Urban Decay V MUA: Eyeshadow Primers

I've seen a lot of comparison between Urban Decay's Naked palettes and MUA's Undressed and Heaven and Earth palettes, and as I've heard rave reviews about MUAs palettes, I thought I'd compare my favourite Urban Decay product, their Primer Potion, with MUAs version. 

Urban Decay's Primer Potion retails at £14.50 for 11ml of product, whereas MUAs Eye Primer retails at £2.50 for 7.5 ml. 

A comparison between packaging is pretty redundant here as I have the old style potion pot, which I always thought was terribly flawed. Now UDs primer comes in a squeesy tube. I do think that MUAs packaging looks more professional and, in comparison to the old style bottle, it is a lot easier to actually get the primer out of the bottle

They also both have doe-foot applicators, and this would be my preference over the new UD style as well, as this applicator is effective in spreading out the primer over the lid.

On the left, which you can barely see, is UDs primer potion, it has barely any pigmentation at all, and only leaves a slight sheen. It also dries quickly and so it isn't the easiest to blend it over the eyelid. MUAs primer is a lot more pigmented, and is so much easier to blend and spread, as it takes quite a while to dry in. 

Here I have a comparison of eyeshadow over no primer (at the top), UDs primer potion (on the left), and MUAs eye primer (on the right). It's obvious that MUAs primer gives a much more intense pay off as opposed to UDs primer potion and bare skin. 

I tested the two primers out under eyeshadow for a day (about 6 hours of wear) and MUAs primer came out on top, it kept my eyeshadow intense and vibrant all day, without creasing or fading away, and while my UD primer potion did this too, the colour intensity wasn't the same as with MUAs primer. 

MUAs primer surprised me with how good it was, easily more effective than Urban Decays, and although you get 3.5ml less product than in UDs, but, being £12 cheaper, I don't think that matters too much.

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Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I was given this last week from my friend, a very generous gift! I am so happy to have Naked 2, I've been wanting it ever since its release. 

I have the original Naked, but I feel that the shades in 2 are a lot more suited to cooler and paler skins than the original, and so I thought it would get along with me better. 

The actual case is definitely an upgrade from the original. A cool, taupe tin with a 'lock' closure, as opposed to the velvety (dust magnet) cover with magnetic lock (the magnet was very strong, and never opened on me, but i'm sure they've opened on someone and that's a horrible thought :( ).

~I just realised the colours of the cases of the two palettes sort of represent the tones/colours of the eyeshadows in them. Which is a pretty cool idea :)

The palette holds twelve shadows, 3 mattes; Foxy, Tease and Blackout, and 9 shimmer and glitter shades; Half Baked (which is also in the original Naked), Bootycall, Chopper, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, and Busted.

It also comes with a free double ended shading and crease brush and a mini Lipgloss Junkie in 'Naked'. I was really peeved that they decided to include a lipgloss instead of the usual mini Primer Potion, I love getting the free primers as they are my top eyeshadow primer, and I felt this was a bit mean of UD.  However, when I opened up the packaging, I could instantly smell a wonderful minty smell, the lipgloss! I adore lip glosses with a minty smell and it has a cooling effect too, which I also love. So it redeemed itself in my eyes. 

Foxy: is a very pale matte beige that practically matches my skin colour! I guess it could be used as a highlighter.
Half Baked: a light bronze shimmer. I tried it out against the original Half Baked and it feels much creamier, gives a lot better coverage and is wonderfully blendable.  

Bootycall: I think this is one of my favourites out of the palette. A delicate icy rose with a lovely shimmery transfer. So pretty!

  

Chopper: an intense silvery copper that is almost glittery. 

Tease: the second matte of the palette, a lovely pale taupe. 

Snakebite: a rather understated, but gorgeous, dark bronze. 

Suspect: a warm shimmery beige

Pistol: dark, grey with a touch of taupe. My no.1 from the collection. :)

Verve: shimmery, silvery white. Used sparingly, it would make a lovely highlighter. It would be gorgeous all over with a black liner as well though.

YDK; absolutely stunning! So so shimmery, a coppery gold. Looks as if it has little flecks of gold leaf in it. I prefer silver over gold, so I don't know how much use I'll get out of it, but it is the most eye catching out of the palette.

Busted: A cool, dark, shimmery brown. It is very similar to Dark Horse, just a tad lighter and the shimmer is a lot more prominent. 

Blackout: I was really pleased to see a matte black in Naked 2, as I really dislike the shimmery black from Naked. It has a very sparse amount of silvery glitter, but when you wear it the glitter is barely noticeable. 

L-R
Foxy (you can just about notice it!)
Half Baked

Booty Call

Chopper

Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol

Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

I feel that many of the colours, particularly the lighter ones, seem to be slightly less pigmented, and need to be built up to achieve a good coverage. Though they have a lovely formula that is so easy to blend, so I guess it doesn't matter so much.

The brush that came with the set is really lovely. On one side is a small, slightly stiff crease brush and on the other, a more relaxed and longer blending brush. Both sides are really soft and lovely to use. The brush that came with Naked was a little too stiff and I never really liked using it.

I personally prefer the shades in Naked 2 to Naked. The formula is creamier and easier to blend, but some of the lighter shades aren't as pigmented as I'd hoped they would be. Despite the Lip Gloss having a lovely smell, I would still have preferred a mini Primer Potion. However, the double ended brush is really, really lovely and I know I'll get a lot of use out of it, as opposed to the brush that came with the original Naked.
Although there are a few warm shades in it, I think Naked 2 would be more suitable than Naked for cooler skin tones, as it features a lot more taupey and silvery shades.

x

Stila Tinted Moisturiser

I was recently having a nosey in Poundland at their makeup when I came across some Stila makeup. I was totally shocked, seeing as Stila are quite an expensive brand, and picked up a tinted moisturiser.

I searched and searched but I couldn't find anything but shade 03, which I knew would be too dark for me, but it was only £1 so I bought it anyway!

As predicted, it was far too dark for me. However, the formula was really lovely, nice and cool, definitely felt moisturising and very light on the skin, and was very easy to blend. The SPF30 is an added bonus too. As it is a tinted moisturiser, the coverage is very light, but if I had found it in a lighter shade I would have definitely used this all the time, it's so lovely.

Essence nail polishes

This is my little collection of Essence 'colour & go' polishes. Essence is a European brand, and I've never seen it sold in the U.K. in the usual make-up stores. However, my local chemist has a great range of their products, very obscure! The entire range is really inexpensive, the nail polishes sell for only £1.09, and they're actually lovely nail polishes, they all look great with two coats, and they don't chip for a good few days. 

From left to right:
61. fame fatal; a lovely rich red.

87. passion for fashion; looks blue in the photo but is actually a bright violet colour.

48. meet me now!; is a beautiful dusky mulberry colour. definitely my favourite.

01. cotton candy; nearly white with a tiny hint of pink, comes out almost translucent on the nails.

05. coffee to go; light beige with a hint of sparkle

07. cafe ole; nude with a little hint of shimmer

71. trendsetter; a creamy greyish brown

Essence haul!

My local chemist was having a half-price sale on their Essence stock, so I picked up a few bits from it. 

I got a gel eyeliner, an eyeliner pencil and a lipstick. 

I got the gel eyeliner in 'midnight in Paris' which is a deep black. When I tried it out, I was surprised at how soft the formula was. I've only ever tried Maybelline's Lasting Drama gel eyeliner, and I found it far too solid to work with, and this totally put me off gel eyeliners. However, seeing as this was half price (and I had recently heard good things about it from Leeanne at Thunder and Threads) I thought I would check it out. I was really pleased with the formula, although it does take quite a while to dry properly. It lasts for ages and is really easy to work with.

I also got a eyeliner pencil, and again, the formula seems really soft and easy to work with. The pencil is a little thin for my liking, but all in all it seems like a decent pencil

The line on the left is the way it comes out, and the line on the right is it smudged, as you can see, it's very soft and easily smudged.

Finally, I got one of their lipsticks in the shade 42 'Fairytale'

Fairytale is a berry lipstick with a hint of shimmer. It looks almost translucent in the swatch above, but on my lips it seemed highly pigmented, and lasted about 3-4 hours.

If I'm honest, I don't usually trust cheaper end cosmetics, from experience, you get what you pay for. However, Essence has products that are not only inexpensive but are also really lovely quality. 

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Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Matte Pink Pout

Sorry I have been so quiet recently, I've been doing university exams! This is a review of my most favourite lipstick ever! (Despite this, I'll keep it neutral :3)

Revlon Super Lustrous Matte in 'Pink Pout' (shade 002)

It is a neutral pink shade and I think it suits pale skin perfect. It is great when you want a subtle colour on your lips, or to pair with a bold eye look. I find it is a great alternative to nude lip colours (for example, Gosh's Darling or Barry M's Marshmallow), for those with pale skin, as I find nudes tend to just come out looking like concealer smeared over the lips. Another pro is that whilst it is very subtle, it adds a little colour to your look.

(This swatch is actually a little darker than in real life, my apologies! :( )

As with all matte lipsticks, the lips must be properly exfoliated and moisturised before this will look well. Another con is that it doesn't last as long as I'd hope (maybe two hours max, and it doesn't have much staying power if you're eating)

Despite its cons, I really love this lipstick. It is my go to lip product and pretty much suits all looks

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sale! :)

pretty things for sale :)

I know I'm a beauty blog, but I'm having a clear out of some clothes, most of which are brand new and haven't been worn (and are all priced at 99p!) So I'd love it if you would take a look, and you might even score a bargain :)


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Barry M Lavender Lip Paint

Barry M's Lip Paint's are lovely, just like the rest of their range of products, they come in a plethora of vibrant colours. This Lip Paint used to be called Lavender, but it has changed to being recognised by its number, 129. It is a pale lavender colour, it's very, very creamy, and is quite glossy! It is very 'melty' though, in the tube as well as when applied, and due to this it doesn't last very long, and doesn't give a very strong coverage or pigment. However, worn over a pale purple lip liner improves both the pigment and longevity, and overall is a lovely lipstick :)

No 17 Lasting Fix Lipstick in Hot Chilli

Hot Chilli is a bright (almost fluorescent!) orange. As I usually stick to higher end lipsticks, I wasn't expecting an amazing product. Regardless, I liked the colour, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this lipstick has a wonderful formula. It isn't drying at all, the colour is strong and it lasts for ages! All this, and it's only £4.29 from Boots. I think I'll be picking up another few soon :3

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer

My skin can become quite blemished, and I also have a bright red birth mark on my face, so I rely quite heavily on concealer. Which is fine, only I am very pale skinned, and it is practically impossible to find a concealer that is pale enough and gives good enough coverage to hide my birth mark. It has taken me far too long to find a concealer I have actually felt confident about wearing, and this is where Urban Decay stepped in (is there anything they can't do? :3) With their 24/7 concealer range, they offer a wide range of tones, from lightest ivory to deepest brown, they are all vegan, cruelty free and wonderful! 

I choose the lightest shade, CIA, and to my surprise it was slightly lighter than my skin (a shock, seeing as most concealers look bright orange on pale skin) but under my foundation it blends perfectly. It is creamy, blendable, and most importantly, gives a great coverage. The one downside is that it doesn't last as long as I would have hoped, but the size and shape is easy to carry around so touchups aren't a problem. Overall, this is the best concealer I have tried, and I would definitely recommend it, particularly to those who have trouble finding pale concealers! :)

Magic and Sparkle!

This is my favourite nail polish set of all time. Reminds me of all things girly and cute, princesses, unicorns and fairies! :)

For my base I used Essie's Ridge Filling Base Coat, followed by two coats of Barry M Nail Paint in Berry Ice Cream (my favourite nail polish ever!) a coat of the ultra pretty Fairy Dust by China Glaze and topped with Salon Services Top Coat. 

L-R: Essie Base, Barry M Berry Ice Cream, Salon Services Top Coat and China Glaze Fairy Dust.

I thought I would share my modest lipstick collection with you :) Reviews and swatches will be coming in the next few weeks! 

Revlon Matte: Pink Pout

Mac: Saint Germain

Barry M: 129 (Lavender)

Lime Crime: Airborne Unicorn

Mac: Up The Amp

Mac Pro: Goes and Goes

Revlon: Va Va Violet

Lime Crime: Centrifuchsia

No 17: Hot Chilli

Thanks for reading! :)
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