Monthly Favourites | February

Hey there lovely ladies! Can you believe we're now in the third month of 2013? That's crazy! Time flies when you're having fun, and I've had a pretty busy month. The highlight of my February was the Professional Beauty exhibition (read my post here) and getting news through that I'll be spending a month in Australia with family at the end of the year which I'm of course super excited about. At the end of each month I love reading what everyone's been loving and also share with you lovely lot what have been my favourite products from the last 30 days (or 28 as were in February!).

Probably my favourite purchase of the year so far was the Urban Decay Naked Palette (read my review here). I still can't believe it took me so long to take the plunge, but it is most definitely my favourite make-up product out of my entire collection. The colours are so versatile and wearable for both day and night and ideal to create the perfect smokey eye. I don't want to bang on too long about this little beauty, so I'll move swiftly onwards. I also got my hands on the Solar Powder bronzer from Soap and Glory, which has meant I can save my MAC 'Give Me Sun' bronzer for special occasions or when I want to glam my face up a bit more than usual. It is a half matte and half shimmer block so leaves the skin with a gorgeous dewy finish on the cheekbones without being orange or going patchy throughout the day. I've also been obsessing over my newest Victoria's Secret lipstick. They've only just introduced these in-store and were previously only sold online, so I took advantage of the situation when I was last there and picked up several shades, my favourite being 'True'. It has a much lighter colour pay off than what it appears as, and the finish is amazing. It's so moisturising - think a MAC Cremesheen mixed with a lip butter and you get the idea.  I couldn't possibly have a monthly favourites post without mentioning some sort of Soap and Glory product! It just so happens that this month I've been loving two of their bath and skincare products, the 'Rich and Foamous' body wash and the 'Feel Good Factor' facial moisturiser. I have a huge thing for almond, vanilla and shea butter scents, and the body wash has all of these combined. I may review this product in full sometime soon, but until then all you need to know is this - it's amazing! I'm not a massive fan of the Sugar Crush products as I don't particularly like the scent, but this is a great alternative. The 'Feel Good Factor' is a lovely consistency, but don't worry I haven't parted ways with my 'For Daily Youth' moisturiser. I mix the two together to get the best of both worlds. Something I've been lusting over for as long as I can remember is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. This thing is a lifesaver! Out of all of my brushes, this is definitely my favourite. It applies foundation so easily without leaving brush lines, not to mention it washes like a dream too. No more malting brushes! I have an upcoming 'Favourite Make Up Brushes' post, so make sure you check back if you're interested.

What have been your favourite products in February?

Urban Decay | Naked Palette | Review & Swatches

Naked Palette - £36.00 (Link here)

Hello Ladies! If you follow me on Twitter (@MissEssex) then you'll know that I treated myself to a shopping day on Saturday at Oxford Street, which was heaven. As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. This is something I know to be true as I finally managed to get my mitts on Urban Decay's infamous Naked palette! I can't believe I didn't take the plunge sooner. There was just something about the £36.00 price tag which put me off up until now, but after buying the Naked Basics palette (read my review here) it gave me all the better reason to see what I'd been missing out on this entire time. The price covers the palette itself and two lovely extras, the sample size Primer Potion and the Urban Decay eyeshadow applicator. 

Yes, granted I know this has been out for absolutely ages. But somebody had to be last! I stood deciding between the original or Naked 2 for quite some time, but went for Naked as it has shades which are more brown toned rather than silver. I also read countless reviews on both palettes before deciding, and I'm so glad I did because I'm completely obsessed with it. One thing that stood out for me was the packaging. The twelve shadows are cased in a chocolate brown felt material palette, which I think is lovely. It may be prone to become covered in make-up, but for the time being it's stunning. I love the inside just as much, especially the metallic 'Naked' motif on the spine of the palette. 

The Naked palette is a dream to use as all colours have organisation to them, i.e they go from lighter beige shades to dark greys and navys. I think this was more of an investment for me, as beige is my go to colour for an everyday eye. I know MUA's 'Undressed' palette is a great dupe for Naked, which I also own, but the quality of these are absolutely to die for. 

Virgin - A pearlised off pink shade, ideal for highlighting

Sin - A shimmer/metallic pink shade

Naked - A matte light beige, perfect for a base colour over the lid

Sidecar - A shimmer/metallic darker beige

Buck - A matte biscuit colour, ideal for shadow in the crease

Half Baked - A gorgeous gold shimmer shadow, essential for brown smokey eyes

Smog - Slight darker colour than 'Half Baked', also with shimmer

Darkhorse - A beautiful chocolate brown with a hint of shimmer

Toasted - A light burgundy shade with a hint of metallic

Hustle - A metallic dark off-purple shade

Creep - A shade close to black with brown undertones, with a hint of shimmer

Gunmetal - A grey/navy colour with a small amount of a metallic undercoat 

Swatches as they appear in the palette 

Left to Right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar

Left to Right: Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse

Left to Right: Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

As I found with the Naked  Basics palette, every single shade is so pigmented and of such good quality, one swipe of shadow is all you need. Depending on the look you want to achieve, all of them are buildable and offer the best staying power imaginable. I don't necessarily need to use the little Primer Potion as I don't find they crease as easily as other shadows. That brings me nicely onto the extras which came with the Naked palette.

I've been pretty content using my MUA eyeshadow primer, purely for the fact I've never really branched out and tried others until now. I think the 3.7ml size is so cute, and I love the purple metallic finish on the bottle. The texture of this stuff is to die for, it isn't too thick but it's definitely creamy enough to do its job. This definitely helps colour stay put throughout the day, and once I've gone through the sample size, I'll be taking myself down to the Urban Decay stand and buying the full size. I'm aware there are other types of the Primer Potion, but right now the original suits me just fine. I've also developed a bit of a love for the eyeshadow applicator, it's a lovely item to have sitting at the bottom of the palette screaming to be used. I've never used any type of brush from Urban Decay but since discovering this I feel I may need to invest in some. The handle carries the same purple metallic finish as the Primer Potion, and has synthetic bristles so there's not a worry about it shredding and leaving those dreaded stray hairs on the tops of my cheeks. 

All in all, I'm super happy and impressed with the Naked palette and I still can't believe I didn't pick it up sooner. I'm hoping this will take me through the next year or so and I'm still hoping to pick up the Naked 2 palette soon to complete my collection. 

♥