Naked Basics 2 preview….

I couldn't be more excited. I'm not a huge eyeshadow wearer - a slick of liquid liner and a bright lip is my signature look and I reserve the smokey eyes and fancy eyeshadow looks for makeup jobs on shoots etc. But every now and again a girl needs some kind of crease definition or a matte brown toned shadow to complement a nude lip or just to spice things up in general. I'm not one for crazy colours, and shimmers always get a bit messy on me so when Urban Decay bought out the Naked Basics palette it was instant love. It's the most worn palette in my collection by far, so when I saw the Naked Basics 2 in Sephora when I was in New York last week I did a little makeup squeal of excitement. This thing is gorgeous. 

The same sleek packaging as the original Basics palette this is spot on for travel or just throwing in a makeup bag. More cool toned than the original, it echoes the same theme with five matte shadows and one satin finish that acts as a perfect highlight. The darkest shade is on the grey side of things and actually acts as quite a nice brow shade for me so this really is all I need when travelling. 

The taupe shade shadows are great crease colours, all over lid shadows or accompaniments to other Urban Decay palettes like the Electric palette that need grounding with some neutral shadows to make them more wearable. Fans of the original Naked palette, of cool toned taupe shadows, good quality matte eyeshadows or just neutral eyes in general will love this. Released on the 1st of October in the UK, this one is a must have in any collection. 11 out of 10.

L-R Skimp (pale nude satin), Stark (nude-pink matte), Frisk (warm grey matte), Cover (muted red-brown matte), Primal (muted brown matte) and Undone (deep, smokey brown matte).

Loves

xxx

January favourites...

(insert generic 'I can't believe it's the end of January!' exclamation here)

So aside from the usual comments about how fast the years going already, I also wanted to say that this is the last favourites post coming to you from over in Aus! I'm writing this on the 1st of February which means this month I'll be heading back to the UK for the foreseeable future! So let's get cracking...

Kicking off with hair, my poor locks have been so de-hydrated that the only thing I've managed to get them to do is sit in a top-knot until next wash day. Roll on a mop chop. And for this I've been loving the Garnier Fructis Volume Flex and Hold hairspray to keep strays in place. 

Just one skincare product this month but it's completely revolutionised my skin care routine, and that's my much loved Rosehip Oil which you can read my review on here. 

My Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum has made it into yet another favourites post. I've been trying to use up almost empty products so I don't have to lug them home with me and it's made me fall back in love with this yet again. Follow that with my new Nars Creamy Concealer blended in with the Real Techniques contour brush and I have the perfect base. To add a bit of lift and glow to my skin I've been reaching for the NYX Illuminator for face and body which I reviewed here. 

It's been a month of no effort when it comes to makeup (it's too hot) so my lips have been fairly neutral...just a quick layer of my Nivea lip butter in vanilla and macadamia and I'm good to go. On the days where I need a splash of colour, I've picked up my Illamasqua Colouring Pencil in Indecent (review coming soon). 

Eyes have been kept simple too....a slick of the new Maybelline Hyper Glossy liquid liner, followed by lashings of Rimmel Lash Accelerator which I raved about in a post earlier in January. If I have needed some colour on the lids of I've felt like experimenting with some neutral tones for day-time smokey looks, I've gone straight to my Urban Decay Naked 3. Predictable, but for good reason!

What's everyone else been loving in the month of January?

Loves

xxx

Urban Decay Naked 3 with swatches....

I'm pleased to announce I am now the proud owner of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette thanks to a very generous boyfriend in the form of a late Christmas present. First off I'd like to discuss the packaging. I only own Naked 1 so in my eyes this pencil tin style palette is a big improvement for security of the shadows and travel, so thats a huge thumbs up before we even get started on the shadows.

It also comes with 4 samples of their primer potions which should last a week per sample. I love this idea as I've always been stuck in a bit of an UD original primer potion rut so it will be nice to try some of their other offerings.

So now onto the shadows. First off, if you don't like pinky hues on your eyes I'd suggest sticking to Naked 1 or 2. I've recently got into pinks and rose shades on my eyes so this palette came around just at the right time for me.

(l-r) Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick

(l-r) Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart

I can't wait to try out some looks with this!

Loves

xxx

London and Paris haul...

Of course, being in London the first stop I had to make was & Other Stories. I'd heard so much about their Fig range I decided to pick up a hand cream and a re-purchase of my favourite mascara ever, The Balm What's Your Type body builder mascara. Then, just because, I picked up another of their blushers for my collection; Big Mama! Love this, will pop a full review up soon.

Next to Camden. First up, WHY DON'T I LIVE THERE!?! I picked up a couple of scarves from the market, and a cute Pug t-shirt that I'll be styling over Disco pants with my black Dr Martens and a big gold chain. 

Then off to Paris... and of course it would be rude not to go into one of their amazing pharmacies. I picked up a replacement for my La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo and decided to try their Effaclar Matt product as a makeup base. I also wanted to give Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm a go, and it wouldn't be a trip to a french pharmacy without a bottle of Bioderma!

Last stop was Sephora (again, rude not to) where I picked up their daily brush cleanser, a Sephora lipstick, the UD de-slick setting spray (due to the massive hype around the original setting spray) and the Make Up Forever smokey lash mascara that I've been dying to try since there was a huge blogger hype around this not too long ago. 

Loves

xxx

Top 5 eyeshadows...

Hey lovelies, sorry I've been quiet on here this week, I've had a bit of a mad one! I'm not really an eyeshadow fan, but there are one or two I do reach for when I'm in the mood...

Urban Decay Roach: This is gorgeous all over the lid then smoked out to create a subtle daytime look, or heavily in the crease with huge false lashes for something a bit more dramatic at night

The Body Shop shimmer cube in Honeycomb: I LOVE this shade, I've used it daily for months and it's hardly gone down. Just damp an eyeshadow brush and sweep it through the colour then over the lid. These will definitely be coming to Oz with me!

Not so much a shadow, but Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study is an everyday base colour, either by itself or as a base for a pale smokey eye at night. Pain Pots are fast becoming one of my favourite collectable Mac items! 

Back to Urban Decay, and of course the trusty Naked Palette! Hustle is an incredible purply brown that I smudge across the outer corner over the top of Bar Study as a staple night out look. 

Yet again UD, and this time Sin from the Naked palette. Another colour that I love as an all over colour wash for the lid, or as a base for a pink smokey eye!

Do any of these make your top 5?

Loves

xxx