Over the last couple of months, I’ve found myself falling out of love with makeup. It seemed pointless to make any new purchases over Lockdown. The little makeup I have been wearing consists of solely the basics; foundation, a touch of concealer, mascara and lip balm. I keep up to date with the latest launches through Trendmood, YouTube and beauty blogs, however, there have been very few new releases that have excited me. Instead, I’ve been spending my money topping up my everyday reliables such as my Hourglass Translucent Veil Setting Powder and The Body Show Fresh Nude Foundation, however, I must admit, the Fenty Bronzers have been calling my name for some time now.
You might have seen on my Instagram stories that when the new Naked Ultraviolet Eyeshadow Palette (£43)* from Urban Decay arrived at my doorstep a few weeks back I was unbelievably excited. It was completely unexpected. The packaging is insanely beautiful. The petrol coloured gemstone effect is incredibly dreamy. I’ve always been a fan of the hard plastic casing that’s consistent with the Heat and Cherry palettes. The reloaded palette packaging was definitely not my favourite. This palette is obviously full of stunning violets, lilacs and peachy hues. There are really only four true mattes, the rest are creamy shimmers and metallics. The showstopper has got to be Lucid. Urban Decay describes it as a pearl transformer shade. The holographic green shift is surprisingly wearable. My makeup skills are embarrassingly average but even I can pop this in my inner corner or on the centre of my lid to transform a simple look into something special and unexpected.
I’ve been wearing makeup for longer than I’d like to admit, however, when it comes to application, I still think of myself as a novice. I found the purple colour story intimidating but exciting. I love hovering my makeup brush (UD bushes are always exceptional quality I may add) over my palette and not know where I’m going with it. This gave me an excuse to watch a few hours of Robert Welsh videos for inspiration too.
As with the majority of eyeshadow palettes, a good quality primer is going to really bring out their vibrancy. The UD Primer Potion is especially good if you have dry eyelids. The mattes seem dry at first swatch, however, they are very opaque and layer up nicely. I had to take my time and really pack them on to get the finish I wanted. There’s quite a bit of fallout, but this has never really been an issue that’s bothered me. Mattes tend to be a bit crumbly if you go in too aggressively. The shimmers are just as ultra-velvety and pigmented as I’ve come to expect from UD. I find their Naked palettes to be really consistent in quality, it’s whether or not the colour story excites me that determines whether or not I purchase them.
I have to admit, If I wasn’t sent this in PR I probably wouldn’t have bought it. As a boring neutrals kind of girl, I didn’t think I’d get a lot of use out of Ultraviolet, however, the addition of the peachy shades makes this palette surprising versatile. Ultraviolet has really helped to tempt me out of my sad little makeup-free lockdown bubble and reignited my love of playing around with colour.
Also new from Urban Decay is the Lash Freak Mascara (£21/9.5ml)*. This was first every mascara that I had to watch a tutorial to make sure I was using it correctly. It’s a mascara that I disliked at first but have now grown to love. The asymmetrical brush is very unique. The stiletto-like brush has soft rubber bristles on one side, a smooth curved side designed to lift the lash root and a rounded tip to define and separate.
The formula is very wet and the brush can become overloaded which leads to a lot of mess if you go in heavy-handed. You really need to take your time to work the mascara through your lashes to avoid them sticking together and ending up with a spider-leg effect. Once you’ve coated your lashes, use the top to separate and then flip your brush over and press the curved side against the lash root to lift and curl. It’s a process and if you take your time it’s worth the wait. Lash Freak adds definition, length and volume. It transforms my barely-there lashes. It’s long-wearing, doesn’t flake throughout the day and easy to remove.
* This post contains affiliate links & PR Samples.
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