Review: Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Hello everyone, you may remember me yearning for an Urban Decay Naked Palette in my ‘10 Best Beauty Buys Under 10 Pounds’ blog post, well… *drum roll please* … I gave into temptation and bought the Naked 3 Palette! So I thought I’d post a review for you in case you were wondering if it lives up to the hype and is worth the hefty price tag. Enjoy :)

About the product

This is one of the bestselling eye palettes ever and it’s easy to see why – the colours are so wearable, there is a good mix of matte and shimmer shades and the pigmentation is excellent. In case you have been living under a rock for the past decade and have never heard of the Urban Decay Naked palettes, there are three palettes available, each with 12 neutral eye shadow shades. The Naked 3 palette shades are rose-hued neutrals. One of the reasons that the shadows are so excellent is their staying power, these shadows do not budge even after 12 hours of wear. However, if you do have particularly oily eyelids Urban Decay also sell a range of eye primers, this palette actually came with 4 free primer samples (pictured above). The shadows are also very blendable which makes creating an everyday smokey eye extremely easy (I simply apply a matte shade to the eye crease and blend with a Mac 217 brush). This particular palette has also been rated 4.7 stars out of 5 on the House of Fraser website by customers so don’t just take my word for it…this palette is loved  by literally everyone!

Texture

The shadows in this palette are velvety smooth and feel lovely on the lid, one of the things I love is that the shimmery shades do not have big chunky glitter in, the shimmer is very finely milled which makes them just as easy to apply as the matte shades. The texture is so buttery soft that you can easily apply the shadow to your lid and blend with your finger if you don’t have an extensive brush collection. This also makes that palette great for younger girls who are just starting to learn about makeup application, because the shades are so natural and easily blended that you can’t really go wrong!

Affordability

Although I’m sure you could find this product slightly cheaper on sites like ebay, I bought mine from House of Fraser which cost me £38! This is definitely a makeup product to treat yourself to, and not an everyday purchase. However, I really do think it’s worth it, I use this palette most days and the colours are so pigmented that you really don’t need to use much so this will probably last well over a year.

Packaging

 As someone that loves everything rose gold, I think the packaging for this palette is beautiful! Unlike the original Naked palette which has velvet material exterior, this palette is metal which feels much more expensive and high quality (and is also wipe clean unlike the first Naked palette). The palette also has a really big mirror on the inside which is very useful for touch ups when you’re on the go and means that the product great for travelling as you don’t have to pack a separate mirror. Moreover, the palette comes with a double ended brush, one side for packing shadow on the lid, and one side for blending. Most of the brushes that come with eyeshadow palettes are absolutely useless but this one is lovely and soft (the blending side is still not as good as the Mac 217 though).

After buying the Naked 3 palette I’m now addicted and am thinking of buying the first Naked palette too, so leave me a comment to let me know your thoughts on the original Naked palette.

Tam x

Review: DiorShow Fusion Mono, Long-Wear Professional Mirror-Shine Eyeshadow

Hello everyone! I'm back from holiday now so I'll be putting up a few more blog posts soon, including a couple of Style Edits, so look out for those! I thought I'd start off by sharing another beauty review though, this is another high end product, the Dior Fusion Mono Eyeshadow, if you'd like me to do a few drug store make-up reviews then let me know. Enjoy :)

About the product

This is officially my new favourite eyeshadow for an evening look. The shade I have is '381 - Millenium' which is a beautiful grey/black shade with delicate gold glitter. Don't be put off by the word glitter though, it's not the cheap-looking chunky glitter that you'd expect from a Barry M product, this is so finely milled that it creates more of a subtle, shimmer effect. (My pictures definitely don't do this justice). However, this is also available in a matte finish if you prefer matte shadows. I love this product for so many reasons. Firstly, I often find with creamy, pot eyeshadows that they crease after a few hours and end up looking awful; this even happens with my MAC shadow pots! However, this Dior shadow stays in place, doesn't crease and doesn't smudge. I also love this product because my favourite eye look is a smokey eye but I often find that creating a smokey eye takes a lot of time and effort, believe it or not this creates a smokey eye without needing any other products, it's a one pot wonder! For a soft smokey eye, I simply apply it with my finger tip and then smudge the outside with a MAC 217 brush. If you want a more intense look simply wet the applicator that comes in the box and apply to get a really deep, dark lamé effect.

Texture

Dior describe this as a 'gel-foam' texture. It's definitely not a typical powdery texture; it feels so buttery soft when you apply it with your fingers. If you have used either the Maybelline 24hour Colour Tattoo or any of the MAC cream colour bases, the Dior shadow is not as wet as these formulas and I think that's why it doesn't crease.

Affordability

As this is a high end product, it does have a high end price tag. However, this is probably going to be the only eyeshadow I use for a night out make-up look now so I'll definitely get my money's worth. This may just be me trying to justify my purchases but I'm of the opinion that it's far better to splurge on one item that will last than to buy loads of poor quality shadows that will only last a few hours and end up smudging down your face.

Packaging

Well done Dior! This packaging is absolutely beautiful, everything about the product says luxury. For starters, the pot is made of glass which may seem inconsequential but it honestly makes such a difference and the shimmery, midnight blue lid had the famous Christian Dior logo in metallic lettering which looks so sophisticated. I also love the fact that it comes with its own applicator, which is great quality by the way, it's not very often that I will actually use the applicator that comes with the product because they are usually cheap and awful. Its little details like this that you are paying for and which make it stand out from a drug store shadow.

Do you have any other pot eyeshadow recommendations for me? Leave me a comment to let me know your favourites :)

Review: Guerlain Meteorites

Hello everyone! So I thought I'd post my first ever make-up review today. I love beauty products and have an addiction to buying make-up so let me know if you guys like this post and I'll make sure to do some more beauty reviews in the future. Enjoy :)

About the product

This is actually the first and only product I have ever bought from Guerlain and I'm so glad that I purchased it! These beautiful illuminating pearls are by far the most luxurious make-up item I own. I have the shade '02 - Clair' which is the lightest shade but they also do medium and dark shades for different skin tones. Guerlain describe this product as an 'illuminating powder' which you can use all over to set your makeup or as a very subtle highlight. I have quite oily skin and I find that I do have to re-apply my powder after a couple of hours if I use it to set my base so I often just use it as a highlight but if you have normal or dry skin I'm sure this would look lovely as an all over face powder. I would recommend you use this if you ever feel your makeup looks flat or your face looks lifeless because it instantly refreshes your complexion and adds a certain amount of dew to the skin, giving it a natural glow and radiance.

Texture and Smell

The texture of this powder is really fine and it goes on to the skin so smoothly, everything about it says high end! The smell! Where do I start? Oh my gosh! This is THE best smelling make-up product I have ever come across. I'm usually awful at describing smells but these candy looking pearls smell exactly like parma violet sweets which is probably half the reason why I love them. I know that people with sensitive skin are often scared to use scented products on their face but I have very sensitive, spot prone skin and this product has never caused me to have any adverse reactions. If, however, you just don't like having scented face products in general then this isn't one to go for because the scent does linger, which I love because I think the smell is addictive, but I know that it's not for everyone.

Affordability

As expected of a Guerlain product, the only downside to this is the price. It's definitely something to treat yourself to or to buy as a special gift for someone; this isn't any normal drug store powder but I do think that when it comes to make-up, you get what you pay for!

Packaging

My favourite thing about these pearls, other than the smell, is the packaging. It's so glamorous and makes me feel like a Hollywood movie star when I get it out of my vanity table; this is definitely one to put on display and if you finish using the product, the tin would be great to keep little trinkets or bobby pins in. Maybe this is just me but I'm totally won over by sophisticated looking make-up packaging.

Let me know if you have any other Guerlain product recommendations for me. Tam x