Urban Decay Naked On The Run || Review

I showed this stunning palette in my What I Got For Christmas post and I know you have all been dying for a review on this and swatches so here it is.

The Naked On The Run palette comes with five exclusive eyshadow shades, a full size Naked gloss in a new shade, a mini Perversion mascara, a bronzer, a blusher and a travel size eyeliner in 'Stag'.

Firstly the packaging of this is amazing, how beautiful is it. It is rose gold for a start which makes it my fave for packaging out of all my palettes, it also has gorgeous feather prints on the front in a brown, peach, green colouring. It is truly, truly beautiful! I feel like I actually need to polish it after i've used it so I don't leave fingerprints on it. For travelling I think it would be good, it isn't the most sleek of palettes that I've ever seen, it's quite chunky but it's manageable. Plus when you add in the fact that you have a lip product, mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, blusher, foundation and highlighter packed in here. All you have to bring is your foundation, primers, brushes and eyebrow products which I think is not too shabby considering I usually take blush palette, eyeshadow palette and everything else individually.

The five shadows shades are:-
♥ 'Dive' a gorgeous metallic pink shimmer which looks like it belongs in the Naked 3.
♥ Fix which is a light beige colour that reminds me of like a dark blonde shade (amazing description I know) and is a matte shadow.
♥ Resist is a cool toned metallic brown which looks like it would do well in the Naked 2 palette.
♥ Dare is a darker brown matte which I love for blending other shadows out.
♥ Stun which is my favourite shade in the whole palette (I think.. it's a very tough call) is a gorgeous warm toned metallic bronzey brown.

Left to Right:- 'Bronzer, Blusher, 50/50, Dive, Fix, Resist, Dare, Stun'

 I am in love with the blush shade, it's such a gorgeous pink shade which really gives you that flushed colour literally. It is very pigmented though so a light hand is needed. The bronzer is also really pretty, it doesn't give as nice a contour as my Sleek bronzer but it works well as a bronzer just not as a contour.

Perversion mascara is something I had heard lots about but never actually tried for myself. I must say I haven't really reached for this as much as I do my holy grail Rimmel mascara but it is good for length. I find the brush too long so it's more fiddly to use because if you apply it in a hurry the chances of poking yourself in the eye are high. It also has a very wet formula so that can get messy if done too fast and has a tendency to make eyelashes stick together. If you have the time to put it on and aren't always running late like me though then it's fine.

I love the eyeliner Stag, it's a dark brown and I've been wearing it nearly everyday. It's such a creamy formula, long lasting, doesn't droop down your face hours later and leave you looking like a panda/like you've been bawling your eyes out.. you know the ones!

I love Urban Decay Naked glosses too which I'm sure you have all gathered by now so obviously was super happy that this comes with a full size gloss in a new shade Serro. I think this shade would suit anyone, it's very natural and goes perfectly with any look you can create from this palette for a natural 'naked' look. My favourite thing about this is that because it's a full sized gloss you can switch it out for any other favourite Naked gloss that you might have. I've also been enjoying switching it for my Tanya Burr glosses because they also fit perfectly in here, to be honest I think most lip glosses would.

I love this palette and it has come in so handy when I'm staying at Gary's house I don't have to carry 100 things with me, this is enough make-up for me alongside my eyebrows and foundation to get me by! Have you tried Naked On The Run? I think it's a must have for any Naked fans!

Lots of Love,

♥

Stocking Filler For Her//Haul Part 2 || Blogmas Day 13

 I have actually already done Part 1 of this gift guide so if you want to check that out first I'll link it here. Basically my other stocking filler gift guide for her was huge and I've stumbled across quite a few more things that I think would make great stocking fillers and it's another huge one. This post isn't at all sponsored by the Body Shop, I just happen to have bought a lot of presents for friends and family from there and also a few bits I thought would be good for this gift guide.

The first things are the bits I bought from the Body Shop, I think this would be ideal for a stocking filler it's one of their Christmas scented products which all smell delicious, my favourite is the Glazed Apple scent. I picked up the shower gel because to me this is what smells the strongest of apples, the body shimmer also smelt amazing but personally I'm not sure when I'll want to have sparkly skin so I stuck with the shower gel.

 I also picked up some of the body sorbet's because I've been wanting these since they were released but because I have so much body stuff I put it off. The Body Shop have some amazing deals with 40% off and free gifts etc so if like me you want to pick a few bits up for yourself or for someone's Christmas then keep your eyes peeled. The body sorbets are incredibly mosturising, they are more of a Summer product but I would not complain about getting these in my stocking, they feel and smell incredible. These three are the three scents that I personally feel smell the best and the strongest.

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 The Naked lipgloss is one that could be heading more into the main gift ideas but could also be a stocking filler gift, budget depending. I love these, they're incredibly moisturising, the packaging is beautiful and the pigmentation is great too. I think most girls would appreciate receiving this all wrapped up.

This is a bit of a random one but I have this bath pillow that I received last year in my stocking from my mum and dad and I haven't had a bath without it since!!! It's a must have for anyone who likes to have a bath because it improves the whole bathing experience when you have a soft pillow to rest your head on. The best thing about these is that they're so inexpensive and can be bought both online and in supermarkets.

The perfect stocking filler for girls of all ages is this cute little body loofa/exfoliating polar bear. How cute is it? Much cuter than your average shower loofa and they also do a penguin version of this which is pretty cute too!

The vanilla brulee body butter is another one of my favourite Christmas releases from the Body shop this year. It smells amazing, quite sweet but what it really reminds me of is cocoa butter and I have every faith that it will be just as moisturising. This retails for £13.

The Body Shop also have these gorgeous tins which are filled with their Christmas goodies. These are a bargain at only £15 for what you get inside, firstly you have the gorgeous tin which I'm actually hoping I get for Christmas just so I can store things in. They also contain a shower loofa, a body butter, a body polish and a shower gel. I wish they did this in the apple scent too but unfortunately they don't so instead I got the frosted cranberry one and the vanilla brulee one.

The reason I picked up the Honeymania bubble bath melt is because it reminded me of Laura Mercier's bubble bath where you use the twizzle stick and drizzle it into the water. Obviously Laura Mercier's version is much more luxurious but for those on a budget this looks like it might compare pretty well. It has this oozy texture and a lovely sweet smell. I can imagine how satisfying this would be to drizzle into your bath and from it's name I'd imagine it's going to create a pretty bubbly bath. I think this cost around £6.

I also got this cream cleanser because it came as a free gift and I think I'm going to give this to my mum because I have plenty of cleansers to keep me going.

I also got this hand cream which sadly came crushed in the post but the Body Shop are sending me out a replacement thankfully! I think hand creams are always good for the Winter and especially good in grans or mums stockings. I also got a little vanilla lip gloss free but I haven't tried it yet so I'm not entirely sure what it's like but it shares the vanilla brulee scent so I'm sure it'll taste delicious.

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Another cute little gift that I think would be great for Christmas this year is a little mini candle like this one from Timeless in the scent 'Christmas'. Obviously it's name proves how apt it would be for a present at this time of year and it does have a gorgeous festive smell.

The last thing I bought wasn't really a Christmas gift guide thing but I thought I'd include it anyway because they don't really merit a post of their own. Boots had 3 for 2 on Eyelure products and since I always wear the same type of eyelashes and the Christmas season is approaching I splashed out and got three sets. However, if you know a girl who likes eyelashes or Eylure products then go to Boots now because the deals definitely worth taking advantage of.

Please let me know if you found this helpful and what present ideas you have for stocking fillers for her, I always like to get more ideas! 

Lots of Love,

♥

* This post contains some products gifted to me by PR companies.

Beauty Faves || July

 This month I have quite a few new favourites alongside some old ones. Sorry it's a little bit later into the month but I've had some Canon issues but I've bought an SD card reader so hopefully that will be all my Canon problems ironed out! Anyway onto my favourites.

 The first beauty favourite I've had this month is an old favourite and that is my original Naked palette. A long time ago, actually the first post I ever wrote (before I even had any means of people reading/finding my blog), I did a review and comparison of the Naked one and the Naked two palette. In that post I said I much prefered Naked two but I honestly am not sure anymore because I do really love them both. Over the Summer I have definitely prefered the original palette though especially 'Half Baked' but this month I've also been loving 'Darkhorse' and 'Toasted'. This is my holy grail eyeshadow palette and I'd be lost without it.

 A new beauty favourite I discovered this month is actually a perfume and it's DKNY's Red Delicious, the one that's in the red apple packaging. I got this as a gift from Gary's mum after she came back from her holiday, she kindly picked this up for me in duty free and I actually really love it. Which is surprising because I'm usually really picky but I love it which is amazing since I didn't pick it myself. I am awful at describing smells but apparently it smells of lychee, raspberry and it also has bergamot, rose, leather (leather in a perfume?!) and vanilla. It's such a strong perfume though which is partially why I love it because I know I can spray it on in the morning and smell it on me all day and as I mentioned previously I love when I can actually smell perfumes on myself. It's a very different smell to all the other perfumes in my collection.

 I've also been loving my Essence blusher that I did a review of in my Essence review but this is definitely my most favourite item that I was sent. I've not used any other blusher since I was sent this because I just love it so much and with the various shades that you can get from it I haven't needed another blusher. It's so super pigmented and it lasts all day on me and is the perfect colours for adding that pop of colour to your face. It's barely made a dent in the product either so I can see this blusher lasting me a long, long time.

 July has been a very busy month for me with events and with it being warmer weather too I've been loving having a nice glowing tan. The products I've used to acheive that this month is my St Tropez fake tan and my St Tropez tanning mitt. Before I've always just used Superdrug mitts but I must admit I am enjoying my luxurious St Tropez one and there's nothing better than a fresh tanning mitt (although after this month it's no longer very fresh anymore!)



I am a moisturising addict, I can't stand my skin feeling dry especially not my feet and because I work in retail my feet often get really sore because I'm standing on them all shift. My favourite foot cream at the moment is actually a body moisturiser but I like to use it on my feet and it's a Sephora body butter that I picked up whilst I was in Italy. This is the ultimate moisturising cream and it's so super soft. I actually have three of these but it's the aloe vera one I'm using at the moment because it's cooling properties are absolutely fab after a long day on your feet! You can tell how much I've been loving this because it's nearly all gone.




 My last favourite this month actually featured on this weeks MAC Monday and that was costa chic frost lipstick by MAC. It's the perfect coral colour and I've had lots of compliments on it when I've been wearing it to work. I love, love, love it in Summer it instantly freshens up your face and I'm personally a massive fan of coral lipsticks. If you want to know more about this lipstick then click here to read about it in detail.

Lots of Love,

♥

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