First of all, I apologize for not posting last week but I needed some time off for myself and to spend with family during the Easter break. But, today to make up for that, I thought I could talk to you about the latest eyeshadow palette to join my collection (as if I need anymore!) I do think I'm quite late with this one as I believe it was first released back in November of 2015, but I still thought I would share my opinion about it so far, just in case you're still interested in getting it. 

Gwen Stefani collaborated with Urban Decay on this palette to design one that would have all of her must-have shadows. To be honest with you, when I first heard about this, I imagined that this would include a lot of vibrant colourful shadows which I'm too scared to experiment with. However, to my delight I saw that most of the shades were neutrals (definitely up my street!). I love all my Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes, in fact they're among my favourites! So, when I ordered this one from FeelUnique I hoped that it would not disappoint. And, it definitely didn't!

The shades include: 

• Blonde (pale beige w/pink iridescent shift),
• Bathwater (pale beige w/gold pearl),
• Skimp (pale nude satin),
• Steady (medium rose w/metallic gold shift),
• Punk (reddish brown matte),
• Baby (cool metallic rose),
• Anaheim (light taupe-brown matte),
• Stark (nude-pink matte),
• Zone (medium brown matte),
• Serious (smoky gray w/iridescent floating pearl),
• Pop (pale coral w/iridescent sparkle),
• Harajuku (metallic blue-pink w/iridescent micro-shimmer),
• Danger (deep metallic royal blue w/blue micro-sparkle),
• 1987 (bright metallic yellow-gold) and
• Blackout (blackest black matte).

I've spent a few months deliberating on which MAC eyeshadows I should get and after a lot of research, watching youtube reviews and looking at different swatches I've finally completely filled up my large Pro Palette. I've been trying out the shadows for a few weeks and I honestly love every single one! To some people, it may look like a palette with very similar shadows mostly comprising of browns, neutrals and a hint of purple. But, these are the colours I tend to reach for most often and I wanted to invest in shadows I would actually use. 

• Nylon (Frost) - Pale Gold with icy shimmer - Beautiful intense white shade which is perfect for the inner corner or even as a brow bone highlight.
• Omega (Matte) - Soft-muted beige taupe - My favourite transition shade for a cool toned shadow look.
• Wedge (Matte) - Soft-muted beige taupe - This is slightly more warm than Omega and also great as a transition shade. On my medium-toned skin, it doesn't show up as well, but great for anyone who is fair or has a light skin tone. 
• Tempting (Lustre) - Sinfully rich coco - Very pigmented dark gold shade which is beautiful all over the lid. 
• Charcoal Brown (Matte) - Muted taupe brown - So many reviews mentioned that they use this for eyebrows, but personally it's another favourite transition shade, it shows up a bit better than Omega on my skin tone, so it gives further depth in my crease. 
• Naked Lunch (Frost) - Minimal pink with shimmer - This is a very hyped up shadow, however pigmentation isn't the best. It's a very subtle champagne colour, which I like to use as a brow bone highlight. 
• Mulch (Velvet) - Red-brown with Bronze Pearl - Very pigmented bronze shade which is great all over the lids, it complements my brown eyes quite nicely and it looks beautiful with a darker brown shadow in the crease. 
• Woodwinked (Veluxe Pearl) - Warm Antique Gold - Very smooth, pigmented and blendable true gold. One of my must-haves. 
• Satin Taupe (Frost) - Taupe with silver shimmer - Another favourite, works really well with brown eyes, and I love wearing it on its own with just a bit of eyeliner and mascara. 
• Smut (Velvet) - Muted black with red shimmer - Although it doesn't swatch very smoothly on my hands, it actually blends quite well with other shadows on my eyes, I like to use this on the outer V when I want to create a smokey eye but don't want a harsh black. 
• All That Glitters (Veluxe Pearl) - Beige with gold pearl - Probably my favourite shadow out of all the shades I own! Perfect for a soft and subtle makeup look, one of my must-haves for everyday and a very versatile colour. 
• Sable (Frost) - Gold plum with bronze pearl - I fell in love with this colour as soon as I swatched it. It looks stunning on its own, and blends very well. 
• Sketch (Velvet) - Burgundy with red shimmer - The formula isn't the best, and it tends to be drier than any of the other shadows in this palette, therefore making it slightly harder to blend. However if you're willing to make it work, it is a beautiful and unique crease shade. 
• Beauty Marked (Velvet) - Black red with sparkle pearl - In the pan, this looks quite intense and shimmery. That being said I have come to love it as a crease or outer V shade especially with purple based looks. 
• Fig 1 (Matte) - Eggplant purple - This also may look intimidating when you first look at it, but I feel like it gives you a lot of control over the intensity of the colour due to its smooth, and blendable formula. It has also got a great lasting power. 

To round it all off, I would say that I'm very satisfied with the shades I chose and this palette is quickly becoming one of my favourites as it has got all of my go-to shades. There are numerous looks I can create with this customized palette and I'm sure it will get a lot of love during these next couple of weeks. 

Do you own any MAC eyeshadows? What are your favourites? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Christine
​xxx

I've had the Naked palette for about 4 months now, (I know... about time, right?) but I had heard so many beauty bloggers and Youtubers rave about it, that I just had to give it a try. 

Urban Decay describes it as:  "the palette that revolutionized neutrals forever. Loaded with 12 bronze-hued shadows in an insane range of textures only Wende and our product development team could dream up—including matte, satin, shimmer and sparkle—Naked proves that neutral is anything but boring. From the palest champagne to the grittiest gunmetal, it’s all here. Whether you’re going for a laid-back, beachy vibe or black-tie drama, you’ll definitely look better Naked."

The pictures below will give you a good idea of what colours are included in this palette:

• Virgin (cool pale beige shimmer),
•  Sin (champagne shimmer),
• Naked (nude matte),
• Sidecar (beige shimmer w/silver micro-glitter),
• Buck (fawn brown matte),
• Half Baked (golden bronze shimmer),
• Smog (deep coppery bronze shimmer),
• Darkhorse (deep mocha shimmer),
• Toasted (antique copper penny shimmer),
• Hustle (plum-brown satin),
• Creep (onyx shimmer w/gold sparkle) and
• Gunmetal (dark metallic gray shimmer w/silver micro-glitter).

The shadows are all quite pigmented especially the shimmery/satiny ones. My favourites are definitely Buck, Half Baked, Toasted and Sidecar. In regards to staying power, I found that they tend to wear off if like me, you're constantly touching your face as I find they are quite powdery however using a primer, this seemed to solve the problem. If like me, you really like neutral shades I definitely recommend this palette. In regards to how often I find myself reaching for this palette, to be honest, I think I tend to keep this for nights out rather than for everyday so not as often as some other palettes I own. 

Still, it is a great palette and great value for the price. I definitely don't regret buying it. 

Until next time,
Christine xxx