Urban Decay Naked Palette 3 Review and Swatches

Hi Angels!

On December 12th the third Naked Palette was released at your local Sephora, Ulta and Macy's department stores.  I snagged mine online as soon as it was available.  

This palette is described as a Rosey neutral.  That is the main difference between this and the other palettes.  

Stock photo here: 

Naked Palette 1 is a bronze based neutral palette.  It is great for those with skin that has warm tones.  It is seen here:

Naked Palette 2 is a Taupe based neutral palette.  It contained more matte colors as well.  I think this is best for people with cool tones.  Here is a pic of Naked Palette 2:

Now that we have been refreshed about the older palettes, let's look at Naked Palette 3.  Here is my palette:

These are the colors from left to right.

1. Strange-matte beige with a pearl sheen.

2. Dust- light pink frost

3. Burnout-pink shimmer 

4. Limit-matte nude pink

5. Buzz-medium nude pink frost

6. Trick- frosty rose gold

7. Nooner-medium matte rosy brown 

8. Liar-copper shimmer

9. Factory- deep copperyshimmer

10. Mugshot- shimmery taupe

11.Darkside-dark grey taupe

12. Black heart-a matte black with cranberry sparkle.

Here are the swatches on NW 43 skin:

With flash-

Without flash-

Here are the swatches by four:

Left to right-Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit

Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar

Factory, Mugshot,Darkside,Blackheart

So what do I think?  Well if you have seen  my review of the LORAC unzipped palette then you know this us right up my alley.  This is chock full of beautiful warm neutrals that can be worn everyday.  It is housed in an easy travel case with a double ended brush.  Angels, don't walk, run and get this A.S.A.P.  It compliments the other palettes very well.  I've been asked a lot about whether or not it's worth it to get this palette if you have either of the other two.  My opinion is that this palette contains enough unique colors from the first two to be worth your money.  Take Naked Palette 2 & 3 or 1& 3  on a getaway to have all your bases covered. 

I hope this has been helpful to you.  Let us know if you have bought the palette or intend to get it!   

Until next time Angels,

Happy Haulin'!

MAC Pressed Pigments Review

Hello Angels!

Back with a review of some MAC pressed pigments I picked up to complete my collection of what I found most interesting from that collection.  While I was at it I also decided to try (for the first time!) their Strobe Liquid, famed by many makeup artists and beauty bloggers as a go-to for creating an ethereal glow on any skin tone.  So it came home with me (see separate review post!).

All told I own 7 of the 20 pigments.  The complete collection can be viewed here
Here is my haul (plus strobe liquid):

I've swatched them on my NW45 skin.
From left to right, we have:
Moth (silver based light purple), Sweet Acting (silver based frosty pink), Angelic (silver based frosty off-white), Day Gleam (pearly NC30 shade), Deeply Dashing (pearly NW55 shade), Lime Ice (glittery seafoam green) and lastly Black Grape (deep aubergine with multi-pearl).  No primer, one good firm swipe across the pan.  

What do you think?  Ok well for starters let's address the name: Pigments  When we were discussing this with our local fave MAC artist she explained that the goal of these was to provide something like their glitter pigments that is a little bit easier to use.  If you've every tried using any loose pigments or glitters then you understand what difficulty she's talking about.  Imagine dropping black MAC pigment... anywhere....  Disaster.  With these they stay put in the pan.  

What about the color payoff?  Well I'd say there's a loss of color on a darker skin tone such as mine, and the silver undertone can start to take over.  I purchased Moth when these first came out and really liked that I could use it as a lightly colored, sparkly overlay for my purple eyeshadow looks, and decided to go back for the others to use for the same purpose.  So for me, the fact that their color isn't high impact isn't a deal breaker.  What is high-impact is the SPARKLE!  And I'm not talking crazy looking arts and crafts glitter chunks.  The ultra fine sparkle from these babies on the lids is, as my boyfriend put it, "mesmerizing" for a fun date night makeup look.  

Here is an example I put together to illustrate:  

That said, the colors are subtle enough to wear during the day as well.  They're all pigmented enough to wear alone when applied correctly, and would look very nice with an "unmade-up" makeup look (especially the Day Gleam and Deeply Dashing pigments).  

How to apply, you ask?  I would use any stiff and short-bristled eyeshadow brush (my fave for these is the MAC 215 but the 213 and 239 work as well.  You just don't want the bristles so long that they flick sparkle all over your face as you apply.  Moisten the brush with a little MAC Fix+ solution misted over it to really pack the shadow on to deepen the color if desired.  I also recommend using Shadow Shields, to avoid excessive fallout (although with a moistened brush and careful application it's not too much of a problem).

The only heartbreaker here?  I couldn't get my hands on the most popular pressed pigment: Damson.  Described as a "deep brown with gold pearl" online, the pot I swatched in the store made me gasp it was so pretty on my brown skin.  But they're alllll sold out.  I may check Ebay, and pay above retail, it was that pretty.  

Well that's all for now.  Hope you liked the swatches and got some useful tips!  Please leave your comments and questions below and as always... Happy Haulin'!

Urban Decay Feminine Palette Review and Swatches

Sale alert Angels!

Back with a quick alert to let you know about a fabulous palette I came across at my local Sephora that was on super sale.  The Feminine palette, originally $36.00 is on sale for $14 in-store at Sephora and for $16 on their website:   Urban Decay Feminine Dangerous Fun Palettes

First, I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay palettes in general.  The Naked Palette 1 and 2 are easy faves, as well as the Smoked palette.  These are invaluable for me, especially when it comes to travel and glam on the go.  So I didn't hesitate to give this palette a shot at this low price.
Well I wasn't disappointed.  Their shadows are always high-impact, with impressive pigmentation and true to pan color.

Here is the palette:

These colors are just as the name denotes:  Feminine.  Soft and pretty, just about each shade could be worn alone but this incorporates well into any makeup lover's collection, and the colors aren't redundant.  

Here are swatches on my hand, from left to right, Bordello, Skimp, and AC/DC:

And Gunmetal, Hijack, Lost:

To boot, UD palettes always come with a cool little "bonus" like a brush, an eyeliner or in this case, a travel sized Lip Junkie lipgloss-- a pretty, modestly shimmery neutral shade that will work with any of the shades in the palette.  Here is a swatch:

Told ya these palettes are absolutely perfect for travel!

Well I can't wait to find a free moment to play with this palette and create some fun looks.   Overall I give this very high marks and recommend it not only because of the price (CAN'T be beat for UD eyeshadow) but also because of the quality.  Will keep you posted!

Until next time Angels.... Happy Haulin!

NYX glitter eyeliner review

Hello Angels,

Back with a review of the NYX glitter eyeliners I have decided to sharpen my skills with.  Dramatic eyeliner looks in all shades with sparkle and without are taking over the eye makeup world.  Personally winged black eyeliner and bold lipstick has become my makeup go-to this fall. The ease of this glamorous look has put it on repeat for me.
I wanted to start incorporating glitter eyeliners into this recent personal obsession but decided to experiment at a lower price point just in case I decide that this trend just isn't for me (for frequent use).  So off to the store I went!  

I grabbed the two following colors:
Crystal Gold

Crystal Jade

Here is a swatch of the two colors on my hand. 

I will say that it took a pretty generous swipe to get this color saturation.  Which is not the case with the more expensive versions of glitter eyeliner. That said,  a more expensive version of this stuff runs upwards of $20.  It wears nicely and is as long lasting as any liquid liner I've used.  I used two swipes to really get the green to be uniform in thickness and coljor.
I went ahead and took the liberty of quickly swiping out a look that is exemplary of how I plan to use these in my makeup regimen.  

I plan to use them to jazz up my eyeliner looks, and believe me this will be very useful for going out after work (quick swipe of glitter eyeliner across the top line,   inner lower corner or outer wing and bam-- instant glam!). Or even for topping off a more dramatic look like a smokey eye.  Really there's no end to how you can use these and if you've ever worked with loose glitter you will appreciate how portable and mess free, easy to apply these are.  Hence the fabulous on-the-go potential use.  Try that with a tub of MAC glitter.  Hah.

So all in all I've drawn two conclusions.  One, this is a trend I like, serves up what I like to call "lazy glam".  Two, at this price it's fun to experiment and play and when I'm totally over it, I won't feel guilty about letting them gather dust in my makeup drawers!   

Hope you give the glitter trend a try, and feel free post your thoughts and comments below.  :)

Happy Haulin'!!!

My Philip Lim for Target Review and Haul!

Hi Angels!

Back with an update on my complete Philip Lim Haul from the Limsanity that swept Target stores across the nation.  I was lucky in that I live in a less... ahem...  fashion preoccupied part of the country so there was no standing in line at 7 a.m. for me.  Nope, no throwing elbows or fighting crowds.  In fact, I forgot all about it in an effort to abide by my "No shop September" pledge as pennance for all my shopaholic sins this past summer (a mess!).  Well I made the mistake of checking my Instagram feed right before church and saw adorable reminders popping up as to why I absolutely needed to check out the collection!  So after church I hopped in my car and (tires screeching) headed over to the nearest Target, fully expecting to find hoards of women tugging at opposite ends of the same handbag and... Nope.  Nothing.  I found a peaceful, organized, and.... FULLY stocked 3.1 Phillip Lim section with a good amount of handbags available.  My Target didn't stock every single item in the collection, sadly, but they had a pretty decent selection.

So I did what any good sister/daughter/fashionista would do-- I got on the horn and took orders from my sisters and mom.  By the time they were done and I picked up everything that I was too chicken to leave behind (lest I regret it later-- I mean at less than $55 a bag, you really can't "overbuy") this is what my cart looked like.  

Mind you, the picking and discussion took at least 45 minutes.  And people who were walking by (and, shockingly ignoring the collection altogether) looked at me like I had two heads.  But in the name of affordable limited edition fashion I carried on.  

I will start by saying that most of the clothes were not my cup of tea.  For one, I didn't like that the embellishments on some of the dresses looked cheap and lackluster even for the low price:

I'm sure plenty of people disagree but those were a pass for me.  I liked the "Boom" sweatshirt, thought it was really cute:

But then I asked myself how often I would really wear it and questioned how that vibrant red in the print would look after a few passes through the wash.  Realizing that this piece would quickly become wear-only-at-home-clothes for me, at $29.99 I decided to pass (After seeing Jessics Alba wearing it my resolve was tested but... I stil don't own it.)

I considered this sweater:

But then I decided it looked "itchy" and very likely to pill (which is the bane of my existence!) so... Pass for me.   

This trench coat actually piqued my interest-- and the quality for the price is quite good.  I just already have something similar from GAP that I barely wear as it is so I passed, but this coat, which is still available online, I think is a grab for anyone who doesn't have a trench coat.

Ok so by now you're probably like "Well what did you get already???"  

Here's what I got:

The tiger t-shirt (which I only later realized was a piece from the men's collection but whatever it's still really cool):

This animal print dress, which I love because of the ruched fabric (always a friend to my figure), and the mustard and cobalt color combination (I love cobalt for fall!) and the asymmetric hemline.  This dress will accessorize up or down easily for work, play, or date night.  I can even see rocking it very casually with a classic pair of white Converse and a denim jacket.  A versatile piece for $29.99:

And... that was it for me with the clothes.  Still got that sweatshirt in my crazy head...  LOL give me strength.  

On to the accessories.  This is where I went HAM and am still deciding on what's a keeper and what's a return.  Although as a side note I could turn a pretty nice profit on what I don't want from what I'm seeing in the resale market for these on Ebay and Instagram.  But I'm not  into that-- I'd rather give someone else a chance to have a piece and return to the store. Total sap I know.  

Here's my collection all together:

A. Mess.  Don't judge me.  As my fellow pretty prescribers and I have determined, this extremely affordable collection has just done a favor for all of the much more expensive pieces in my collection.  It bought them a nice little vacation in their dust bags because these puppies will be my go-to bags for fall.  Something very comforting about being caught in the rain with bag that didn't cost $1800 and isn't made of leather.  So... Apologies in advance for the Lim overload you may be sensing when you see my future daily outfit posts (follow @drpurple81 to see!)

An overall review of the bags is, for a price range of $34.99 to $54.99 there's really not much to complain about.  They have a luxurious feel and look a lot like leather, and inside they have lots of organizing cimpartments and places for your multiple gadgets and lipstick.  All have either a zipper or magnetic closure which is a pet peeve of mine when I think of the beloved Louis Vuitton Neverfull.  Talk about an invitation to reach in and grab my wallet in a crowd!  But I digress....     

I didn't find any dried globs of glue or frayed trims on any of these bags.  Sure, you may find a loose stitch here and there to snip.  I'm just making this point because I've heard a lot of harsh critiques on the quality of these bags and I'm wondering what it is people are expecting for the price.  A miracle?  As an owner of many much more expensive bags I will tell you firsthand that no bag below a $900 price point is 100% exempt from this loose stitch flaw.  None.  

My absolute faves of the accessories collection include this scarf:

Fabulous because of the print and because it's HUGE but lightweight which makes it super duper versatile. 

Next fave is this adorable mini version of the Pashli (a gorgeous and popular $900 bag in the designer's non-Target collection) and it's a cross-body!!!!!  Ok well for me that's exciting.  I love having the hands free option.

My pic:

Stock pic:

Next fave is this medium satchel, because it's roomy but not huge, and looks way more expensive than it is.  In fact I'm substituting this bag for my Marc Jacobs Blake bag to give it a rest since they don't make it the same way anymore-- no more genuine brass details in newer versions :(.

My pic:

Stock pic-- it's also a cross body!!!!  And by now you know how happy that makes me:

And I adore this large tote in black and grey/taupe:

My pic:

Stock pic:

It is "tough" looking as my sister described it.  Looks more expensive than it is for sure and I like the extra hardware on the side where the bag expands.  For most handbags this is a snap button-- I love that they placed a zipper here instead. It will be my go-to Fall work bag and it transitions well enough to night but...  If you're like me, and you know you're going out after work a lot (and let's face it, a giant tote isn't cute at the bar) you will keep your phone, keys, I.D. and lipstick in a clutch that fits inside your large work tote.  I'm loving GAP leather clutches for this exact purpose.  And this bag is roomy enough for that, a cardigan, small umbrella and all your other workday essentials.  

So that wraps it up for my 3.1 Philip Lim for Target Haul and review.  

Hope you enjoyed this tour and I would love to hear your thoughts on this collection, or any past Target designer collaborations.  Anyone else looking forward to next Spring--  Peter Pilotto!  

Til next time Angels... Happy Shopping!

Clinique Chubby Sticks Review and Swatches

Hello Angels,

Well as always we try to keep you informed on all that's buzzing in beauty and fashion.  Whilst at the nail salon the other day thumbing through a gossip rag (sorry, not sorry) I saw an ad for the amazing moisturizing power and potent color of the Clinique Intense chubby sticks.  Normally, I'm not into sheer lip color because for my money I want color payoffffff honey.  But because these claimed to be "intense" I thought I'd scoot over to my local Sephora and check it out for myself.

As you can see, I was able to find every color of the collection except "Heftiest Hibiscus" because it was totally sold out.  Perhaps this is telling of how great the color is.  I have pretty positive remarks for the rest of the colors, and here are my swatches (and please pardon the ashiness of my hands-- I only got a pedicure lol):

From the top:

Grandest Grape

Broadest Berry

Roomiest Rose

Mightiest Maraschino

Plushiest Punch

The last two colors:

From the top:  

Curviest Caramel

Chunkiest Chili

So what did I get, you ask???

Since I only swatched and didn't wear yet, I limited myself to one...  Plushiest Punch.  

Here's what it looks like on me:

I must say that I'm in love with the texture of this lip color.  It wears as easily as plain ol' vaseline and moisturizes as well.  It won't last through a big meal but it wore for hours on me without feathering.  I outlined my lip with the chubby stick and then filled in the lip with it as well.  The color is potent and true to the stick, with a modest but noticeable shine (a cross between a gloss and a lipstick).  It is flattering on me and so I will assert that it is flattering on all skin tones.   Sometimes the trade-off for gorgeous color is dryness (sorry but lip tar isn't a moisturizer).  Not with these babies!  Great for long work days so you won't have to always reapply.    

Will it replace my favorite reddish pink lipsticks?  No.  But I will say that this little chubby stick has earned its own special place in my makeup collection.  Something I will wear on lighter makeup days, with BB cream, cream blush, a filled in brow, mascara, and this little pop of color to give that fresh faced, finished but not "done" look.  

Hope you enjoyed your tour of the collection!  I'm going to add Grandest Grape to my collection as well.  What colors will you be getting?  Share your thoughts and comments!  

Happy Haulin'!

Sugarpill Cold Chemisty Palette Review and Swatches

Hello Angels,

I recently purchased a new palette from Sugarpill.  It is the Cold Chemistry Palette that was released on August 17th.  I believe it will become a permanent part of the line.  The shadows can also be bought individually as well.

So let's take a look at this palette.  It is shaped differently than my other Sugarpill     palettes with a smaller mirror for your eyes.  Here's a peak:

There are four cool toned eyeshadows that everyone can wear.  

From left to right you have:

Soot and Stars- a charcoal gray with a teal frost finish  

Diamond Eyes- a cool white shadow with a frosted finish

Elemental Chaos- a cool dark purple with a frosted finish

Subterranean- a deep green with a frosted finish

How do they look on, you ask?  LOL

The color payoff is great and true to pan. They are very pigmented and will need to be patted on to achieve lots of color.  Here are swatches on NW43 skin:

This after one swipe and no primer.  Depending on positioning they may show some iridescence.  This is always a plus!

So would I recommend it??  Absolutely!  Especially if you are a makeup user that can't see themselves incorporating the colors in the other palettes.  These are excellent lid colors and would make a welcome addition to any smoky eye.  The palette or individual shadows can be bought at Sugarpillshop.com and Beautylish.com.  

Let me know what you think, especially if you decide to buy it!  

Until next time Angels

Happy Haulin'!