’s better than it sounds, I promise!  The high shine finish, jewelled UD logo and beautiful filigree edging ensures that this is one hunk of plastic that is definitely dressing-table worthy.

Invert the lid and you’ll find a large mirror that stretches from corner to corner.  Lift the platform that the eyeshadows rest upon and you’ll find a ‘velvet’ lined (shallow) compartment below which will give some extra life to the packaging even after the shadows have long been used or even depotted.

Is any of this necessary?  Of course not and I hope the addition of things like the ‘secret’ compartment didn’t bump the price, especially when the packaging of the relatively austere Naked Palette had been so well received.  However, with an extra three shadows on the Naked Palette and only a £4 difference (the price of the NP has risen), it doesn’t seem too out of line from a pricing point of view.

Tomorrow I’ll be focusing on the eye shadows and on Wednesday, those all important swatches.

The Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection is available to buy online at Debenhams.com, priced at £39.00

So, come on lovely people… you never hold back opinions on the UD Palettes.  First impressions?

oh… and here’s a bonus picture for the OCD among us… FINGERPRINTS! *throws arms up and acts like world is ending*

* press sample

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it once or twice already but did you know I turned 30 yesterday? 😉

I had a marvy day and despite spending the entire day looking rather, well… makeup-less, I did put some effort into making my nails as bling-tastic as possible!  Wanna see?

What with it being in focus n’ all, you don’t really get the true OMGGLITTERYGOODNESS effect.  But trust me, it was super blinging!

I used two polishes… one was an Urban Decay oldie from my youth (ok, 5 years ago) called Cult and the other was my brand new Color Club spangly holographic top coat called Starry Temptress.

Do you have any favourite combos for the ultimate in nail bling?

I know a few of you have been keen to hear about how I fared with my trial of Urban Decay’s Lush Lash System*.  I started the trial back in February and finished up the tube a few weeks ago.

The system promises lashes that are…

– 25% longer and thicker in 2 weeks
– 40% longer in 4 weeks
– 63% longer in 6 weeks

Sadly, I didn’t experience anything as impressive as those results.  Infact, I’m not really sure I experienced anything much at all.  See what you think (the top image shows the BEFORE, the bottom image is AFTER using the system for 8 weeks).

I think I see more fullness to my lashline… but no increase in length.  Or at least, nothing worth shouting about.  (On a side note, damn… I think I’m in love with my eye cream LOL!)

As a peptide-based lash growth system, it works on the premise of protecting the lashes you already have and strengthening new ones coming through, thereby increasing their life cycle.  This is probably why I’m seeing a slight increase in volume as the lashes that would have normally fallen out are still clinging on thanks to the fortification.

At £28 it’s an affordable alternative to the more expensive systems out there which include the likes of M2Beauté, LiLash and Revitalash but I can’t help but wonder if sometimes, you really do get what you pay for.

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Urban Decay Lush Lash is priced at £28 and available to buy online from BeautyBay, LookFantastic and HQHair

* PR Sample