10.01.2014

TOP 8 | Best of Urban Decay Cosmetics




Urban Decay has evolved so much as a brand. Their beautiful eyeshadows and 'Naked' theme revolutionized the beauty industry, so to celebrate their re-launch at Nordstrom, I wanted to share my recommendations! I love that Nordstrom is bringing in more and more cutting-edge, modern brands because variety is essential for today's savvy shoppers. Urban Decay offers quality, affordable products that make beauty more fun! Now, I may not reach for these products daily, but this Top 8 edit features what I consider the best of Urban Decay. Hope you find it helpful!


Let's begin with Urban Decay's famed eyeshadows. Of all the palettes I own, my favorite is still Naked2. I love that the majority of shades in the palette are cooler-toned. As much as I adore a bronze and copper eye, I find the taupes and browns in Naked2 are much easier to wear on a daily and/or regular basis. While the warm rosy tones in Naked3 are beautiful, I believe that Naked2 has more versatility. I love that you can create a nude eye with Naked2's Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, and Tease or a smoky eye with YDK, Busted, Pistol, and Blackout. All the colors wear well throughout the day, with minimal fading and no fall out. The various textures (matte, shimmery, glittery, frosty) are able to create dimension and depth, so I highly recommend Urban Decay's Naked2 as a starter eyeshadow palette.


Urban Decay single Eyeshadows are also quite fun. I think the removable packaging is inventive and useful, so I got overexcited and purchased a dozen when the customizable palettes launched a year or two ago. Considering the price points are similar to MAC's, I have been asked if I would rather purchase more Urban Decay eyeshadows. The answer is yes. I much prefer the consistency of Urban Decay's matte eyeshadows, and the colors offered are more exciting! Although my most-reached for singles are Sin, Naked, Vanilla, and Secret Service, I have featured Kush below since the color is both gorgeous and unique.


Now it's time to share one of my favorite lip pencils. I do not talk about it as often as I should, but I love the Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Pencil in Lovechild. The texture is super smooth so it is easy to apply and reapply on the go. I have highly sensitive, easily irritated lips, and I can wear this formula alone without lip gloss on top to compensate for dryness during wear. Lovechild is a pale (slightly sheer) pink that does not wash out my complexion or cast an unsightly yellow cast to my teeth. I highly recommend this for the nourishing formula!


The Cannonball mascara is a waterproof mascara with strong curl hold. I love the slimmer wand since it is easier to maneuver into the smaller corners of my eyes. It does contain fibers to lengthen and add volume to the lashes, but they may irritate contact lens wearers. I've only experienced smudging a few times, so make sure you set your concealer with powder to ensure clean all-day wear. Cannonball is one of my favorite mid-range mascaras.


The Naked Flushed palettes are gorgeous. I mostly used Urban Decay for eyes and lips until I discovered this cheek palette. There are several options available, but my favorite is Native. The bronzer layers easily for full impact warmth without veering too orange. The blush is a bright cool candy pink that appears much more natural on my warm, yellow-toned skin. The glistening pink-opal highlighter in the palette is my favorite! It is the perfect balance between creamy and frosty, making the soft texture easy to apply but not overdo. All three powders are well pigmented, however, so try using a light hand for the most natural flushed skin possible! Also, do not ever drop this palette, as the powders are ultra delicate.


Another Urban Decay complexion product that I fell in love with is the Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder. I purchased two shades, Light (more pink-based) and Medium Light (yellow-toned). I love how silky and finely milled the loose powder is. It never looks chalky or cakey since it has a creamier, velvety texture with sheer to light coverage. Most of my readers know I prefer powder foundation, but this Ultra Definition powder is definitely one of the best loose formulas on the market! It has a demi-matte finish that can be used on nearly all skin types.


A relatively new discovery is the Urban Decay Anti-Aging Eyeshadow Primer Potion, a hydrating eye primer that actually works. The clever potion packaging is adorable, and I actually like the needle point on the squeeze tube. I never buy makeup for the 'skin care' benefits of it, but this is undoubtedly a quality eye primer. I always loved the shimmery version in Sin since I could wear it alone as eyeshadow, but I rarely used it as an eyeshadow primer due to the champagne tint. The anti-aging formula, on the other hand, has only a hint of sheer pigment to even out and color-correct the skin. I would not recommend this to those with oily lids prone to creasing (try Eden or the Original), but I love the Anti-Aging formula for my normal to dry skin!


And last but not least, here is an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil. I've featured my must-haves in Stray Dog and Corrupt as well as the new Velvet edition in Black Velvet today, since I found that this black does not smudge nearly as much as Zero or Perversion on my hooded eyes. The shade ranges for the 24/7 eyeliners are highly impressive. I love using the bright shades on my lower lash lines for easy pops of color and the deeper, darker shades as smudged cream bases to intensify powder eyeshadows!



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1 comment:

  1. I have very oily lids (and skin) and the anti-ageing eye primer works beautifully on me as well.

    ReplyDelete

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