The Balm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Palette - Review And Giveaway - CLOSED

When I first got into make up I was a compulsive experimenter when it came to eyeshadow I used to play with colour and texture pretty much every time I did my make up. As I've got older though and more experienced with make up, on a daily basis I tend to stick to what I know suits me and I save experimentation and play for special occasions.

So what does suit me? well at the risk of being boring - a nude brown or a smokey eye. It's quick and easy to do and you can use a nude eyeshadow palette to create everything from a simple day look, to a full on smokey, evening look. 

One nude eyeshadow palette would in theory probably fulfil most of my eyeshadow needs, but being the beauty junkie that I am, I have a huge collection of nude, and neutral eyeshadow palettes and singles. What can I say I love choice! I normally alternate my shadows but at the moment I seem to be using  just one palette over and over again.

I received The Balm Nude Dude Volume 2 Nude Eyeshadow Palette, for Christmas and it was love at first sight. 

Like most of the products in The Balm range this palette comes in cardboard packaging with an invisible magnetic fastening. As you  know cardboard packaging isn't always my favourite but in this case I'll make an exception. In my experience they scuff easily and they can look a bit scratty even after only a few uses but this ones comes complete with a removable cardboard sleeve which should keep it a little bit more protected. 

Open the palette up and your greeted with a large mirror, 12 eyeshadow colours and a small double ended shadow / liner brush.

So yeah all of the shadows are supposed to resemble naked men but we'll gloss over that ;) colour wise this is the perfect nude palette, that will take you from to night x 

The shadows themselves range from a beautiful creamy ivory, to golds, coppers, bronzes and pink nudes, to dark chocolate browns and a gorgeous dark, black, grey crammed full of sparkle. There are a couple of matte shades but the majority have a little bit of shimmer or even glitter shot through them. So what do they look like...

Top row from left to right - Fearless, Flawless, Firm, Flirty, Friendly, and Fierce

Bottom row from left to right - Fabulous, Faithful, Fit, Feisty, Funny and Fine.

I've read a few reviews of the first Nude Tude palette and a couple of them talk about chalky shadows and poor pigmentation but that's definitely something that you can't say about this palette. The shadows are velvety soft, and the pigmentation is superb on even the palest, and the matte shades. and they blend together like a dream. There is a little bit of fall out on some of the sparkly and shimmery colours but I can live with that, after all that's what a fan brush is for.

Speaking of brushes this palette also comes with a little double ended shadow and liner brush. Although it's not a full sized brush, it certainly isn't a throw away or an afterthought. The hairs are soft and smooth, and whilst it's soft enough to blend shadows, it's firm enough to use as a liner brush.

I haven't worn a lot of make up over the last month or so but when I have this is the shadow palette that I've reached for. The colours are really wearable and the quality of the shadows makes them quick and easy to use. If you love your nude eyeshadows then this is definitely a palette worth considering. The Balm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Palette retails at around £29.99 and available from the likes of Superdrug, and Debenhams.

Do you love this palette as much as I do? Well on Friday 12th February my blog is 9 years old! Yes I've blogging for nearly 9 years now! More on my blogging journey on Friday but to celebrate my blogging birthday I'm giving one of you the opportunity to win your very own The Balm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Palette. Yeah! aren't I a nice person! All you need to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below before 6th March 2015 for a chance to win. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember the more times and ways you enter the better chance you have of winning. This giveaway is open worldwide and it's open to followers only so make sure you are following in the way you say because I will be checking. I would also appreciate it if you don't share this giveaway on competition sites or on giveaway message boards. I would love a genuine blog reader to win this giveaway if possible x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please let me know, oh and good luck x 

Happy Birthday LouLouLand - Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 - A Review And Giveaway

It wouldn't be a birthday without a cake so thanks Mummy Lou for this sweetie covered special, shame I couldn't find the birthday candles and it's a bought one from Tesco crammed full of wheat and gluten, never mind I'm sure a tiny bit won't hurt :)

As well as cake it wouldn't be a birthday without presents and recently I broke away from my budget make up obsession and bought myself a few higher end things, a sort of a present to myself ha ha. I'm going to sure you a few things in tomorrows post but for reasons that will become apparent I thought I'd show you something that I bought and that I've been loving.

I don't know how many times I've said but I'm just not a matte eyeshadow fan, or at least I wasn't. So many times I've been disappointed with matte eye shadows, and their useless chalky, payoff but things have changed and brands such as Make Up Revolution have upped the ante when it comes to matte shadows, and recently I've started to appreciate the subtle, warm and natural look that you can get from a matte eyeshadow.

Since I wanted to treat myself to a little bit of something a little bit high end, I headed to Debenhams and had a little look at the Urban Decay counter. As much as I love Naked 3 I can't justify yet another shimmery nude palette, so I took the plunge, had a swatch and bought Urban Decay Naked Basics 2.

A lot smaller than it's shimmery cousins, the 2 Naked Basics palettes are all about the matte. More geared towards cooler nudes, and skin tones like my own, Naked Basics 2 comes in a small slightly rubberised, compact complete with a full sized mirror.

The compact contains 6 exclusive shades, that don't appear anywhere else in the Urban Decay range. Although this is very much a matte palette the first shade Skimp, is actually a demi matte and has a tiny, tiny bit of shimmer making an ideal highlight shade. The rest of the shades from left to right are Stark, Frisk, Cover, Primal and Undone.

These shadows are silky soft and so creamy, and as you can see the pigmentation is excellent. Despite the hype I never ever thought that I would buy a totally matte eyeshadow palette but I have to admit that I'm now a convert, and I've used this palette pretty much everyday since I got it. As you would expect from Urban Decay this palette isn't cheap but if your a matte eyeshadow fan you need it and if you still need to be convinced about matte eye shadows, this is definitely a one to try.Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 retails at £23 and is available from various retailers including Debenhams, House Of Fraser, Urban Decay, and  FeelUnique x

As I said at the beginning though it's all about presents and to celebrate my blogs 8th birthday I want to give one of you, my lovely readers, a present. So for your chance to win your very own Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette all you need to do is be a follower of my blog and fill in the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway is open worldwide and will end on the 15th March 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thanks again for reading and if you have any questions please leave me a comment x

W7 In The Buff Natural Nudes Eye Colour Palette* - A Perfect Dupe For Urban Decay Naked 2?

I've said it before and I'll say it again but at the moment I'm having a major love in with more budget friendly makeup. I love buying and owning high end products but at the moment I'm just not feeling the need to splash the cash. In my mum's day, cheap makeup was exactly that cheap - you just didn't get the quality and you didn't get the technology but thankfully now things have changed, and a cheaper product doesn't necessarily mean a bad one.

There seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment of budget brand producing palettes, and products inspired by higher end items. I know this has caused a bit of controversy in some quarters but personally I don't see the problem. Everybody from catwalk designers, to musicians, to bloggers and make up brands get their inspiration from somewhere, so at some point in time everybody is influenced by someone else or something else. It happens and as consumers in this case we're the ones that benefit, we can buy high end or we can hopefully buy something just as good at a cheaper price.

One budget brand that have consistently produced more affordable versions of high end products is W7. I have to be honest and I've only tried a couple of things from the brand mainly nail polishes, but  I've read a lot of good things and by and large I've been impressed. Recently I was lucky enough to be sent one of their most popular products to try out - The W7 In The Buff Natural Nudes Eye Colour Palette.

You know me I'm all about the nudes, so before I received it I did a little bit of online nosing and I found out that several people had described as a pretty much perfect dupe of Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette. So as soon as I got it I dug out Naked 2 and did a little bit of comparison work.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of difference between the two does there? I'm sure you've already either got a Naked 2 palette or seen a zillion posts on it already but in case you haven't, it's brilliant the shadows are smooth, creamy and pigmented and it's a neutral shadow lovers dream, but it retails at around £37 putting it out of the price range of a lot people. Compare that to the W7 In The Buff Palette which has a retail price of around £6.95 than you could be on to a winner, how does it perform though?

Well we'll start off with the packaging. The palette comes in a similar vintage style metal tin. It doesn't feel quite as sturdy as the Urban Decay version, and it doesn't contain a mirror, but it looks nice enough on a vanity and it does the job. It also comes with a double ended brush and sponge applicator. I would have preferred a double ended brush as oppose to the sponge end but it's not bad, and I would definitely use it.

The palette comes with 12 shadow, all of which are named which is a nice touch. The colours are almost identical to those in Naked 2, you get a nice combination of mattes and shimmers, featuring everything from matte highlighting shades, to bronzes, and golds, and shades that you could even use to create an alternative smokey eye look.

I don't think I really need to tell you this as I think it's pretty obvious from these pictures but the pigmentation is superb. All the shades feel very soft and creamy without being powdery. The matte shades in particular were a pleasant surprise. They feel very soft, and there is no chalkiness just smooth pigmented colour. All of the shades blend really well, and the wear time is pretty decent.

Basically if I'd had this palette before I'd had Naked 2, I wouldn't have bought it. There shades are almost identical, the pigmentation is easily on par, and every look with Naked 2 you can do with W7 In The Buff. Yes, it's nice to have a high end product and the packaging of  Naked 2 is definitely better quality but as often as I buy products for the packaging, it's the colours and product inside that matters. If your on a budget I would recommend this product and even if your not I can't recommend this palette highly enough. W7 In The Buff Natural Nudes Eye Colour Palette has a recommended retail of around £6.95 and is available from various outlet including the official W7 website where it retails for a slightly higher price. I've also seen for less so it's worth having a little search on the internet before you buy x

After this 100% positive W7 experience I'm definitely going to be trying more from the brand. I'm quite fancying the Honey Queen Bronzer Box, the new Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base, and the In The Nude Eye Colour Palette for starters, but if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them. so leave me a comment and let me know what you love x

(*Press Sample)

FOTD - A Naked Cover Up

I did some a quick make up before we took the cats to the vets for their jabs this morning, I say super quick because it probably took less than 5 minutes which is a bit of a record for me - it was probably just as well because it took 10 minutes to get Jake into his basket - he ran up and downstairs about 5 times before we managed to catch him, and by that time my make up had just about given up hope! - I don't think it's the vet he dislikes, more the journey in the car he is exactly the same when he goes to the cattery :( Anyways normally I wouldn't have bothered with any make up for such a little journey but last night I tried a little bit of facial waxing - big mistake - my chin was bright red and all flaky, and more than a bit sore :( So I used some mineral make up which is much more gentle and less of an irritant to cover it up, and it seems to have done the job thankfully, I also had another little play with my Naked palette which is perfect for no make up, make up - Enjoy xx

awful FOTD pic




weird eye pics again






Today I Wore

id Bare Minerals Foundation - Medium Beige
ELF Sheer Mineral Booster
Boots No7 Trio Concealer
The Balm Time Balm - Light*
MAC Powder Blusher - Tenderling
MAC MSF -By Candlelight
Urban Decay Eyeshadows - Naked and Hustle (Naked Palette)
GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner - Truly Brown
Collection 2000 Big Fake False Lash Effect Mascara - 17 Ultra Black
NYX Lip Lacquer Pot - LLP04 Georgia Peach


Georgia Peach isn't that pigmented but it gives a lovely pale nude glossy glow :) Any questions please ask xx

(* provided for review purposes)

FOTD - You Make Me Feel Naked!!!

Sorry for the crap title lyrics you may not remember but there from a song by Louise "I have a sponsorship with Red magazine I'm in it so often" Redknapp, but never mind onto more positive things ;) today I did an eye look with my Naked palette - I'm sorry I may flirt with colours on my eyes but I am a neutral girl at heart -I love this palette more than I ever thought I would. I also used a palette for my cheeks using a depot from one of my MAC blusher palettes :) See 3rd September and I've dipped into two palettes already - enjoy xx





Sorry for the weird eye pic but you can see the colour better


Nudist Peach on it's own


Gold Charm over the top - I love this tony gold sparkles alas it's nearly bit the dust and is starting to smell weird but I am hanging onto because I love it - my first MAC lip product :)




Today I Wore

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - 100 Ivory
Boots No 7 Concealer Trio (all colours blended)
The Balm Time Balm Concealer - Light*
Boots No 7 Translucent Loose Powder
MAC Prep + Prime Eye -Light
MAC Powder Blusher - The Perfect Cheek
MAC MSF - By Candleight
Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Sin (all over the lid) and Smog (in the crease and outer corner)-(both from the Naked palette)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil - Whiskey
Bourjois Coup de Theatre 2 in 1 Mascara - 51 Noir Excetionnel
Boots 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick - Nudist Peach
MAC Lipglass - Gold Charm

(*provided for review purposes,etc.etc....)

Urban Decay Naked Palette = Love

I mentioned the other day that my mum had ordered me this from House of Fraser online well it came this morning, even before I'd had my breakfast the packaging was ripped off and I had it swatched.
Your probably sick of seeing this palette but I'm going to show you anyway :) the palette itself is beautifully designed with a chocolate brown velvet case with gold embossed writing

The colours in the palette are amazing - it has every shade of neutral that you could possibly want from beiges, to tans, to greys and silvers

Swatches - From Left to Right Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck and Half Baked

From Left to Right Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal

as well as the customary mini Primer Potion you also get a double ended 24/7 eye pencil with the black Zero at one end, and the chocolate brown Whisky at the other end

This is a really gorgeous palette and well deserved of all the hype surrounding it. If you like neutrals you need this it has pretty much everything that you might need. I have had nearly a month of wearing "oolour" on my eyes and I have to say I really have missed my neutral - I can't wait to have a play when September comes xx
I'll be back with my haul from yesterday later xx

Buys From Boots and a Round Up

Me and my mum had a little trip to the Metro Centre on Friday - I say little because we were only there for 45 minutes - my mum wanted to look at something in BHS and I wanted to check out the Urban Decay Naked palette in House of Fraser. Both missions proved a bit of a fail- my mum couldn't find what she wanted in BHS and Metro Centre House Of Fraser no longer stocks Urban Decay grr -on the plus side my mum is now going to buy me the palette when I can eventually get my hands on it ;)So my mum bought Take A Breaks and I bought a few bits in Boots using some vouchers I found whilst clearing out my old purse :)

No 17 currently have a really good offer on spend £6 and a get a free Bronzing Summer Glow Kit so I picked up a back up of the Mirror Shine Lipstick in Nudist Peach, which has to be one of my favourites from the line - the pic here shows my current one which is looking a little sorry for itself

It looks a bit of a scary brown in the bullet but on the lips it's a sheer glossy nude

I also picked up a Fast Finish nail polish in Catwalk Couture - its a gorgeous turquoise colour that I'm definitely taking on holiday with me - it's a perfect match for one of my maxi dresses :)

Anyway on to the freebie the Bronzing Summer Glow Kit is packaged in cardboard packaging with a magnetic closure and a mirror.

In the palette you get two applicators one for bronzer, and one which is double ended with a brush and foam tips. It contains a 3.7g Instant Glow Bronzing Powder in Medium, a 1.4g eyeshadow in Ivory Coast and a 1.4g eyeshadow in Statuesque, and 1.2g Mirror Shine Lipstick in Sugar Daddy

It seems a pretty good freebie to be honest the eyeshadows seem pretty pigmented and wearable, the bronzer had a nice golden, peach tone and looks a lot prettier than it does in the palette, and the Sugar Daddy Mirror Shine is gorgeous, a sheer nude bronze with plenty of gloss and a bit of sparkle - definitely pleased to have this and to be able to try new things.

I also picked up one of the Soap & Glory Face Massage Mini Mitts - I wan't at all keen on the L'Oreal facewash with the scrublet - but I loved the idea of the scrublet so I decided to pick this up as my scrublet is starting to wear out. It's the same idea just a little bit bigger and it's pink :)

So that was my mini haul - I have to say I was a bit narked when I got home because of my lack of Naked palette - I am such a child lol so I placed another few order including one with Models Own who are currently hosting their 50% sale - it took me nearly all afternoon but I managed to place my order in the end (the code is FACEBOOK50 if your interested x) I'll post pics when it comes obviously and I've also placed a little Avon order well I had to, one of the special offers in a Hello Make Up bag :). Nevermind I am currently paying for it through my ebay funds - which reminds me this Saturday and Sunday were / are free listings days on ebay so I will be sticking a few more new and used bits up including some Diane Von Furstenberg, genuine Burberry, Primark, H! By Henry Holland and more so please check out the links in my sidebar x ---> Any questions on anything let me know and a hug Hi to my new followers xx