Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette | Review + Swatch

I'm sure I wasn't the only makeup lover who had a total fan girl moment weeks ago when Urban Decay announced the release of the Naked Smoky palette. Even though I rarely use my other naked palettes, I knew I wanted this one if only to compete my collection. So as soon as I saw that it was in stock at Sephora last week, I quickly snatched it up. 

First impression of the packaging was O.M.G. It's beautiful! UD always has awesome packaging, but I really didn't like the velvet cover of the first Naked palette or the tin cases of the other two. This one is plastic, but it doesn't feel cheap and it has a secure magnetic closure. The plastic is kind of see-threw with a smoke swirl all over it and the logo printed in gunmetal across the top. Like the other palettes, it has a nice full-sized mirror inside. It also comes with a little guide with how-to instructions on four different smoky eye looks as well has some helpful tips and tricks for beginners. It's a little thicker than the other palettes, but it isn't too bulky.

 The brush that comes with it is pretty nice too. Instead of the double ended flat brush/blending brush, it has a pencil brush on one end and the blending brush in the other. The pencil brush is perfect for smoking out and diffusing eye shadows, especially since this palette is targeted for smoky eyes. The flat brush in the other palettes never got much use from me anyway, so this is a nice addition. 

The eye shadows are a nice mix of mattes, metallic shimmers (I'm dying over the shade High) and velvets. Most of the shades are quite deep in color, going with the smoky theme, but there are a few lighter shades for transition shades, such as Whiskey and Combust. There's also a beautiful pop of color with Smolder, a deep purple, thrown in the middle of the palette. 

The eye shadows are quite pigmented and blend really easily. In fact, they are more pigmented and easier the blend than the other Naked palettes in my opinion. A few shades like High and Armor have quite a bit of fallout, but with a shimmery eyeshadow with glitter, it's expected. I did find a couple of the darker shades like Dagger and Black Market to apply a little patchy, so I'd definitely recommend applying a tiny bit a little at a time with your brush and blending it completely between layers, and definitely a primer underneath. 

Final thoughts? I love this palette. If you were to purchase only one of the Naked palettes, I would recommend this one. It's versatile for both day and night time looks and the eye shadows are just amazing. It is a little pricey at $54, but I definitely think it is worth it. It's a nice addition to any collection, big or small, and I actually see myself using this palette on a regular basis, as opposed to just thrown in my drawer of eye shadow palettes like my other naked palettes. 

What are your thoughts on the Urban Decay Smoky palette? Love it or hate it?

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Sephora + Ulta Haul | Tarte, Urban Decay, Lorac and More!

If you follow me on Instagram, you'd have seen over the last few weeks that I've made quite a few beauty purchases at Sephora and Ulta. I was about 8 weeks sober from Sephora when I decided to scratch that itch and make a purchase. I passed up the VIB sale last month because at the time nothing really caught my eye. But after thinking about a few things and swatching a ton of stuff, I caved and picked up lots of goodies, new products and new-to-me stuff and I thought I'd share it all with you guys! Between a few gift cards from birthdays and such and using my Ulta rewards points, I was able to get over $550 worth of products for about $165 so please don't take this post as me bragging or showing off or anything as that is definitely not my intention. Haul posts just tend to be a favorite and I love seeing what products are out there with reviews from others and maybe other people like that too. So enjoy and let me know what you think!

First I picked up the new Tarte Limited Edition Poppy Picnic palette. It's a compact palette with six matte eyeshadows and a blush. The shadows are pretty basic neutrals, but they are so smooth and creamy I couldn't resist.

After really enjoying Stila "Patina" Stay-All-Day liquid lipstick, I decided that I wanted to try out a few more shades from the range since I've been obsessed with liquid lipsticks lately. I ended up picking up Beso (a true red), Aria (a plum-mauve shade), and Belissima (a light baby pink shade).

Since I really like the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation, I figured I would give the Naked Skin Concealer a try. I've heard amazing things about it and I can't wait to try it out.

I've been seeing the Benefit Roller Lash mascara EVERYWHERE so I decided I would give it a go. It does give my lashes a good lift and it separates them pretty well but I'm still testing it out to see if it's a keeper.

Next up is something I've been dying over ever since Easter when I first saw swatches. I picked up two of the new Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Blushes in the shades "Score" and "Fetish" and I am in love so far. I'll do a full review after wearing these for a few weeks. 

Shelby from Beauty and a Blog totally sold me on the Makeup Forever Pro Sculpting Duo, so I grabbed number 2. It has a stunning gold highlight similar to MAC's Whisper of Gilt and a slightly shimmery bronzer. This will be awesome this summer!

 I've never tried any of the OCC Lip Tars but after seeing Sharon Farrell use "Momento" in a recent video, I knew I had to try one. I ended up buying two shades, "Momento" and "Hush." While I really like the colors, it's definitely going to take some trial and error for me to really like them. The formula is really thin but just swatching them, they feathered quite a bit. Anyone have any tips for OCC Lip Tar application?

Last but not least, I bought one of the new Smashbox Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel liners. This is basically the same concept of the Benefit They're Real! Liner only the gel in this one is softer and so far a lot easier to work with.

Next up are my purchases from Ulta!

Upon entering I immediately went to the Tarte display and snatched up the last Showstopper palette. I first mentioned this weeks ago and I've been dying to get it. It has cooler tones than the Rainforest After Dark and I am in love!

I also picked up a few of the Urban Decay blush shades I wanted that were sold out at Sephora. I got "Crush" a bright pink, and a deeper satin one, "Rapture."

I only bought one of these but I know I'll end up buying more Urban Decay Revolution lip glosses. I bought "Failbait" and I really like the opaque, non-sticky formula. It wears so comfy on the lips so more of these are definitely in my list. 

Speaking of lip glosses, I picked up several shades of the new Lorac Alter Ego glosses. I bought Goddess, Girl Next Door, Southern Bell and two tubes of Seductress. Seductress is a perfect redish-nude gloss and I wanted a back up, so I bought two. And they threw in this adorable mini lipgloss in Goddess as a gift too!

You've probably seen Laura Geller's Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey being talked about a lot lately, so like everyone else, I wanted it haha. But after swatching it, I found the gold a bit too harsh and too yellow for my skin tone and instead bought the shade Ballerina. It's a soft bronze gold and blends out a little easier and I personally liked it better for a highlighter. 

I saw the new Stila summer collection out so I picked up two new shades of the Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks in the new gold packaging. I bought Rosa (light baby pink) and Bella (fuchsia)...for now haha

I've used African Black soap off and on for months now and really like it, so when I saw a facial mask by Shea Moisture, I decided to try it out. I've only used it twice so far, so I will do a full review on this later on when I get a good feel for it. 

Next was a deal I couldn't pass up. They had this duo package of Real Technique Miracle Complexion Sponges for only $10 and I HAD to buy it. I like this better than my Beauty Blenders so I'm glad I have back ups now. 

Last up were some re-buys of my favorite sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner from Ulta. I've been using it for about three months now and my hair has honestly never felt so healthy. It's so soft and fluffy and I'm a total sulfate-free convert haha

Whew! What a haul! Again, I am not trying to show off or anything, I just know that hauls are still some of my favorite posts to see and maybe someone else shares the excitement of seeing new products. 

Have you tried any of these? Let me know, I'd love to hear your opinions! 

Products mentioned:

Tarte Poppy Picnic LE Palette

Stila Stay-All-Day Liquid lipsticks

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

Benefit Roller Lash mascara

 Urban Decay AfterGlow 8-Hr Blushes

Makeup Forever Pro Sculpting Duo #2

OCC Lip Tars

Smashbox Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner

Tarte Showstopper Palette

Urban Decay Revolution Lip Gloss

Lorac Alter Ego Lip Gloss

Laura Geller Ballerina Gelato Swirl Illuminator

Stila Summer Collection Stay-All-Day Liquid Lipsticks

Shea Moisture African Black Soap Facial Mask

Real Techniques Complexion Perfection Sponge

Ulta brand Sulfate-free shampoo/conditioner

Anastasia Beverly Hills Artist Palette | Review + Swatch

It seems that every time Anastasia Beverly Hills releases a new product, the Internet and Instagram explode with excitement and hype. The release of the new Artist Palette was no different and I shamelessly jumped on the bandwagon and purchased it. I have all five  palettes previously released by ABH and have yet to be disappointed, so I figured I couldn't question the quality of the eye shadows. 

 

The packaging is a cool abstract blend of different colors that look like an artist's brush strokes with the ABH logo in black on the bottom left corner, very vibrant and not at all hinting at neutral eye shadows within. It's the same cardboard packaging as her other palettes which definitely leaves something to be desired, since it feels a little flimsy and cheap. There is a mirror within, but again, it's a little cheap feeling since its plastic and distorts the reflection making it not very practical to use for applying makeup. The palette also comes with a double ended brush, though this one actually looks more usable compared to the brushes that came with other ABH palettes in the past.

 

The shades of eye shadows are gorgeous. They range from neutral everyday shades to more daring pops of color in a well-balanced mix of mattes, shimmers and satins. They practically scream summer. When I saw the first sneak peek of this online, that insanely bright yellow shade immediately caught my eye. This isn't a palette I would normally go for, but the colors in this one called to me. 

 

The shadows themselves are typical of ABH eye shadows: buttery smooth, easy to blend and super pigmented. A couple of them were a bit patchy like Aubergine and Blue Velvet, but not too bad. I also really love the fun names of each shadow in the palette. 

Top: Dusty Rose, Aubergine, Anaconda, Punch Fuschia, Buttery, Blue Velvet

Bottom: Coal, Unicorn, Phresh, Baby I'm a Star, Orange You Fancy, Beigely

(Without flash)

 

(With flash)

Overall I have to say that I really like this product. The colors are bright and fun and I think there is a nice balance of neutral and bright shades. The eye shadows are good quality and for only $30, its a pretty good bargain considering the prices of eye shadow palettes from competing brands. My only complaint would be shipping. I ordered from the ABH website and it took almost three weeks to receive the palette, when in the past I've gotten my ordered within a week.

 

Did any of you purchase the Anastasia Beverly Hills Artist Palette? What are your thoughts on it? Until next time...

 

The Artist Palette is available on the ABH website, Ulta, and Sephora.

 

 

 

Just A Little Intro...

Hello everyone! I figured this would be a good way to let everyone know a little about me :)

First off, my name is Olivia and I am 24 years young :) I have always loved playing with makeup ever since I was very young and I always wanted to make something of it into my adult life. However, due to being constantly told that "you can't make a career out of makeup" I found myself working in the medical field. Even though I really enjoy caring for others and working in my hospital, my true passion lies with anything beauty related, especially makeup. I am NOT a makeup artist, but maybe one day I'll pursue it to make it official and get certified. I don't necessarily believe you need a formal education in makeup to be considered a makeup artist, as I have met many many talented men and women who do fabulous work without it. The beauty community is hard to break into and be accepted, so my only hope for this new blog, is to gain a following of your average day woman, just trying to look and feel beautiful.

On this blog I will be posting reviews, swatches, First impressions and maybe some hauls and other random little bits from my everyday life. Thank you for reading!

xoxo

LivforLashes

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

IG @livforlashes come check out my page, follow and like!

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com