A "meh" product! Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

It's a common enough occurrence when you try a product that you neither like or dislike, and just think it is very average. This is one of them for me!

I had Debenhams vouchers to spend, and not actually "needing" anything I thought I would wing it and try something new. I had read that Urban Decay had some new "Naked" releases in the form of face products, so I thought I'd give the concealer a whirl. I actually have been trying to find something to brighten up my under-eyes.

Choosing a shade was rather a challenge, and a lesson as to why it's a bad idea to blindly order make up online. I chose "fair neutral" - as I don't believe I have a warm or cool complexion and I thought "fair" would suit my pale (un-tanned) skin. I didn't realise it would look so…. white! If anyone asks, I'm going for the Kardashian make up look!

Shade comparison with my other concealers - 

left to right - Urban Decay Naked Concealer Fair Neutral - Clarins Instant Concealer Shade 01 - Loreal True Match shade Vanilla

I can't explain why I am unimpressed with this concealer. I just feel that it is nothing to write home about. It didn't give me the "wow" factor like the Clarins Instant Concealer .

It blends out so sheer that I really don't feel it does anything for me. I guess it really is weightless then!  It isn't all that creamy and whilst it claims not to crease, I can't confirm or deny that claim since I have natural lines around my eyes, any product is going to crease on me.

If I paid full price for this concealer I would be rather disappointed. I am sure there are many drugstore alternatives which would work just as well. The good thing I can say about the Naked Skin range is the massive shade range (As opposed to only 3 shades available in the Clarins concealer!).

What do you think of this concealer? Have you tried it? Would you be tempted to try it?

Quick Six Product Face

In the mornings when I am going to work, the last thing I want to be doing is spending ages doing fancy make ups. I'd sooner have the extra time in bed! I work in an office so I don't really see anybody, and frankly I just can't be bothered in the mornings. But I still feel like I need to wear something!

Sometimes if I am running late I will bring my make up with me and apply it when I am stuck in traffic on the way to work! So I prefer to use products that I don't have to use make up brushes.

First up, I will put on a bit of foundation. Pictured is MAC Face & Body which honestly I don't really like anymore, but for work I don't like using any of my "good" foundations so I am just trying to use up this big bottle!

Then I need something for under my eyes. I started using the Urban Decay Naked concealer this week and I am still not entirely sure about it. The formula is quite good and I do like the finish of it. But there is just something a little "off" with it. I think it is because I accidentally bought a shade which is a bit too white for me.

I use my NYX Eyebrow Pencil, which is fabulous. It's dead handy for on the go as it is a twist up crayon. It works brilliantly for me!

I am using Lancome Grandiose Mascara, which I really do love. The wand is really quite precise and it just really works well for me. I do love all Lancome mascaras though. This is the one which just happens to be in my make up bag.

I use YSL Babydoll Kiss & Blush for my cheeks. It's really easy to apply with the wand and then I just tap it in with my fingers.

For my lips I am obsessed with Clarins Instant Light Lip Balms! This is the shade Rosewood which is just a really neutral colour and perfect for everyday wear. They are so soft and comfortable and just gift a subtle hint of colour. Just what I want!



What are your every day essential make up products?

Festive Make Up!

It's that time of year again! Christmas parties will soon be coming up and I happened to take some photos one day when I was playing around with make up, and I thought it might be an appropriate look for a Christmas do.

I used some old favourites as well as new products - I was really dying to try out the Tanya Burr eyelashes and I got a gold Stargazer glitter too that I wanted to play around with!

Firstly I put Half Baked from the Naked palette all over the lid with a bit of Darkhorse in the crease.

I added some of the glitter on top of the eyeshadow and some lashes - I am a fake lash novice so I only put on a couple of individuals on the outside of my lashes.

I used the Clarins Extra Comfort foundation (I love this foundation!) subtle contouring with the Chanel bronzer and golden highlight with the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick (Apricot). Clarins Soft Peach blush and a Clarins Lip Balm Crayon in Sweet Cherry - I didn't want too much lip action since the eyes are so glittery!

It's a lot more make up than I would usually wear but I thought I would try something different! I had been wanting to experiment with glitters for a while and the festive season is the perfect time to do so!

Hope you liked this look! Tell me what make up you like to wear around Christmas!

Favourite Urban Decay NAKED Combinations - part 2!

Hello everyone and happy Saturday! Here is another one of my favourite looks using the Naked palette. This is something quick that I do for wearing during the day, and I guess you could also "dress it up" with a bold lip if you wanted to wear this on a night out! This is the look that I wear most frequently using the Naked palette.

The shades I use are Sidecar (all over lid), Smog (crease) and Darkhorse (outer corner).

What do you think? I love this so much, yes it is neutral but it also has a little glitter in there so it is most definitely not "boring"! As always, I finish the look off with my favourite ArtDeco liner and Lancome Hypnose mascara.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

My favourite Urban Decay NAKED palette combinations - Part 1

I thought this might be a fun series to do. I love my Naked palette, and it is more or less the only eyeshadows I have been using since I got it in September. Although I think all three Naked palettes are beautiful, the original Naked is definitely my number one choice. I do not have the other two palettes, while I do think they are lovely, they are quite similar and I do not think there is as much variety within the palettes as there is with the original Naked palette.

I love that there are pinks, golds, bronzes, taupes, and even blues in here. It is everything you could want. Although I love every single shade in here, I have worked out about three or four combinations that I wear all the time.

I'm having kind of a lazy Sunday, and I don't really plan on going anywhere, so I thought I would keep today's make up rather simple and go for a nice purple toned look.

I hope you like how this looks. Lighting is a bit of a nightmare this weather! For some reason in the photos it is showing up a more brown/grey shade! But in real life, it looks more purplish.

Here are the shades used..

Toasted - all over the lid

Hustle - crease

Sin - inner corner/tear duct

Virgin - to blend out crease

Pink and purple shades are my absolute favourite to wear on my eyes. These shades in the Naked palette are the best I have ever tried. They are lovely and shimmery too, which I adore! Sometimes I will tap a little more Sin in the centre of my lid too, just because I love the glitteriness of it!

Hope you all have a great Sunday! :) 

The Best of 2013 (Beauty Edition)

It is so difficult for me to believe that 2013 is at an end. I have to say that it has been a wonderful year for me, and I hope 2014 will be just as good. I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year.

I started this blog in January 2013. I have always tried numerous, varied products but ever since I started blogging I find that I have bought things that I wouldn't normally have looked at, thanks to everyone's great reviews and blog posts. 

I had to think long and hard but I have chosen seven products which have entered my life in 2013 and hopefully will never leave!

1. Clarins Instant Eye Make Up Remover - This is one item which will now always be a staple in my skincare routine. This eye make up remover has an oil and water layer which you shake together and which really cuts through all eye make up with one swipe. It is so gentle on your eyes, there is no need to tug or pull on the skin. It is £15.00 a bottle which normally lasts me about 10 weeks. It is worth every penny!

2. Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Mousse - I never used to wear fake tan, until I discovered this. Now I wear tan every single day. Isn't it funny how things change? I don't know what I would do without my Cocoa Brown. I don't look normal without it. Actually I don't even remember what I look like without tan. It is just the most natural looking tan, so easy to apply and it is dry almost instantly after applying. Sure it is so handy, why wouldn't you wear it all the time?!

3. Lancome Teint Idole Foundation - I decided to invest in a good foundation back in May and I am so delighted I chose this. I have not spent this much money on a foundation before, but I can tell you that you can actually feel the difference in quality compared to other foundations. This is without a doubt the best foundation to ever land in my make up collection. It is so light yet gives great coverage. It has a nice scent, and I love the glass bottle with the pump.

4. Art Deco Dip Eyeliner - I used to be so crap at applying liquid eyeliner. I don't know how I can apply this little beauty so easily, but I can. The formula, the brush, everything about it makes it so easy for me to line my eyes. And it has lasted so long too and hasn't started to dry up or anything. Although, I am incredibly upset now that I have just realised Debenhams do not stock this anymore! I don't know what I will do when this runs out!

5. Lancome Hypnose Mascara - After trying my first Lancome mascara earlier in the year (Hypnose Star) I can confirm that out of all the brands of mascaras I have tried, nothing even comes close to the quality of Lancome. I love the formula and the wand. My lashes are so amazing looking when I use this!

6. Illamasqua Cream Blush - Remember the Illamasqua 50% off sale everyone went crazy for? The only thing I bought was this cream blush in the shade "Dixie". I didn't really get on with it at first, but I have worn it every single day and have not even hit pan yet! I like to apply it with the Real Techniques Stippling Brush or I tap in on with my fingers. Even if I am wearing a powder blush, I always put on a bit of this underneath as a base. It is absolutely brilliant and well worth the money,

7. Urban Decay Naked Palette - I snubbed this palette for such a long time. I didn't like the idea of "nudes", I mean what is the point of wearing eyeshadow at all if you are going to go nude? But when I first saw this palette up close in real life, I quickly realised that my assumption was wrong. These shades are all so beautifully shimmery and in my opinion they are not what I would call "nudes". I love bronzey, gold shades and this palette is packed full of them. Since I got this palette I have worn no other eyeshadows! I like the idea of Naked 2 and now Naked 3, but in my opinion, the original Naked palette is the best.

Do you like any of these products? What products have you tried in 2013 that you love? Please let me know in the comments below.

Why oh Why did I snub this palette for so long?!

I never used to wear neutral shades on my eyes. I was of the opinion that brown toned shades did not flatter blue eyes so I stuck mostly to greys, purples and pinky shades. There has been so much hype over the Urban Decay Naked palette, I used to think "pah, why would I want 12 shades of brown?!" which I know is kind of an ignorant thing since I knew nothing about the Naked palette anyway.

But lately...I have really experimented and I do enjoy wearing a neutral eye makeup. I don't really have many neutral shades in my collection though. I was searching for a great palette but kept coming back to the Naked palette. I don't know why I thought there were just brown shades in here. There are creams, pinks, purples, golds, greys. It is everything you could ever want in a palette.

I chose the original Naked palette because I felt it had the most variety of colours. I looked at the Naked 2 but I felt there were a lot of shades within the palette that were very similar.

Naked does of course come with a sample of Primer Potion and a flat eyeshadow brush. The Primer Potion is quite good but the consistency feels a lot thinner than my ArtDeco eyeshadow base which I love. I still prefer the ArtDeco.

The flat eyeshadow brush is kind of stiff and I don't think it picks up and disburses the eyeshadows as nice as my Real Techniques brushes do.

Most of the eyeshadows are shimmery which is really nice and any neutral look you create with these can never look boring! My opinion has totally changed and I am delighted with this palette. The packaging it quite sturdy and classic looking. The quality of the shadows is second to none.

Here is just a little look I created using the shades Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Darkhorse and Virgin.

I never used to like the brand Urban Decay but I have no doubt that their eyeshadows are of a superior quality and they really present their products well. I would love to try more from the Naked range, like the Shimmering Powder and of course the nail polishes!