Urban Decay Naked 2

Courtesy of Urban Decay

So many of you will have read tons of posts on this palette by Urban Decay and whilst I took a trip into town Sunday I thought I'd check out the counter and see what the fuss is about.

I went in for my Smashbox Primer which, I am devastated to say, can no longer be bought in Debenhams *waa*. Apparently they've pulled out the UK but you can still purchase online with Boots, so not all bad!

Anywho, I said I never wear eyeshadow because, quite frankly, I just can't do it! I asked for something for the daytime in neutral colours and after showing me Naked and Naked 2 I opted for 2 as it had more nudes to it. This was the first time I had had eyeshadow done on me at a beauty counter, I've had my face makeup done before but never the eyes, I feel like they are such a prominent part of your face that you kind of know what you like. It was going well, I think she used Bootycall or Half Baked over the lids and then used YDK and Busted to create the smokey eyed look. Even after the first shade I felt like my eyes looked much more wide awake and stood out much more than usual. I saw the completed look and wasn't really sure how to react, I think because I'm not used to it I just didn't know if it was me! And, there was quite a lot of 'excess' eyeshadow left all under my eyes!! Not a good look and put me off if I'm honest. I looked like I had really bad bags and I couldnt' do anything about it!  Don't think I'll be doing this again.

It hasn't put me off the palette though, but £36 is pretty pricey for a few shades. What are your thoughts? Do you know of any dupes out there?  Are you lusting after it? I may keep it on my wish list for a while longer and hope it turns up on my Birthday :)

Skincare routine #1

Hello guys, sorry I have been quiet for a while I'm having a hard time adjusting to working life and literally just want to come home and get under the duvet again! I'm sure my life will restore itself at some point (I hope) but in the meantime I hope you enjoy my posts!

I have been wanting to post about my skincare routine for what feels like forever now. If you've read one of my latest posts here then you will know that I have never really had a 'proper', what I'd like to call grown up, skincare routine. I would just take my makeup off with a wipe and then wash my face in the mornings with some kind of face wash. Some I used to get along with fine but others I felt like they did absolutely nothing and it's probably true that your skin does get used to it so then when you don't use it it has a little freak out!

So, I went into Boots and to No7 to try and get my skin looking good and purchased the new No7 Beautiful Skin range for normal - oily skin. There were so many products on offer I could have chosen but I went for the foaming cleanser, the day cream and a face mask which I will do a separate post on - hopefully soon!

I do have more pictures but for some reason Blogger is rotating them - anyone know why?

I quite like the idea of using water in my routine so opted for the foaming cleanser. This can be a bit awkward if I'm removing makeup without getting in the shower but hey! I lightly wet my face, which does feel a little odd when I've got a full face of makeup, and then push down on the nozzle which brings out a really light foam. I would use 1 and a half to two pumps of this to for my face which I massage on leaving me looking a little bit like santa clause! I really like this though for one of the first foaming cleansers I've tried. It leaves my skin feeling really clean and fresh, much more so than when I used to just use a wipe or face wash! It amazes me how the concoction actually removes makeup! I have been using this morning and evening at the moment and have just under 1/4 left after 3 months so not too bad! I would like to incorporate something like the Bioderma in the mornings though to mix things up a bit!

My usual moisturiser was Simple's Light Hydrating Moisturiser which I used to slather all over my face. The lady at the No7 counter told me to just put moisturiser on the outer edges of my face for my skin to really benefit and not get too greasy and shiny during the day. So I have been trying this out, with some luck but I still do tend to rub into more of my face than I probably should! It has SPF15 plus 5 stars against UVA rays which is pretty good for a moisturiser! It is very light and the packaging makes me feel much more grown up hehe.

I'm not sure if I've seen much difference in terms of oily-ness but my skin feels much better using these products and because they take a little longer to use than my old bits and bobs it makes me use them rather than being lazy with my face and regretting it!

What products are you using at the moment? Anything you would recommend to introduce?