Yes, It's the Naked 3 Palette...

It's here, in my hands... The 3rd offering from Urban Decay. Did I need this? No of course not, but just look at it, how could you deny yourself such beauty? I currently own the Naked 2 and the Naked Basic palettes - the basic probably being my most used palette of all time. So there was no doubt is was going to fall head over heels come release day.

This edition is full of rose gold pinks and browns and looks amazingly beautiful in the pan. I can predict this will be worn on my lids almost daily when summer finally arrives. No. 3 includes 3 matte shades and 9 shimmer - spanning from a creamy champagne to muted pinks and even a rose glitter infused black.

The thing I love about the Naked palettes is that there is always such an array of shades that you can create an easy day look as well as a intense night time look. I am so excited to try these out, particularly 'trick' and 'mugshot' they make me do a little ahhhhh every time I look at them. And my gosh 'blackheart' will create the most intense smokey eye known to mankind - can someone please invite me to a posh party now?

So there we have it, Urban Decay pull another beautiful palette out of the bag and it has well and truly gone down a storm. I know so many of you are already enjoying this dreamy offering, and for the rest - I bet it's on your wishlist!

Beauty Wish List

My current beauty lusts!

(clockwise)

1. YSL Rosy Blush Collector Palette

2. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

3. Shaun the Sheep Tangle Teezer

4. NYX Love In Paris Palette in 'Cest La Vie'

5. Anastasia DipBrow Pomade in 'dark brown'

6. Barry M Hi Shine Gelly Nail Polish in 'Blue Grape'

Sorry the blog has been a little MIA recently, real life rudely got in the way!

Blogging normality should resume shortly.

xoxo

Travel Beauty

Just after Christmas I had a mini break to Amsterdam, I spent 4 nights there taking in culture and getting lost down endless canal lined streets. As we only had hand luggage on board the plane, I was limited in my beauty stash. I had to whittle it down to a few essentials, which was hard to say the least, but here I will show you what products made the final cut.

Make up

Clinique Anti-blemish Solutions liquid foundation |17 Phwoarr Paint | Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'on and on bronze' | Dainty Doll cream blush in '| Maybelline Brow Drama | Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara | Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette | Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in 'vanilla' | Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast lip balm | Soap & Glory Gloss Stick in 'Nudist' | 17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in 'deep secret'

Tools

Real Techniques Buffing Brush (cream blusher) | Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (foundation) | Topshop angled brush | flat topped stippling brush (concealer) | tapered blending brush (eyes)

Skincare and then some

Sure roll on deodorant | Batiste Dry Shampoo mini in 'original' | Umberto and Giannini Glam Hair 'Backcomb In A Bottle' | The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion SPF15 | Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser (mini) | Origins Modern Friction Nature's gentle dermabrasion (mini)

The tip is to pack multi-purpose products. The Naked Basics Palette is an eye shadow palette, yet the shade 'faint' is a perfect match to my eyebrows and with the angled brush I can fill them in quite naturally. The same brush can also be used with the shade 'crave' along the lash line as an alternative to black eyeliner. Using your ring finger, 'venus' can be applied very lightly to the top of your cheek and brow bones as a highlighter.

My lip products of choice were the S&G gloss stick in 'nudist' (review here) and the 17 Supreme Shine lipstick. My reasons? One word... moisture. Going to a cold country calls for all the nourishment you can get on the lips. Of course I had my trusty Blistex lip balm in my pocket at all times but for when you want a bit of colour, tinted lip balms/glosses are the way to go and this nude shade is great for everyday wear.

The Nars concealer was thrown into my travel stash as I knew I would be spending long days out without returning to the hotel before the evenings. This concealer is great at refreshing your make up look by applying to the areas where you're looking a little dull... chuck on some red lippy and hey presto!

I am going to Glastonbury again this year where I will almost certainly need to downsize my make up to travel friendly portions.

Desk Side(kicks)

January 2014 - the month of 'new beginnings' and 'fresh starts'.... 

We all throw around cliched phrases at this time of year and so I thought I would start the new year with a 'a tidy desk is a tidy mind' kinda post. I am a keen organiser (if I do say so myself) and I pretty much function in neat piles and coordinated stationary, with ample list making on the side. Today, I have put together some desk necessitates that I feel should remain at arm's length at all times. A day doesn't go by without me using at least two of these essential holy grail products.

We have the obvious choices of hand sanitiser and hand cream. The Wilkinson's own branded 'fruity berry instant hand sanitiser' is a bargain at less then £2 and doesn't leave your hands feeling sticky or wet. The Body Shop's 'Almond Hand and Nail Cream' is a personal fave, additionally to it's amazing smell this cream sinks deep into the skin and moisturises like a dream.

A lip balm is everyone's saviour during winter. Whether we like it or not - we must keep those dry lips at bay! This Blistex number is in the flavour 'raspberry lemonade' and tastes good enough to eat... oh and it hydrates my lips pretty well too.

It's always handy to have a spare nail polish at the back of a draw somewhere in case you get caught short before a night out straight from work. This Essie shade 'Fondola Gondola' is so easy to wear it's perfect paired with any outfit (any season!). One coat leaves the look quite translucent for a subtle effect, or you can build the colour for a more girly pink.

And then of course there's the not-so-glam essentials. The trusty bulldog grip to briskly remove annoying fringe hair when your trying to get down to business. This one I picked up from Primark in a set that more than likely cost a mere £1 but you can find similar here.
A trusty compact mirror to stare wondrously into and paracetamol, to ya'know, get you through the hard times.

Let me know what non-luxury items you can't live without...

Battle of the Christmas Nails

Christmas Day involves many decisions including the likes of, how many puddings is too many puddings? Is it acceptable to sport a cracker hat over a Santa number and maybe more importantly, what festive polish should I don?

Here's the shades that made the final cut...

as in top picture 

Maybelline color show brocades in 'knitted gold'

Essie 'mind your mittens'

Collection 60 second hot looks in 'big hair'

nails inc. in 'luminous metallic red'

Kate spade for nails inc. in 'uptown glamour'

The picture doesn't do knitted gold justice but it is the most amazing glitter ensemble of gold and dusky pink flecks, ultimately transforming any polish colour into a dazzling look. I'm currently torn between the simple metallic red or layering glitter over gold for maximum festive overload! (if you can't do it at Christmas, when can ya eh?)

Decisions, decisions...

In Pictures: Clothes Show Live 2013

When do next years tickets go on sale?

Bad Orchid

The world has gone matte crazy, buffing away that shine is definitely the big thing of AW'13 (not to mention the leather mania we are currently experiencing).

When it comes to this polish, I have been spying it up for months, holding back because do I really need another burgundy/purple polish?

Topshop Nails in 'Bad Orchid'  £6

...Most probably not but when I noticed Topshop were now leaning towards the pastel mattes, leaving only one (lonely!) bottle of this colour on the shelves, I just knew I needed to take it home - if not for my sake, for the lonesome bad orchid's!

Of course it's the perfect Autumn/Christmas colour, you can't go wrong with purple in autumn - as you can tell from this post. Two coats are needed for a good solid opaque nail, but Topshop have come up trumps again with their polish quality. I can see myself adding some gold glitter for a be-dazzling effect... but that's for another day.

The Body Shop Tea Tree

The Body Shop is one of those places that once you've step foot inside you ain't leaving empty handed, and of course little old me fell right into the trap. Having suffered from break outs for months and nothing helping, I popped into The Body Shop (or should I say I intended to pop in!) and was guided straight to their Tea Tree range.

This range is developed for blemish prone skin, the natural tea tree is ideal for balancing the skin plus it's antibacterial nature sure does clear up spots. Now, in my opinion these products have the potential to work wonders. They leave your skin feeling super super clean and fresh but, and this is a bigger than average but, this range is definitely aimed at oily skin types - the tea tree dries up blemishes and reduces them in size. If, like me, your skin is slightly on the dryer side these products aren't ideal - especially in winter! Much to my disappointment they completely dried out my skin, leaving it feeling drained of moisture.

As a result, have completely set aside the foaming cleanser and facial toner from my skin care routine. As for the night lotion, I still use this but then apply a thicker, more moisturising night cream afterwards. I find the pore minimiser primer works okay, I use it every now and again when my skin is feeling extra uneven and porous. Now, the squeaky clean scrub I love - just the right amount of exfoliation, even when skin is feeling blemished and sore. I use it about 3 times a week and apply a moisturising mask afterwards to avoid over-drying the skin.

I don't regret buy these products - I'll certainly reach straight for them if my skin becomes oily in the future. For now, I will continue the pursuit of a magical product to rid my dry skin of spots forever!

Naked Autumn

Recently I have been really drawn to these Urban Decay Naked Polishes (so hey, why not blog it). I was bought these as a gift for my 21st birthday alongside the Naked Basics Palette back in Feburary, and dare I say they were a little neglected over the summer months.

They are very much an Autumnal range and I can't get enough of them this 'fall'. This post will not feature the complete collection as I donated two colours to my mother in an attempt to widen her nail polish collection past baby pink...

Urban Decay Naked Nails - £21

(from left to right)

Naked - Classic nude shade. Smog - Metalic rust.

Hustle - Metalic purple. Creep - Black shade with sliver glitter, slightly textured.

The formula is great, the above swatch is after two coats. But I would even suggest three for nail perfectionists out there. The range of colours is fab too, I could even share them with my mum (solid evidence)! For me, the main thumbs up go to their size - the miniature bottles are great to chuck in the bottom of your bag and lacquer up on the go!

Gee thanks again Urban Decay!

What Brush Goes Where?

Now the function of a make up tool is simply a matter of opinion (in my opinion har-har), and most products out there are multi-purpose regardless of their name!
Here's a sneak peak into my current make up toolkit, a low down on my brushes' business...

Real Technique Expert Face Brush - This brush, with its tightly packed bristles and slightly domed top, is my perfect gizmo for applying liquid foundation. It blends seamlessly, with minimal effort - there's no need to spend hours working your foundation into your skin with this baby.

Topshop Kabuki Brush - Okay, so this is quite a large brush, but I love how easily I can give my paley pale face a wash of colour using a natural looking bronzer. A quick swoop in the hollows of my checks and around my temples and you would think I'd traveled the world! 

Sigma Duo Fibre Powder/Blush F15 - I rarely use powder, but when I do I use this brush. I powder mainly my T-zone and chin, this brush distributes and sets the powder so lightly you can hardly tell its there.

Real Techniques Contour Brush - This little friend helps me tackle the nightmare that is my dreary morning eyes (anyone else?). With a creamy concealer, this brush can work wonders on dark circles, perfectly fitting around my eye socket for max coverage.

Topshop Angled Brush - I'm not a big lover of liquid/gel eyeliner (mainly because I'm impossibly rubbish at applying it) so I usually use black eye shadow just on the upper outer part of my lid, as close to my lash line as humanly possible. This angled brush from good'ol Topshop is perfect for the job and also comes in handy with my eyebrows too...

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Of course this brush is going to make an appearance, how can a girl live without it!? Well... I seem to have moved on from the 'buffing in my foundation' craze and now only use this brush for applying cream blush - which it does so brilliantly. A light stipple on the cheeks and your good to go.

Real Techniques Blush Brush - Just as it says on the tin, I use this brush to apply blusher on the apples of my cheeks. An all round good'un I'd say, real techniques never disappoint.

So there you have it - my toolkit. I wonder, do you use any of these brushes for a completely different function?

Autumn Go-To's

Autumn is well and truly upon us, and what is more exciting than switching up your make up collection to match? Today I bring to you my autumn go-to's, my 'always on top of my make up pile' staples that I will be using constantly during the colder months.

Autumn is all about deep tones and simple looks, and what I am about to show you is all completely affordable (all under a tenner, score)!

Two lippies I reach for non stop... (left) Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in the shade 'Notting Hill Nude' (720). At £6.49 this nude is simple and wearable both day and night. (right) 17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in the shade 'Deep Secret' at £4.99 is a very fun christmassy colour (anyone else thinking works christmas do?). Both great lip products, brilliantly moisturising and easy to apply, even for the lippy rookie over here.

Next up, the most gorgeous plum blush by Maybelline from their Expect Wear line, in the shade 'Flash Plum' - obviously! And for £5.99, deep cheeks can be worn by eveyone.

This product is a lazy girls dream, from their Scandaleyes collection, this Shadow Paint (£4.99) by Rimmel in the shade 'Rich Russet' is the perfect dark bronze for a simple wash of autumn-y colour. Plus the Liquid texture is great during the harsh winter that dries out our skin boo-hoo.

Give it a go, Warm up with Winter!