Urban Decay Naked Palette Review.

What they say: “Everybody wants to look good NAKED! Far from a group of boring beige shadows, Naked Palette's long, lean, seductive case is packed with TWELVE gorgeous neutrals, including FIVE NEW shades, and includes our pro-quality Good Karma Shadow Brush.”

Texture & Payoff:  Each and every one of the twelve shadows that are in this palette are soft, buttery and extremely blendable. I would say that using a primer is a must though as they tend to move around quite a lot and fade towards the end of the day. The payoff varies slightly from colour to colour but all are very good and a little goes a long way. Some of the more shimmery ones have quite a bit of fallout, ‘Sidecar’ is the worst and I recommend doing your base after your eyes to make cleaning up easier.

Colour: The colours are amazing and I pretty much use all them all equally. I use these shadows for during the day and for going out - Urban Decay’s only truly versatile palette.

Packaging: You get twelve full-sized shadows housed in a long palette with a mirror in the lid & a magnetic closure. This palette now comes with a shadow brush which is good quality – quite like a MAC 239 in shape and size. The palette is covered in felt-like material which feels and looks really nice but the down-side is that it attracts dust and is very difficult to clean.

Price & Availability: At £35 I think this is great value for money for three reasons; 1. a single UD eyeshadow is about £13 and you get twelve in this palette, 2. each colour is wearable so using up the whole palette won’t be hard, 3. the shadows should last ages because of the good pigmentation.

This gets a 4/5. One point has been taken off for the felt covering and for the horrendous fall-out from a couple of the colours.

Clinique Brush-on Liner VS MAC Fluidline.

This is comparing Fluidline in Blacktrack and Brush-on Liner in True Black . My opinions vary from colour to colour because the colour-payoff differs across the range – this is true of both brands.

Price: Both products are £13.50 but you get 5ml in the Clinique one compared to 3g in the MAC one.

Packaging: Fluidline comes in a little glass jar that feels heavy and expensive. Brush-on Liner comes in a little plastic pot with a silver lid and looks cheap and nasty (like most Clinique products in my opinion – I just hate the shiny plastic silver lids they use on everything). As much as I prefer the look of the MAC packaging, the Clinique packaging keeps the product from drying out longer as the pot does up more tightly.

Texture: Brush-on Liner is more of a creamy texture compared to the more gel-like consistency of the Fluidline. I find that getting a smooth, even line is far easier with Fluidline. Both have amazing staying power, no running, bleeding or flaking from either product – no primer needed.

Payoff: When Clinique called it ‘True Black’ they weren’t kidding. There is no need to go over lines, it is dense, opaque black which I think is unrivalled by Fluidline. Fluidline is thinner and I find I have to draw my line and then go over it again.

MAC wins the battle of the liners for me purely on ease of use. When I have more time to get ready, rather than the ten minutes I have in the morning before work, I may still reach for the Brush-on Liner as I do like the intense black payoff.

Recent MAC Haul.

For some reason yesterday I decided to go and spend more money in MAC. I can get to the pro-store that’s just off Carnaby Street from work in about 15 minutes so I took myself off in the rain at lunchtime, credit card in hand. In the end I was quite behaved and only got three items; a 224 brush, a 266 brush and a Fluidline in Blacktrack.

I’ve never had a 224 brush before but I have heard its good for concealer and it really is so I’m glad I bought that.

I have been using the Laura Mercier Brow Definer brush for about a year but I find that I can get more definition with the 266 and my old one is nearly dead.

I’ve been using the Clinique Brush-on Liner in True Black for about a year or so but I was coming to the end of it and people rave over the Fluidline so I decided to give it a whirl. I shall post a comparison later on as there are some notable differences.

Benefit Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer Review.

 What they say: “This industrial-strength concealer camouflages dark circles, shadows and discoloration for a seamless, natural-looking finish without creasing or fading. You name it, boi-ing helps hide it!”

Texture: This is quite a thick & creamy concealer that gives good, opaque coverage. I don’t find it overly drying on my skin but it has great staying power. It does settle into some very fine lines but I’m yet to find a concealer that doesn’t and to be honest it is not a problem.

Colour: This concealer comes in only three shades which I think it pretty rubbish. Luckily for me shade 02 matches me really well.

Packaging: This concealer used to come in a pot with a flip-top lid that contained a little mirror (like the Lemon Aid), now it is in a screw-top pot with a see through lid. I don’t mind the new packaging although sometimes if I have slippery hands from foundation/moisturiser it can be tricky to get the lid off! It is made of very good quality plastic and travels well.

Price & Availability: This retails at £16.50 for 3g. Leaning on the pricey side... Readily available all over the UK. I’ve never had a problem finding Benefit.

This gets a 4.5/5 – half a mark off for the price-tag. I shall definitely be buying this again.

Dupe Series – Volumising Mascara.

I love finding products that are the twins of more expensive, higher-end products so I was pleased to find a  £10.99 mascara that performs just as well as the much-hyped ‘Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils’ which retails at £22. The mascara I’m talking about is the ‘L'Oreal Lash Architect Mascara 4D’.

As a test I wore one on each eye and I couldn’t really tell the difference – both give massive full on lashes and both need combing out to avoid spider-legs. I would give them both 2.5/5 for the actual mascara, the Faux Cils an extra half-point for the glorious gold packaging & the Lash Architect an extra half-point for the reasonable price.

So they both get 3/5 from me and I still haven’t made up my mind as to whether I shall re-purchase either of them – I’ll probably spend my money on something new and exciting.

Products of the week.

I thought I would share my current favourite products. I say current because I do tend to change my mind about things regularly and because I try so many products. I think I’ll share five favourites a week which will be a challenge!

Fifth place: Gosh Blush in Rose Whisper.

A beautiful dusky-pink matte blush – a perfect contour colour for my pale skin.

Fourth place: Barry M Dazzle Dust in Petrol Black.

It’s a stunning colour and very unique – only £4.49 too.

Third Place: MUFE HD Foundation in 118.

Amazing.

Second Place: Real Techniques Stippling Brush.

I love the handle, the fact it stands up by itself and the quality. I use this to apply my foundation and it gives an amazing airbrushed finish.

First place: Barry M Touch of Magic Lip Paint.

This gets first place because it’s something different, it’s the perfect colour on me and the price is fantastic.

Barry M Touch of Magic Lip Paint Review.

What they say: “Green goes Pink! A waterproof formula with added Aloe Vera stays on for up to 8 hours. Depending on the alkali level of your lips, determines just how pale or rich the colour will go”.

I bought this yesterday and wore it all evening and as it’s dress-down day in the office today I’m wearing it right now as I type!

Texture & Scent: Feels more like a lip balm then a lip stick, completely non-sticky or waxy. It has an unusual smell when you first apply it but happily it goes away almost instantly so no problems there. This lipstick lasts for hours on end and when it does start to fade it does so evenly. 

Colour: The colour of the bullet is witchy-green but turns a beautiful hot-pink colour on my lips. On my friend Jane, it turned a slightly deeper shade which was also really nice and suited her colouring. Because of the light texture of it, the colour appears more like a stain than a heavy layer of colour which I really like. I have found my perfect pink.

Packaging: Simple and chic black ‘soft’ plastic tube with ‘Barry M’ written on the lid.

Price & Availability: Only £4.49! Worth every penny – I would pay double for it. This is available at most Superdrug stores and anywhere else who stocks Barry M.

I give this a 5/5 – amazing colour, feel & price.  

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation Review.

What they say: "The HD Foundation is an oil-free medium-to-full coverage liquid foundation which covers skin imperfections, while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life. Its extremely fine texture is supple and easy to apply. Enriched with moisturising agents, it leaves the skin soft and radiant. It is available in a wide range of shades to suit all skin tones".

I have been wearing this foundation daily for the last two weeks and I can say that I completely agree with everything they say. Here's my breakdown:

Texture & Coverage: It feels so light on the skin while providing quite a robust coverage which I would say is more medium than full. The fact that this isn't quite a full coverage foundation means it is invisible and looks just like 'your skin but better'. It dries to a semi-matte finish – oily-skinned girls will probably need to use primer before applying and powder all over, dry-skinned girls could totally get away with no powder at all. I'm somewhere in the middle, I tend to powder just under my eyes to set any concealing, down my nose and on my chin. I find this foundation lasts all day with no fading.

Colour: The colour selection is second to none and I'm sure that whatever skin-colour you have you will find a perfect match. I use shade 118 which is described as being for "light skin with beige undertones" and it matches 100% - it's actually quite amazing.

Packaging: Extremely good quality glass-looking plastic bottle with pump. I find I only have to use one pump and two drops for my entire face.

Price & Availability: This is a sore point. It really pains me to hand over £28.95 for a foundation. Saying that, I do think it is worth it because it really does perform and you need minimal product so will probably last a while. I will definitely re-purchase. It is quite hard to get hold of MUFE products in the UK, I bought mine from www.gurumakeupemporium.com (praying to the gods that I had chosen the right shade!). They also have a store in Fulham, London. PAM in Shepherd's Bush, London are also stockists (www.preciousaboutmakeup.com). Outside of London I'm not sure where it is sold, I'm hoping they open more places soon.

I give this a 4/5 – knocked one mark off for the price.

My name is Sam and I am a Makeupholic.

I started this blog to share my thoughts and feelings on the products I buy (which is a lot!). I hope you find it helpful and interesting. :)