I wanted to start posting this on my blog and on my YouTube channel. I have decided to combine most of the powder products, which I am using for that week, in one palette to save on time and space. I will be changing the products out frequently so I will do updated posts whenever I do so. It would be really interesting to see what all of you have in yours as well. Links for my video, the Z Palette website and a picture with all the shadows labeled will be listed below. Thanks for stopping by! XOXO
This video was just on my first impressions in the first week I received it.
Hi Friends!I just want to first say that I am just being honest and my intention is not to be rude or harsh.I want you all to know that I will always be honest about my feeling on a product no matter what.If you love this palette, my opinion shouldn’t sway your thoughts either way.Sometimes I feed into the hype about something and it will make me buy or even love a product for month.I have to stop and really evaluate whether I like something or if I just think I do because others rave about it.That being said, I was completely enamored with the Naked 2 Palette.So many of us were so excited to try and get it with the first batch of 5000.When the site finally allowed me to purchase, I felt as if I was in the cool club for a minute.I ordered 3 and then went back and ordered 3 more (moment of insanity).I sort of snapped back into reality and canceled the second order of 3.Anyway, I was clearly just as excited as everyone else.My excitement has diminished a bit because of the quality and pigmentation of this product.I found it easier to make bulletins of the pros and cons.
Packaging A-
I love the hard case, but find it a bit inconvenient to have to pry it open every time I use it in one application.I close it when I set it down so they don’t get damaged so I open and close the case about 3 times during one sitting.Also, closing is odd.Sometimes it does not want to snap in one of the corners and when it does…..watch out!It snaps down really hard.
Brush A-
I love the blending side of this brush so much!It is defiantly of my new favorite brushes.It is the perfect size for getting your outer V and it blends eyeshadow so nicely and gives a clean professional look.I have not had any shedding or bleeding so I am very happy about that.The flat shader or lay down side is odd to me.It is synthetic which makes it difficult to pick up a good amount of product.I do like this brush for liquid or cream products, but for the actual shadow, not so much.It would also be good for a foiled eyeshadow look since the product would be damp.
Foxy A
I enjoy this color very much.It is a bit chalky, but no more than most matte shades that I work with.This is a matte shade and the pigmentation is good, but it can be sheered out to a very light wash of color.I use this color every time I use the palette and I find it very nice for blending out any crease color I use.The fallout is minimal.The color selection is great for someone my skin toned (MAC NC35) or lighter.I don’t feel like women of color would find this shade to be a very helpful nude or highlight color unless blended out to be sheer to almost nonexistent.
Half Baked A
I know a lot of you were disappointed with the selection of Half Baked being added to the Naked 2.It is in a lot of the existing Urban Decay Palettes and some might say it’s overdone.I personally think this color is beautiful for all skin tomes and is a great color to use in the fall and winter for a nice warm touch of gold and in the spring/summer for a sheer wash of warmth with just a touch of mascara.It is very easy to use and looks great alone or as a lid color with a neutral smoky eye.This is defiantly a shimmery color with great pigmentation.The fall out is moderate so I would suggest foundation as a last step when using this color.This is also a great color to foil for a really intense pop of color with a lot of shine.
Booty Call A-
This color has nice pigmentation with minimal fallout and is great for a highlight color on the cheekbones or down the center of your nose.I am not a big fan of frosty light colors on the brow bone, but that is just a personal preference.I will be using this palette when I travel so to have this color is really convenient for me because I don’t have to bring an extra product for my highlight.However, I don’t feel as though I will use this color as an eyeshadow because it is a bit too frosty and pale for my taste.The shimmer in it is so fine that it makes blending a dream which is key to having a clean highlighted cheekbone without looking like a disco ball.
Chopper B-
I like the concept of this color, meaning I like it in the pan and what I thought it could be.On the eye it looks like an orangey-pink.It does not suite my skin tone very well.Its shimmery with chunky glitter in it that falls out when applied to the lid.Urban Decay is not known for having awesome glitter shadows.I have never been happy with these chunky colors that they seem so fond of.The pigmentation is good and fallout other than glitter) is moderate.It is defiantly going to be one of the least used colors in my palette.
Tease A+
This shade is a cool toned taupe color with almost a mauve undertone.I do find the quality of this shadow to be the best out of the 3 matte shades.It is smooth and blends very nicely.The fallout is minimal.It does not suite my skin tone as well as buck (a warm med matte brown) from the original Naked palette.I find I have to warm it up with a color outside of this palette, although this does not sway my feelings about how much I do like this shadow.It is great quality and can be sheared out nicely.It is great for you mid tone between your crease and brow bone.This would be great for weddings or photo shoots in general.I’m a big fan of this color.
Snakebite A
This is a shimmery color with moderate fallout.It is easily blended and can be used to give a gradient effect quite easily.You could use this sheered out in your crease and then build up pigmentation in your outer V for a one step smoky eye.It is a unique color and would look very beautiful on most skin tones.I find myself using this color often when I reach for this palette.
Suspect D-
This is a shimmery champagne color.I have heard people rave about the pigmentation in it which leave me wondering if I ended up getting a “bad batch”.This color for me had almost 0 payoff unless I built it up about 3 times.It did not pick up on my lay down brush very well and would ball up into tiny fluffy balls that end up all over my face.I have tried using this with different brushes, but nothing works.You might try this as a wet shadow suing water or a mixing medium.For me it was a fail because I have no use for it.
Pistol A-
This color is a shimmery silver brown.It’s light and almost frosty looking.This color has light to moderate fallout and would look beautiful on the lid with a winged Plum liner and some mascara.Easy to wear, but I couldn’t see this being a blend out or crease color.It only has the one use for me and that is the reason for the A- rating.
Verve A
This is a very soft greyish pink color.Strange, I know.It is similar to Pistol in that I would only use this on my lid and possibly the inner tear duct.The shimmer is so finely milled and it is like butter to apply.It blends out really easily so be careful to not blend it away completely.Not a color I would use every day, but a great option to have.I don’t find that it was completely necessary to have in this palette.I would have loved to have seen Naked, from the original, in its place.
YDK A-
This is a rose gold or dusty pink color.It is shimmery and I find it chunky although there is no actual glitter.The shimmer is not as fine as some of the others.It is a great lid color.This is a great color for applying with your fingers to the lid and just adding some mascara.I find these shimmery colors to have the same uses for me so I’m just “eh” about it.Nice color pay off and moderate to a lot of fallout.
Busted B-
This is an aborigine color with tiny flex of glitter.The pigmentation is great and the color is unique and I am a big fan of this deep eggplant shade.The fallout is quite bad and it does not blend as nicely as I would have liked it to.I wanted this to be the perfect outer V color, but I find it hard to work with and disappointing.It is nice for the lower lash line or to use as a liner.
Blackout D
This is a matte black shadow.The fallout is minimal to moderate and the shadow is quite chalky, but pigmented.Again, I wanted to love this because it was a staple color I was looking for in a palette.This was probably the color I had the highest hopes for.After all, how could you go wrong with a matte black???This is hard to work with and if you blend it out too much it blends away.I find that is it patchy and looks sloppy and quite muddy on the eyes.I will probably stick to using this for a liner or to deepen my crease, but I am far from pleased with the quality and functionality of this shadow.
All Around Rating C
All in all, I don’t find myself reaching for this palette like I thought I would. I liked the concept of it because I thought it could be an all in one for me with a matte black and highlight and the shade range is much better than the original.Unfortunately, I found myself reluctant to reach for this at all.I had to force myself to use it because I promised I would use it for an entire week straight.I will defiantly use this for travel, but not much more outside of this purpose.I hope you enjoyed this and thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.For amazing pictures of swatches and another opinion checkout http://www.temptalia.com/urban-decay-naked-2-palette-swatches-photos-reviews
I am so excited to be doing this giveaway for all of my great subscribers. I really hope you enjoy this. The video is linked below and all you have to do is be a subscriber to my YouTube channel. Thank you all for being so great! All makeup I wore in the video is listed below. xoxo
FACE
Foundation- Revlon Photo Ready in 005 Natural Beige
Concealer- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in 50 Neutralizer
Powder- Lorac POREfection PF3
Blush- MAC Warm Soul
Bronzer- Urban Decay Baked Bronzer in Toasted
Contour- MAC Blunt
Highlight- e.l.f. Shimmer Palette and The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer
EYES
Primer/Base- MAC Paint Pot in Nubile
Base Shadow- Urban Decay Virgin (Naked)
Crease- Hustle (Naked)
Blending color- Toasted (Naked)
Eyeliner- Inglot AMC Gel Liner #77
Mascara- L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof
I was inspired, to do this look, by a picture of Jennifer Lopez on the cover of Glamour. Its a beautiful bronze look which I think is very wearable and versatile. I hope you enjoy. :) XOXO
Products used to achieve this look and Dupes Using the Naked Palette:
FACE
Foundation- Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse and Boots No7 High Lights Combined to create and glowy tinted moisturizer
Bronzer- The Balm Betty Lou-Manizer
Blush- NYX Cream Blush in 02 Natural and Nars Dolce Vita over top
EYES
Primer/Base- MAC Paint Pot in Nubile
All Over Shadow- La Femme in Bisque
Crease/Lid- Inglot AMC Shine 43 (gold) DUPE UD Half Baked and Pearl 409 (darker) DUPE UD Smog
Liner- Inglot AMC 63
Mascara- L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes in Waterproof
Hi everyone. Its Giveaway time and all you have to do is subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I hope you enjoy the prizes!!! Thank you for all of your support!
This is a review/rave on the Boots No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation.I am in the shade almond 30.The price is $13.99 and you can purchase it from Target, Drugstore.com, Boots and Amazon.com.This is a mousse foundation, but unlike the Dream Matte Mouse (aka DMM) from Maybelline, it is very easy to work with and blend.I feel like DMM would clump up into little balls and it made it difficult to use.This No7 foundation is also a creamier and denser mousse.It gives full coverage, but can easily be used for a very light application of coverage for your “no makeup” makeup days.It also feels very light on the skin as if I am not wearing anything at all.This would be a great foundation for people with oily skin, but I recommend it for all skin types.It did not leave me overly matte like I thought DMM did.It is a matte foundation so it does not have a single shimmer in it.It leaves my face free from shine, but also glowing in a way.I can’t really describe that part in a way that would make total sense.It just makes my skin look really beautiful and glowing.It lasts 12 hours plus for me.I used this when I was on a cleaning rampage and I was sweating like no other.It lasted through this and my face was still as matte as I wanted it to be.I have been setting this with Laura Geller Balance and Brighten, but it is also good to go on its own because it sets to a velvet finish.I am just a slave to habit so I throw on powder over top of it.One thing I do notice is that I have had really dry patches because I am using benzoyl peroxide on my face at night to help my acne.If I have a flaky dry patch it can exasperate it when first applied and it looks a bit icky, but once it settles that goes away.I use this foundation with Philosophy’s The Present Primer (link below).Together these are long lasting and beautiful.To me this is a high end foundation at a drug store cost.I own Makeup Forever HD, MUFE Mat Velvet, Laura Mercier Silk Cream, Nars Sheer Glow, etc. and yet I have still been reaching for this!I could not be happier about this foundation and I highly recommend you checking it out.Target has a great return policy so you can’t really go wrong.Please see a list of pros and cons below and check out my video review on my Youtube channel.I hope this helped!Have a great day! Xo
PROS:
Long lasting
Matte finish
Leaves skin looking bright and glowing
Flawless full coverage, but can be sheered out
Feels light
Does not need to be set with powder (sets to velvet finish)
Inexpensive
High quality packaging
A little goes a long way
Easy to blend
Does not settle into fine lines
Minimizes pores
Great for all skin types especially oily
CONS:
Not a large shade range
Can exasperate flaky dry skin at first
Not easily accessible for people outside of the U.S. (but definitely available)
My Video Review on the No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation
Review and Information on Philosophy's The Present Primer
This is a really wearable look using red eye shadow. I find this is the best way for me to wear it without looking sick. ;) I got my inspiration from Rihanna on the cover of the September Issue of Glamour Magazine. She looked so sexy and sophisticated. All of the products used are listed below. Love you guys! XOXO
This is a sophisticated look for work. It will work for all ages and its timeless because we aren't doing anything crazy and there is no shimmer. Below are pictures and the video tutorial along with a list of products. Thank you so much for stopping by! XOXO
FACE
Primer- Clear FX Prep by Cover FX
Foundation- Makeup Forever HD in 153
Color Corrector- Eve Pearl Salmon Trio in "B"
Concealer- Glamoflauge in Tan
Powder- Young Blood Mineral Rice Powder in Medium
Blush- Inglot #29
Contour- Inglot Pressed Powder #31
Highlight- Glamoflauge in Medium
EYES
Primer- Too Faced Shadow Insurance
All Over Color- Le Femme in Nude
Crease- Le Femme in Brown
Liner- Inglot AMC Gel #90
Lashes- Maybelline One By One in Black
Brow Powder- Inglot #560
Brow Gel- Inglot #573
These are my current favorite brushes to use. I use all of them on a daily basis as well as professionally when I am working with a client. They really help me take my makeup application to the next level. Below are pictures of each brush and description of use along with the links of where you can purchase them. You can also check out my video review of all of these brushes. Thank you so much for stopping by!!! XO
So I got my September issue of Vogue and I loved the cover shot of Kate Moss. She looked so youthful and pretty. I also love that the theme for Fall this year is PLUM! This makeup look was fast and easy. You can do this look with drugstore products. I used things I have in my professional makeup kit. If I have a good dupe for something I will link it below. Thanks for stopping by!
FACE PRODUCTS
Primer- Inglot Under Makeup Base Inglot Foundation- Makeup Forever Mat Velvet in #33 and #40 Concealer- Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Tan Setting Powder- Ben Nye Neutral Set Blush-Le Femme in Soft Beige
EYES
Primer- Tarte Lifted Base- Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in 14 (DUPE ALERT! NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Rust) Crease- Inglot Pearl 452 Mid Tone- Le Femme in Brown Brow Bone- Le Femme in Nude Eyebrows- Coastal Scents Hotpot in M16 Mascara- Lorac Lotsa Lash in Brown Liner- Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Rockstar
LIPS
Liner- NYX lip Pencil in Mauve Lipstick- Inglot 39
BRUSHES
FACE
BH Cosmetics Round Stippling Brush
Crown Brush Stippling Brush C406 for powder
Crown Brush Blending Brush for setting concealer C412
Borghese Angled Contour Brush in 101
EYES
Flat Shader from Urban Decay (came in my Naked Palette)
Sigma E25 for crease
Angled Borghese 204
I know it has been a while, but I think I am finally falling back in love with my blog. It seems to have been the ugly step child to my YouTube channel. I am really not good at writing, no wait, I am HORRIBLE at writing. While this blog is a lot of fun, I find myself very self conscious about my writing. That being said, let's get started!
Okay so an entire post of 1 brush? For me foundation brushes are one of the most important brushes I use. I could do a five page essay on these things, but for your sake I wont!
So I needed more synthetic foundation brushes much like the Sigma F80, F84 and F82 http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Synthetic_Face_Kit_p/smax01.htm.
These are ideal for applying foundation of any kind and it is fantastic for cream blushes and highlighters. I have four of these brushes currently, but I try not to use these because they are for my professional kit. Also, as some of you may know I have been having a bout of acne and I wanted extra brushes so that I can switch them out frequently and not use dirty brushes all the time.
I happened to be online and saw that BH Cosmetics was having a sale on select items, one being the synthetic round stippling brush. This thing was a steal! The brush was $5.56 and $2.00 shipping. I decided to get three thinking they were such a good deal how could I go wrong. Well let me tell you.............................
I went wrong.
First of all there are no frills to buying from BH Cosmetics. None of the fancy packaging you get with Coastal Scents, or Sigma. I am fine with this, but I know some of you care about packaging almost as much as the product. So I open my Ziploc bag with three small brushes inside. That was the first thing I noticed. The brushes were about 4" in length. This didn't bother me too much , although I do prefer a big brush. The next thing I noticed was the weight. I like a brush with a little weight to it and this brush delivered. It has a nice feel to it. It also seems to be made quite well. When I washed the brushes there was zero shedding which was great. The brush washed nicely and dried faster than some of my other synthetic face brushes. This is probably due to the circumference of the brush. Its about half the size of a Sigma F80. I let the brush dry over night and the next morning I picked it up and ran my finger over the top of it. It didn't feel very soft and it made a snapping noise when I flick my finger through it. I think this is because of the bristles being more like hard plastic than soft hairs. The bristles are also too long and this makes the brush flimsy yet hard. This part is hard for me to explain, but if they cut the bristles I feel it would be a much better brush. These bristles are more like the ones on a tradition cheap paddle foundation brush. I decided to try the brush anyway and to my dismay it made for a streaky uncomfortable application. I have tried to use it about five times and I have to say I do not love it or even like it for that matter. It was a good price so I will continue to use these for cream blush, but even then they are not spectacular. If you are in the market for an amazing foundation bush I say stick with Sigma. Its about three times the price, but so worth it. I will list all of the pros and cons below. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog post and I hope it helped! Also, see the link for the brush below.
