Let's get Naked! - Naked3 Review

Hello!

I finally did it! I am so excited that I finally got the courage to splurge on a palette that everyone raves about in the beauty community, and that I actually have wanted for months and months! I honestly just never got the guts to pick it up because of its price. I think that by now we're all pretty acquainted with the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, aren't we? There are currently 4 that have been launched, and I was sort of torn between this one and the Smoky palette. Honestly? My thoughts just kept flying to this one whenever I wondered which one I'd get. The first and the second one just never had that much appeal to me? I've been going to that weird Spring phase when you just feel like wearing pink all the time, and better V-day present to myself other than the Naked3? Right? Right!

First of all, the packaging had me drooling. Rose gold is my colour, and I love that it is its theme. The box it came in has very pretty details in golden, and it has a pale pink colour all over it. I also adore the sides of it, since they sort of come out a little? This sounds weird, but I love to touch them and feel the texture. The back of the box just talks a bit about the shadows, shows them, and their names, and talks about the different finishes they have. The whole design of the box is very pleasing. The first thing that popped up to me, was a little leaflet about the Urban Decay primers that I have heard about so much. Obviously, they try to tell you that your eye makeup will work better with them and all that and I was like "Hm yeah sure, I just bought a 50 euro palette, no way I'm buying a 30 euro eye primer!" and I was pretty shocked that it actually had 4 different samples of UD primers?! I had never seen an unboxing, I honestly just thought we got that product and that was it! I tried them as soon as I could and... maybe I am going to eventually splurge on them too, since they work so well.

The palette itself feels plastic-y and metallic-y. Sometimes when I'm opening it I'm scared that something inside will move or come out, and break. I do appreciate that it clicks when it closes just so I can breathe again like "Ahh, everything is safe". Maybe that's my broke-ass being paranoid because I have never had a high-end product like this and I want to cherish it! But let's take a look of the inside!

This palette has 12 shades that go from a very shimmery white/rosy colour, to a dark shade with red reflects. Some are more powdery and others are softer, but overall, the quality is amazing. It also comes with your typical dual ended brush for applying and blending the shadows, it's great for when you're in a hurry, and the fact that it has a mirror is also a plus. About the shadows themselves, these are all shades that you could use on an everyday basis, I might be speaking for myself just because these are just up my alley, but I honestly can't see how someone would not like them. They suit pale, medium and dark tones so so well, and are perfect for this season. It was launched quite a while now, so maybe it's old news to you, but if you don't have it yet, and you want to grow your makeup collection, this one is definitely a must have! It's well worth the splurge in my opinion. It swatches beautifully, just with one swipe look at how beautiful it comes up! I had swatched it already in Sephora, but I was even more happy about seeing it with better lighting than in the store. 

Verdict: the Naked3 definitely lives up to its fame. The shades are gorgeous, the colour pay-off is amazing, they blend like a dream, you definitely get your money's worth. It costs about 50 euros in the portuguese Sephora, and if you feel iffy about spending so much maybe ask it as a birthday or Christmas present! I'll definitely be buying (or saving up to buy!) more UD products, maybe the eye primers or something from their Gwen Stefani colab? So much to choose from! Have you ever tried UD products? Do you own any of the Naked palettes or wish you owned?

● Inês ●

Last Makeup Haul of 2015! | M.A.C, Too Faced, Sephora

Hello!

So... I did some spending. For Christmas my family sort of refused to buy me more makeup because they believe it's not something special for the occasion. Thing is, what I really really wanted was... makeup. I have a problem, I know! But it's the end of the year and with my parent's permission, I went just a little bit wild in a couple of stores. This was also my first ever visit to M.A.C. since there isn't one where I live! The second I entered the makeup floor I just... my heart (and wallet) started to weep, because I was in heaven. This is the result, and I'm quite happy with my purchases since I had been keeping an eye on them for quite a while.

First of all we have this Pigment in the shade Copper Sparkle. It is described in the M.A.C. website as "A concentrated loose colour powder used for a wash of colour or a more intense look.". It retails for 24.50€ which is... a lot for a freaking glass of glitter, but alas, I've been wanting it so badly for so long and with New Year's Eve approaching I compromised. I'm a huge sucker for these types of shades, and it applies so smoothly and it is, well, so pigmented, that I fell in love almost at first sight. A bit does go a long way, which is a sign that this will last me a really long time!

Obviously, I couldn't go to M.A.C. and leave without their oh-so-famous lipsticks! My lipstick collection has been growing and growing lately, but I find that I always tend to go with variations of the same bordeauxs or brown-ish reds, so I entered the store with the mentality that those were forbidden shades. I swatched the famous matte lipsticks but ended up going with 1 Satin in the shade Captive, which is a lovely pinkish plum; and 2 Frosts in shades High Strung, which is a deep pink silver, and Ramblin' Rose which has a pinky-coral rose tone to it. In my opinion, although matte lipsticks were such a fad in 2015, it's becoming boring, predictable. Literally every instagram model is wearing them, and me with my textured lips never got along with how drying they felt. It was always a hit or miss when it came to mattes, so I'm starting to go with satin and other lipsticks with more sheen and glitter so that my collection becomes a little bit more colourful and diverse. They all retail for 19.50€ which is a fair price, since they apply so smoothly and have an addicting scent to them, like vanilla. The packaging is so sleek and lovely, I had never seen one up close, and noticed that the case is black but there's some sort of a really subtle glitter in them. Heck, even the boxes and the bag they came in were very sleek. Needless to say, I was very very pleased (my wallet wasn't, though) with my first ever trip to M.A.C.

Then I entered Sephora and whomever knows me well knows that when I enter Sephora I turn into a mess. Ya'll remember that girl from Confessions of a Shopaholic? That inner diologue over a freaking scarf? That's me with every single thing in Sephora. But this lipstick. I'm telling you, this lipstick. Is. Everything. I was praying that the shop was bigger/more diverse than the one in my city because I love Too Faced but there are not enough products by them in the ones in my city, which saddens me a lot, since they're one of my favourite brands. Honestly, just look 'em up, they have the most gorgeous packaging ever. I'm one happy owner of their famous Chocolate Bar, and I had heard many people raving about their Melted Lipsticks, and when Jackie Aina (I love her to death and trust her with my everything, honestly) mentioned how much she loved them, I was headed for the Melted Fig one.





















The shade is very similar to the M.A.C. one I bought, although it looks a bit more pink on the lips, and has a bit more sheen. They're described as vegan friendly, which is always awesome, it's stated that it provides high impact, super rich, saturated pigment in a long-wear formula, without loosing its pigment or shine while keeping a comfortable, flexible and cushiony wear. I've yet to test the long-wear claim, but oh my god, everything they state is so so true. It's sooo incredibly smooth and comfortable on the lips, and the colour and smell has me drooling! It was 20.90€, which was expensive, obviously, but for packaging and the uniqueness of the applicator, I think I can overlook it. It has a nice scent to it also, and I can already feel that I'm going to be wearing this a lot!





















And last but not least, the Sephora Brow Thickener. I had a brow pencil but I found that it actually ripped lots of hair leaving my eyebrow with some patches, when I actually want to grow them out. My grandma has this and I tried it out and I quite liked how effortless the application was and how natural looking my brows looked in the end, so for the sake of having them on fleek, for 10.90€ I didn't mind giving this a go.
And that's it folks! I had a budget for the day, which I sort of surpassed by a couple of bucks, but I'm so happy with everything I got, and I see it as... let's say an investment?

Have you tried any of these products? What Are some of your favourite products or products you'd like to try by these brands?

● Inês ●

The True, Healthy Detox

Hello!

You must have heard this lots and lots of times, especially during this new era of social media, but we care too much about looks. And you know, I'm not saying this as your old bitter uncle in a family gathering, complaining about the teens of today, not at all. I'm saying this as a teen, because I know just how easy it is to get sucked in towards these things, especially as a young girl.

We're constantly fed with ideas of what we should be, dress like, act like, eat, drink. We may not bend from these pressures but it definitely gets stuck in our brain, like a small annoying reminder when we go against these stuff. We may see a photo of someone beautiful and joke about it like #goals, but in fact inside we'd kill for a body like that, for a pretty nose that model has, for those fashionable clothes we wish we had money for. Now, when you face these things, you can act in 3 certain ways. 

1. You can live in bitterness and refuse to be anything like them, claiming that you love yourself like that and laugh at them and try to get away from everything fashion/makeup/whatever related, mock other people who do like those stuff and pretend you're on a higher level than them; 
2. you can totally let yourself go, loose control, spend hours on instagram searching fitspo posts, try to be someone you're not, completely over do it;
3.  and you can accept that there is an healthy balance, because there really is one. 

I'm not perfect, I've been that first phase, full on hating other women who even wore mascara, preaching the more natural look whilst feeling awful on the inside, living in bitterness. I've never been that second phase, but I'mm trying to reach that balance. I love makeup, I do, but I'm more than that, and I've realized that I've only gone make up free in public like at least 10 times in the past year and a half. It's completely fine, I'm comfortable that way, I'm not trying to over do anything and to change my face, only to enhance some stuff, but that's not all that I am, and I'm afraid I've kind of let that image of me sink into other peoples minds, and I don't want that. It's brave to wear makeup here in Portugal, it's not something that people use a lot, it's something that it's judged, mocked largely both by men and women, but I'll never ever feel guilty for wearing it, that's a promise I've made to myself. But now, I think it's time for a bit of a detox. Not from outside pressures, but to prove myself that I have it in me. So I plan on:

• Don't wear makeup at home or in public for 1 week
• Don't visit any social media for that week, and maybe extend it to 2 weeks
• Don't buy anything beauty/fashion related for 1 month

Now, some people must be like "o...kay.. that's not hard at all" but I'd be lying if I say the idea for me doesn't scare me a bit. I want to detox myself, because although our looks are a way of self expression, and even a powerful weapon, they can be stressful and superficial. I want to be able to prove that to myself. And also get away from social media because it usually gives me urges to buy some stuff or I obsessively check toxic people photos that I know are going to make me angry and I still do, so yeah, a full on detox. I want to feel more clean, I want to feel inspired, I want to change the game, to break some black and white notions. I don't feel ashamed for being who I am, I'm proud that I'm committing to this idea. I love the internet, I love make up, and I love myself, and I have the ability to create a balance between addiction and poison vs. true freedom and a clear mind. 

There, have some inspo to also commit to this in case you find yourself in the same state of mind and restlessness as I am, and good luck. I also urge you to check out this site and this instagram account and read through the photos and different pages, she was the person who inspired me. Once again, good luck.

Kiko Milano Makeup Haul

Hey! I don't think I've ever mentioned this here, but... I've got a thing for makeup. Like, I can crush hard on a lipstick, I can daydream about an eye shadow palette, I'm literally the worst. All throughout my girlhood I've tried to stir away from it like I did from feminine things, because I thought they were stupid, meaningless and a weakness. And I just wanna slap little old me straight across the face for being so dumb and judgmental! Makeup has got to be one of my favourite things ever at the moment, and I must say I've missed on a lot. It's not all that I am, but a big part of me, since it allows me to express myself. One of the most affordable, yet of great quality products I love to fawn over, are the ones over at Kiko Milano. I've been saving for a couple of months to do something crazy, like, you know, just randomly buy a shit ton of makeup, and since fall has arrived, why not now?

From left to right: Velvet Mat Satin Lipstick in Cherry Red, Precision Lip Pencil in 312 Plum, Universal Fit Hydrating Foundation in 100N, Eye Base Primer, Radiant Touch Creamy Stick Highlighter in 101 rose, and Precision Eyeliner. 

                          

Can ya'll just give me a second to gush about these colours?! Like, honestly, what kind of fall/vampy vibes?? Also the packaging is just gorgeous.

I've made a few swatches with all of the products and I'm afraid I've chosen my foundation just one shade above mine so I'll have to mix it with a lighter one, but I'm so so pleased with all of these acquisitions! The mat lipstick is so smooth and doesn't dry my lips like some mat ones do, which is a great plus. Just one swipe of this lovely colour will do the business! The other products I've yet to try them but I'm very much looking forward to it! 

● Inês ●