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?

Monthly Favourites | August

Last month I skipped the favourites post because there were really no new products to show you but this month has definitely made up for it for I have quite a lot of new things to share with you!

For starters, I have two new summer favourites courtesy of Lierac Paris and Kiko Cosmetics. Let me start with the Kiko Summer Wipes first. These wipes are meant to dissolve salt from the skin after swimming so that you can refresh yourself and they have proven to be God-send when we went to the beach in the afternoon and stayed there late for a bar-be-que as well on days by the pool to refresh my skin. They are quite handy in that regard and I like the tight closure the packet comes with as that way the wipes don't dry up.

Next is the Lierac Paris Sunific Solaire 2 Iridescent Milk Mist with SPF15. This came at the right time when I already had a tan and just want to preserve it and still protect my skin. It goes on as a light white mist that just melts into the skin as an iridescent sheen with a very nice scent.

Next up are some skin care products starting with this Micellar Water Gel Makeup Remover and Ultrafine Scrub from La Roche Posay. Both products have intrigued me from the first time and they have now become part of my skin care routine. After trying other varieties of the Yves Rocher Exfoliating Shower Gel, I decided to give this summer limited edition version a try. It is in Apple Star Anise and I immediately took a fancy to the fresh, invogorating smell. It does a good job at gently exfoliating the skin, is gentle enough for everyday use and perfect when you're in a hurry!

Also shown in the photo is the Kiko Cosmetics XL Travel Pochette. I got it in my most recent order and it is practically the only one use now! It holds all my toiletries and makeup in just one place and feels very nice and sturdy.

Next, I have some nail product favourites. I have bought this Kiko Cosmetics glass nail file and I also picked up another one while visiting Dubrovnik and they do a better job at preventing the nails from splitting than any other nail file! I have also been liking the Essence Nail Caring Oil for my cuticles which despite being very cheap, it works just as well as the more expensive ones I have.

Moving on to makeup, I have some new MAC favourites, namely Prep+Prime Fix+ Refreshing Mist, Lipstiks in Velvet Teddy and Hot Gossip and Powder Blush in Dame. I could finally see what all the hype about Fix+ is because it is such a versatile product and essentially, you don't need any other primer or fixer after you try this!

The lipsticks are both new shades to me and come in my favourite finishes from MAC, Matte and Cremesheen. They glide smoothly with amazing pigmentation and last very long. Lastly, the blush is a very lovely colour that suits every complexion giving you a nice, healthy glow. It is quite sheer but buildable and stays on all day.

Next is another Kiko Cosmetics (I promise it's the last one in this post!) - the CC Cream Cushion System in the shade 30 Warm Beige. I got two shades of this, one for summer and one for winter. 30 Warm Beige, is the darker colour and it turned out to be a good match for my tanned skin. This CC Cream has quite an unusual packaging as opposed to similar products from other brands. The product itself is very light and blends really well into the skin covering all imperfections and just giving you an overall uniform complexion.

Of course sometime, we still need help in some areas and for my under-eyes, this Max Factor CC Colour Corrector in yellow does the trick! I shall be reviewing this in a separate post so I am not going to go into any details about it other than saying I love it!!

If on the other hand I needed something more for other areas of my face, my new favourite product for those instances, is the Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Contour Palette. This has everything I need in one place and even has a darker concealer that is perfect for me to use when I am more tanned!

I have also been liking the Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette which has everything if you're still into contouring as well as good highlighters to try your hand at strobing.

Lastly, I have really been enjoying using the Naked Smoky palette from Urban Decay. It has everything you need to achieve the perfect smoky eye and I really like the quality of the eyeshadows!