Urban Decay - Naked Skin Ultra definition Pressed finishing Powder

Well wow we all knew the Urban decay Naked range, but never did I see this little beauty popping up in my wildest dreams. I'm so glad I did purchase this. 

They say

It’s the next evolution in Naked Skin. Designed to be virtually invisible once applied, our high-tech, jet-milled powder has an insanely silky texture that feels amazing on your skin. Optical blurring pigments instantly minimize imperfections, diminish shine and create a stunning soft-focus effect that looks professionally retouched.  Unlike powders that leave skin looking chalky or cakey, Naked Skin Finishing Powder gives you a radiant complexion and NATURAL-looking Naked coverage. (And just wait until you see how it enhances the already-luminous finish of Naked Skin Beauty Balm and Naked Skin Liquid Makeup.) 

Our gorgeous gunmetal and champagne custom compact is so luxe, it even has a Naked-embossed push button. The top compartment includes a full-size mirror—perfect for on-the-go touchups—and a separate compartment underneath holds the applicator sponge. When you’re done applying, just slip the case into the pretty carrying pouch to keep it protected in your bag. 

In light of the Naked skin and Beauty balm it only made sense that a powder followed. This is packaged beautifully firstly, inside you expect just a compact but no not Urban decay. They don't do "just" makeup they make it so your purchase is one of consistent awe. The bag it comes within is just something we come to expect of high end powders. Then I think why ? Maybe other companies should take note and yes a fancy fabric maybe just that but it separates it from its rivals. Now I know that the product is just as important however the thought to see the consumer is not disappointed you can see in this product, from start to finish. 

So there is a fair selection but I did see that swatches showed it does come up lighter so I did go for the medium light instead of light. As I didn't want it to make me look ghostly. 

Again its buttery to the touch and a lovely fine milled powder that applies lovely and I really like the poof for touch ups. So I've left it included in the compact, I don't feel like this would shatter easy in my bag and even thought the purple bag is lovely. If that was to happen my bag wouldn't be ruined as it would be contained in this bag. So its so unique in its concept that I really do prefer this to my Mac sheer pressed powder, I feel its a better powder for my skin in texture and just look wise. I don't find the colour match too easy is my only critasism as I feel if they have a naked skin foundation surely the colour matching should be to the foundation produced. It just makes sense in my book, but it probably will come in when more shades are released. 

I find my MAC is good but needs more touching up and can go cakey if I overuse, so while the naked can come across being more yellow then the MAC NC25, I don't know I just feel I haven't needed to touch up at all and it also with the naked had the buttery nature to offer another layer of coverage. If you don't want a heavy cream foundation then you can go for a light-Medium coverage and use this to add additional coverage.

Overall I can't say which I prefer as I love my MAC powder for reasons (doesn't break me out, less yellow and easier to shade match)  and I love the naked by Urban decay for other reasons. (Buttery, extra coverage, compact and easy to use, more sturdy packaging) Being of the same price range the only way I can say which il prefer is now, value for money to which I hit pan on and which one makes my skin not dry out as much. I will probably move from the MAC NC25 to the Prep and prime blot powder when I do hit pan as I have the NARS which I love but it's not a blot powder so I will probably invest in that. I hoard compacts as I love them lol it's my thing ... I'm bad I know.... 

BeautyUK - New CC cream, Pressed powder, palette in amazon

As we have seen this year has brought with it amazing drugstore makeup. Continually pushing the boundaries and improving formulas to give women more choice and to ensure that quality is the main aspect when it comes to products. I've once again been given the amazing opportunity to review for BeautyUK, whom are an affordable and one of those companies bringing quality to the table.

They say

CC Cream - Lightweight, hydrating and colour correcting cream that will keep your skin safe under the sun with an impressive SPF 30! Contains light reflecting pigments that illuminate the skin to give a radiant and flawless complexion.  Incredible performance at a fraction of the price of other CC creams on the market.

Compact face powder - Achieve lightweight, enhanced coverage from this must have compact powder. Presented in a gorgeous glossy black case with flip lid, large mirror and applicator puff.

Eyeshadow/Gel liner palette in (2 Amazon) - WINNER! - Best New Eye Product 2011 at the Pure Beauty awards in London. Everything you could want in a palette! A collection of our 6 intensely pigmented shades and 2 gel-based liners - More precise than a pencil, more forgiving than a liquid, this super-smooth formula offers more control, play time, and build-able coverage than your average liner

So firstly I was sent the new CC cream and (numb.2) Amazon palette. The powder I bought myself plus another amazon palette for my sister in law. 

Lets start with the packaging, I like BeautyUK's style with packaging. The black and white keeps it simple on the compact, whilst the CC cream is a simple concept but looks impressive. It certainly does not give the impression they have comprised the packaging for quality products, in my opinion.

The CC cream is SPF 30 which is fabulous for those of you whom are jetting to hot countries as autumn descends. I'm in the colour 10 natural and that's the only downside to the product is the colour spectrum. Now that's not just BeautyUK that's all makeup brands. 

So the coverage is light whilst being hydrating and it gives a nice healthy glow, does even out minor skin tones issues. I just needed a little more tapped on my birth mark area, then all was even.

I actually would say this is a CC cream I would use when it's a daily for light coverage.

Now the powder again is number 1 to go with the fair shade. I would love for companies just to have a page chart. So I can just look for my skin tone, then look on that line. What CC cream, powder, foundation and concealer etc shade is

best suited for me.(*not just BeautyUK all brands) 

Anyways the powder is soft and buttery which threw me a bit, as there was no wastage. It all was on my brush lightly tapped the excess. It is lightweight with a powder puff. Personally i dont use them at home, I love my RT powder brush. I do however leave it in the powder for touch ups when I'm at the hospital.  It's soft on application plus it doesn't highlight blemishes or go cakey on the dry areas. So highly impressed with this powder.

Now to the eyeshadow/gel-liner palette in Amazon (2) award winning. I have used the posh palette and shadow palette in glitz, which are highly pigmented plus they offer exceptional quality. So the colours in the Amazon palette are again pigmented, easily blend-able plus don't give much fall out considering there are some pretty shimmer shades. Even the white shadow which in most palettes is quite a find. This will bring out all the shades in the palette brighter if a light layer of white is applied, plus a great highlight for the inner eye. 

Again the shadows are amazing pigment for the price and also the top layer is by far my favourite combination. However I have used the coral colour on my lid, taken the top middle gold from the tear duct then blended this with the coral. Then use the smallest brush and add the black for the smokey and defined finish to the eye.  

Eyeshadow with the dark liner pressed with an angled brush in a thin liner

Now the one odd thing is the liners look navy and brown. I saw the blue liner, payoff on colour is again excellent and true to the palette. It's a drier formula so if you prefer liquid, then I would suggest using a damp brush or mix medium to make it more liquid. Then to make sure the colour is intense, set the liner with a powder of the liners colour. 

Now you come to the brown and when I swatches it, I expected a dark chocolate brown. Instead under the brown lawyer was a dark mix colour of the brown, navy and black. I liked it as the colours all tie together with the shadows in the pan.

The CC Cream and Powder Coverage

Overall I really liked the CC Crean with the compact as it gave a nice finish and felt nice on the skin. My eye look was  I found to be easy to achieve, as the palette makes it easy to choose and blend a combination. Mix of matte and shimmer but no fallout so I was impressed.

The liner however was hard to apply with the brush included (used it to see if it was good). It wasn't and very scratchy so I went back to my brushes and found it to apply like a dream. It is a dryish formula to apply. However I'm not sure if I could use a mixing medium to make it softer to

work with.

BeautyUK Website

BeautyUK Facebook site

Liz Earle - Flawless makeup and how to achieve it

So Liz Earle is probably one of my favourite brands when it comes to skincare and her cleanse and polish is probably an essential in every woman's skincare routine. 

However now branching to makeup and seeing what this range has to offer is an exciting time for me as who doesnt love a new find, especially with a brand that makes  wonderful skincare products.

So the philosophy behind Liz Earle is 

 We are passionate about all we do and always keep in mind our 'precious recipe', a combination of carefully selected ingredients that make us who we are:

• products that really work on every skin type by harnessing the potent powers of the finest quality ingredients
• a simple, no fuss and dependable routine, which is also a pampering daily treat
• an affordable choice with everything beautifully packaged
• a commitment to first class service
• our caring, award-winning team who make it all possible
We hope you enjoy the difference that is Liz Earle.

 Liz Earle - Signature Foundation 

The signature foundation comes in 9 shades and has information on the site to help pick your shade and match up your tones. I am 03-Nude and when you find your foundation shade you can go to the complexion  chart to see what pressed powders etc will fit with this shade perfectly. (I leave the links below) 

So the coverage is build-able and i found the consistency to be runny but silky and easily workable, it sits on the skin well and blends in very easy. I didn't have to wait long for it to dry and this helps if your building coverage. I needed to build a heavier coverage as i always do with my cheeks, as they have redness and some blemishes plus dryness. I found this to be a hydrating and nourishing foundation with no cakey-ness forming or even showing any sign of a flaw. It has a pump dispenser too so no loss of product.

My skin was still able to breathe and did not feel heavy, i can appreciate a foundation that can cover my blemishes and dryness plus leave me secure in the feeling that my pores are not being clogged up completely. So im really impressed with this foundation on all the levels i look for.

Pressed Powder in 03 - Sheer Beige

I really love the Pressed powder compact, Its a lovely sleek Black compact with the Liz Earle name in white across the front, so professional looking and just first impressions with packaging make owning the product just a joy and something you will want to repurchase. I love having classy packaging as you get to an age where simple gives an air of elegance.

It is a light, soft powder which goes on so easily and sets this foundation so well. Not alot is needed plus the powder is enriched with vitamin E. Its not heavy so therefore your skin can breathe. 

This powder however only comes in 7 shades, so thats a bit of a shame as if you only want a dust of powder and not a foundation base as you prefer that then there is a little less choice but hopefully there is enough there to cater.

I love my pressed powders but i have a thing for it being fine milled and my skin is not left feeling clogged, my dry patches are not highlighted and no cakiness what so-ever. So again the powder has met and passed all the criteria i look for when picking a powder plus it feels luxurious. 

Powder blushes in  Nectar 06 - Peony 07 

These Blushes are so pigmented and the colour payoff is so high, this was literally a swirl of my finger lightly. So you would not need to do anything more then dab your brush in the powder to achieve a lovely flushed glow. The Nectar has a lovely shimmer to it, that is not over the top but will be a lovely colour for the spring as its this amazing coral shade. I really love this as a day blush to add just a little flush of colour plus the subtle shimmer meant i didn't need any highlight. 

The Peony is a lovely plummy colour with hints of a dusky pink. I love these kinds of colours for my blush as they are so versatile, for the evening and colder days they can give a real great flush of colour but also add to your contouring and make the look striking. Its not got any shimmer and is a matte blush.

It comes in 7 shades and they are all such wonderful shades that can cater to all skin tones and looks your looking to achieve.

They again are a buttery texture with a lovely feel to them, I've even used them on my finger and just rubbed them they blend so well and are so versatile. If your on the run these blushes are that creamy that one dab, blend and all you will need. Im so impressed its really been lovely to see this range be such great quality.

Cream Blushes in Camellia 01 and Nectar 06 

So these blushes and formulas are probably the only ones i have not much experience in as i wouldn't normally buy a cream blush and tend to stick to powders. But there is always a new experience around the corner and I'm open to new makeup looks so why not a different formula ?

Now I've noticed these are creamy and again the pigment was very good, the colour payoff was brilliant in nectar but the camellia is a creamy looking colour then when you blend it in it comes off like a bubblegum pink but a subtle version. It took me a couple of dips to achieve that colour with Camellia.

However the nectar was one dip of my finger and it was a highly pigmented and easily blend able blush, it was very creamy texture and no sediment feeling or grittiness. So i must admit these cream blushes are something i should maybe use if I'm needing a quick boost of colour and i think these are better for travel as if you spend a lot on a powder blush the last thing you want is it breaking in transit and then potentially ruining your clothes plus a waste of a whole pan of blush. So having one or two of these to hand in your travel bag is not a bad idea. These will last a fair while too as when you have such high pigmentation the product goes a lot further.

So in conclusion im really impressed with the Liz Earle brand, the makeup is high quality plus professional and chic packaging gives it the feeling of the high end market. I would re purchase these items as the signature foundation is wonderful coverage and build-able without showing any flaws. The powder is the same in that it leaves the skin feeling amazing and light to the touch without clogging. The Blushes both the cream and powder versions have wonderful pigmentation and colour payoff on application plus they feel buttery, light and blend amazingly well.

I loved using this range so much that I'm including a picture of me using the foundation, Pressed powder and powder blush in nectar. 

Have you tried any Liz Earle ? What would be your first choice to try ?

Liz Earle
Shade Match chart