Review: Urban Decay Naked Palette

So I lied in the last post, but really this time, the next few will be tutorial/outfit based. A lot of people on the internet have done a review on this palette, but I'm the only person I know in real life who has it, so I thought it could be helpful.
First, the price was $48, and mine came with the eyeshadow brush. It's synthetic fiber and while it looks nice, it doesn't impress me. I wish I had gotten the one with the double-sided eyeliner, it was cheaper too. This palette comes with 12 eyeshadows, so if you're getting technical, that's only $4 per shadow, for high quality makeup. Not bad. There are two matte shades, Naked (a skintone nude) and buck (a midtone brown), while the rest lie between satin and shimmer. This is the palette to have if you're a neutral eye lover. It is also very easy to travel with, being compact and versatile. I don't really care about packaging aesthetics too much, but it does have a sleek look to it. Mine is a little beat up because I'm a bit messy when I do my makeup, but it still looks nice. I've read on other blogs that the size of these shadows is nearly as big as a regular UD shadow, which I believe are somewhere from $15-$20.
The texture of these shadows is great- they're all very soft and pigmented. Sidecar is a bit hard to work with because it is very glittery, but most of the others are a dream. Gunmetal (a silvery blue) could be have a little more color payoff, but it's the most unique shade (compared to the neutral feel of the palette), so I guess it's a fair trade. The golds (Half baked, Smog) are beautiful and work well on any eyecolor/skintone. The pinker shades (Sin, Toasted) and the darker shades (Darkhorse, Hustle, Creep) are all very nice. There is a whitish satin shade called Virgin too, and it ties with Toasted for my favorite color in the palette. All of these are wearable though, and there are many different combinations.
I wish there were one or two more matte shades, especially because Naked and Buck are so well done and easy to use. But that isn't really the style of Urban Decay- in nearly all my past experience with the brand, they like a lot of color and shimmer/glitter/wow factor. With that in mind, I think this is a great investment for those who like convenient, high quality makeup. I wouldn't recommend it for somebody who owns a truck of neutral shadows already, but for beginners or anybody who doesn't live in Sephora or Mac, it's great. I've included pictures, my swatches are never the best. But if you look around on different blogs, you can get a better feel for this palette. And there's usually a tester in store to try all over arms and hands. :)



Enlarge and names of colors should be visible.



(Left to right) Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked.



(Left to right) Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal.



*no swatches were done over a base, each one is only one quick swipe of each color.
Also, according to Temptalia.com, six of the shades included are permanent, five are new and one is a repromote. The site didn't list which were which, but I know that Smog, Half baked, Sin and Naked are all part of the permanent line.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! :)
-Rhiana

Outfit/Face of the Day + Soon to Come

Another outfit post, but this one has more variety. My makeup was done with the Naked palette again (so easy to travel with, I'm being boring and have only done my makeup with that lately). It's just a strong shape with browns and gold, nothing too special. When I'm back home, I think I might take pictures of each step for a picture tutorial on a basic neutral eye.
Outfit- I liked this a lot, it was hot outside and I had just gotten the shirt. I'm not a huge fan of shirts tucked into skirts anymore, but I like shirts tucked into shorts. The next post I want to do is a montage of pictures + tips for dressing a petite body. Finding clothes was so difficult for me for years because of my height (5'2") and proportions. I thought it might be helpful for somebody, I can't be the only short girl in the world :)
Shirt- thrifted from a consignment store, $4
High-waisted shorts- American Eagle, $30ish
Belt- thrifted, $4
Necklace- Lia Sophia, unsure of price
Shoes- I don't remember the store name, but the brand is called Breckelle's, $20
My hair was different, I'm getting tired of the same thing, so I did a middle part, waved it with a straightener and pinned the sides back.
Anklet (hard to see)- a gift shop, I really should have written names of stores down... $5






I'm still an awkward poser, sorry! I need help with how to not arrange my body in such weird ways. Oh, and on how to open my eyes.





Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! :)

-Rhiana

Tutorial: Water Marble Nails

I have been wanting to try new things on my nails and have kinda been stuck. I came across this awesome technique a few months ago but never tried it until a few days ago and now I cant get enough of it! Its really neat. I did it for three of my sisters and three friends and on myself :). So I'm doing my first tutorial on it :).

You start out by taping off your nails. This part can take a lot of time depending on how you tape your nails but I think its kinda worth it cuz it keeps your hands clean. Then paint your nails with one coat of a white polish. I use China Glaze White on White.

Get a small cup (I used a plastic one but any small glass or plastic cup works. Try not to use one any bigger than this.) and fill it with room temperature water. Pick you colors and decide what order you want them to go in. For this look I used OPI No Spain No Gain, China Glaze White on White, and Nicole by OPI Razzle Dazzler. Picking colors is definitely my favorite part :). Then add one drop of a color to the water, then another color on top of that, then another and so on until you have created a sort of bulls eye. You can use as many colors as you want to do this.

Then use a toothpick to create your design. I used the toothpick to pull the edges to the middle to make a flower. This part can be frustrating. If you mess up, blow on the water a little bit to dry the polish quickly and use a cotton swab to wipe it out of the water. You do not need to change the water each time you make a new bulls eye.

When you finish creating your design, dip your finger into the water. I suggest doing two fingers at a time and thumb by itself. It helps save time and nail polish and it still turns out really nice. Once you dip your fingers, leave them in the water until you can take a cotton swab and wipe the excess polish out of the water. Then gently take your nails out of the water, pull off the tape, clean up the edges of your nails with a cotton swab and some nail polish remover, and apply a top coat. And you end up with really beautiful unique nails. :)

They turn out so gorgeous. Here are a few others I've done...

Zoya Yummy, Nicole by OPI Razzle Dazzler, and China Glaze White on White.

Essie French Affair, Orly Ancient Jade, Nicole by OPI Razzle Dazzler, and OPI No Spain No Gain.

Sinful Colors Timbleberry, Sally Hansen Sun Kissed, and China Glaze White on White.


Zoya Caitlin, China Glaze White on White, and Nicole by OPI Razzle Dazzler.

China Glaze For Audrey, China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-el, and Zoya Dove.

And these are mine :). Sinful Colors Timbleberry and China Glaze For Audrey.

Loving this look! Give it a try. Have a good week everyone! :)

Naomi