Urban Decay Naked Vault for Holiday 2014 (Limited Edition, Online only)

Urban Decay just announced on its blog that the Urban Decay Naked Vault will launch on their website on October 30th, 2014 for a limited time (presumably until stock runs out) for the US release. This set will be released in the UK at Selfridges on November 1st. The Urban Decay Naked Vault will retail for $280

But you're probably wondering what all of the goodies in the Vault are, it includes 12 products from the Urban Decay Naked line-up.

• UD Naked 1 Palette
• UD Naked 2 Palette
• UD Naked 3 Palette
• 3 matching 24/7 Glide-On Double Ended Eye Pencils (including colors: Zero/Whiskey, Perversion/Pistol, Black Heart/Darkside)
• UD Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• UD Native Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• UD Streak Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• 3 UD Nourishin Lipgloses (including colors: Nooner, Rule34, and Streak)

I'm not really sure why Urban Decay decided to include the Naked Flushed Palettes over the Naked Basics palettes, but I have heard many complaints on forums from UD fans not being pleased about this since the Naked Flushed Palettes are meant to be for different skin-tones. It doesn't make sense that one person, who isn't a makeup artist, would want all 3, does it? 

I haven't heard any rave reviews about the Urban Decay Naked Lipglosses, so I think this is one of their least popular items - the inclusion of the Revolution Lipsticks would have made this set far more valuable, in my opinion. This set doesn't seem as lust-worthy as the Urban Decay Pencil Vault from last year or the Mother Lode Eyeshadow Vault which included every shade in their permanent range (oh my god that one was glorious)!

Will you be purchasing this set and do you think it's worth $280?

Urban Decay NAKED 2 Palette Review

If you know me, you may know that I am a huge fan of the original Urban Decay Naked palette. Such a huge fan, I've been using it since it first came out and love it so much that I try to use a bare minimum of the colors so I don't run out (I realize it's now back in stock, but it wasn't for a really long time at one point!). So imagine my excitement when there was an announcement on Urban Decay's website about something new arriving to do with the Naked line. I instantly rushed to the conclusion that they were going to have another palette, as did many of my fellow makeup junkies. However, many called up the company and were repeatedly told that it would not be another Naked eyeshadow palette. They were lied to. Behold, the new Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay:

Extras that come with the Naked 2 palette

Let's start with the main differences: The Naked 2 palette comes with a dual-sided brush, one side is a shader and contour brush, while the other side is a regular (but very well made) eyeshadow brush. These brushes are of the highest quality and they are from the Urban Decay Good Karma brush line, consisting of the Crease brush and Eyeshadow brush, I have provided links if you are interested in purchasing them separately. This is a nice touch over the dual-sided liner that you got with the original Naked palette, just because people are likely to purchase both and you don't really want to double-up on liners, especially since almost all of their palettes come with the 24/7 pencil eye liner. You also receive a travel-sized lipgloss from their Lip Junkie line in the color 'Naked', this is a really cute added bonus and fits perfectly in your purse for on-the-go touchups. Online, I received a free sample with the order and it was a mini 24/7 glide-on eye pencil in ElDorado. I'm happy about this eye liner because it's a shade I've never tried and am excited to experiment with! However, you won't be getting this necessarily, you may get other samples or colors if you order the Naked 2 online (Sephora won't be giving out free samples with purchase when it hits stores).

If you're looking for a giant change in this palette, you won't find it. The colors are not astonishingly different, they are in the same line of products for a reason. There is an overall neutral theme, but Urban Decay claims that there are more taupe and greige shades in the new palette. I wouldn't say that this is true, however, because the most prominent color is probably bronze (as 5 of the colors learn more towards bronze). There is most definitely a movement away from the overwhelming bronze overtone of the original Naked palette. I will go over every new color and tell you what the comparison is between the new and old one. Foxy is a new and unique shade and is not duplicated whatsoever. Half Baked, unfortunately, is exactly the same in both palettes (this was kind of a cop-out in my opinion, they could have attempted to make a new color here). Booty Call is very similar to Virgin from Naked 1 but it might be a tad more on the peach side. Chopper is orangey and does not appear to be similar to anything other than a lighter cross between Half Baked and Suspect. Tease is a brand new taupe and is matte, but it would be very similar to Sin (Naked 1) if it was shimmery. Snakebite appears to be a shade in between Half Baked (Naked 1) and Smog (Naked 1). Suspect appears unique like a slightly less glittery version of Sidecar (Naked 1). Verve and Pistol appear to be unique colors, they are lighter and are more along the greige spectrum Urban Decay was looking for. YDK is like a mixture between Sidecar (Naked 1) and Toasted (Naked 1). Busted is really just very similar to Hustle (Naked 1) but slightly more maroon. Blackout is unique because it is a matte black eyeshadow and Creep (Naked 1) was sparkly.

Naked Palette (Original)

Naked Palette 2

 I hope you found this review helpful when considering if you would like to purchase this palette or not. It retails for $50 and it really is a great deal because you're getting 12 full-sized eyeshadows (which normally retail for $17/each from Urban Decay), two eyeshadow brushes (which each retails around $26), a free lip gloss, and a free sample from their website. The deal on this is phenomenal and it would make a great Christmas or Hanukkah present for that special girl in your life. I promise you nobody would be disappointed if they received this as a gift. I am ecstatic, my husband purchased this for me as a birthday gift and I couldn't be any more over the moon. I'm a long-time fan of their original and I love this one too. These shades are really practical and you will use this palette every day because it is so versatile.

Side by side comparison of Naked 2 palette (top) vs. original Naked palette (bottom)

Melting your lipsticks & making your own lip balms

Do you fear that you're turning into a lipstick hoarder? Do you have tons of little lipstick tubes hanging out in your drawers, purses, car and bathroom? Then maybe you will want to consider this interesting idea I have for you: make them into lip-palettes. It's a very simple process that anybody who owns a microwave can do. I imagine that at this point you're basically picturing a Salvador Dali-esque lipstick melting slowly all over the place. I assure you, this is not the case, I have a way you can do this in a very controlled and neat manner. I promise it's all worth it.

There are very logical reasons why you might want to do this: to de-clutter, to see all of your colors at once and make choices more easily, and to get the small remaining amount of lipstick out of the tubes you have mostly used up. The melting method lets you get the most bang for your buck, so you don't go out purchasing another lipstick when you have a decent amount stuck inside your lipstick container that you just can't get at. If you have colors that you absolutely loathe, this is a good time to get creative, you can mix them together and get new and exciting colors! Let's begin.


What you'll need:
- tiny spatula or cuticle pusher
- microwave or a candle (I recommend using tongs if you're considering the latter)
- container to put your melted lipstick in
- lipstick
- rubbing alcohol

First, you will want to take your container of lipstick and use a tiny cuticle pusher/spatula to scrape out the lipstick, you don't have to worry about making a mess or crushing it (I promise we'll reconstitute your lipstick in a manner that is beautiful). Place the lipstick chunks in your new lipstick container. You can choose an empty pillbox, palette, plastic container, glass container, used-up lipbalm case, or stacked dollar-store containers or bead organizers (my personal favorite). Whatever container you choose, make sure to put your lipstick in and dilute it a little bit with a few drops of rubbing alcohol so you can mix it together for an even consistency. Then nuke your lipstick in the microwave. Be careful not to do this for longer than a 5-7 seconds at a time (depending on the strength of your microwave) because your container can crack. Try to work with a material that you know won't crack in the microwave.

If you use a lip brush to apply your lipstick, you will get the most out of your product and you won't be wasting any on your fingers. Also, if you think your containers will melt in the microwave, use a microwaveable tupperware container or bowl and then simply scoop or pour your melted mixture into your container of choice. If you choose to turn your lipsticks into more of a 'lip balm' you will want to mix in some shea butter. How much you add really depends on how much pigment you want in your lipbalm, because the more shea butter you will add, the less color you will see. Make sure to thoroughly mix them together with mixing medium or rubbing alcohol before you melt them. This is a fun and easy project! Enjoy yourselves and show me some of your creations!

NYX lipgloss set product review

Perusing shops, trying not to buy anything, you occasionally come across a deal that is so great, it boggles the mind. I was walking around Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington and meandered into the hipster paradise that is Urban Outfitters. After wandering around mindlessly, not finding anything that would flatter me or anything that piqued my interest, I found myself drifting towards the makeup/jewelry section. I came across the NYX The Naturals lipgloss set for $10, and it just so works out that there are 10 lipglosses in this set. That brings your whopping per item price to $1, so you really can't find any better than that. What's more impressive is that these lipglosses are made by an established brand, and a pretty successful one at that, even for a girl who likes her MAC and Urban Decay products. There is another one in this collection that is called 'Love's Anthem' but the color combination didn't attract me, there were some strongly pigmented lip shades - namely maroon red, purple and yellow and I wasn't feeling adventurous.

I pulled the magical colored tubes out of their boxy confines and I had a revelation of a complete collection of natural tones that would make anybody warm and fuzzy inside. These shadows are so muted in tone that you can wear them anywhere, their appropriateness stems from how well these colors were chosen, they work with all skin tones, lip shades, and serve to complement your lipstick or lip-liner, if you so choose to wear one or the other. Personally, I'm a lipgloss girl myself, I prefer the natural, no-fuss look and I don't care enough to re-apply after eating or drinking. The negative aspect of this set, if you can even call it that, is that the shades of lipgloss don't have names, so you couldn't buy separate ones if you ran out of a particular one and really needed another. The texture is slightly sticky so you feel like they are on your lips, the taste has a hint of mint, which works as a refreshing tingle on your lips, and can help give you that 'beestung' pouty look.

As you can see in the swatches I did on my hand (I went in the same order as the colors so you can easily correlate the tube with the color payoff) these colors are truly neutral. There are various shades of pink, beige, plum, apricot and coral. Some of these lipglosses are shimmery (3, 9, and 10), others are opaque (1, 4, 5, 7, 8), and the rest are fairly translucent. The color payoff is highest among the opaque shades, while the sparkle-flecked ones are a close second. It was delightful when I realized that these inexpensive lipglosses had various finishes to them because that gives for a much more versatile collection. This was a fantastic purchase and as far as I can tell thus far, the shades have a usual lasting power that can be found in most lipglosses across the board. So if you're in need of some inexpensive lipglosses that will keep you happy and aren't just the usual drugstore brand, opt for the NYX lipgloss set! I've never seen this set around before, so get 'em while you can!