Throughout my time writing about beauty over on A Little Boat Sailing I have come across my fair share of hyped up products which have and haven’t at times warranted the craze and excitement surrounding them. In all honesty I could probably count around ten products that have in my opinion lived up to the hype over almost three years which I think says a lot in regards to our individual likes and dislikes.
This year I have discovered a few new products that in my opinion are worth every single penny. Two such products will be featured today as they have been products that I have continually reached for ever since they made their way into my morning routine.
Starting off with the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette* this was something that I held off purchasing myself for a very long time as I wasn’t too sure how I would feel about matte eye shadows. Back in August I took part in a festival challenge with Folli Follie whereby one of the packages they kindly sent to me had this palette within it which took me by complete surprise as I didn’t know what would be in it until it arrived. Since that day I can honestly say that this product has been my most reached for when it comes down to eye shadow, no other product has come remotely close.
Right from the compact size (perfect for travelling) to the wonderfully pigmented shadows this palette is a dream to work with. My favourite shades are ‘naked 2’ and ‘faint’ where I find myself using ‘w.o.s’ all over my lid as a neutral base on top of my primer of choice. I then like to use ‘naked 2’ over the top, following with ‘faint’ within the crease where I find that these combined provide a lovely, effortless yet natural look for every day. If I’m wearing liner that day sometimes I will like to set it with the black eye shadow ‘crave’ in order to prolong the longevity of the liner, doing this works so well and also increases the intensity of the liner.
My second favourite product just so happens to work beautifully with this palette, the MAC 217 Eye Shadow Brush. After thinking about this for so long I finally made the purchase back in June and have not regretted it one single bit. I’ll be honest and say that I did not understand what the fuss was about where this brush was concerned however having now used it myself I can categorically say that I would buy this again in a heartbeat if anything was to happen to mine. If you struggle with eye shadow in general, particularly in achieving that smooth blend between shades then this brush really is worth considering having a look at, it works a treat and to this day I still cannot believe how good it is.
