3 January 2014

Urban Decay Naked Palette 3 // Review & Swatches

Hi,

One of my most anticipated christmas presents this year was the Urban Decay Naked Palette 3. The moment it was available for pre-order i emailed my mum the link (subtle huh?!) and told her i would like it for Christmas. I explained to her that the shades were more rose-gold/pink toned but i don't think she quite understood my hysteria for the palette! Anywho, i unwrapped the palette on Christmas day and i think its my favourite Naked edition yet.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Image and video hosting by TinyPicAs i mentioned above, there have been 2 other Naked palettes, both of which i still use during the week. The third edition of the palette has more pinky toned shades in, which is a nice transition from palettes 1 & 2.

When i opened the outer cardboard packaging i was very pleased to see that Urban Decay have continued with similar casing as the Naked 2 Palette - its hard, sturdy and easier to clean than the velour finish on the Naked 1 palette. The packaging also has a slight ripple effect on it, which is quite nice although i think i prefer the simple casing of Naked palette 2 out of the three palettes.

Inside the case you get 12 highly pigmented shades (more on them later...), a double sided brush which is slightly different than the one in Naked 2 as the blending end is more dense and a lot easier to blend with. The Naked palette also comes with a mirror in the lid which is always helpful. As a little added extra, Urban Decay have included a pouch of 4 samples of their primers. You get 4 primers, Original, Sin, Eden and Anti-Ageing. I'm a daily user of the original Urban Decay primer potion so these will be great to use. These primers are also great for travelling with as they are only small.

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Lets get onto the main part of the palette - the shadows. As i mentioned above, most of the shades are rose-gold/pink toned. There are three matte shades and nine shimmers, quite a nice ratio as i do prefer shimmer eyeshadows than matte.

Strange
Pale neutral pink matte
This matte shade will be great for highlighting the brow bone, or as a base. I've not actually got another matte eyeshadow like this, so i'm sure this versatile shade will come in extremely useful.

Dust
Pale metallic pink shimmer with iridescent micro-glitter
This is one shade that i'm not totally sold on. It looks pretty in the palette but upon swatching it i found the glitter to be quite chunky and gritty. I found you get more of the glitter in this shade, rather than the actual colour of the shadow.
Burnout 
Light pinky-peach satin
I can already tell that i'm going to be wearing this shade daily, it looks great as a wash of colour over the lid for a simple everyday look.



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Limit 
Light dusty rose matte
Another matte shade, i'm not a huge fan of matte shades as sometimes they can appear dull/chalky on my skin, however i think this would look nice as a crease colour with a nice champagne shade on the lid. (writing this blogpost is giving me so many ideas for looks from this palette!)


Buzz
Metallic rose shimmer with silver micro-glitter
This shadow has flecks of glitter similarly to 'Dust'. However, the colour pay off is pretty decent and the glitter is not much of an issue either. This is a shade which i don't usually wear, but i'm going to try and rock the cranberry trend and this seems like a great place to start! 


Trick
Light metallic pinky-copper shimmer with tonal micro-sparkle
When i first saw this shade i immediately thought of the shade 'Half Baked' which is my most used shade from the Naked palette 2. This is darker than half baked but its still a beautiful bronze shade that will get a lot of use.

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Nooner 
Medium pinky-brown matte
This matte shade is pretty darn gorgeous, i can see this looking uh-mazing in the crease or even used over the lid for an effortless yet gorgeous look.


Liar 
Medium metallic mauve shimmer
A shimmery more bronze/brown shade that i will probably use day/night. A very versatile shade that you can use as a great base for a smokey eye.


Factory 
Pinky-brown satin
Another shimmery brown shade, this will be great to darken up a smokey eye. I had a quick look through my other Naked palettes and this shade is actually quite unique when applied, i don't have a colour thats like it.

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Mugshot
Metallic taupe shimmer with slight pink shift
I love this, its a cool toned taupe shimmer shade, which i can tell will be one of my most used shades in the palette.


Darkside
Deep taupe-mauve satin
This is a gorgeous shadow in both texture and colour, i'm not sure how i will wear it yet though as it is quite dark...


Blackheart 
Smoky black matte with rosy red micro-sparkle
A pretty showstopping shade, it has a black base with specks on red glitter running through. One shade which will not be used a lot by me, but it is stunning none the less.

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All in all, this is my favourite Naked edition so far. The palette has a range of matte, shimmer and full on glitter shades which will cater to all occasions. If you like your rose toned shades, then i'd definitely look at purchasing this. At £37.00 its not exactly cheap, however if you take into account that you get twelve highly pigmented shadows, a double ended brush and 4 sample primers its actually pretty good value for money!

What do you think of this palette? Better or worse than the first two?

Felicity xo
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1 January 2014

Moroccon Oil Treatment // Review

Hello

Before i get started on the review, i'd just like to wish you all a very happy new year! Hope 2014 is everything you are hoping for :). I had a quiet NYE, i'm not feeling 100% at the moment so i slumped on the sofa watching the Britney Spears documentary (ITV player fyi) and indulged in a box of Thorntons chocolates. My mum and i welcomed in the new year by watching the glorious fireworks on the tv - they were pretty amazing! Who knows what 2014 will bring?!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic With that out of the way, lets get onto the review. I have been very curious about the Moroccon Oil Treatment for a while, i've seen rave review after rave review about the stuff so i was very pleased when i received it for Christmas.
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My hair can be quite dry and frizzy, and i often struggle to keep it looking glossy and healthy so i was keen to see if this treatment lived up to the positive reviews it has had. Ever the impatient one, i couldn't wait to use this so on boxing day morning i washed my hair, gave it a quick blast with the hairdryer (its recommended that you use the treatment on damp/dry hair) and applied a couple of pumps through the length of my hair - from about my ear down. I was a bit unsure as to how many pumps to use, but i think if i used more than one pump it would of made my hair feel a bit greasy as it is quite a rich formula - a little really does go a long way!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Upon applying the product i noticed it felt more like a serum than an oil, it certainly doesn't feel oily to me. When i was drying my hair i instantly noticed how much easier it was to dry, usually i'm battling with knots, tangles and frizz but the Moroccan Oil seems to help eliminate these problems and makes drying your hair a hell of a lot easier. When my hair was 80-90% dry i could really see how much the treatment had worked on my hair, it had made it feel much smoother and gave it a real salon finish shine. I also noticed how much more 'finished' my hair looked, my split ends seemed not so noticeable and it just helped my hair look like i'd put a lot of effort into styling in, when in reality i'd just blasted it with a hairdryer and brushed it through!

So, i guess you can say i'm pretty much infatuated with this stuff! I also love the packaging, it comes nicely boxed and inside is a bottle of the treatment with a pump. I'm very pleased that it comes with a pump as it makes dispensing the product a lot easier and helps you not to apply too much either!

Even though the price tag (you can buy a 100ml bottle for around £31.00) is pretty high, i truly think that you get your moneys worth with this. You only need one pump of product so i'd imagine that the whole bottle will last quite a while! It feels like a real luxury to use this on your hair, and i can now understand why so many people adore it. Definitely one to pop on your Birthday/Christmas list, or just treat yourself...

Have you tried Morrocon Oil before? Let me know if you love it as much as i do!

Moroccon Oil is widely available online - www.lookfantastic.com have free standard shipping at the moment so it might be worth buying it from there if you are looking to treat yourself! :) < I'm in no way associated with Look Fantastic by the way (i wish!)

Felicity xo
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