Favourite Look of the Week: Taupe-y Grey

I honestly haven't given much attention to the shadow "verve" from my UD Naked 2 palette so I decided to wear it when I had a girls' day with a friend. I always seem to use the same shades and do not experiment with other shades as much. Will have to do more exploring with my palettes!

For this look I used the following:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance to prime my lids

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Too Cool" as a base

"Verve" from UD Naked 2 all over the lid

"Tease" from UD Naked 2 in the crease

"Busted" from UD Naked 2 for outer third of the lid

L'Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner for lash line and water line

CoverGirl Natureluxe Mousse Mascara 

What eye looks have you been wearing lately?

Favourite Look of the Week Vol. 6

Hey guys!

I feel like it's been a while since I posted a favourite look in this blog so here's the look that I've been wearing this week. I'm trying to be more creative and have been experimenting with using more than one "all over the lid" colour and see which will work. Here's the look I came up with using my Naked 2 palette.

For this look I used the following:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - prime the lid

"Chopper" from Naked 2 - inner third of the lid

"Half-Baked from Naked 2 - middle third of the lid

"Blackout" from Naked 2 - outer third of the lid
"Naked" from Naked 1 - crease

Wet n Wild Megalast Retractable Eyeliner in Blackest Black - upper lash line and waterline

Maybelline The Colossal Volum Express Cat Eyes - mascara

What eye looks have you been wearing lately?

My Top 12 Beauty Products of 2012

Hey guys!

How was your holidays? 

For today's post I would like to share with you the beauty products that I have discovered and loved for the past year. 2012 was the year that I really got into makeup and tried quite a few products so here are the ones that immediately popped into my head when I thought of my top products.

Favourite Look of the Week: Smokey Purple

I was browsing through the videos in youtube and came across a tutorial for smokey purple that I wanted to recreate and wore for my mom's birthday dinner. Getting the deep purple shadow to be a little vibrant was a challenge as I had to put a lot of layers with the shadows I already have. I mixed the pinky-purple and plummy-purple shadows from the Tokidoki Palette to get the shade I wanted. I hope you liked this look! 

Products I used are the following;

E.L.F. Eyelid Primer (not pictured)

Pinky-purple + plummy-purple mixed from Tokidoki palette - all over lid

Deep eggplant shade from Covergirl Sugar Coated quad - crease

"Blackout" from Urban Decay Naked 2 - outer third of the lid

Essence Gel Liner in "Midnight in Paris" - upper and lower lash line

Benefit "Bad Gal Lash" Mascara

What is your favourite look this week?

Favourite Look of the Week Vol. 5: Golden Winged Eye

I feel very experimental with my eyeshadow looks lately and have been enjoying them so far. Here's a look I created using warm gold and brown shades. I also did a cat eye for a bolder statement. I apologize for the fallout on my lashes, the mascara I used is on its last run so it didn't coat so well and made my lashes look crusty :(

For this week's look I used the following products:

Urban Decay Primer Potion "Original" to prime my eyelid (not pictured)

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Bold Gold" as a base

Urban Decay eyeshadow in "Half Baked" for inner third of my lid

Urban Decay eyeshow in "Tease" for the crease

Urban Decay eyeshadow in "Snakebite" for outer third of my lid

Essence Gel Liner in "Midnight in Paris" for upper and lower lash line

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara 

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review and Swatches

I know I know, this palette has been reviewed and raved about by so many other bloggers but since I use this palette everyday and have recently written about the original I thought to write my own review for this follow up palette. 

Company Description: The most anticipated sequel of the decade. Naked2 has 12 pigment-rich, taupe and greige neutral eyeshadows. Our palette proves once again, neutral is anything but boring, (and is downright sexy when worn Naked). Feast your eyes on our shades ranging from pale to deep, matte to sparkly. This collection lets you achieve lots of neutral looks, smoky dramatic eyes, and everything in between. Let's just say there's a whole new way to get Naked! The case has an art-school inspired look with hinged lid - taupe metal with embossed chocolate brown artwork. It's smooth, modern and cool to the touch - a real tactile experience. Plus, our palette also features a travel-size Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked, AND a double-ended, cruelty-free Good Karma Shadow/Crease Brush (available only in this palette). Any self-respecting makeup lover will have to have both palettes to get their complete neutral fix! 

Packaging: The palette is housed in a sleek metal tin that has clasps on each side to open and close the palette. Upon opening the palette, you will see 12 gorgeous full sized eyeshadows, a double ended Good Karma brush (flat brush and rounded blending brush) and a big mirror across the lid. The palette also includes a mini Lip Junkie Lipgloss in the shade Naked. 

Here are some pictures of the palette

So here are the eyeshadows

Foxy - matte soft beige with a hint of yellow. 

Half Baked - metallic neutral gold

Booty Call - frosted champagne-y white 

Chopper - shimmery orange with silver micro-glitter

Tease - matte taupe with purple undertone

Snakebite - dark bronze with golden shimmer

Suspect - frosted taupe-y bronze

Pistol - frosted grayish brown

Verve - pale pink-y gray

YDK - metallic coppery brown with silver micro-glitter

Busted - dark burgundy-brown

Blackout - matte intense black

Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked

Dual Ended Good Karma Brush

Flat end of the brush

Rounded blending end of the brush

Overall: I am in love with this palette! When it comes to eyeshadows, neutral shades are my bestfriend! With the 12 gorgeous shades that are included in this palette, there are endless makeup looks that I can create. From everyday neutral looks to smokey going out looks. I like that the highlighter shade (foxy) is a matte and the black matte (blackout) is rich and very intense. The $60.00 price tag for this palette may be a little steep but when you break it down, its actually a bargain as one full size Urban Decay eyeshadow costs $22.00 CAD x 12 = $264.00 + a Good Karma costs around $20.00, that's a total of $284.00. 

Price: $60.00 CAD/ $50.00 USD

Place to buy: Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique

Products I've Been Loving Lately Vol. 1

Hey guys!

I'm really liking the change of seasons from summer to fall, as much as I like the warm weather, I much prefer cooler weather and fall fashion with boots and scarves. Anyways, today I would like to share with you some products that I have been enjoying recently.

Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat - Since I've been painting my nails a lot lately, I've realized that I need to make more effort in caring for them. I'm really liking this base coat in protecting my nails from yellowing and creating a smooth surface for the polish that I'm going to apply.

Revlon Extra Life No Chip Top Coat - I pair this with the Revlon Base Coat and this helps in making my nail polish at least 5 days without chipping.

OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons - I have been looking for a perfect nude shade for ages and I feel like I found it in this polish! I like that this has no hints of pink and looks classy and sophisticated. This shade is part of OPI's Germany Collection. For a review and swatch click here.

Benefit The POREfessional - I got this deluxe size from a Benefit set I purchased last month. Since I have oily skin, this helps in making my foundation last my long work hours. I was a little skeptical to use this product on my acne prone skin because it is silicon based but it did not clog my pores at all. Even though I don't see it minimizing the appearance of my pores, it helps my makeup stay longer and made my face smoother. For a review of this product click here.

Benefit Coralista Blush - I have been wanting to buy this blush for a long time but I just can't seem to fork over the $36.00 price tag. So when Benefit released this in a set, I purchased it right away. This is a gorgeous peachy coral blush that looks natural on the skin. For a swatch click here.

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie - I've kind of neglected my lip butters and have used my brighter lipsticks during the summer but re-discovered my lip butters last month. I have worn the shade Raspberry a lot lately as a transitioning shade from summer to fall. For a review and swatch click here.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - I'm in a "honeymoon period" with this palette, so to speak. I just can't get enough at how gorgeous this palette is. Sometimes I take this palette out just to look at the shadows, which makes me feel like such a nerd! This palette contains 12 neutral shadows where you can create countless looks. For a review and swatches click here.

Cool Way "Salyards 55" Flats - This has been a summer wardrobe staple that I've kind of transitioned into early fall. I like that I can pair this shoes with almost anything in my closet whether it be a dress, jeggings and even dress pants. In Canada, I found the Cool Way brand from Little Burgundy.

What have you been loving lately? Do share!

Urban Decay Naked Palette Review and Swatches

About 2 weeks ago, I received an email from Sephora that I am now a V. I. B. or "Very Important Beauty Insider" where a member spends a certain amount of money at the store and get exclusive rewards and special privileges. As an introduction to being a VIB, I received a 10% discount on my recent purchase and double the points on my account. So to take advantage of the discount, I finally bought one of the items on my Beauty Lemmings.

As someone who loves and mainly uses neutral eyeshadows, I thought it would be a no-brainer to add the Urban Decay Naked Palette in my makeup collection. 

Company Description: You can look great NAKED! This long, lean, seductive case is packed with TWELVE gorgeous neutrals. Shades range from delicate champagnes to dark, gritty gunmetal, with names like Darkhorse, Virgin and Buck. We've also included a range of textures: everything from glitter to shimmer to matte. The chocolaty velvet case is emblazoned with the word "NAKED" in gold foil lettering. (Just wait 'til your friends see you pull this sexy thing out of your bag. Jealous!) The mirrored case also includes a professional quality, cruelty-free Good Karma Eyeshadow Brush, AND a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion in original formula. This is a shadow palette EVERYONE can use, and a truly spectacular gift. Experiment with office-appropriate neutrals, summertime bronzy looks, or sultry smokiness. With such a diversity of neutral shades at your fingertips, there's more to neutral than meets the eye. 

Packaging: The Naked palette is housed in a sturdy cardboard with a chocolate brown, velvet exterior which is very sleek and classy looking. Although the packaging is sleek, the velvet material attracts dirt and finger prints easily so I think I'm gonna keep the plastic it came with. Once opened, a small mirror is placed across the lid and the word "NAKED" and the 12 gorgeous shadows. There is also a well where the Shadow Karma Brush is placed. 

Here are some pictures of the palette

So on to the shadows

Virgin - is a shimmery nude beige

Sin - frosty pink champagne 

Naked - matte medium brown

Sidecar - shimmery taupe-y brown

Buck - matte reddish brown

Half Baked - metallic neutral gold

Smog - shimmery dark bronze

Darkhorse - shimmery deep chocolate brown

Toasted - shimmery medium dark pinky brown

Hustle - shimmery dark purple-brown

Creep - charcoal black with silver shimmer

Gunmetal - shimmery blue-gray

The palette includes a mini original Eyeshadow Primer Potion

And also a Shadow Brush

Overall: This will be a great addition to any person who loves makeup. I think this is a versatile neutral palette where you find everyday, "work appropriate" shades but also find "going out" shades. My favourite shades are Naked, Sidecar, Smog and Toasted. The shadow brush that it came with is I think a solid addition to the palette and does the job of packing the colour. And the eye primer is superb quality even though I'm not crazy about its packaging. My work day is about 12 hours (that includes the travel time) and my shadow did not crease at all when I use this primer! I am completely in love with this palette and I'm excited to play with it and come up with future looks.  

Price: $60.00 CAD / $50.00 USD

Place to buy: Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique

Favourite Look of the Week Vol. 4: Fall Burgundy Eyes

Here is a look that I did to welcome the fall season! As much as I love neutral shadows, once in a while I like to switch things up with a colour out of my comfort zone. 

Products I used for this look:

Maybelline Color Tatoo in Pomegrante Punk as a base

"Eyelid" Shade from Wet n Wild Trio in Knock on Wood - all over the lid

"Blackout" from Urban Decay Naked 2 - outer third of the lid

Essence Gel Liner in Midnight in Paris - upper lash line

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara

Collective Fall Haul!

I decided to treat myself and picked up some stuff from different places. Now, I didn't buy these things all at once. These are the bits and pieces I purchased in the last couple of weeks.

I'm so excited with the seasonal scented candles that Bath and Body Works came out with! The scents that I picked up are Frosted Cupcake and Pumpkin Caramel Latte. Both scents are just  so yummy! My first Gosh nail polish in Ocean

Shoppers was having a promo where a bottle of I love.... shower gel was free with a purchase of two bottles from the same brand. The scents I have are Mango and Papaya, Raspberry and Blackberry, and Lemons and Lime.

Now some makeup stuff! I wanted to try the new L'Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Eye Pencil and the Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara and see if they're worth the hype! Some more candles from Bath and Body Works, this time the scents Salted Caramel (which reminds me of caramel popcorn!) and Cinnamon Sugared Donut. I have been wanting to buy a new wallet and when I saw this Guess wallet I immediately snatched it up! Good thing it was also on sale. :)

Finally! I was able to buy Urban Decay Naked Palette! I recently became a Sephora V.I.B. and took advantage of their 10% introductory promo. I also picked up the Shiseido 50 Ultra Sun Protection Cream, I've heard a lot of good things about this sunscreen so I wanted to try it out. La Roche Posay Mela-D Serum for my acne hyper pigmentation. And two nail polish sets from Winners, the Nicole by OPI Kardashian Collection in "Sophiesti-Cuties" and OPI Muppets Collection mini set.

Have you been shopping lately too? Do share!