Introducing me

Hi there! 


Having only made two posts I recently realised I never really took a chance to introduce myself. My name is Natalie Clarke and I'm a self confessed food, beauty, book and music addict. I intend for this blog just to be a big mish-mash of all my interests and general rants. Some times it may be a book or product review (please bear in mind i'm by no means a professional - just a girl with views) and other times it may just be a large rant about something in the hope that I'll find out I'm not alone. My thoughts may occasionally be a bit disjointed and I'm aware I come across a bit crazy. But it'd be absolutely amazing if I were to establish a blog for myself and meet some fellow similar-minded people along the way.

I spent so much time reading other peoples blogs and getting involved that way before I thought to myself one day "Hey, why can't I do that?" I am by every sense a amateur blogger, so bear with me guys. If you find what I say at all interesting then that'd be just wonderful. I'm starting out not quite knowing i'm doing so my bog-standard blog design and features are just something we're all going to have to cope with for now. I'm no HTML whizz kid. The chances are my laptop will crash a few hundred times during just one post - not the most reliable piece of technology. But this is a learning curve, a very steep one.

So that's just a general introduction to myself and my intentions for the blog. I do hope to pick up a few followers along the way :) If you're just starting out like me then let me know, we can be confused together! On the opposite side of the spectrum; if you're well established then your help is much appreciated also!
Thanks for taking the time to read this brief intro.


Much love, Natalie xx

NAKED, and loving it.

I have sucumbed to the stereotypical beauty-blogger-wannabe review. But I couldn't resist. How could
you not love these two amazing palettes by Urban Decay? They are a must have in every makeup kit. The neutral tones make both palettes insanely wearable. The matte shades also make it possible to create everyday looks, with the dark smoky shadows offering a more sultry look. I am truly in love with these palettes. Whilst the original was a triumph, the second was no disapointment!

Here's the two palettes side-by-side, just to give you an impression of the difference:

The above palette is the original and comes in brown suede packaging. The palette shuts via magnet. The Naked 2 palette comes in a metal tin, admitedly, a bit more robust. However, so far I've had no problems with the original in terms of packaging. Both very different, but equally wonderful.


Here's the original Naked palette open:

Colours from left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal.






And here's the second version:

Colours from left to right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted and Blackout. 

You may have noticed that one of the colours appears in both palettes, namely, Half Baked. Whilst some might feel cheated by the overlap, I have no problem with this gorgeous colour being in both. The matte shades in the first palette are Naked and Buck, and in the second; Foxy, Tease and Blackout. They are extremely useful as a transition colour - for blending your colour out in the crease.


There is no reason to really say you should buy one palette over the other, although I would say that the shades in the second version tend to be a bit lighter includes more taupe and beige. Nevertheless the shimmer shades in both are beautiful. The shadows themselves are creamy, smooth and blend like a dream. Not to mention highly highly pigmented! Their weartime and vibrancy is improved by a primer like Two Faced Shadow Insurance or the Urban Decay Primer Potion. Just choose the primer that best works for you. I have swatched both palettes for you (take note I didn't use a primer underneath!).


Here's the original Naked palette:

 

Colours from left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal. (the first colour doesn't show up too well against my skin colour - sorry i'm pretty pale..)


And Naked 2:

Colours from left to right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol,Verve, YDK, Busted and Blackout. (Once again sorry the first colour Foxy is basically invisible on my arm.. it's kind of a yellow-white.)

If you're thinking of purchasing one of these palettes I really can't recomend them enough. I would like to make clear I am certainly no beauty professional or make-up artist, just a girl highly enthusiastic about beauty. If you're torn between one or the other I really couldn't pick - that's why I got both. Swatch both in your nearest Urban Decay and see which work best for you. But I promise that you won't be dissapointed!
In the UK the palettes retail at about £36 each. When you work it out it's actually great value for money,
given you generally get a full size eyeshadow brush with the palette too. The add ons vary from store to store!



Here's a few links to stores where you can purchase these amazing palettes!

Debenhams

House of Fraser

Urban Decay website

Feel free to leave comments down below about how you got on with this palette or any questions you might have, thanks! :) xx