Kardashian Contour?

Hello my darlings!

Today's installment is courtesy of the contour revolution. The sweeping movement to use those dark, brown pigments or shadows that give you the Kardashian sculpt where your face is transformed. The use of highlighters, powders, creams, and concealer that gives that golden and shadowed visage.

But..................................................... (and there is always a but), it isn't a look for some demographics.

Some simply look overdone and the contour only makes them seem as if they have a faux, too bronzed skin tone. It isn't a good look.

Contouring the traditional method of using a dark powder (or foundation, cream etc) and a highlight has its place and far often it is overused. We look at Youtube videos, instructional videos or read up on how to use it. And for some it does work. But if you have pale skin and do not tan easily, it is not the look for you.

But.......................I want that prominent cheek bone. I want to make my face look slimmer.

Rest assured my little minions it is still possible to sculpt your face and give you a flattering, not bronzed and overdone, finish. In fact it is absolutely 100% effective for most skin tones.

What devilry do I have to sign up for in order to get this look?

It is easy. All you need is a good eye shadow, blush and the right highlighter. Let me explain.

I have pretty fair skin that does not take well to the traditional contouring. And when I tried using the traditional method, I looked fake baked. And I tried many different contouring kits. The ones with a darker shadow, medium shadow and what many consider a highlighter. They simply did not work. But I'll share with you what did and explain how to apply it successfully.

Let's start with the basics which are always your brushes. You will need a small contouring brush, cut brush or a sponge. You will need a fan brush and a short blush brush.

The contouring powder you will need is a taupe powder or cream that falls closer to a gray. This is your base for creating the defined look. Next you need an all purpose blush. For fair skin types one blush that stands above the rest is NARS Orgasm. (To be honest it is a blush shade that everyone should have. It is flattering to every skin tone.)

A good highlighter is next. Skip the highlighters that come in standard contour kits. It is not the one you want because those tend to be only suited for medium skin tones. You want a pale shimmer, a pink shimmer or even a blue shimmer highlighter. I highly, highly recommend two brands.

Jeffree Star's Skin Frost line. There are some incredible shades available. Just remember, though, that you want a paler color. Stay away from the overly warm. I highly recommend using Ice Cold and Peach Goddess together to create a great multidimensional effect.

My other go to favorite I recently discovered is Urban Decay's Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Highlighter. I chose Sin and Aura.

Take your contour brush and swipe the contour shadow and tap against your hand. This removes excess product. You want to slowly build your contour shade because it is much easier to blend and add than it is to remove.

Imagine a line that stretches and swoops from the top of your ear down below your cheek bones that ends a few inches from the corner of your mouth. If you are worried that you don't know where to swoop and stop, simply suck in your cheeks. That is the natural curve you want to create a shadow. That area is what will bring out your cheek bones.

Apply your powder and blend, blend, blend but try to stay within that natural curve.

Next comes your forehead and temple. Imagine the number 3. The 3 starts at the center of your hairline. It goes along the hairline to your temple and then to the hollow of your cheeks. Make SURE that you use the minimum amount of color. Dip in taupe shadow, tap and then move it along your skin.

Let's tackle that jaw line. Your jaw line is what will help slim your face, help eliminate any less than thin area beneath your jaw. The effect will be a more pronounced jaw. Same principle as before. Use the shadow sparingly. Remember: You can always add more but taking it away is a pain in the ass.

Your blush should be just a subtle pink or salmon to the apples of your cheek. Use as little powder as you can. You don't want the porcelain doll effect. You want just enough healthy pink that livens up your face and adds depth.

Highlighter time! Get out that fan brush. Remember all the lessons above in regards to be judicial in the amount of product? This is where it is very important. Highlighters need to build and the amount varies on where it is applied. You will be applying this to your upper cheekbone directly beneath the outer corner of your eye, the bridge of your nose, the cupids bow and right above the arch of your eyebrow.

Fan the brush through the highlighter, tap and sweep. I use two different highlighters. The first one is the darker highlighter that is more of a peach tone. The peach tone will add tremendous depth against the taupe contour. Sweep it on top of your cheekbone, above the arch of your eye and down the bridge of your nose.. Then add just a little bit at your cupid's bow on your upper lip.

Now it is time for highlighter number 2. This is an optional step. I love using a lighter highlighter because I want my cheeks to not be as round and it adds a step of glam to your makeup look for the day. I absolutely love Jeffree Star's Skin Frost in Ice Cold. It is GORGEOUS. He has others in a Mint and now in shades such as lavender. You can't go wrong with these unless you put too much on at once. These are hyper-pigments and a little goes a long way which is good because they aren't as cheap as others. I'd gauge them to be a bit middle ground in the price line.

There you go! No need to look like you are a fake bake contour. No need to let bronzers give you that orange glow. Use taupe's and create a depth that is incredible. Fair skin people unite and say Hell No to the Orange Glow! We can't all be olive toned beauties where the standard contour works.

White Concealer...You Must Be Joking!

White Concealer...you must be joking right?

Actually my dolls, my kats and kittens, my reason for sharing my love of makeup, I'm not joking.

Let's rewind a bit. Lately I've been trying new brands of makeup and looking at tricks and tips that are a bit more edgy than I normally default to simply courtesy of YouTube. I'll be honest with you. I spend a several hours on the weekends simply watching YouTube videos. I love learning about new tips, tricks, techniques and products. Invariably between surfing videos and watching my favorite makeup stores, I wind up purchasing something new.

It's an addiction. It's an obsession and maybe there is a bit of a makeup hording problem. Okay so hording is a little harsh.

But let me tell you about two products that have changed the game and I want to share a tip with you that I've been trying out for the last month or so.

I really love the Kat Von D Lock-It foundation but it can be a little too much so I use it on days when I'm looking for a total full coverage face. It's absolutely magnificent if you are going full on because it gives you a flawless finish.

I had read about the new primer from Kat Von D that is in the Lock-It product line and initially I was against ordering it. I have several different primers. * Stay tuned below for my tip for using primers*. But I was running low on my Too Faced Hangover Primer and thought about the best primer to use on the Lock-It foundation.

I finally gave in and tried the Lock-It Primer.

It is a game changer. It is absolutely light and keeps my makeup from sliding around. And that is something that not a lot of primers can guarantee simply because of the formula. Most primers are put in just the areas of coverage needed but then it leaves lines where the foundation feathers out. This primer is perfect for your entire face. And using it with the Lock-It foundation changes the full face coverage's game.

You use less of the foundation and you get a look that is polished and looks fantastic. No more sliding foundation. No more lines where the makeup slides and begins to look spotty. Even the nose (which is always a problematic spot when it comes to applying foundation) works out perfectly.

As always the caveat is using this with the appropriate foundation. I've mentioned time and time again that formula's are something you should inspect before ANY makeup is purchased. Here is the primary ingredients in the Lock-It foundation:

Water, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone

Here is the primary ingredients for the primer:

Water, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Jojoba Esters

Look primarily at the first two ingredients because it is those that make the combination of the Lock-It foundation and the Lock-It primer so extraordinary. Both start off as water based. Check out the second ingredient. A Dimethicone and a Shea Butter Ethyl Esters.

Now past blogs, and foundations/primers do not combine a -icone with a water in their ingredients simply because in most foundations these two would counteract each other. A -icone is going to be slick. A water is going to go on more sheer and go into the skin.

What magic is this?! Who sold a soul to the makeup Gods????

These two babies were born to be forever united.

I can't even begin to tell you how smooth this combination comes together. You can use a stippling brush, one of the popular oval brushes (which you know I absolutely adore the concealer brush because of its density and it easily applies foundation for an air brushed finish), and a beauty blender.

You MUST try this duo.

Now on to the next product from the Kat Von D line that is pretty new. Kat has taken a cue from Too Faced's Born this Way line of foundations and concealers, with making a huge range to fit any skin tone. It's pretty awesome in a world where you are limited to Fair, Neutral, Buff and so on.

But there is one concealer within the line that is very different than what you may have see before and what you have used. It's the

Lock-It White Concealer.

This isn't a taupe. This isn't a fair. It is absolutely white. No if's, and's or but's.

If you have under eye circles, want to provide some amazing highlights... this baby is for you.

I put on my regular concealer and then add this sparingly to my under eye area, down the bridge of my nose, a dot above my cupid's bow, a dollop between my eyes and a little bit on my chin. Blend in gently and you are rocking the effects. It makes contouring easy, it makes your highlighted area pop and if you have dark circles...banished.

It is amazing. Especially for us pale skinned creatures. It is absolutely gorgeous when contouring. Tanned or darker skin tones...this is the primer you have been waiting for your entire life.

This is a game changer and if you combine it with the Lock-It foundation and primer you are going to easily contour AND have an airbrushed finish. Trust me.

I am going to be honest about one thing though. Price. These three items do not come cheap. The foundation is $32.00, primer is $32.00 and the concealer is $26.00. Click on the hyperlinks to purchase them at Sephora. (If you buy makeup...my first choice is always Sephora because of the killer rewards program and they are a bit more upfront with you. Plus if you become an awards member you get free make-over's.)

I know, I know...that's a bit much for makeup. But these have a lot of product that lasts, you don't have to apply much so it really evens out in the long run. For me it is worth it.

Gals, I can only say this, "Try these out." You can ALWAYS return them to Sephora for a refund. They have a no  hassle return policy.

Now I said I was going to give you a tip on concealers but that was before this long ass post. You'll have to wait until another time.

Kisses, Hugs and all that jazz!

Makeup Eraser Glory

Let me first start off by apologizing for the huge delay in posts. My goal, when starting out, was to share tips, techniques and products that hopefully would inspire each of you to share your tips, techniques and products you love.

Now that we have that out of the way I want to talk about removing your makeup. One of the biggest mistakes most of us make, and I try my best not to do it. It's sleeping in my makeup. When I have a full face makeup I always take it off but when it is just a light powder and minimal eyes...I lazy out.

When I totally wash my face, its with the Aveno  foaming face wash and I  also use an maracuja or coconut oil to remove my eye makeup. *Tip...that is the best way to remove waterproof makeup and it leaves your skin feeling soft and supple.*

But there are times when I use makeup wipes. They are handy and are a fast way to get ready for bed and prepare your face in the morning. And you can't discount how easy they are to pack in your bag.

The problem I've always run into was that you go through them quickly and unless you have a place that you can get them super cheap...they can be expensive when they begin to add up.

The answer to any of the dilemmas above is the Makeup Eraser. It is a long piece of a polyester blend and is completely organic, chemical free. And best of all??? It is good for almost 1000 washes. And let me explain how it works and how those number of washes are incredible.

When you get your Makeup Eraser you are instructed to wash it in the washing machine first and then air dry. Next is to remove your makeup. Wet the Makeup Eraser and start taking your makeup off. One side is super, super soft and the other side is super soft to exfoliate. It completely removes any type of makeup.

That's it. When the Eraser is complexly dirty you simply wash again. I use mine all week, every night and its ready to hit the washing machine on Sunday. So imagine kicking those makeup wipes to the curb and buy something that works even better, and is cheaper!

The cost for the Makeup Eraser is around  $20.00. Don't buy it at Sephora because it is more expensive there. I found mine on Amazon. Here is the link. Don't buy the knock-offs either.

Go grab you one and then let me know how you like it. Or if you already have one...share your story, good or bad, on how it works for you!

Love, Kisses and Hugs.

Me :)

A Brush by Any Other Name...

A Brush by Any Other Name...

First let me apologize about the delay in posts. With graduation for my daughter approaching and the end of my oldest daughter's Freshman year, combined with work; I've not had enough time to pick through my huge stash of products I would like to post a blog about. That being said, this blog is one of those essential tools that women use. An applicator.

The hot new product of the year has been these brushes.

These brushes (and there are several brands now) are the "big" thing lately. There are countless YouTube videos, vlogs and blogs about these applicators.

The first, and undoubtedly best, came from arti's. The price tag definitely reflects the pioneer brush, and without a doubt it is probably worth it. The raves on the foundation brush are through the roof. You can pick up one of these brushes for $55.00

I didn't want to spend that kind of money on a brush so I found a set on Amazon and thought, "Holy crap this is a great deal! I can get a set of these for $20.00." Wahoo! I was extremely excited about trying these out and with such a range of brushes, I was confident that I would finally master the art of blending beautifully. I would be able to chuck my beauty blender, and MAC stipple brush to the "seldom use" drawer.

The brushes arrived and were unboxed quickly. The first tell tale quality alert came with the packaging. It was very cheap but I pushed on because I couldn't wait to try them all.

I grabbed my favorite foundation and tried out the largest. Nope...too big. Then I came to the 2nd and 3rd brushes. Excellent. Now to try out the smaller brushes for my eyes and eyebrows.

Failure. They were cumbersome and didn't blend well and I felt like I was about to snap them off.
And that was even true of the larger ones that did successfully apply my foundation. The narrow neck, combined with flimsy plastic handles, made application a bit awkward and I felt like there was no support to the brush head.

I've used these brushes for over a month now and I can say, without a doubt that the 2nd and 3rd round brush absolutely work. The 2nd to largest is not pictured because Maesin snagged it from me. But that's okay because the 3rd largest (shown as the 2nd from the left) really did the job perfectly for me.

If you notice the small oval brush pictured 3rd from the left, you'll see that it has been used. I tried to use this brush for concealer and it was an epic fail.

Concealers, in my opinion, have to be applied with a damp beauty blender. It is the only way to really get that product into the skin and produce a flawless finish. This holds true to under eye circles as well as highlighting.

I do give one or two of these brushes a solid A. They do not absorb as much foundation as a beauty blender, however you shouldn't apply the foundation directly to the brush. Your best bet is to dot your face with foundation and then let the brush do its magic.

The brush is very densely packed with soft bristles. It is that denseness that makes this brush a far superior applicator than other makeup brushes. All of my other makeup brushes for foundation tend to leave swirls that have to be blended and blended. And I have some very high end brushes. MAC ain't cheap y'all! But this brush, even though it is the knock-off from the original, works. I get an airbrushed finish and I get compliments on my makeup. I was told that I had beautiful skin. That is definitely a WIN! Your makeup foundation should give you that flawless finish. That's the goal of any foundation you use.

Before I leave you to your day, I do want to pass along a tip that I learned by watching other's videos. Many of the MUA will remove a bit of product from areas that tend to get cakey. For me these are the lines around my mouth and the edges of my cheeks. I tried it and it definitely helped removing the wrinkles and/or made them less visible. You should try it sometime.

My final advice is this: buy one or two of the round brushes. Don't buy the largest because it is way too big to use on your face for foundation and it does diddly squat for powder. It's just awkward.

Pick up one that is a bit smaller and try it out. Be forewarned though that it is something you will have to get used too because it has a different feel in your hand.

My score:

Blending: A+
Construction: a very weak C
Price: varies (start off a bit cheap and then invest in a high quality oval brush)
Does it work?: Yes but it takes some practice.

Be A Goddess: Lime Crime's Venus I and Venus II Review PLUS a Bonus Tip

Be A Goddess: Lime Crime's Venus I and Venus II Review

Lazy, rainy Saturday's are the perfect time to practice some makeup so while I hear Maesin and her friend giggling before they start dolling up for prom, I thought I'd finally get around to reviewing Lime Crime's Venus I and Venus II palettes. (I'm also throwing in a "HD Powder Tip"

Let me first start off by apologizing about the grunge hair. It's a Saturday and I'm absolutely ready to get rid of this mop. It spends a lot of time pinned up. This is actually the longest my hair has been in decades. But we aren't here to bemoan that.

To preface the review, the entire eye shadow review is solely done with each respective palette. I wanted to show the versatility of this highly pigmented eye shadow.

As I've mentioned before, high pigment eye shadows are absolutely wonderful but I also want to mention that they can be extremely treacherous when just starting out. High pigment eye shadows are a beast. You have to carefully layer the colors and be gentle. If you pack a lot on right away, it is so hard to distribute. The payoff for layering and building is definitely worth your time to try and master them.

Let's begin with some pictures. Try to ignore the incredibly red skin because after the eyes I decided to go full on full coverage. I'll mention what I used as I go.

Here is the Venus I palette is a treasure trove of warm, rich colors. They definitely fall into the Reds and I love that. My favorite palette is Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette and it is for just this reason. For being a red head, surprisingly red tones in eye shadow play out beautifully. Here is the look:

 Now let me remind you to please ignore the red skin with the broken capillaries around my nose. This entire look was created with just the Venus I Palette. I did not borrow any other colors and the only thing not from the palette is my mascara. (Unlike a lot of makeup enthusiasts...I'm not really into the false eyelashes. Maybe because I suck putting them on. Meh...maybe I'll start practicing or just saving up for lash extensions!)
Anyway...back to the eye shadow. I did a very high cat eye but it didn't turn out that well. The brown I used I didn't go bold enough and I am not always a fan of cat eye. I've learned to do it well with just about any media but it doesn't suit my face. I guess I'm just old school.

Next up on the other eye is the Venus II Palette

 This one is a terrible picture. I went out of my comfort box and played around with the mustard yellow, the bright Robin egg blue and the very sparkly black. You'll be able to see it them both better here. One note...the black used for the eyeliner is more like a deep purplish black with a lot of sparkles. I love it!

 There...now you can see the differences. This also features a full face makeup with contouring (not easily seen on this picture.) It is with Kat Von D's Lock-it Foundation (please see previous review). Younique's Scarlet concealer. (I think that is the color.) and LA Splash matte lip stains and two different colors of shimmer. I think all told I used 4 different lipstick products to get that gradient effect.  I am also wearing a taupe eye shadow as a contour. Why? Because people with fair skin like mine often do far better with shades of grey and taupe as contours because anything else makes us look a bit orange. Mascara is one coat of Lights Camera Action by tarte. And Makeup Forever's HD Powder.

I really, really like the Venus Lime Crime world of products. Palettes aren't cheap but these would hit into the affordable line. No, not as affordable as drug store lines but still pretty great considering that a little goes a long way.
Shop here for the best Venus I and II deal You can get both palettes cheaper than buying them separately.


All told the whole effect is pretty good, I'd say. I do think I need to apply more of the stand out colors, like the blue, to really showcase how great these colors are. And next time I'll take more time when doing the whole look but as I said, rainy Saturday.

Oh...by the way. I haven't forgotten my bonus tip. None of these pictures have a filter. They have no enhancement besides makeup. But I do want you to see how a flash and lighting can change your look entirely. Have you ever seen a celebrity on the runway have a lot of white powder beneath their eyes? I see commentary from everyone when that occurs. It's almost a crime (ha! You get it...considering we have talked about Lime Crime.) Moving on.
HD powder is awesome but it can catch you unaware. I blended my powder, contouring and foundation very well. But I still missed taking some of the HD powder away after baking.

That is the effect with flash. You don't see the powder in the previous pictures because it is in different lighting and not using flash.
So beware! The cake and bake can catch you looking like your eyes are trying to do drugs. :)

I hope you have enjoyed our time together today. it has been fun for me and now the makeup has been washed away.

Lime Crime Venus I and Venus II Palette rating: Pardoned by the Judge with a slap on the wrist (4 out of 5)
Pigmentation: 5 piggies
Blending ability: Moderate blenders so 3 out of 5 blenders.

Kat Von D's Lock-It Foundation...Cover it up!

Review: Kat von D Lock-it Foundation

I’ve been such a bad girl with my reviews and blogs. It’s been chaotic lately and I’ve had a lot going on but the good news is that I have at least 3 reviews coming to you.

Today I want to cover Kat von D’s super, duper full coverage foundation, the Lock-It Foundation.

The Lock-It Foundation is not new to the makeup world but it was one of those items that were marketed to a select audience. The original audience was primarily for people looking to cover tattoos. And this foundation addressed that perfectly with only one other type of makeup that is absolutely the best for covering up anything. Krylon is the makeup of choice for Fx and it is one used heavily in the Drag community. It’s why they have the best makeup and can transform their faces into virtually anyone.

Back to my review…

Lock-It comes in a wide array of colors and that is always great, but they took it a step further and addressed cool and warm tones. You can pick your shade and then pick the tone. Fabulous!

I chose the lightest shade and it was a mistake. I should have gone one darker but it isn’t something absolutely horrid. A little powder and it is fine. That being said, when they advertise this as full coverage…they ain’t talkin’ about your normal drugstore full coverage foundation. I’m a die hard fan of Urban Decay’s Born this Way which is marketed as a full coverage. When you compare that to Lock-It…all the others look sheer.

We have all seen YouTube videos where someone grabs their foundation and goes to town on their face. They all look like flawless coverage that can hide any imperfection. I’ve even seen people mark their face with a Sharpie. Those are really deceptive practices because they NEVER show you up close and personal and never show it at the end of the day. I can promise that the Sharpie will eventually come through. Lock-It? You will never see it. Period.

The problem I had with this foundation is that it really is too much coverage for my face. I have problems with red tones (which this completely addressed) but I don’t have wide spread breakouts, scars or really big issues that need a full coverage.

The second issue to be aware of is application. Do you know how you have some foundations that you can dab on a brush, or beauty blender, and then just run with it? I don’t recommend doing this with the Lock-It foundation. You really need to dot your face and then connect the dots, so to speak. The thickness of the formula does not spread as easily as others and this is completely a consistency issue. I dotted my face and used my brand new awesome make up brush (I’ll review another time.) The application went on well. I also tried it with a damp beauty blender and it took more work but it left a smooth finish.

Third issue: it does not do well if you try to thin it out. I didn’t want the heaviness of a full coverage on hot days when I tend to get sticky. (Y’all know what I mean ;) When you are flushed and feel like you are in a swamp. We don’t have humid days here but when it gets warm, I do not want to feel caked down.)

Trying to thin this out with a BB cream or lotion just didn’t work as well as I thought it should. I think it goes back to the formula. This is not ever meant to be a sheer foundation. I’m sure there are people who can make it sheer but for me it was just not as successful as I wanted it to be.

Fourth Issue: Dry spots. If you have any rough spots, dry spots, or flakey bits…this will accentuate those. You MUST exfoliate and moisturize WELL and use the appropriate primer. In this case I would highly recommend using Kat Von D’s Lock-It Primer. Typically I have one or two primers that I use for every foundation in my arsenal. One for water based foundations and one for silicone/dimethicone and I don’t often buy ones that match the foundation. In this case I highly recommend you making that additional purchase.

 

All issues aside, I still plan on keeping this foundation in my lineup. I usually always have at least 5 different types of foundation at any given time and this one solidly rounds out the full coverage.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 Shonté’s approve.

Get Naked! Urban Decay's Naked Palette

Get Naked! Urban Decay’s Naked Palette

 

 

Let me first go on record as saying I’m an eye shadow collector. I love eye shadow. I have probably around 6, maybe 10, different palettes. Is it a problem? Eh…depends on who you ask. Some women like jewelry, some like nail polish and some even like shoes. Wait, I actually like all of those as well to almost a compulsive, hording level. It’s a problem. You got me.

But there is a reason why I love eye shadow palettes. (We will talk about the shoes and nail polish at a later time.)

Eye shadow palettes give you amazing versatility in one spectrum of shadow. You can create a finished look only using that palette. And we are talking well above the quick swipe of one color on your lids. Palettes are useful, especially for makeup enthusiasts, artists or even the newbie. A palette combines all of range of tones that can be used to build incredible dimension. Yes, there are some that are one trick ponies, and I have a couple I’ll eventually get around to reviewing, but on a whole when you aren’t sure which shades of eye shadow can be combined easily…go with the palette.

The palette I want to discuss today has been around for a long time. It is Urban Decay’s original Naked Palette.

Look at those beautiful earth tones! This is the basic palette that should be in everyone’s makeup drawer. It has shades that compliment every skin tone.

When I purchase a new makeup product, I test it out multiple times. For eye shadow’s I do the finger test first. You want to look for pigmentation. Great eye shadow’s should be very pigmented. There are always going to be exceptions but on a whole you want to get more bang for your buck. The more pigmentation, the less you need. It also allows you to build with less fall out. The test is easy, simply take a finger and run it up, down and then up again on the eye shadow. Take a look at your finger. Is it barely there? Or does the product adhere to your finger easy. (Yes…the light shades are harder to see but even those should pass this test.)

See how well the color picked up? Next comes the swatch. This will serve two purposes. The first is seeing if that pigmentation will transfer well to your eye lid. The second is to match to your skin. There are some shades that look great in the packaging but when you swatch, you get an entirely different color.

These colors definitely stay true and apply very evenly.

How important is it that an eye shadow applies evenly? Extremely important because it limits fall out, flaking and stays where you need it. Some eye shadows will stick in one area of your eye and that may not be the desired effect you wish. I have some that are so hyper-pigmented that you have to daub them on and it takes forever to blend. I’m not saying that I don’t love those colors but it does take more work to make the colors blend and appear seamless. As you can see in the picture above, the Naked Palette drags very easily and it shades out. The only tool used was my finger.

The last test of an eye shadow is how you look wearing the colors. If Kennedy had not already had this palette, I would have tested it in Ulta or Sephora before buying. Taking back eye shadow can be a tremendous pain in the ass. But since she had this one, I knew that I would like the colors. I’m a devoted fan of Urban Decay so it wasn’t too much of a leap to purchase a few (ahem! All) of their palettes.

As far as how it looked on me?

I loved how seamless the colors blend from light to dark. I didn’t go too crazy with this because I was in a hurry. It was using four colors: Naked, Buck and Hustle as the primary and blenders. And just a dab of wet Smog.

Wet? Yes, I wet an eye shadow sponge and then dipped and tapped. You would be amazed at the intensity you can achieve with that little technique. I don’t recommend it for your entire eye but if you want to add some glimmer or a very distinct looking highlight simply wet and apply. (You don’t have to get it sopping wet and it really lasts a long time if you use a setting spray as the liquid!)

Here is the final look for the day:

I am not entirely pleased with the total effect but the eye shadow was definitely on point. I even used the same palette as my eyeliner.

Final tally for the original Naked Palette:

Pigmentation: A+

Consistency: A+

Even application: A+

Color range: A (I’m not giving this a plus because I think they could have swapped out one of the same glimmer tones for something a bit richer and more distinct)

Contrasting colors: B (Many of the colors are glimmers and it only has one or two true matte eye shadows. I think a great palette has an equal number.)

*Why is matte important in a palette? Glimmer eye shadows tend to make older eyes look even older because it easily settles into the lines. Matte’s are a girl’s best friend if she is over 30. Adding in glimmer shadows for enhancement are A++ for any age.*

There you go! My advice is to give this one a chance to become your “go to” shadow palette. It works for any skin tone, has enough range for any one palette and it is definitely worth the $55

So now Kats and Kittens, you sound off. What shades are your "go to" and what palette can you not live without?

Next time we will be talking about Kat Von D's Lockit Foundation