Urban Decay Naked3 Palette and a Reasonable Recant

I admit it. I was wrong.

I said I wasn't going to buy the Naked3 palette. "It's too redundant," I said. "I don't need it," I sighed. "Too pricey and ridiculous!" I wailed.

Then I got a VIB credit to Sephora and caved. Here are my [honest] thoughts. Bear with me while I try to be as thorough as I can. There are a million reviews of this palette online right now, so I'll mostly stick to the basics and pictures (including swatches).

Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con Lolita Palette

Every now and then, a splurge comes along and you just can't help yourself.

This is that splurge.

Sonia Kashuk Eye On Neutral Palette Swatches & Review

Recently, I've heard some rave reviews about the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral palette, which is sold at Target.  Some beauty bloggers and YouTubers seem to have similar taste to me, and I typically like what they recommend.  However, some gals seem to recommend things that never ever work for me.  Seriously.  I'm not exactly sure why I still follow them.  Is this one of those duds?  Click below to find out!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Today's post is about a craze that has sustained itself for almost a year now... the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

While normally I don't jump on all the trends that come and go (I have a mortgage now!), I'm glad I jumped on this one.  I was just starting to build up my makeup collection with brands other than Bare Escentuals and was looking for something versatile and neutral.  Traditionally, I have avoided neutral colors, fearing that they washed me out and weren't flattering.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret... Brown and gold shadows enhance blue eyes!  Who'd have thought?!

So, after seeing all these YouTube videos popping up talking about the joy that is Urban Decay's Naked Palette, I rushed to Sephora's website and got on their email-reminder waitlist to be notified when the next shipment arrived.  Luckily, I didn't wait long and soon my own palette was at my door... just in time to go with me on a vacation in Hawaii (where I subsequently got engaged).

The colors are fantastic, and opportunities for different looks are endless.  A simple "barely there" look is Virgin as a highlight, Naked on the lid, Buck in the crease, and Toasted in the outer crease.  A gold look that enhances my blue eyes is Half-baked with Sidecar on the middle of the lid, Smog in the crease, and Hustle in the outer crease.  I never thought I could wear that look, but it turns out, it's very wearable!

This palette goes with me on almost every trip, business or personal.  It's versatile and easy to transport, and the colors are high-quality and pigmented.  It does come with a shadow brush, but I prefer my other brushes.  It also comes with the Primer Potion, an eyeshadow primer base that helps maintain your eye makeup throughout the day.

Do you have this palette?  What other crazes are worth buying into?

Note: Urban Decay just announced their Friends & Family sale, going on November 1-5.  Just put code  'FFHoliday11' when you check out.  The Naked Palette is NOT excluded this time - so it's a good opportunity to grab one at a discounted price!

Wet N Wild Eyeshadow trio: Knock on Wood

Today's post focuses on eyeshadows that don't break the bank.  I'm a recent MAC convert, and I'm enjoying the colors I've purchased immensely, but when you want a lot of different options and variety, buying all those colors in MAC eyeshadows takes a lot of time and money.  Most makeup artists and "beauty gurus" spend years developing their collections/kits.  In today's economic times, it's becoming more and more prudent to pinch pennies and seek cheaper alternatives when available.  So, I bring you the Wet 'N Wild eyeshadow trio in "Knock on Wood"!

This is how it works: the trio comes with three colors (obviously) and two small brushes - one for patting color onto the lid, and one for the crease and blending.  I prefer not to use these brushes, but you may find them useful, especially if you're a beginner and do not have a whole set of brushes.

In this particular trio, we have three warm colors on the neutral side of the red color family.  The eyelid color is almost a berry kind of color, similar to a popular shade of MAC eyeshadow this season called "Cranberry," but more subtle.  The crease is your basic brown, but it is not as dark as something like MAC's Handwritten.  Lastly is the browbone highlight color, which is a light sheer pink color.  These colors don't have a yellow or orange undertone like some reds and pinks do, so I don't find them to wash me out or make me look sickly.

Here they are, swatched on my arm.  After swatching and taking pictures, I proceeded to do some everyday cleaning around the house, and I must say, the staying power was really good!  I even got my arm wet and the colors stayed put.  It took soap and water to get them off.  This indicated to me that not only is the color payoff nice and strong, but the staying power should also be great.

I primed my eyes with NYX's HD eyeshadow primer and applied the shadow as instructed, using my Bare Escentuals shadow brush and MAC 217 crease blending brush.  By the end of the work day, my eye color was still there, not going anywhere.  In fact, I had to scrub at it at the gym to get it off!  This may be a testament to the power of the primer, but the two, in combination, made for a very long-lasting look.  It was a "smokier" or darker look than I am accustomed to, but I liked it overall.  And this combination is great evidence that you don't need high end products to have a nice look with long-lasting wear!