Wednesday, 5 December 2012

Naked vs. Naked2 - Battle of the Palettes

'oooooooooo, puuuuurdy...'
I've always been a big fan of neutral eyeshadows, as they accentuate your eyes but look natural at the same time, therefore perfect for school or work. Urban Decay, creators of the famous Naked and Naked2 palettes. But the question is, which one is better?



Naked features 12 shades and comes with the Good Karma Shadow Brush and a travel-sized eyeshadow Primer Potion:

- Virgin (satin)
- Sin (shimmer)
- Naked (matte)
- Sidecar (shimmer)
- Buck (matte)
- Half Baked (shimmer)
- Smog (shimmer)
- Darkhorse (shimmer)
- Toasted (shimmer)
- Hustle (shimmer)
- Creep (sparkle & shimmer)
- Gunmetal (sparkle & shimmer)







Naked's colour range doesn't suit my skin tone or eye colour very well. I have fair skin and very dark brown, almost black eyes, and I feel that this palette suits more bronzed skin tones, but depending on which colours you choose, you can make it work for yourself. My favourite shades from this palette have to be Virgin, Sin, Naked and Sidecar, the first 4 shades of the palette. These colours are gorgeous, and Virgin and Sin are perfect highlighters and Naked and Sidecar are perfect bases. The other colours in the palette that are meant for shading don't look good on me at all, although Creep and Gunmetal do look good together for a night out.



Naked2 also features 12 shades and comes with the double-ended Good Karma Shadow/Crease Brush and a travel-sized Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked:

- Foxy (matte)
- Half Baked (shimmer) also in Naked
- Bootycall (satin)
- Chopper (sparkle & shimmer)
- Tease (matte)
- Snakebite (shimmer)
- Suspect (shimmer)
- Pistol (shimmer)
- Verve (shimmer)
- YDK (shimmer)
- Busted (shimmer)
- Blackout (matte)





Naked2's colour range is similar to that of Naked's, but is much more wearable for different skin tones. I love all the shades, my favourites being Chopper and YDK (I'm a sucker for glitter!) and Blackout makes a perfect eyeliner due to it being jet-black and matte. The double-ended brush that comes with Naked2 is perfect for application, with an additional bonus that it's cruelty-free! The packaging is more hard-wearing than that of the first palette, as it is similar to an artists paint palette and stays closed, whereas Naked has a magnetic close and has a velvet finish.


Urban Decay is a luxury make-up brand, so it's not surprising that Naked and Naked2 are such good quality. The colours are very pigmented, which is how they should be due to their slightly expensive price tag. Naked was dubbed 'the world's best-selling palette of all time', and Naked2 was by far the most anticipated palette in the beauty world after the success of Naked. In my opinion, I would have to say that I prefer Naked2. This is because Naked2 seems to include more neutral and easy to pull off colours than in Naked. Shades like Darkhorse, Toasted and Hustle that are in Naked never seemed to work for me, so I wasn't too keen. I must say, I am in eager anticipation for a Naked3. Because of the major successes of Naked and Naked2, surely UD will make a 3rd?! We can only hope!

Naked and Naked2 are both retailed at £36 and available at Debenhams!

What's your favourite Naked?


Tuesday, 4 December 2012

ghd Final Fix Hairspray review

I've been working at a hairdressers now for over 2 years as a Saturday girl. During this time, I have tried and tested many hair products from shampoo and conditioner to hairspray and mousse on both myself and clients, which has given me a good idea as to what the best hair products are out there on the beauty market. One of the wonders I have come across is ghd's Final Fix Hairspray. Now I'm sure most of you know about ghd's world-famous straighteners, but you may not know that they also have their own styling range too. Like their straighteners, their hair products are fantastic. The Final Fix Hairspray is the best hairspray I have ever used, and I have tried pretty much all of the best-selling brands. The stylists at work (some of them who have been in the hair industry for over 20 years) also agree, and that no other hairspray could come close. I bet some of you are reading this, wondering as to why I'm babbling on about hairspray, and that no-one really cares. Well, if you have spent hours on your hair curling it, or straightening it into the perfect style, just for it to fall out and lose all its oomph in the space of a few minutes (come on, it's happened to every girl at some point!), you will understand why I'm making such a big deal over the stuff.





Depending on how much you use determines the strength of Final Fix. If you've just straightened your hair, a quick spray all over will keep your hair straight but still give it that swishy-ness that many hairsprays take away. If you've done an up-do, use slightly more hairspray and this will stop any stray hairs falling down and will keep your hair in place all night, even after all the crazy dancing you've done! Also, no matter how little Final Fix you use, you will always get a beautiful shine on your hair. Now one of the worst things about hairspray can be the smell. That strong, overpowering, chemical smell that sticks to your hair all day and fills your lungs and makes you cough like a mad woman (even though you try and make it look like an elegant cough, it just won't happen). Luckily, Final Fix doesn't have this problem as it actually smells reeeeally nice! When I use this hairspray, I sometimes don't wear perfume as the scent from the hairspray itself is quite expensive and classy (two birds with one stone, eh?!). Final Fix Hairspray is retailed at around £9.95 for 400ml from official ghd stockists, which is pretty cheap to say it is high-quality. Many hair salons do sell and use ghd hair products, so next time you're at the hairdressers, ask for them to spray your hair with a little Final Fix, to see if you like it for yourself!

Tip No.1: if you're wanting to backcomb your hair, spray a little bit of Final Fix right at the root of the section you're wanting to backcomb. Wait around 5 seconds for it to go a little sticky, then use a tail comb or a backcombing brush to gently tease the hair upwards. This way, the volume stays in a lot longer!

Tip No.2: If you spray Final Fix onto your brush, it will smooth down and hold flyaway hairs.


ghd Final Fix Hairspray is retailed at £9.95 for 400ml and £3.95 for 75ml at www.ghdhair.com

Monday, 3 December 2012

My Top 5 Perfumes

After many years as a child sat cross-legged in my mum's bedroom admiring her wide collection of perfumes, with big names like Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci sprawled across the front of the bottles, and top notes of patchouli and musk filling the air, I knew that perfume would be a big deal for me when I could afford my own bottle. Ten years on and I have now owned over 50 perfumes myself, with my current number at an embarrassing 24 and counting. I have never stuck to a particular scent, I've had phases where I favoured musk, then fresh fragrances, and now it seems that I'm loving all things feminine and flirty. Here I have compiled my top 5 perfumes and why I think you should go out and buy it yourself!


No.5 - Eau de S&G Perfume Spray

Cheap and cheerful is a good way to describe this perfume. I got it a couple of years ago in a Soap & Glory set that I decided to treat myself to (after shopping for everyone's Christmas presents, I think I deserved a treat!). Because it was part of a set which only cost £20 I didn't think highly of it until I smelt it. I used to wear this perfume to school, and received countless compliments from both boys and girls. It's a classy fragrance, the kind that's very hard to dislike, and if you're a fan of the S&G toiletries, it smells like pretty much all of their products. Apparently it has the same scent as that of S&G's Mist You Madly body spray, although I haven't smelt it myself so I can't guarantee it.
- Eau de S&G includes notes of bergamot, cassis, magnolia, freesia, vanilla and musk.



No.4 - Katy Perry Meow Eau de Parfum


Meow is Perry's second fragrance, and is a sweeter, although milkier version of its predecessor. Its super-sweet scent was inspired by Perry's own Candyfornia (shown in her California Girls music video). Although it is very sweet, it's not overpowering to me, but may be to some. Perry has described the fragrance as 'edible', and if this was a sweet, I'd want to eat it! Cat lovers, be warned, as you will fall in love with this adorable bottle.
- Meow has top notes of jasmine, gardenia, tangerine and pear, middle notes of African orange flower, honeysuckle and lily-of-the-valley, and base notes of musk, sandalwood, amber and vanilla.



No.3 - Justin Bieber Someday Eau de Parfum

I know what you're thinking. Justin Bieber, the international popstar that has taken the world by storm has now decided to tackle the perfume industry. 'It's going to be terrible' were the words I saw when scouring the internet after hearing a rumour that Mr Bieber himself was creating his very own Eau de Parfum. Well to anyone that doubted him, you couldn't be more wrong. Someday won Best New Celebrity Fragrance 2012 by the Fragrance Foundation UK and at the launch of the perfume at NYC store Macy's, it was deemed by the department store's president himself as "the biggest celebrity fragrance launch on record". I know. Although I am a huge Belieber myself, I did underestimate his ability to produce a good fragrance. I was expecting it to be weak and cheap-smelling but boy is it anything but! With Someday's website describing it as 'playful, thought- provoking, fresh yet flirty, and anything but ordinary' I can say I agree.
- Someday has top notes of mandarin orange, pear and red berries, middle notes of jasmine and floral notes, and base notes of musk and vanilla.



No.2 - Justin Bieber Girlfriend Eau de Parfum

Similar to Someday, although Girlfriend is an older, flirtier scent and has slightly better longevity when worn. It's a light and sophisticated fragrance, and although it is aimed at the teen market, don't be discouraged as it is suitable for almost any woman that wants to feel young again. An additional bonus, all the profits from both Girlfriend and Someday go to charity. I have also compared the similarity between Girlfriend and Juicy Couture's Viva La Juicy, with the conclusion that they are very similar in scent but Girlfriend is a longer-lasting version.
- Girlfriend has top notes of mandarin orange, blackberry, strawberry and pear, middle notes of pink freesia, star jasmine, apricot and orange blossom, and base notes of vanilla orchid, musk and white amber.



No.1 - Katy Perry Purr Eau de Parfum

And the winner is... Purr by Katy Perry! This is one phenomenal fragrance, I have three bottles of the stuff! Yes, I am obsessed. Do not let Katy Perry's name fool you out of considering this perfume. Most people will see a celebrity name on a bottle of perfume and instantly walk away. Not only is the bottle the cutest perfume bottle in the history of perfume bottles, but the scent is super-cute too! It's a flirty and sexy fragrance, with the ability to make me feel amazing every time I wear it. Plus, both the Purr and Meow bottles look adorable next to one another on my dressing table!
- Purr has top notes of gardenia, bamboo, peach and red apple, middle notes of jasmine, freesia and rose, and base notes of musk, sandalwood, amber, vanilla, coconut and orchid.



(Edited note: Katy Perry's Purr & Meow and Justin Bieber's Someday & Girlfriend are sadly no longer cruelty-free due to Perry selling her perfume rights to Coty and Bieber's to Elizabeth Arden, both animal-testing companies. I will no longer be purchasing any of these fragrances, which means I am going have to find cruelty-free alternatives which is becoming more and more difficult as gradually more fragrance companies are starting to test on animals. If anyone knows of any fragrances similar to any of these that aren't tested on animals please leave a comment below!)

What are your favourite perfumes?