Urban Decay Smoked Palette Review and Swatches

My Mum got this palette for me last week and I have to say I love it! It makes such a change to the Naked palette and I love smokey colours. I was slightly put off getting it at first as a I already have 4 of the colours from other palettes but I am glad I did as I did some comparison swatches and they are different.
Anyway on to the pictures

The palette comes in a zip case which is different from previous ones but I actually really like it, it's safe and secure. There is a decent sized mirror in the lid. You also get a mini primer potion, a full size 24/7 glide on pencil in Perversion and an amazing look book, the instructions are so detailed. I am going to try and work through the book and post the looks as I do them. All of the swatches below are dry without primer.

 From left to right Kinky, Freestyle and Mushroom

 Mushroom, Backdoor and Blackout

 Barlust, Rockstar and Evidence

Evidence, Loaded and Asphalt

Kinky: A gorgeous highlight shade, this is a matte colour but isn't chalky at all.

Freestyle: A subtle matte brown, great for blending

Mushroom: An absolutely stunning taupe, incredibly pigmented and blends like a dream

Backdoor: A matte dark brown, it's slightly more powdery than the other mattes but still nicely pigmented and blendable.

Blackout: One of the most intense matte blacks I have tried.

Barlust: A gorgeous medium bronzey brown, very pigmented and absolutely gorgeous.

Rockstar: A slightly red toned purple, again very pigmented.

Evidence: A navy blue shimmer shade, this is the least pigmented of all the colours but is still decent.

Loaded: A blackened green, this is stunning and blends beautifully.

Asphalt: A gunmetal shade with gorgeous multicoloured shimmer.

I already had Mushroom, Rockstar, Evidence and Loaded from previous palettes so did some comparison swatches, Smoked palette on the left and older ones on the right

There is a huge difference between these two, the swatch on the right is from one of the BOS and as you can see it is much lighter and browner. The new version of this shadow is more intense and a lot more pigmented.

 Not much difference between these two although the newer version was a tad more pigmented.

 Again no real difference here, it felt as though the new version applied a bit easier but the end result is pretty much the same.

This was the only shade that is not as good as a previous release. The swatch on the right is from the 15th Anniversary palette and it is much more pigmented.

Overall I am very happy with this palette, it's such a nice mix of colours and will be perfect for travelling. Have you been tempted by this palette?

My Top 10 Mac Lipsticks

I have seen this video doing the rounds on youtube so thought I would jump on the bandwagon! I made sure to only include permanent colours, even though one of them is in limited packaging. I find it so frustrating seeing a gorgeous colour only to find out it's no longer available!

So on to the swatches, I have included hand and lip swatches. Obviously they may look different depending on the natural colour of your lips and skin tone.

Captive
This is a gorgeous raspberry shade with a hint of plum. I like the satin formula, it's not overly drying and I find it lasts a decent amount of time on the lips. This is one of my favourite autumn/winter shades. It's very pigmented and can come out dark on the lips if applied directly from the bullet, it can be sheered out if you pat it on or use a lip brush.

Crosswires

This is one of my most reached for lipsticks, its a gorgeous pinky coral and is in my favourite cremesheen finish. It's almost of a combination of a gloss and lipstick. It doesn't last as long as some of the other finishes but it's worth the effort of having to re-apply.

Impassioned

This is a fairly new addition to my collection (I got it with a back to mac, free always feels better!) it's an incredibly bright, almost neon pink with a hint of coral. This is an amplified finish so is incredibly pigmented. It's one that I have been reaching for when the sun has been shining (which hasn't been much lately) and I haven't wanted to wear much other makeup.

On Hold

This is a gorgeous pink/red. It has more of a sheen than a shine like some of the other cremesheen's. It tends to last a bit longer on the lips too. It is decently pigmented and can be applied lightly for a nice pink lip or built up to more of a red.

Costa Chic

This is another fairly new addition. It's a gorgeous orange/coral. On me it shows up as more a straight up coral but I know on some skin tones it can appear almost neon. This is another shade that can be dabbed on for a more subtle colour. I find this slightly drying so make sure to moisturise my lips well before I put it on.

Up The Amp
I have a love/ hate relationship with this one, it is a gorgeous colour and I used to wear it alot but recently I have found it harder to pull off. It's not quite as purple as it looks in this picture. It's an amplified creme so is very pigmented. Even though I am kinda in the hate stage right now it still deserved a place in my top 10.

Creme Cup

This is pretty much the lightest I will go with a lipstick. It's a gorgeous pale milky pink that is just so easy to wear. I tend to team this with more dramatic eye make up. I find this one pretty moisturising and the wear time is decent too.

Hot Gossip

This is my most used lipstick as you can see in the photo I have almost finished it. This is the one I reach for the most when I don't know what to wear.It's a gorgeous neutral pink/mauve. It's not drying and lasts a decent amount of time on the lips.

Ruby Woo

This is a gorgeous blue toned red. It is VERY matte, to the point that I wouldn't recommend applying it straight from the bullet as it may snap but the colour is worth it. Because it's got such a dry texture you really do need to moisturise your lips well as it will cling to any dry patches. It literally lasts all night, it fades into the lips and leaves a gorgeous stain so no need to worry about re-applying.

Russian Red

This is one of my all time favourite reds, it's a matte but it's a lot more glossy than you would normally expect. It's very pigmented and I don't find it drying at all. This is another one that fades to a stain so you don't necessarily have to re-apply.

I hope you have found this useful, I would love to know if you have done a post like this, put a link in the comments and I will check it out if you have!

Huge Taupe Comparison

I took the photos for this post last year before I moved house and it has been sitting in my draft folder ever since! As I am a complete Taupe addict there are a few more that have found their way into my collection since then so I will try and add them into this post later. Advance warning this post is very picture heavy!

So there you go, that was my Taupe collection as of last summer, I have at least 5-10 more to add! What have I learnt from doing this? If there are any shadows you are interested in seeing a review of please let me know in the comments.

I MUST STOP BUYING TAUPE EYESHADOW!!!

Nails Of The Week - Barry M Magnetic Red

I thought it was only right that my first post should be on a product I am absolutely loving right now. I was so excited to see Barry M bringing out magnetic polishes, I have always been a fan of their nail paints and they are one of my favourite drugstore brands. I picked up the red, dark silver and blue polishes from this range, I am only missing the purple which hasn't appeared in store so far. I have tried out all 3 and the red is definitely my favourite.

These photos were all taken in natural light and as you can see the effect is really good. The best way I have found to apply these is paint one coat on all nails then paint a thick second coat and hold the magnet over the nail straight away, I hold it for about 20 seconds to give it time to develop, I then wait until its dry to put on a topcoat as otherwise it can disturb the pattern. I found this magnet worked the best out of the 3 and made the most uniform pattern.

Have you picked up any of these polishes?

Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils

I had some Debenhams vouchers and I used them to pick up a couple of Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencils. I am a big fan of the normal 24/7 eyeliners and so I had high expectations for these, they didn't disappoint! I picked up the shades Sin and Rehab.

As you can see they are lot fatter then the regular eyeliners.

They look really nice applied heavily or blended out. They set very quickly though so if you want to blend it out you need to act quickly. I have been wearing these two together with sin all over the lid and rehab blended on the outer corner and as a liner. These do not crease at all! I am definitely going back to pick up a couple more shades! I just need to find a sharpener big enough for them!

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

In the Nars set I purchased awhile back I got a sample size of the Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. I was really excited to try this as I always use Urban Decay Primer Potion and wanted to see how this would compare.

As I said, this is only a sample size but there are still a good few applications inside. It comes in a tube with a doe foot applicator similar to a lipgloss.

It's a white gel type consistency and disappears completely when blended into the skin.

Over primer on the left and bare skin on the right.

As you can see it definitely enhances the shadow. I have used this a fair few times now and I can say that it does make shadows brighter and there was no creasing after 10+ hours of wear. I found it easier to blend shadows over this then UDPP which seems to grip the colour a little too well sometimes!

As much as I like it I think I will be going back to UDPP, you get more for your money!

MUA Pro Palettes - Haul, Swatches and Eye Of The Day

I finally found a Superdrug that stocked the MUA pro range! I have been in about 5 and the one in Ilford was the first one that had them! They had a pretty full display of products. I was restrained and only picked up 3 of the palettes, I'm sure I will go back and get some of the trios and I am also really interested in trying the Matte foundation. Anyway onto the palettes, I got Glitterball, Heaven & Earth and Dusk Till Dawn.

I really am so impressed with these, they are £4 a palette and you get 12 colours. That works out to 33p per colour! Even if you only like half of the palette you are still getting value for money!

Heaven & Earth

I think this will be the most popular of all the palettes, its a palette full of neutral shades, if you wanted the Urban Decay Naked Palette then this isn't a dupe but it is a cheaper alternative. The swatches above are all on bare skin and you can see how pigmented the colours are. The majority of the shadows are shimmery though so if you prefer mattes then this might not be for you.

Glitterball

Don't be put of by the name! These colours are not glitter monsters but they are lovely and shimmery. I absolutely adore the taupe (3rd one on the bottom row) it is comparable to a lot more expensive shadows that I own. Again these are swatched on bare skin.

Dusk Till Dawn

I think this is my favourite of the 3, its just such a gorgeous mix of colours. The second to last colour on the top row is the most gorgeous purple/silvery taupe, its absolutely stunning! The purple on the bottom row is also beautiful. Also swatched on bare skin.

Here is a quick eye of the day I did using the Heaven & Earth palette

I honestly can't recommend these enough! Definitely worth £4!

MAC Semi Precious Haul And First Impressions

I had resisted looking at the new Mac collections but I went back to work today and with Selfridges 5 minutes up the road it would have been rude not to go and have a look! I ended up coming away with 3 products from the Semi Precious collection that I am really looking forward to trying.

Swatches from left to right: Outer pink colour, Centre colour, Mixed together

MSF in Rose Quartz, I only own 2 MSF's so can't really say if this is similar to any of the previous ones available. The outside is a gorgeous pink that will make such a nice blush on its own or mixed with the centre portion, the center is a mix of green, pink and gold which can be used separately as a highlight.

Swatched dry on top and wet underneath

Mineralize eyeshadow in Clarity, this is such an unusual colour. In the pot it looks...odd. Its a mixture of black, green, blue, pink, white with a ton of shimmer. It's completely unique. Can't wait to wear this one.

Swatched dry on top and wet underneath

Mineralize eyeshadow in Rare Find, this is a gorgeous purple/taupe/brown and it is such a me colour! It is similar to Earthly Riches mineralize duo but not an exact dupe which is my justification for having both! I can see this becoming a staple product of mine! This one is much smoother than Clarity and a lot more pigmented. This has more of a sheen then obvious shimmer.

There were a couple more eyeshadows I was tempted to get so don't be surprised if there is another Semi Precious haul in the near future! Did you pick up anything from this collection?

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation First Impressions

Illamasqua very kindly gave me some samples of their new Skin Base Foundation. I was matched up to shade 2 but they also gave me shades 1 and 3.

Shade 1 on the left and Shade 2 on the right, as you can see shade 1 is pure white, this makes a great matte highlighter and is also really useful to lighten other foundations. Shade 2 matches me pretty well, it's a little light but workable.

Blended out in the same order as swatched, as you can see shade 2 pretty much disappears into my skin. Shade 1 just lightens my skin slightly.

I have been testing this out for the last couple of weeks and I have to say I have mixed feelings. I haven't tried any BB creams so I can't compare it to one. What I can say is I feel this is a medium to full coverage foundation. You really do only need a tiny bit, less is definitely more as I have found if you have too much on your brush it can be really hard to blend. I have combination skin and I do get oily on my nose after about 3 hours with this and need to powder. I do like the finish but it's just not really what I was expecting.

Would I recommend it...that depends, I do like the product and will probably buy a full size once my sample has run out but I would say for those with oily skin you might want to try it before you invest.