All posts tagged: urban decay

Sephora Birthday Haul

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In my last Makeup No Buy post, I mentioned getting a few things for my birthday. The box arrived yesterday, on Saturday, and I’m fairly excited. 🙂 I only got two sets, but there was a fair amount of samples. First up is the Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2, which won out over the Vice 2 palette and the Shattered Face Case, just because a) I have too many eyeshadows, and b) I’ve never tried Urban Decay eyeliners before. I know, right? Anyway, I’ve only play-tested them out, but I’m pretty happy about all of the colors, and the quality. 🙂 Next, I got a Best of BECCA Set, which includes a Beach Tint (Grapefruit), Eye Tint (Baroque), and travel-sized Shimmering Skin Perfector (Opal), Resurfacing Primer, and The Ultimate Mascara (Black). I can’t wait to try them out, although Grapefruit is quite similar to Guava, which I already have, and Baroque is super sheer. I got a few samples, too. Squee! There’s the Benefit Birthday Set, which has sample sizes of Watt’s Up! and the …

Quickie: Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

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Here’s a quick review of the Urban Decay All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, but I don’t really know what to say really other than “it works.” A bullet-point list of its claims: — Long-lasting — Oil free — Paraben free — Temperature Control Technology I don’t have a lot of experience with setting sprays, but I do notice a marked difference with the longevity of my makeup and how nice it still looks by the end of the day. That’s a really big deal because I live in a humid country and I do commute pretty often. The nozzle disperses the product evenly, and I don’t have wet globs of wetness all over my face. It also dries down pretty well and quickly, and doesn’t have a weird smell or anything like that. I can’t really think of how to elaborate on this product; all I can say is that it works. I don’t set my makeup when I don’t have a long day ahead, but I can’t really think of how to go on a …

Quick Tips for Bright Eyes

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There are two basic tricks for an immediate bright-eyed, Disney Princess effect, and those involve a light-colored liner on the lower lashline or an inner corner highlight. For that extra-bright, wide-eyed look, use both tricks. THE SCIENCE BEHIND A NUDE LINER The first time I found out about a bright liner on the lower lash line was when I was watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model. I wasn’t so convinced when Tyra said to use a white eyeliner, so it was a tip that went ignored—until people started talking about swapping it out for a nude eyeliner. Placing a light, neutral liner on your lower lash line makes you appear more awake because it cancels out the red on the inner rim of your eyes, without defining it the way a black or brown eyeliner would. It creates the illusion of bigger, brighter eyes, because there is continuity with the white part of your eye. This is why a light-colored eyeliner sort of creates a bigger eye look, where as a black or …

Ace of Base: Making Eyeshadow Stay Put on your Oily Lids

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One of my greatest frustrations when I was starting out with makeup was eyeshadow. I think that’s why I was so ecstatic to find out about primers. They made crappy eyeshadow look good and stay put. I eventually found some awesome eyeshadows that work well, even without a primer, but I couldn’t not wear primer once I started. Eye primers are basically the magic glue that bonds your eyeshadow to your eyelids. If your eyelids are prone to oiling up, a good primer or base will prevent your eyeshadow from ‘creasing’—or bunching up in unattractive lines, around your eye folds—and will get you through the day with pretty flawless makeup. There are a lot of good ones out in the market today, and I’ll share with you a few of my favorites. For your standard, dries-down-translucent eyeshadow primer, my top picks are Urban Decay Primer Potion and NARS Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base. These have worked the best on my eyes so far. Other alternatives are the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (though it didn’t agree with …

Day to Night with Urban Decay Naked Basics & a Palette Comparison

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The Urban Decay Naked Basics has been treated as though it was a savior of the eyeshadow world. It’s a 5-matte-1-satin neutral palette that works as a standalone palette or the perfect companion to either of the two über shimmery Naked palettes. The pigmentation is of excellent quality, as to be expected from Urban Decay. The colors are just a bit too light for my skin tone. I feel like it’s a bit uninspired, but that’s from someone who likes playing with makeup. If you’re looking for something that will give you a great neutral eye day after day, then this might be your best bet. Swatched, top: Crave. Swatched, L-R: Venus (satin), Foxy, W.O.S. or Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint The colors are gradations of a standard brown, and while this is completely usable, I’d love to have seen something more “exciting,” like the purple-toned Tease from the Naked 2 Palette. The other awesome thing about this palette is the overall portability of it. This is freaking small and handy, great for traveling, …

Quickie: Urban Decay Primer Potion Original & Sin

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The Urban Decay Primer Potion is perhaps the best eye primer I’ve tried. It’s right above the NARS Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Base (which I can’t get to work on my lids, strangely), the Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer, Benefit’s Lemon Aid (which is great upon application but creases as well), and tons of other eye bases like cream shadows and such. This is just the best, basic one for me. I do like the MAC Paint Pots also, but the ones I have are shimmery, and if I want a neutral base, my go-to is the UDPP. A great thing about this is also its applicator. No doe-foot unsanitariness here! I bought the PP twin pack in Original and Sin from a Friends and Family Sale eons ago, and I realized I haven’t spoken about these wonders yet. The original looks like an opaque pinky cream here, but it blends out into an invisible base. Sin is a beautiful champagne color with a finish that reminds me of LUSH’s Sophisticated. Here, I am wearing UDPP …

Top Five Eyeshadow Brands (Cruelty-Free)

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I’m a big eyeshadow fiend, which I think is pretty obvious by now. Here are some of my favorite cruelty-free eyeshadow brands, in case you want to start wearing eyeshadow also, but don’t know where to start. Please note that by cruelty-free, I mean brands that do not themselves test their products and ingredients on animals. For that reason, I have included cruelty-free brands that are owned by parent companies who test. I will state which ones are owned by whom. 1. Le Métier de Beauté Le Métier de Beauté is a beautiful brand from New York City. They make small quantities of their exquisite inventions, which makes me want to buy them ASAP. One thing I have a hard time saying ‘no’ to is their limited edition Kaleidoscope Eye Kits ($95), four-tiered eyeshadow palettes that are especially designed to be layered on. Sometimes, the pigmentation of these shadows leave a lot to be desired, but they blend like a dream. I never really understood how “blendability” can affect how much you love an eyeshadow …