My first encounter with the Urban Decay line was reviews in fashion magazines for the Eyeshadow Primer Potion. At this time, I was still very new to makeup and I thought "$24 for this little tube? And all it does is make eyeshadow stick better to your eyelids?". Now, as you can tell, I was VERY new to makeup at this point had not realized the importance of this kind of product. But with the countless reviews and recommendations of this product, I bought it. And now? I have gone through 4 tubes and it is a must-have staple in my makeup collection. It makes my eyeshadow colors pop and keeps them crease-proof for at least 8 hours. What's not to love?
Next came the irresistible Naked Pallet. Now this pallet was like it was made for me. It has matte shades, shimmery shades, light shades, dark shades and they have a warm undertone to them. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!
After that, Bee and another friend got me the Naked 2 Pallet for Christmas. Best girlfriends ever right? This pallet is gorgeous and provides more variety for eye looks because these shades have a cooler undertone. Love this pallet too but the original holds a special place in my heart.
Now, I did look at the Naked Basics Pallet when it came out but it just wasn't my kind of pallet. I love a good matte eye look as much as the next girl but the shades were not very complementary to my skin tone so I did not and probably will not purchase this pallet.
So after all the success with the three products I did purchase/got as a gift, and falling in love with the eyeshadows, I decided to try some other products. After swatching and swatching some more to the point where I looked like a multi-colored zebra, and after countless sighs from my bored husband (FYI, don't make the mistake of taking your boyfriend or husband shopping for makeup), I decided on four products: the Naked Flushed Pallet (seemed like a pretty safe bet), the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Sabbath, the 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Rehab, and the 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA.
So lets start with the Naked Flushed Pallet. I put off buying this pallet for a long time, and at first I didn't see what all the fuss was about. But then I actually put it on one half of my face and it was love at first sight. If you have a pale complexion like me, and especially if you have freckles, you know how hard it is to find a good bronzer that isn't too dark, doesn't make you look orange, and doesn't look muddy. Tall order right? Well the bronzer in this pallet has delivered and it made it worth the money. Now this is not a contouring bronzer for me but an all-over bronzer that adds just the right hint of color to look natural. The highlighter in this pallet is really nice when you are looking for a more subtle highlighted effect. The blush is also nice but I find I have to use a really light hand since it is so pigmented, which is certainly not a bad thing. I don't normally go for this dark of a pink in a blush but I think it looks really pretty. So overall: a good investment, especially when traveling or packing a makeup bag for school.
Next is the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in the color Sabbath, which is a really nice navy blue color. When swatching this in-store, I couldn't believe how creamy it was and how easily it transferred the product to the skin. I was instantly sold. Once I got it home, I tested it out on my upper lash line and found a snag. See, in my family, we all get wrinkles around our eyes at an early age, and so my eyelids are not totally smooth around the lash line. So when I tried to apply this eyeliner it accentuated my wrinkles because it glided right over them and parts of my lash line did not get product. Since I do not want to have to pull my eyelids to make them smooth enough to get a nice line, I found that I have to use a thin eyeliner brush to apply this product. Another mistake I made was not letting it dry before opening my eyes fully, which resulted in a not-so-attractive blue transfer of my lash line on my brow bone. But, once this product is allowed to dry and set for a few seconds, it lasts. So overall: I have to make some adjustments and take some precautions but the staying power of this liner and the color are worth it.
Next is the 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Rehab. I had high hopes for this product after seeing its staying power in the store and after using the 24/7 liner but I was disappointed. First, it can be hard to apply this product, especially on the delicate skin of the eyelids. Even after warming the product - rather wastefully I might add - on the back of my hand, I still had to press too hard and tug on my eyelid to get the product to apply. There is also no time between application and setting for there to be much blending which is a big disappointment. And to top it all off, it broke during the first use. So overall: while I do recognize that this product has great staying power, the application is too harsh for my skin to handle and the ease at which it broke is disappointing with a high-end brand.
And lastly there is the 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA. Swatching this product had me thoroughly impressed by how easily the product applied and how creamy the formulation was. My first thought was that it would be great to put underneath my under-eye brightener to cover up my dark circles and blue veins. So the next day I applied this for just that purpose and made sure to use a light hand because it is so creamy but afterwards, I looked like my under-eye area had aged 20 years. While the concealer did cover my dark circles, it settled into any fine lines I had and made them look worse. I tried applying the product with my fingers, a dampened sponge, a dry brush, a damp brush and finishing it off with MAC Fix+ to try and smooth it over my fine lines but nothing helped very much. I tried applying it to blemishes and imperfections but it didn't wow me, even though it does provide good coverage. To be honest, I actually prefer my Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer Stick which is inexpensive and does a better job under the eyes and on dry skin.
So I hope you enjoyed this little journey with me. If you have any suggestions of what I should try next, leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you guys!
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