My Top 5 Eyeshadow Palettes

Today I want to talk about my favourite eyeshadow palettes, my Top 5 to be exact. I think palettes are great for travelling especially when they have everything you could possibly need. Neutral palettes are what I usually reach for but palettes with different colour options are a nice, welcome change too (apart from being pretty to look at). Here are my top five palettes (in no particular order) and why I like them so much.

First up is the KIKO Queen Of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette in 03 Elegant Ebony. Unfortunately this was limited edition so you can't get it anymore but luckily you can find dupes of all four shades in the palette. Why is this one of my favourite palettes? The packaging is one of the reasons of course but also the fact that is comes in a portable format complete with mirror and all four shades in it are very wearable - you get a matte light brown, a matte medium brown, a matte dark brown and a shimmery copper-gold. All of them have exceptional colour payoff and the matte ones can also be used for your brows!

Next I have this very girly quad from Catrice Cosmetics in the nuance 100 F'rosen Yoghurt. I mostly like to use this at this time of year with anything plum/burgundy being my favourite during autumn/winter. However the colours are also very wearable in summer too especially the lighter ones. I also really like the all over transparent packaging. Again you get three matte shades and a shimmery one. The pigmentation is not that intense with this palette but I still like it because all the colours buildable.

Sleek i-Divine Palette in Vintage Romance is also another one of my favourites but I mostly like to use for night looks as out of twelve eyeshadows, you only get one matte shade, the rest are all shimmery. I like the colour selection in this palette especially the golds and purples. Not to mention the value for money of these palettes couple with exceptional quality and pigmentation!

Lastly, and this comes to no surprise, are my Naked 3 and Naked Smoky Palettes from Urban Decay. By now you all know how much I love these palettes and they are the ones I reach for the most. In each palette you get twelve shades with different finishes so you really have everything you could possibly need. Each palette also comes with a large mirror and a double ended brush, all encased in pretty packaging!

Those are my top five eyeshadow palettes, what do you think of them? What are your favourite palettes?

First Impressions/Review | Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

I'm really excited about this post that I have for you today as it is all about the newest palette to join Urban Decay's Naked family - the Naked Smoky Palette!

I got mine three weeks ago from feelunique.com and it was my first time ordering from the website and I am pretty impressed with the timely delivery. Also, nothing got smashed in the mail, not even the outer box!

The palette comes in a box, like the Naked 3 (it's the only one I have from the others so I can only talk about it) and it has a smoke effect all over and shade depictions at the back. The palette itself also has a smoky effect all over it.

It definitely has some weight to it but I think it is lighter than the Naked 3 which has a metal outer casing as opposed to plastic. However, I like more the way the Naked Smoky looks and I feel Urban Decay have outdone themselves this time. Also, I really like the magnetic closure. The palette also comes with a double ended brush and an information leaflet with four tutorials to achieve the perfect smoky eye.

Inside, you get the standard mirror and 12 eyeshadows (9 never seen before shades and 3 exclusives from past palettes). This time, the eyeshadows are organized by finish rather than by colour so you get light shades on both ends and the darker ones in the middle. The palette has a nice mix of warm and cool toned neutrals for a more dimensional smoky eye I guess. 

Like I said, this time the shades are organized by finish, and you get four shimmer shades, four satins and four mattes.

This is how Urban Decay describes the shades in the Naked Smoky palette:

High - champagne shimmer with micro-glitter

Dirtysweet - medium bronze

Radar - metallic taupe with iridescent micro-glitter
Armor - metallic silver-taupe with tonal sparkle

Slanted - light metallic gray

Dagger - medium charcoal with micro-shimmer

Black Market - jet-black satin

Smolder - deep plum-taupe

Password - cool taupe matte

Whiskey - rich brown matte

Combust - soft pink-taupe

Thirteen - light beige satin

I think the pigmentation is excellent for both light and dark shades with the exception of Combust and Thirteen but since they are meant as transitional and highlight shades I don't mind it that much. None of the shades are powdery though - Urban Decay eyeshadows seem to have that signature buttery-soft texture down to a t! If I had to pick some favourites I would go for all four shimmer shades, Smolder and Password. I always use a primer underneath my eyeshadow so I have no problem with the eyeshadows fading.

All Naked Palettes come with a double ended brush and the one in this palette is named the Double- Ended Smoky Smudge/Tapered Crease Brush and honestly, I think it is the perfect brush to accompany such a palette. It also features that same smoky pattern as the box in the middle part and the bristles are very soft on both ends. I have already washed and used this brush and I like that it performs really well in terms of blending and applying colour.

I paid €54.72 for this palette which may seem like a lot to fork out on a single item but if you do the math, each 1.3g eyeshadow comes down to just €4.56 whereas the Urban Decay single eyeshadows that have 1.4g of product retail for a whopping €19! Plus you are getting a brush you will actually use and a nice looking palette so I'd say it is great value for money.  

Would you pick up this palette? Which is your favourite Naked palette?

August Collective Haul

It is time for my favourite end-of-month post! Haul posts and videos are my favourite because I feel they portray the blogger/vlogger's individual style and tastes...and they might even be a source of inspiration for your next buys!

This month was a little heavy in terms of shopping for shops were still on sale and the majority of them had prices slashed down by 70%. I took the opportunity to buy a few things to take with me to London this December (yes we will be going for the second time in a matter of 9 months!) and I need some different clothes since the temperatures will be much less than the previous visit.

Mango in Paola ticked most boxes and I was pleased to find good deals on clothes my size! Firstly, this suede leather jacket which originally retailed for €90 and I paid €44.99 for it. Next I got four new pairs of jeans at €22.49 per pair (sale price). Mango do some very good jeans and I have pairs from them over 5 years old and still look good! I also got some jumpers and tops and I couldn't resist the 'Bloggers Do It Better One' even though it was too big for me but I can always wear it around the house. The white jumper was €12.49, the half-sleeve top was €19.99, the navy blue one was €14.99 and the slogan one was €12.49.

I needed a new set of pajamas and I found this gorgeous set on sale at Boux Avenue. It was still a little pricey at €25 I guess but considering it was 50% off I don't think it's that bad of a deal and they are really comfortable! Incidentally my mum, was shopping at BHS and found me this pair of super comfy slippers that match the pajamas. They were only lying in the damaged goods bin priced just €3 and honestly, neither me nor my mum could find any damage. Well, they're mine at a bargain price anyways!

The last clothing related purchase I made this month is this gorgeous pair of leather pumps with ankle strap. I love shoes with ankle straps and the blood red colour of this one is just perfect come winter. The best part? It was down to just €35 from €96!

Up next are makeup and beauty purchases starting with MAC. Of course, my excitement over the opening of two MAC posts in Malta has not yet subsided so I went again and bought Brick-o-la Amplified Lipstick (€19), Petrol Blue PearlGlide Intense Eyeliner (€17.50) and Gleam Lustre eyeshadow (€18). Of course Ruby Woo lipstick and Soar liner were out of stock so when the second store opened and I got a call from my friend Marija that she could try and see if they have them, I jumped at the chance and here they are!!! Ruby Woo costs €19 and Soar costs €15.20. I also managed to drop Ruby Woo when I first opened it, hence the weird looking bullet tip in the picture.

I picked up some essentials from Yves Rocher and this is what I got; a lavender foot scrub (€5.10), Apple Star Anise Exfoliating Shower Gel summer limited edition (€4.50), Active Sensitive masque (€14.50) and Raspberry perfume (€5.60).

Other random bits I purchased are this Nivea lip balm, a Max Factor clear nail polish and the Max Factor CC Colour Corrector in Yellow as I really wanted to try it. I think the polish was €7.40 and the concealer was €10.40 but I can't remember the price of the lip balm.

The much anticipated and hyped about Urban Decay Naked Smoky palette has also made it's way to my makeup cabinet and I couldn't be happier! It cost me around €55 from feelunique.com but I think it is worth every cent!

Lastly, I have two Essence products which were a gift from a friend. So a few weekends ago, Essence organized an event where you paid €5 or €10 and you got the chance to dig in and take home whatever you could grab. She got the Gel Nails at Home Primer and an Effect Gel Top Coat and since she doesn't use gel polish, she gifted them to me :)

That concludes this month's haul post! Now I am going to try and be a very good girl and not buy anything till December so I can have money to splurge on a luxury item or two in London!