Saturday, June 14, 2014

Urban Decay Naked Basics Review and Swatches

I am a huge matte eyeshadow lover because I feel as if they appear the most natural than any other eyeshadow finishes. One of my favorite palettes that I use pretty much every time I wear makeup is the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. This palette contains five matte shades and one shimmer shade.

Venus
is the only shimmery shade, it is an off-white almost satin (leaning more toward demi-matte) shade. Foxy is a matte light yellowy beige. Walk of Shame (W.O.S.) is a light matte creamy pinky nude. Naked 2 is a matte medium cool toned taupe. Faint is a matte medium-dark brown, which leans more warm than cool. Lastly, Crave is a deep, dark matte black/brown.


Front of Naked Basics Palette

Back of Naked Basics Palette

Eyeshadows in Naked Basics Palette

Closer Look at the Eyeshadows in Naked Basics

Swatches of Naked Basics
Venus, Foxy, W.O.S.

Swatches of Naked Basics
Naked 2, Faint, Crave

As of now, this palette retails for $28. Personally I believe it is a great deal, because individually one Urban Decay shadow retails for $18 and after doing the math, each shadow in the palette comes out to cost about $4.67 each. That's a total steal in my book!

Each shadow in the palette is great quality. However, the shades I find to be superior to the others are Naked 2 and Crave. Both of these shadows have an amazing buttery smooth texture with intense pigmentation. I found the shade Foxy to be the worst performing compared to the others because the texture was a bit dry. Keep in mind, none of the shadows are considered bad or even average. I didn't see any fallout with any of the colors.

Throughout the day I did notice some fading with the shadows, especially the lighter shades W.O.S. and Foxy. However, none of the colors drastically faded and my makeup still looked nice by the end of the night. 

Overall Rating : 9.5/10
Pigmentation : 9.5/10
Texture : 9.5/10
Application : 5/5
Wear Time : 4.5/5

Would I Repurchase Again?
Yes! Amazing quality and good value.




*I purchased this with my own money*

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Tag : This or That - Beauty Edition

Hey everyone, for my first post here I thought I would introduce myself and my beauty choices. Here is the this or that beauty tag... I will try to incorporate more personal but still beauty related posts along with reviews, tutorials, etc.

MAKEUP
Blush or Bronzer : This is probably one of the hardest questions on this, considering I love face products. But if I had to choose, I would pick blush.
Lip gloss or Lipstick : I love both, but I have to go with lipstick.
Eyeliner or Mascara : Definitely mascara!
Foundation or Concealer : Another easy one, concealer!
Neutral or Color Eyeshadow : On an everyday basis I just use neutral eyeshadow.
Pressed or Loose Eyeshadow : I always end up spilling loose powders, so I prefer pressed.
Brushes or Sponges : I prefer brushes but sometimes I will use sponges here and there.

NAILS
OPI or China Glaze : China Glaze is easier for me to get a hold of and it's cheaper, plus I believe it is about the same quality of OPI. But I love nail polish and I love both brands.
Long or Short : Medium to long length.
Acrylic or Natural : Au-naturale nails.
Brights or Darks : Brights but I really wear almost any color of nail polish.
Flower or No Flower : No flower but I wouldn't mind a flower every once in a while.

BODY
Perfume or Body Splash : Perfume, but sometimes I use body splash to freshen up throughout the day.
Lotion or Body Butter : Body butter because I have dry skin.
Body Wash or Soap : Usually I will use body wash but sometimes a piece of soap sneaks its way into my shower.
Lush or Other Bath Company : I love lush, just wish it wasn't so expensive.

FASHION
Jeans or Sweat Pants : Jeans. But when at home, sweats!
Long or Short Sleeve : Short sleeve.
Dresses or Skirts : I prefer neither, but between the two I choose dresses.
Stripes or Plaid : Stripes!
Flip Flops or Sandals : I wear flip flops basically every casual moment I can.
Scarves or Hats : I don't wear either, but hats.
Studs or Dangly Earrings : I love me some dangly earrings!
Necklaces or Bracelets : Bracelets!
Heels or Flats : Without a question, flats. However, I do love wearing heels from time to time.
Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots : I rarely ever wear boots, but riding boots.
Jacket or Hoodie : I prefer jackets.
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe : Charlotte Russe for sure! One of my favorite stores.
Abercrombie or Hollister : Hollister! Another one of my favorite stores.
Saks 5th or Nordstrom : Nordstrom! Not one of my favorite stores, but I like it.

HAIR
Curly or Straight : I have naturally wavy hair and I think curly hair suits me better.
Bun or Ponytail : I'm a bun kinda gal.
Bobby Pins or Butterfly Clips : Bobby pins for the win!
Hairspray or Gel : Hairspray, just because it's so much easier to work with.
Long or Short : Loooong hair!
Light or Dark : I want my hair to be dark brown with subtle light brown highlights.
Side Sweep Bangs or Full Bangs : Although I don't personally like the look of bangs on myself, I like side sweep bangs better.
Up or Down : Down! I will have my hair down 95% of the time.

RANDOM 
Rain or Shine : Shine but not too hot.
Summer or Winter : Where I live there is not a huge climate difference between seasons, I do like summer because there is no school but then again, winter is extremely cheerful and joyous! I can't decide!
Fall or Spring : Spring!
Chocolate or Vanilla : I love plain ole vanilla.
East Coast or West Coast : West coast!