First Impressions | Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette

Hello everyone 😊 By now, all beauty aficionados know about Urban Decay's latest release, The Naked Heat palette. It goes without saying that the moment I laid my eyes on the promo images for this palette, I knew I had to have it! It took me quite a while to get my hands on it as it was released in Europe in July and of course, having to buy it online, I have had to wait for another 14 days for the palette to finally be delivered. But, let me tell you, it was well worth the wait! I also managed to get my hands on the Vice lipsticks that were released with the palette but there will be more on them in a separate post.

Just when I thought there was no possibility of another Naked palette to be released, Urban Decay managed to come up with this fiery version boasting 12 newly released shades of amber-hued neutrals just in time for summer. With a colour spectrum ranging from warm browns to burnt oranges, this warm-toned palette looks flattering on any skin tone. Without further ado, let's get to the fun part - pictures and swatches!

As far as packaging goes, I think this palette is decidedly the best looking - the outer packaging resembles a match box complete with a drawer containing the palette and 12 matches illustrated on the inside of the box, the next more burnt than the one before it to depict the shades going from lightest to darkest. The palette, on the other hand, boasts a rather colourful appearance with an orange case and an ombre metallic lid which gives the Naked logo a sort of 3D look.

The inside is pretty standard with of course the 12 eyeshadow pans and the shade names underneath, a large mirror and a dual ended brush. I always like the brushes that come with UD palettes as they are very good quality and this brush was no exception either. Actually, it reminds me of the one that comes with the Naked Smoky except the fluffier end is shorter on this one.

Now let's have a look at the shades. The shades are organized from lightest to darkest and I was actually surprised to see so many matte shades in an Urban Decay palette - 7 out of 12 to be exact while the remaining 5 are mostly shimmery.

Ounce (ivory shimmer)

Chaser (light nude matte)

Sauced (soft terra-cotta matte)

Low Blow (brown matte)

Lumbre (copper shimmer w/gold pearl shift)

He Devil (burnt red matte)

Dirty Talk (metallic burnt red)

Scorched (metallic deep red w/gold micro-shimmer)

Cayenne (deep terra-cotta matte)

En Fuego (burgundy matte)

Ashes (deep reddish-brown matte)

Ember (deep metallic copper-burgundy)

Of course pigmentation is always exceptional with UD and the formula is buttery soft. Intensity can always be built up to your heart's content and there is no limit to the looks you can create with this palette. The only shades which are a little lacking in pigmentation are Ounce and Chaser but other than them, the rest are insane!

The stand out shades for me are Ember, En Fuego, Scorched and Lumbre. The shimmery shades have a nice sort of duo-chromatic shift which I look forward to use in makeup looks I am planning to share on the blog soon :)

The palette is on sale from Feelunique and Urban Decay websites for €47.40.

First Impressions | Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette

Behold: Urban Decay's biggest and most colourful palette yet! Yes! The Urban Decay Full Spectrum palette has finally made its way to my eyeshadow palettes collection! And I don't think I am exaggerating when I say it's the brightest and the biggest one I own to date!

Let's have a closer look at what the latest lust-worthy palette from UD is all about. First things first, the packaging - it's very similar to other UD palettes in that there are the shades depicted on the outer box. However, it is much bigger than the other palettes - it contains 21 shades as opposed to the standard 12 shades that usually compose the brand's palette. You can compare the size of the palette here against the Naked Ultimate Basics.

The Full Spectrum palette comes in a black square layout palette with a magnetic closure. The ouside is just as beautiful as the inside (we'll get to that in a minute) with glossy parallel lines going all across the lid and down to the sides. The lid also features a multi-faceted rainbow coloured UD logo on the bottom right side underneath which is the name of the palette, also in rainbow colours.

On opening, there is a mirror as big as the lid and of course, there are the colours on the bottom compartment. The palette also comes with a small, double ended eyeshadow brush. The eyeshadows are arranged in a rainbow sequence of which there are three variations of the traditional rainbow colours. The last row is made up of grey, black and white - there really is a full spectrum of colours in there ;)

Urban Decay being Urban Decay, it is no surprise that most of the shades have a shimmer or frost finish. In fact, they only matte shade I can spot is Bump (white). Here are swatches and a description of all the shades:

Alchemy (deep fuchsia satin)
Gossip (bright metallic pink with subtle shimmer)
Paranoia (soft metallic blue-pink)
Warning (deep metallic copper)
Seize (bright metallic coral with subtle shimmer)
Jones (metallic orange with subtle shimmer)

Midnight Blaze (black matte with yellow-gold shimmer)
Calavera (bright yellow matte with subtle shimmer)
Goldmine (metallic yellow-gold)
Hundred (deep metallic forest green)
Hatter (vibrant green with tonal micro-sparkle)
Mean (bright metallic lime green)

Minx (deep navy matte with floating tonal pearl)
Blindsided (bright teal blue matte with floating pearl)
Metamorphosis (vibrant periwinkle blue with micro-sparkle)
Delirious (deep plum matte with subtle floating pearl)
Sketch (metallic medium purple)
Faded (lavender with gold shimmer)

Platonic (black matte with iridescent glitter)
Iced (oyster silver with shimmer)
Bump (white matte)

All shades are very pigmented and I find they last me all day (with the use of a primer of course) with no issues of creasing whatsoever and I only experienced fallout with the heavily shimmery shades. I have to point out though that the blue shades are a little patchy.

Would you give in to buying this palette? I got mine from feelunique.com for €49.54 with 10% off (usual price is €55.04).

Review | Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics

Urban Decay are proof that you can re-invent nude over and over and it never gets boring! Meet the Ultimate Basics Palette, the latest addition to the ever popular Naked range.

Once again, Urban Decay took the beauty world by storm with their latest releases. Of course I bought the Naked Ultimate Basics as soon as it became available on feelunique.com and I haven't skipped a day of using this palette, even the very day I received it! The palette was a cheat birthday present from me to me as I am planning on my buying my first designer shoe as a birthday and Christmas gift so I said I wasn't going to buy anything but of course I couldn't resist not getting this palette - I know you understand me don't you?

Rambling over, here is a look at the packaging of the palette - it comes in a metallic rose gold box with the eyeshadows pictured at the top and bottom and also on the back. The palette itself is presented in a matte rose gold compact with shiny details such as the name and some of the lines. The design is three-dimensional and goes down to the sides of the palette. On opening the palette, there is a large mirror on one side and an array of twelve eyeshadows on the other along with a small, double ended brush. Contrary to the other Naked palettes which have a rectangular format, this one has a square layout.

The only disappointment I have with this palette, is that Urban Decay claims all twelve shades are matte but I can see some shimmer in 3 of them. However, all shades are beautiful and range from nudes to pinks, creams to grey and black - possibly every shade you could ever need. All of them have excellent pigmentation (except for Nudie and Commando which require more swipes for the colour to show) and last all throughout the day.

Here is a closer look at all of the shades (swatched without primer):

Blow - shimmery pearl beige

Nudie - matte soft pink nude

Commando - matte light taupe

Tempted - matte pale brown

Instinct - matte taupe with pink undertones

Lethal - matte red-brown

Pre-Game - matte pale yellow

Extra Bitter - matte burnt orange

Faith - matte warm brown

Lockout - matte rich brown

Magnet - smoky grey with subtle silver shimmer

Blackjack - matte rich blackened brown

There's really not much more to say about this palette other than if you only get one UD Naked palette, make it this one - it has everything you could ever need if you like nude eyeshadows and it's great for travelling! Now I'm waiting for the Full Spectrum palette to make its way home to me ;)

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics is available for sale on feelunique.com at €49.28.

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?

Products Worth The Hype | Part 1 - High End

When new makeup products hit the market, us beauty bloggers are usually the first to go out and get them before anyone else does. Truth is sometimes we fork out a good amount of money only to find that the product in question is a total let down.

However, there are some products that are surrounded with insane hype even before they are released and people continue to talk about them long after because they are actually worth the wait and money. In this post I shall be talking about such products that I have in my stash (after giving in to the pressure).

Urban Decay Naked 3 and Naked Smoky Palettes | Cost: €54.73/£38

Urban Decay is my favourite brand for eyeshadows and I am the proud owner of the Naked 3 and Naked Smoky palettes. These do come at a price at almost €55 per palette but I still think they are worth the money considering each eyeshadow comes down to less than €5 as opposed to the single ones that retail for €19.

If like me, neutrals are your favourite eyeshadows, these palettes are a must-have and I am a big fan of the texture and colour ranges which in my opinion is what makes these palettes worth all the money.

MAC Cosmetics Prep+Prime Fix+ Refreshing Mist | Cost: €18/£17

There are a gazillion and one ways in which you can use this product at that already justifies anyone buying it. However, I don't think €18 for a product that can be used in so many different ways classifies exactly as being so expensive that it has to be justified. I am not going to go into all the ways you can use this but I am just going to say that I love using it as a primer and fixer and it works wonders even the summer heat!

MAC Cosmetics Lipsticks | Cost: €19 each/£15.50 each

Another very much hyped about product from MAC are their lipsticks. I am guilty of buying a lipstick or two or three each time I visit MAC and I seriously can't get enough of them - pigmentation, staying power, colour range, various finishes; they have all the ingredients for the perfect lipstick range! They may come across as expensive to some at €19 a pop but even when compared to more expensive lipsticks I have, they cannot be beaten. Honestly. Not to mention they sort of set a gold standard for red lipsticks with Ruby Woo and Russian Red.

Christian Louboutin Beaute Louboutin Nail Polish in Rouge Louboutin | Cost: €40/£36

OK, so this may have to be crazy on my part but I caved in and bought a €40 nail polish. It is the most expensive one I have and I am not going to lie and say that I don't have exact dupes to it because we all know that is not true. However, none of them last as long as this on my nails. It has lasts me for a good 8 days without a chip in sight every. single. time!!! I could even get away with one coat! Plus the packaging is somewhat luxurious and being the shoe aficionado that I am, I just couldn't resist delving into Mr. Louboutin' beauty world. Now I just have to wait till I buy the matching lipstick ;)

Sigma Makeup Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki F80 | Cost: €20/£16

The last high-end product I have that is worth the hype is the Sigma F80. Everyone and their mother raves about this brush and honestly, even though I do like to switch brushes and sponges to apply my foundation, I keep going back to this brush every time because nothing gives me a more polished, buffed look than it does.

MAC Cosmetics Fluidline in Blacktrack | Cost: €18.50/£16

This was the first product I ever bought from MAC after seeing everyone rave about it and I can vouch that everything they say is true. The pigmentation and staying power are to die for and I wouldn't go back to any other gel liner. I have recently also got Dipdown which is a rich brown and works just as well!

MAC Cosmetics Lip Pencil in Soar | Cost: €15.20/£12.50

Kylie Jenner is to blame for this lip pencil being out of stock so frequently and no wonder she loves it so much! It is a nice shade of deep dusky rose that is perfect all year round if you ask me. I like to wear it on its own mostly but under a matching lipstick and gloss, it prolongs the wear so definitely go get it if you spot it at your nearest MAC!

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?