February Favourites || Beauty

 

I was debating whether or not to bother doing a favourites post this month because I actually don't have very many new things to show you and I don't want to keep showing you the same things. However I do love a favourites post and its become a little bit of a tradition on my blog to do one each month so apologies for the small favourites but small is better than none right??

Anyhow my biggest favourite this month is a complete surprise favourite because I did not think I would like these but its the Make-Up Revolution I heart my lips collection lipsticks. Now Make-Up Revolution are fast becoming my favourite drug store brand, I made an order with them and got these sent free with my order because I'd spent over £20. Usually free gifts from brands are products they're trying to get rid of or ones that don't sell really well so I didn't have high hopes but these really surprised me. I've loved wearing them especially the purple and the nude shades so I will definitely be doing a full post on these with swatches!

My Naked 3 palette has reminded me why I love it so much last month. Those gorgeous pinky tones 

and rose golds are just perfect for the month of love, I'm always drawn to this palette at the start of the year especially in February, must be cause the palette screams Valentines Day. I love, love, love Trick it is one of my most favourite eyeshadow shades ever with its glittery rose gold ness and I also love the pink glitter Buzz a lot! As you can see from the picture though I get a lot of use out of Nooner, Liar and Dusk too.

My nail favourite of this month is without a doubt Essies 'The Lace Is On' which I actually got in my Coloristiq box which is a subscription box for nail polishes which is right up my street. I'm going to do a full post on what I got in my box once I've tried out all the polishes but sneak peek this one is a winner. It's a bright purple with such a pretty metallic shine to it.

Another surprise favourite I have is the By Terry kohl terribly in the shade 3 bronze generation. I knew it would be good being By Terry but the shade is an olive green/black with gold through it so I didn't expect to get much use out of this but I have got lots of wear from it. I'll do a full post with swatches but it lasts well and it doesn't look as bold as you would imagine it too.

My last few favourites are moisturisers because with the weather being so cold my skin has been really dry, tight and itchy so I've been slathering this stuff on. For my face I've been loving Garner Moisture Nourish and although it is a small tube, a little goes a long way and it only cost £2! For my body especially my legs and arms I've been using Johnsons baby bedtime lotion which is one of my favourite body lotions. Although it is targeted for babies, it has such a relaxing smell that makes me chilled out and helps me get to sleep. It's also pretty cheap and really good for anyone with sensitive skin because obviously it's targeted for babies so is pretty natural!

What have your favourites been last month?

Lots of Love,

♥

January Favourites

Hellooo my lovelies,

Since January is now over (hurrrraaay!) I thought I would do my favourites that I have had this month! I've included a couple of non-beauty favourites in this post too but next month I could do a beauty favourites and a non-beauty favourites if that's something that would interest you? Anywaay I'm really happy January is over because we can get rid of those January blues and we're one step closer to Spring and warmer weather, yay!

 The first favourite I've had this month is probably no surprise to you all so I'll get it out the way first and that is my Naked 3 palette! I don't think there was a day in January when I was wearing make-up that I did not have an eyeshadow from this palette on my eyes. It is so versatile and I've been having great fun playing with it throughout the month and I will continue to use it for a very long time! It's definitely my favourite out of all the Naked palettes so far. I particularly love Buzz, Dust, Liar and Mugshot. Honestly, there isn't an eyeshadow in this palette that I don't use! I have done a blog post in great detail on this before which I shall link below for you.

  Another favourite I have had this month is something that I've had for a very long time that I'd shoved to the back of my makeup collection. I'd not shown it a lot of love lately but I've started to really use it again and I used it a lot throughout the month of January! This product is Nars Orgasm blushers (Nars blushers all have very sexualised names e.g. Deepthroat, not sure what was going through their mind when they named them!..) It's a gorgeous pink with gold shimmer through it and it's a well-loved product by many! It is pricy at £23 but it's pretty comparable to a lot of high-end blush prices and it's good quality and lasts a long time.

 Two favourites I have had for my eyelashes this month are Eylure lashes. I love, love, love falsies and I would definitely wear them everyday if they weren't such a fiddle and so time-consuming. I think they really add to a look and are great for everyday use or going out on a night out. It's always really expensive buying Eylure lashes seperately (usually around £5) especially if you struggle to get more than a few uses out of them so I was super pleased when I saw a multi-pack of them in Superdrug. You can get multipacks of lashes on Ebay but I usually find they look horrendous, fake and they're usually really awkward to put on aswell. I got my ones in Naturalites 101 which is one of my favourites that Eylure do. They look really natural and you could easily pull off that they were your own eyelashes if applied well and the best thing about these is they come with glue aswell, 3 tubes to be precise! Although if you bought the 5 lashes seperately you would get 5 glues, I always find that my Eylure glues could be used about 10 times each so that's definitely not a problem. They cost £20 which isn't too bad considering you can probably get 25 uses of them altogether! I've also been loving for my lashes this month, the Rimmel ScandalEyes Flex mascara which is not only cheap but the best drugstore mascara that I have ever tried and believe me I have tried a lot!! I've done an indepth review on this aswell which I will link below.

Two recent favourite that I only got at the end of January are firstly Nars Copacabana illuminator which I have used religiously throughout the end of the month and into February everyday. It's just a gorgeous shimmer which is great for highlighting and it looks especially nice on the cupids bow! The second is YSL touche eclat which is possibly one of the best beauty products I have ever bought and it really is a multi-purpose product that can hide a multitude of sins! I will be doing a full review on both of these products soon!

 

 

My fragrance favourite this month has got to be Victoria Secret body sprays, they're so sensual and smell amazing. They really make me feel good after I've come out a bath or a shower just to spritz all over my body to make me smell nice. I also really like spritzing them in my hair so that I can smell it all day when my hair is down! My ultimate favourite one has to be 'Mango Temptation', I love mango's in every form so it's not really a surprise that it's in my favourites and obviously it's pink so...hehe.

 Two lip products I've been loving this month are Topshop's gloss ink in Sugar Rush and Rimmel's Moisture Renew lipstick in Oxford Street Fuchsia. Sugar Rush is a gorgeous rich pink shade that has a lovely texture and goes with pretty much all make-up looks so it's been a great one for when I don't know which lipstick to wear. Oxford Street Fuchsia is the perfect baby pink and I've loved it especially in the Winter months paired with baby pink cheeks just to look fresh and it's such a lovely moisturising texture that it stops your lips from getting dry too, bonus!

 I've also been loving my Real Techniques Buffing brush this month! I love my Expert Face brush as you all know but this one has taken over in my foundation routine the past month as it just buffs the foundation in so flawlessly with minimal effort. I'm really lazy so anything that requires a lack of effort on my behalf is a winner! I have a in-detail review that I have done on it so I will link that post below for you also.

 My final beauty favourite this month has been Algenist firming and lifting cream from Space NK. Now I know you're all probably thinking your 19 why do you need a firming and lifting cream? and the truth is I probably don't! Buuut Space NK sent me it for my 19th birthday as a present which was really nice of them...although I'm not sure what they're trying to say.This moisturiser is amazing just as a moisturiser though as it's so think and lightweight that it's an amazing one for using in the morning before you apply your foundation. If you wake up in a hurry (e.g. me every morning), you don't really have time to apply moisturiser and wait for it to sink in before you can apply your foundation. With this, you literally don't have to wait, literally by the time you've rubbed it on, squirted your foundation onto your hand and dipped your brush into it, it's already soaked in! So I have been loving that! It's also really good for using on your bum and your boobs ladies, area's that can always do with a firming and a lift unless of course you happen to be Beyonce or Rihanna! However, I did look online to check how much it was because I was really interested in repurchasing... it costs £76 for only 60ml (over a pound a ml)!!!!! Now I like a beauty splurge as much as the next person and this moisturiser is amazing but I could never justify spending that much on a moisturiser as I'm pretty sure you can get other moisturisers with similar properties for a lot cheaper. However if you have a wad of money spare and are looking for a good moisturiser for your morning routine then this could be the one for you!

 My non-beauty favourite this month is Sour Patch sweets! I don't know if you can actually get these anywhere in the world other than America as I had to go to a specialist American sweet shop and pay £1.89 for each small bag. Which is very over-priced for sweets in the UK but these are so worth it, if you live in America you probably think I'm crazy getting excited over these but they're so nice! My favourite flavour is the Blue Raspberry one's and I couldn't not share them with you. I did try to save a sweet to take a picture of one but I couldn't resist eating them all..sorry! They're basically a blue sweet that looks like a raspberry shape and they have a sour coating and then when you bite into them they're sweet inside..yummy!

 Those are my favourites for the month of January, what have you been loving this month? Have you tried any of these products?

Algenist Moisturiser:- http://uk.spacenk.com/firming-and-lifting-cream/MUK200008595.html

Past Posts:-
Naked 3 Palette - http://whatabbyloves.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/urban-decay-naked-3-palette-review.html
Real Techniques Brushes-  http://whatabbyloves.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/real-techniques-brushes-collection-and.html
Rimmel ScandalEyes Mascara- http://whatabbyloves.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/rimmel-scandal-eyes-lycra-flex-mascara.html

Lots of Love, 

A x x x

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette Review

All three palettes.

 Hello my lovelies!

Today I'm FINALLY getting around to writing a blog post on my beloved Naked 3 palette. I've actually been wanting to do this for a very long time but there is a reason coming for why I've taken so long to do it!! Firstly, the weather in the United Kingdom has been miserable and it is grey and rainy and the lighting as a result is horrendous. This obviously does not affect my writing but it does affect the quality of the pictures and i wanted to make sure you saw this palette in all of it's beauty! Artificial lighting just was not doing it justice so i held out till i could take pictures in daylight. Secondly i was dying to use this palette as soon as it popped through my letterbox and i thought it would be better to review it after i had used it rather than just my first thoughts. So sorry for the visible use of the palette but it was just too beautiful to keep (don't you agree??)

Naked 3 close up.

 I had very high hopes for this palette because i own both the Naked Palette and the Naked 2 Palette and they're my favourite eye shadows. To be quite honest with you they're the only eye shadows i actually ever use! I've never really felt the need to venture into any other palettes because I only really like neutral eye make up and the Naked palettes are serving me just fine on that front. I'm not sure where I'd be without my Naked Palettes because they are just so pigmented and literally the looks you can create with them are endless! They're also the perfect palettes for travelling because they're sturdy and have perfect colours for both daytime and nighttime looks. Additionally because they come with a brush and a massive mirror, it's great for doing your makeup on trains and buses (come on, admit it, we've all done it!). The retail price for this palette is consistent with the other two palettes at £37 but they are worth eveeeery penny i tell ya!

Naked 3 shades.

 With every Naked Palette Urban Decay bring out they seem to impress me more and more everytime. When the first one came out i loved it, when i got the second one i thought it was even better and this third one is just something else. It is so beautiful that for the first week i got it, i kid you not i would open it just to look at it and admire it's beauty. I have actually done a blog post reviewing and comparing the first two palettes which i shall link below for you if you're interested. This palette has 12 shades as with all of Urban Decay's naked range and like the others comes with a brush. This one is a double ended shadow brush and it has a brush for applying eye shadow on one side and a brush for blending it out with the other. This palette is more of a pinky/rosegold theme than previous Naked palettes so that was me sold, i love rose gold, i love pink...could this palette be any more appropriate for me?? I think not.

Ruched rose-gold packaging.

 Fun fact for you! All of the naked palettes packaging reflects what the colours are inside, like with the first one it has more warmer shades and the package is a chocolate brown and with the second one it is a cooler toned brown because it contains cooler shades. Therefore it was no surprise to me that this package was..you guessed it rose gold coloured! Another fun fact for you is that Urban Decay designed all the packages differently so that if you have all three in your hand bag at once, you are able to tell which palette you're pulling out just by touch (if someone can find me a girl who would carry three eyeshadow palettes round in her handbag though i'd give them a round of applause!! as if we girls don't have enough to carry around with us!!) The first one was a luxurious feeling velvet packaging which was lovely but it became dirty easy and wore off with time and the second one was metal packaging so it's easier to clean and more convenient for travelling. They have made this third one different by adding ridged detailing onto the top. I actually think the Naked 3 palettes packaging is my favourite of the three!

A

Close up of all 12 shades.

The best thing about this palette compared to the others is that i cannot find a single shade in this palette that i will not have a use for. They are all gorgeous, wearable colours and i think i have already used each one at least once. Urban Decay have delivered yet again as all these eye shadows are pigmented and blend beautifully. I think the colour shade would compliment a wide range of skin tones and eye colours too, there really is something for everyone!

First 6 shades.

  The first six shades are:-
Strange- which is an off-white creamy colour (great for browbone highlighting)
Dust- stunning pale dusky pink glitter
Burnout- a shimmery rosey pink
Limit- a gorgeous taupey matte shade (brilliant for blending into the crease with the lighter shades)
Buzz- Perfect pink glitter (which annoyingly i stuck my nail into by accident when opening the palette, i was not a happy Abby that day!!)
Trick- is sort of the odd one out in this palette but beautiful all the same. It's a goldy/coppery glitter.

Last 6 shades.

Nooner- a darker, more purpley taupe matte shade (beautiful all over the lid or to blend out into the crease with the darker colours)

Liar- Goldy/Silvery shimmer (not sure how to describe this colour haha)

Factory- a shimmery chocolate brown

Mugshot- a lighter browny/silver shimmer

Darkside- a shimmery grey

Blackheart- a gorgeous black shot through with red glitter.

 Another thing i love about Urban Decay's eyeshadows is the fabulous names (don't you think beauty products are so much nicer when they're named??) I don't have any complaints about this palette at all, i honestly could not rave about it any more. My most favourite colours would have to be Buzz, obviously i was going to love it with it being the pinkest colour in the palette and Dust which does have alot of fallout but it is so beautiful. What's having to do a little tidying up with conealer and foundation to have a colour like that on your eyes eh?! Another shade which really excited me was Blackheart as I've never seen an eyeshadow like it and it truly does look A-M-A-Z-I-N-G on the eyes (trust me on this one). I would definitely say those are my top three out of the whole palette, only if i absolutely HAD to choose between them as i love them all. 

Swatches from left to right:- Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart.

Hope you're all having a fabby 2014 so far and that you found this review helpful. If you haven't bought it yet, pick it up!! That's if you can because it's flying off shelves and i know it's out of stock again in a lot of places but I'll have a mosey round the interwebs for you and if i find any links to places where it is in stock i shall link it below! 

Debenhams are out of stock at the moment but they are still listing it so worth checking regularly for when it comes back in:-  http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_123932030999_-1

Look Fantastic- also currently sold out..http://www.lookfantastic.com/urban-decay-naked-3-palette/10876416.html

Let me know if you can get your hands on one of these little beauties and if you have it what your fave shades are!

Lots of love, A x x x

Naked Palette's Review and Comparison

Naked Palettes

Original Naked Palette

Naked 2 Palette

Hello my lovelies!

 Urban Decay are famously known for their well loved Naked Palettes, a dazzling array of 12 neutral eye make up colours, perfect for creating numerous subtle eye looks, ideal for school or work and even going out. Although i have had these palettes a while, only recently have i started to enjoy using them frequently. When i was buying my first naked palette i didn't really know much about the difference's between the two in detail so i ended up just going for the first one. Then months down the line realising i'd rather have the second so as a result i now have both! So i have finally got round to making a blog post with information i wish i had known when i had been looking into buying mine!
 
 Before i got my first naked palette i didn't really venture into the world of eyeshadow, i didn't really think they suited me and couldn't quite perfect the art of blending and all that jazz! However after hearing it being raved about on YouTube and blogs i decided to give it a whirl. Which was a risky decision given the price (£37) but since you get 12 1.3g eye shadows which works out about £3 each it's definitely worth it! Especially given a singular MAC eyeshadow is only slightly bigger at 1.5g and retails between £10-£13. But don't fear if you're slightly afraid of eyeshadows like i was, the Naked Palette's are perfect to start off with!

Naked Palette first 6 shades up close

Naked Palette last 6 shades up close

 The first Naked palette comes with the Urban Decay primer potion which is an AMAZING primer and it really, really does make the eyeshadows appear brighter and more pigmented whilst making them last! I've had nights out where i've come back and been too lazy to take my makeup off (slap on the wrists for me) , woken up the next morning and been very impressed to find my eyeshadow still in place! It also comes with a single ended brush which is good for applying the eyeshadow with. The palette itself has two matte shades Buck and Naked and 10 satiny, shimmery shades.

Virgin- pale Satin shade, good for highlighting brow bone and inner corner of the eye
Sin- shimmery pinky champagne colour
Naked- matte nude, good for light crease definition
Sidecar- a beige glitter
Buck- matte brown, good for crease definition and also can be used for light brunette's/dark blonde's eyebrows
Half Baked- gold glitter that features in both naked palettes
Smog- bronze shimmery shade
Darkhorse- dark brown shimmer
Toasted- light purple shimmer
Hustle- darker purple shimmer
Creep- black with glitter
Gunmental- silvery blue with glitter

From left to right:- a barely visible 'Virgin', 'Sin', 'Naked', 'Sidecar', 'Buck, 'Half-Baked', 'Smog', 'Darkhorse', 'Toasted', 'Hustle', 'Creep' and 'Gunmetal'

  Out of this palette i'd say the shades i use most are Sin, Sidecar, Buck, Half-baked, Toasted and Hustle as i'm sure you'll be able to tell from the pictures! I rarely ever find a use for Creep or Gunmental. The palette packaging is nice with it's velvet cover however it does fade with age and use but the magnetic clasps which the brush can also attach to does please me(it's the small things in life). I feel the mirror in the naked palette could be bigger though!

First lot of shades from the Naked 2 and fluffy end of brush

         

Second selection of shades from Naked 2 and denser side of brush

               
 











 The Naked 2 packaging is less pleasing as it has a metally plastic finish however it does have the whole top lid as a mirror (big plus) which makes the palette alot easier to use on the go. It also comes with a double ended brush which i find is perfect for travelling too as it has a similar brush to the first naked palette on one end for applying the eyeshadow and a fluffy blending brush on the other side. As if the fandabby brush wasn't enough it also comes with an Urban Decay lipgloss in the shade 'Naked' (funnily enough) which is alright as lipglosses go and taste's like mint choc chip ice cream. The shades in this palette are three mattes, three glitters and 6 shimmer shades:-

Foxy- a very pale yellowish matte shade
Half Baked- gold glitter from previous naked palette
Bootycall- Shimmery cork eyeshadow
Chopper- a bronze glitter
Tease- matte taupe/purple, good for all over lid or crease definition
Snakebite- a dark brown shimmer, similar to dark horse from the original Naked palette
Suspect- a beautiful shimmery gold/beige
Pistol- a silvery shimmer
Verve- silvery pearl shade
YDK- light purpley glitter, bares close resemblance to toasted (original Naked palette) but glitter instead of shimmer
Busted- purple shimmer, very similar to Hustle (original Naked palette)
Blackout- matte black, perfect for smoky eye's or to use instead of eyeliner for a more subtle, natural look

From left to right:- a barely visible 'Foxy', 'Half baked', 'Bootycall', 'Chopper', 'Tease', 'Snakebite', 'Suspect', 'Pistol', 'Verve', 'YDK', 'Busted' and 'Blackout'

  I use most shades in the Naked 2 palette which is most definitely my favourite palette. The only shade i tend not to use is foxy as it's just too pale for me and never seem's to add much to my eye makeup looks.

   The best way to determine which palette is best for you is take the naked one palette and if you find yourself eyeing up the first 6 colours rather than the latter 6 then go for the Naked 2 as it has more of a lighter range of colours that are more subtle and 'naked' so to speak.

Where you can buy the naked palettes:-
House of Fraser- http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk
Beauty Bay- http://www.beautybay.com
Debenhams- http://www.debenhams.com

Abby x x x