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Woop woop, the Urban Decay Naked2 Palette is finally in my hands and I have it here to share with you today. I've tried so hard to get this palette in every way possible.. and I'm glad to finally have it in my posession. On the day of the release back in December, I was all set and ready to order it the minute it came out. But to my dismay, Urban Decay does not ship outside of the US! So I figured.. I have a US address to send to, so I must be able to get it! But then, they didn't accept my Canadian credit card or paypal account.. so I called it a day. The minute it was released on the Sephora website I snagged it.. then it took over 2 weeks to reach me. But now the wait is over.. and so is my rambling.

The Naked2 palette was highly anticipated prior to the release, but I know some people are feeling disappointed due to the similarity and lack of mattes in this palette. I personally do not mind owning a second neutral palette, because that's what I like to do when I wear makeup. Keep it simple and elegant.

So let's get to it. This will be a picture heavy post!

note: my palette came without the brush! But Urban Decay has taken care of me and is sending a replacement brush. UD, if you are reading this, thank you!



Packaging. The Naked2 Palette is a upgraded version of the original Naked palette, with improved packaging, with cooler toned shades. What I really love about the packaging is how sturdy it is. Unlike the original velvet packaging with a magnetic closure, the Naked2 palette is housed inside sturdy plastic with a snap closure. This way, I don't have to worry as much about bringing the product with me when I go travelling. The material used to construct the palette is also much more user friendly. The velvet of the original was prone to collecting dust and fuzzies - not to mention very difficult to clean if any makeup was spilled on it! The new plastic material is much easier to clean, and the embossing gives something extra to grip and hold onto.









In addition, this new palette features a much larger mirror for use. I personally don't like using the mirrors inside palettes, but this can be especially useful for those of you that like to do makeup on the go, or need to do touch-ups throughout the day. It gives you more space to work with, so you don't have to put your face so close to palette just to do your makeup.

Swatches.


full palette swatch




{ Foxy | Half Baked | Bootycall | Chopper }

Foxy is a matte cream shade, ideal for the inner corner or highlighting the browbone. Half Baked is a metallic gold, and the eyeshadow itself is so soft & buttery. This would look beautiful in the inner corner/inner half of the eyelid! Bootycall is light champagne tone with a subtle sheen. Also great for highlighting the browbone! Chopper is a beautiful metallic rose gold, with a similar buttery texture to half baked. The two metallic shades of these four are so incredibly pigmented!




{ Tease | Snakebite | Suspect | Pistol }

Tease is a strongly pink matte taupe, while Snakebite is a dark bronze with a slight metallic sheen. Suspect is a pale, golden beige with a hint of shimmer, whereas Pistol is a shimmery gray brown.




{ Verve | YDK | Busted | Blackout }

Verve is a beige pearl shimmer, sitting beside YDK, which is a cooler bronze in comparison to Snakebite, but with a metallic finish. Busted is a milk chocolate brown shimmer. Blackout is a deep matte black, but is not as pigmented as I anticipated. The formula is a little drier, leading to the splotchy swatch.

The original Naked palette contained many warmer brown shades, whereas the Naked2 has cooler, greige and taupe based shades in addition to some warm (eg. half baked, chopper). In all honesty, it is possible to go with either of the palettes. If you don't yet own either Naked palette from Urban Decay, I would recommend the Naked2 solely based on the convenient, updated packaging.

Which palette do I favour? I'll let you find out after I try this Naked2 palette out a little more!

The palette will be available in American Sephora stores by the end of this month. For us Canadians, I've been told it will arrive at the end of February. Otherwise it is currently available from both Urban Decay and Sephora online.

I feel like I bought so many new liquid eyeliners in 2011! But in reality, I think it just feels that way because all the ones I've picked up, I love, and use on a regular basis. Back in December, I picked up the UD 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Demolition on a whim. I had heard good things about the product and was excited to see how well it would hold up.

The product is packaged in a sleek tube, with a very thin brush applicator. Before use, you must shake the tube in order to mix up the product to get full pigmentation.



Now the brush applicator is so thin and pointy that you may find yourself poking your eyelid on some occasions. It's a tiny little prick that will not hurt you, but may irritate you when you feel it. Don't let it deter you from trying out the product though! The formula is very pigmented, and Demolition dries to a dark, matte brown.



The brush is extremely easy to use and manipulate - you can draw thin lines, taper the brush strokes, or build up to draw a thicker line. My favourite way to use this product is to wing out the eyeliner, as the brush is thin enough to make the drawing of a wing simple and fuss free. It's a long lasting product that will not budge after drying, and will wear smudge free up to 12 hours for me.



The one thing I would have to mention with this product is that it can apply pretty thick - it can sit thickly atop of the eyelid if you are building up the product. As a result, you will be able to physically feel a layer of product on your eyelid, versus a pencil liner which deposits a thin layer of product that sits harmoniously with the skin. I don't personally have a problem with this, but when it comes to removal, the product will ball up and form little pieces that stick around the eye. Make sure to remove and cleanse the eye area thoroughly to remove all traces of the eyeliner.

I really love this particular eyeliner in Demolition - the brown shade it dries to is dark enough that it can be passed off as almost being black, but without the stark colour that some black eyeliners can carry. The 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners come in 11 different shades, ranging from gold and silver to hot pink and teal. Unfortunately, not all the shades are matte, and many contain shimmer and sparkle, which can be difficult to incorporate in everyday neutral looks.

Like I said a couple posts back, I've been on a bit of a lipstick purchasing binge lately. This past summer, fellow blogger Jen of FrmHeadToToe recommended the Urban Decay lipstick in Naked. In her swatches, the colour looked gorgeous, so I kept it in mind and finally picked it up during the VIB party at Sephora. And with the release of the new Naked 2 Palette from Urban Decay yesterday, what better time to post up this review!

The first thing that really caught my attention was the packaging of the product itself. The case is made of a sturdy plastic, and beautifully decorated with swirled and floral graffiti. The lipstick bullet itself is encased by shiny purple metal. The bottom of the lipstick features the handle of a dagger, which I thought was so cute.. it's like your makeup is a weapon!

However, the dagger design proved to be faulty and frustrating for me to open. The first time I attempted to open this product, I would say it took me a good 5 minutes to try to pry it open. The only way to remove the outer case, is to pull using the small dagger handle. The handle is quite small, and features a couple corners to it. After struggling for what felt like 10 minutes, my fingers felt like they were going to bleed. I even considered bringing it back to Sephora to switch it out for a new one since I thought it was defective. Finally, I decided to utilize a thick towel to protect my fingers, and pulled with all my might. FINALLY the case came off. I was exhausted! I kind of wish I had taken a video of it, heh.



After opening and closing the lipstick case a couple times, it definitely loosens up and I have no problems opening it anymore. Thank goodness. The lipstick itself is engraved with the Urban Decay brand and a small sword. It's details like this on products that I love!



I would describe the colour of this lipstick to be a mauvey-pink with a glossy finish when applied. The colour is quite natural, and likely to mimic most natural lip colours. The formula is creamy and moisturizing, which is very important for me when it comes to lip products. It is vanilla scented, which some of you may not like, but I personally prefer a vanilla taste over a gross, plasticky taste that some lip products do have.

Overall, I would have to say that I do love this lipstick. It's a beautiful natural shade to wear on the lips, and is quite hydrating when I put it on. The only downside would have to be being mindful of the packaging. I've read that some people have broken off the dagger, and therefore left unable to open up the product for use again. When carrying it with you from day to day, make sure to keep it in a makeup case to avoid any accidents! :)