Review : Effaclar K, by Laroche-Posay

Having oily skin is one of the most annoying things in the world. You just have to check all the time if you're not shining like a disco ball haha. It's even worse during the summer, when the sun is out, because mattifying products don't last for so long. 

I'm trying to improve my skin by testing new products, and for about a month I've been using the Effaclar K by Laroche-Posay.

(Yes, it is Marie Antoinette in the background)

I read a lot of good reviews about it, and as it is a pharmacy product, I knew it would be more efficient than a drugstore brand product.

It is supposed to improve the look of the skin, diminish the spots and keep the face more matte and clear. It is a treatment that can be used in the morning and/or at night before bed.

In the morning, you can apply it under the makeup as a base, but I always apply my moisturising cream afterwards, and my makeup only after. 

After about a week of using it, I noticed a change on my skin. It is a lot clearer, I have fewer spots depending on the days - sometimes I have none at all (which happens very rarely to me !), sometimes I've still got a few, but they disappear quicker than before. 

Concerning the mattifying aspect, I'm not sure if it does help or not. My skin is not at its worse now so I'm quite happy about it, but it still gets oily after a few hours, especially when I'm out under the sun. But there is a product from Laroche-Posay supposed to make your skin matte, and I'm probably going to buy it and pair it with this one to see how it goes. 

But the Effaclar K is a really nice product in itself and does a good job at clearing your skin. There are several Effaclar (the letter after changes depending on the type of skin it is made for), I know there is one for sensitive skin for example.

If you struggle to keep a nice spotless skin, you should really try this product or any of the same range, they all seem very helpful !

Julia xx

Review : Green Clay Mint Mask, by Cattier

Hello !

I'm not sure if the brand Cattier is well-known or sold everywhere, but I've been using this clay mask for a while and I thought it would be interesting to make a review of it. It is the mask for oily skin (there is an entire range for different types of skin).

I'd never heard of Cattier before buying this mask, and I chose it completely randomly one day as I was looking around in a pharmacy. Clay is good for the skin, and especially for oily skin - it takes off the excess of sebum, purifies and matifies very well.

The clay looks like this :

So basically, you apply the clay on your face (obviously, be careful around the eyes !), and you leave it on for ten minutes, then you take it off and your skin's ready. The thing with clay masks is that you musn't let it dry on the skin, and I learnt that only a few months ago ! If the clay starts drying, you have to wet it a bit.

The product is sooo annoying to take off, it takes ages and leaves your washbasin green, but in the end it is worth it. My skin is so soft and nice and matte when I use this mask, but it is also kind of light and clear too.

Of course, you should always moisturise your face once you've used clay, because it is naturally a bit drying.

The other good thing about this product is that it is labelled as organic, which is always nice.

I haven't tried any other products of this brand yet, but I'll probably buy some others because I definitely wasn't disappointed with this one !

Julia xx

Review : Sugarlicious Kit by Benefit

I got the Sugarlicious kit by Benefit for Christmas, and I've been using it quite a few times since. It was about time for me to make a review !

The box contains four small size products and a tiny blush brush :

On the left you have two of Benefit's best sellers, High Beam and Benetint.

High Beam is a liquid highlighter, which can be applied with the little brush inside of it. It is a very light pink colour with sparkles in it, and it looks sooo pretty. You can apply it on your cheekbones, under your eyebrows, or anywhere you want to make your face brighter.

I always apply it under my eyebrows, and sometimes on my cheekbones. I catches the light and gives a pretty glow to your face, without too much sparkle. I was afraid of shining too much with this because I have an oily skin, but it doesn't make it worse at all ! I would even probably consider buying this in full size. Also, you use a very small amount of product each time so it will last you so long !

Benetint is a lip/cheek red stain. It is very liquid and you also apply it by using the little brush inside. Everybody loves this product, but I must say I'm not so much into it. It is very sheer and liquid so not very handy to use when you're in a hurry, in my opinion. As it is very sheer, you have to be careful when you apply it if you want the colour to stand out. It is supposed to give a very natural look, both on the cheeks and on the lips, so if you're in for a deep rosy cheek this won't satisfy you. 

And I don't know if it's just me, but when I apply it on my lips it always gives the strangest result - some parts of my lips are more coloured than others, especially the middle of my lower lip. I can't seem to have an even colour and I always struggle to put it so that it looks right. That's why I don't use it anymore, I don't know what I'm going to do with it honestly ! I was slightly disappointed with it, since so much people raved about it everywhere.

Anyways, let's get on to the main product of the kit : the blush, Sugarbomb.

(The colour is very light but looks better in real life on the face, unfortunately I couldn't get a better swatch)

As you can see, the blush is divided into four little sections : an orange, a coral, a light pink and a mauve one. You can use them separately (which can be a bit difficult as this is the small-sized version of the blush) or you can blend them together. I mostly use them blended, but sometimes I try to pick the coral and the pink shades only, when I want more of a pink cheek.

The colours are amazing, and they have a gold shimmer in it which, when you apply the product, makes it look almost like a bronze colour. I love it, and I recommend it especially if you skin is naturally tanned, as mine is.

The little brush is quite cute and very soft, I usually use it to apply the blush just because it's already in the box and I'm too lazy to stretch my arm and take another brush haha. It's not the most practical (round brushes are generally better to apply blush), but I find it still okay to use.

The last product is the Sugarbomb lipgloss. It is a pinky nude colour with gold sparkles in it.

Although it looks very pigmented in the packaging, it is in fact very sheer and when you apply it without anything underneath, you can barely see the actual colour, it just gives a nice shimmer and glossy effect to your lips. It would be best to use it on top of a nude lipstick to give more dimension to the lips.

***

That's it for the Sugarbomb kit !

It has proved me that Benefit actually make great products, of a very good quality, although I've been disappointed by the Benetint. Anyway I don't regret getting this because I use the High Beam highlighter all the time and I know I will use the blush as much when the weather will get warmer and I'll want this nice bronzy look on my face.

I can't wait to try other Benefit blushes now, this is my new goal for this year haha !

Julia xx

Review : Full Cover concealer, by Make Up For Ever

I've had the Full Cover concealer by Make Up For Ever for a while now, and it's about time I speak about it on here because it is definitely worth a try !

The product looks like this :

Mine is in the shade 8. It is a bit too dark for me unfortunately - I hate the lights in these beauty shops, they always make the colour of the products appear different than what they actually are in daylight. But luckily for me you can't really tell the difference once it's applied on my skin, so that's okay.

The texture is quite thick (well same as any other concealer I guess). The lady in the store told me it could cover scars and tatoos, so I thought it was really good and it would be enough to cover my blemishes ! To give you an idea of the coverage, here is a sort of swatch on my hand :

The coverage is actually very good. You can cover the little scars you have once your blemishes and spots are gone (y'all know these little scars which seem to never disappear ? argh !), your rednesses, your dark circles even (I use the Full Cover as a concealer too), and in the end your face looks really good already !

In my daily routine I don't even put liquid foundation on anymore, I just put the Full Cover, then a bit of mineral powder, then transluscent power to set everything on, and that's enough ! If your skin isn't too damaged or if you don't have severe acne, you could definitely just put this concealer to hide what's to be hidden, instead of going for full foundation every day.

For the lasting effects, I haven't been disappointed either : it stays on all day long, but of course you have to use a long lasting foundation/powder on top, otherwise it'll probably mess everything up.

The only negative aspect of the Full Cover is its price - 26,50€ is a lot, but all Make Up Forever products are more on the expensive side... I guess if you want the best quality you have to pay more (or get it for birthdays or Christmases, hehe !).

If you can afford it and are in need of a good concealer then you should spend your pennies on the Full Cover, that's the only advice I can give you ! ;)

Julia xx

Review : L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Miscellar Solution

Since I've discovered miscellar water and miscellar solutions to take makeup off, I haven't really found another type of makeup remover that satisfied me completely. Whenever I use a gel or a creamy texture, I feel like my face is still dirty and oily and I need to use a cleanser straight away to take off the makeup remover. With miscellar solutions, this didn't happen anymore !

My favourite one is the Bioderma miscellar solution for oily skin. As it is a French brand, I think you can't buy it in other countries, unless you buy it online of course. So I decided to try the L'Oréal one, which came out quite recently, and see if it was a good alternative to Bioderma.

Basically it's like water, but it does an incredible job at taking your makeup off. It doesn't have a scent, which is good if you don't like the (sometimes strong !) smells of common makeup removers.

It is really effective and takes off everything you have on your face very quickly and leaves your skin clean. I haven't tried it with waterproof mascara but I guess it should work well too.

The product claims to be good for dry and sensitive skin, and even though my skin isn't sensitive, from what I've heard it does indeed work well on these types of skin.

One thing though, you have to be careful when you put it on your cotton pad, the hole on the bottle is a bit too large so you could easily drop much more product than what you actually need.

It is nonetheless a good product, you won't be disappointed about it's efficiency ! But I think I still prefer the "eau miscellaire" by Bioderma (and that's the one I'll be buying next time). But for people who can't have easy access to Bioderma, this L'Oreal miscellar solution is still a good alternative !

Julia xx

Review : the Rimmel 5 in 1 nail treat

Hello !

I love painting my nails. In fact, I never go without nail polish, because for some strange reason it makes me feel like I'm naked. So to prevent my nails from being in bad health, I pay great attention to the base that I use before I put the colour on.

And as I'm quite happy with the base/top coat I'm using at the moment, I thought it could be useful to speak a little about it !

This nail treatment is supposed to be 5 in 1, protecting your nails from the polish when applied as a base, and making it last longer (and be more shiny) when you add it as a top coat.

I always go for two-in-one nail products to use as a base and a top coat, it is much more practical (and less expensive, let's be honest !) than having different products all over the place. I was a bit sceptical about the actual efficiency the product would provide though, but now that I've been using it for a while I can safely say that I wasn't disappointed !

As a base, this treatment really does a good job. It dries quickly, makes your nails all shiny and pretty, and protects your nails from the colours of the nail polishes. I've never had yellowy/dry nails since I've been using it.

As a top coat, it gives a very shiny finish to any nail polish. And again, it dries very quickly so you don't have to wait for ages before being able to touch something ! I really saw a difference about this, when comparing with my former top coat (it was a L'Oreal one, but I can't remember its name). Concerning the lasting power, it is quite good, although the polish tends to fade on the tips of the nails after a few days (which I guess happens with any nail polish and any top coat when you think about it, because it is the most exposed area of the nail with which we keep touching things all the time etc.).

So to sum everything up, I would recommend you to try this nail treatment, it is very good for its price - I don't actually remember how much I paid for it but it's Rimmel, so not really expensive. It does its job very well and spares you from buying two different products ! I'll be buying it again when it runs out, but for now it seems to last a while, I use it every week, sometimes twice a week, and I've had it for some months, yet it is still half full !

Julia xx

Review : Baby Lips by Maybelline

Hello !

Today I'm going to make a quick review of a product that everybody knows (and probably has bought) by now, the Baby Lips lipbalm by Maybelline.

We've all heard a lot about this, which is a bit surprising because it's only a lipbalm after all. But since so many people seemed to like it, I thought I was missing something so I bought one the other day.

I chose the "Cherry Me" one, which is a bright pink-almost red shade. I thought if I picked the brightest shade, it would me more efficient for the "tinted lipbalm" effect. 

The colour is gorgeous and seems very pigmented, which is a great point. I have to say that the smell is quite strong, sweet and fruity ; and along with the packaging it kind of looks like some makeup I used when I was 10. But that's not really important after all, is it ?

When you first apply the product on your lips, the colour doesn't really show. You have to keep applying it until your lips are finally tinted, which is a bit annoying because you find yourself with a lot of product on the lips in the end. 

I've read quite a few reviews saying that the colour is really good and that it shows well etc., and I must say I was disappointed about that when I finally got to try it. Of course, I didn't expect the colour to be as bright as a lipstick's, but I thought it would still be a more opaque colour. And, as you'll see from the picture of the swatch above, it is a glossy pink shade and nothing more. 

I don't know if it may be because my lips are quite rosy and pigmented naturally so it doesn't allow the colour to really show, but this is something that disappointed me a bit. But then, it's still a pretty pink tone and it'll be perfect for when I just want a natural look on my lips but without wearing nothing at all .

For the moisturising effect, nobody really expected an amazing result I guess. If you want a very moisturising lipbalm, drugstore ones aren't generally the best and you should try pharmarcy brands maybe - the Rêve de Miel lipbalm by Nuxe is the best I've ever tried, for example.

So the Baby Lips doesn't have a great moisturising power. It feels comfortable on the lips when you apply it, but after some time it fades and doesn't leave any moisture at all. You have to reapply it quite often if you want to keep it on for the day. 

But I guess the main thing about the Baby Lips in the colour and the lipgloss effect it has. So in the end, it is a good product for when you don't want to bother with a sophisticated makeup. 

Julia xx

The Bourgeois Magic Nail Polish Remover

Even though I love nail polish, it always bothers me to take it off. It takes ages, the nail polish remover smells awful, and when you have glitter on you can spend hours to remove it completely... It is a real chore. 

So when I heard about this new nail polish remover, I thought I needed to get it because it seemed a lot easier to deal with than the average liquid nail polish remover.

Most people probably know how this works ! The inside looks like this :

The product is in it, and you just have to put your finger in the mousse thing, twist it a little bit, and the nail polish's gone ! It is quite quick (but definitely not one second as they claim on the pot) and works really well. If you're wearing glittery nail polish, you just have to wait a little longer, but it takes it off as well.

What I also like about this is the smell : it really smells of red fruit and vanilla ! At first you have that strong smell of typical nail polish remover, but then it fades and there is this sweet smell, it's amazing.

And also your nails and the tip of your fingers are nourished because of the almond oil, which again is amazing. 

This is the most perfect nail polish remover ever ! It just makes everything easier when it comes to taking off nail polish. I'll definitely buy it again soon !

Julia xx

What I watched : Miss Austen Regrets

As you may already know if you've read some of my random non-beauty related articles, I'm a big Jane Austen fan. I love her novels and the person herself, and I'm sure we would have been great friends if I had known her (and lived in the same era, of course) !

A few days ago I bought the DVD of the movie Miss Austen Regrets. I couldn't find it anywhere before but I was lucky enough to get it finally ! and I watched it as soon as I could. And I loved it !

The movie is based on the letters Jane Austen sent to her sister Cassandra during her lifetime. It shows the well-known English writer, in her early forties (not long before her death, at the age of 41). As her beloved niece Fanny Knight comes to ask her questions about a boy she met, Jane remembers her own past.

She never married, but in this movie we get to know some of her relationships, or let's say love interests. I won't go too in depth about those, because the film is really worth watching. Olivia Williams, who plays Jane, is great. I particularly love how they put forward Jane's personality, showing that she was a very witty, funny and modern woman in her way of thinking. I noticed that in some scenes, I could relate to her, even though we are definitely not the same age and not living in the same era ! And that's probably why she has been so successful and so much loved (and still is), we all have something of Jane Austen in us ;)

Now that I've seen the movie, it makes me want to read all the letters that we have left from her. Let's see if I can find that !

Julia xx

Nivea Aqua Effect refreshing cleansing gel, a skin saviour

Long title for a product that's worth the try !

The Refreshing Cleansing gel by Nivea, from the Aqua Effect range, really helped my skin to look better. I bought it about two weeks ago and the difference is already here. Actually I saw a difference after three to four days of use only, and I was so amazed because I've never experienced anything like that, with any face product, ever. 

I tend to have a lot of breakouts but only on my forehead (my oily skin doesn't help), and it really upsets me because I had to hide all this with concealer all the time, and I needed more time to put my makeup on than when I don't have a lot of spots... I clean my face every morning, and after I took off my makeup, but it was still annoying and didn't stop the breakouts. 

But one day I wanted to try a new cleanser and picked this Nivea one because it seemed to be okay. I didn't do a research about it before and I had never heard of it, but at that point I thought any cleanser would "do the job" on my skin. Yes, I was kind of desperate !

(Sorry for the mess in the background !)

I used this cleanser every morning and evening, and it took me only a few days to notice a huge difference on my skin. It was clearer, cleaner, and literally all my spots disappeared. I haven't had a breakout since I started using it. I still have two or three little spots from time to time but they are really tiny and I only need some powder foundation to hide them. And the best thing is that in two days, they totally fade !

I'm in love with this cleanser. It is for normal to combination skin, but even though mine is more on the oily side, it is still really effective and didn't cause any bad consequences. 

If you have the same kind of skin problems as me, you should definitely try this cleanser, it is amazing !

If you want more info about the product, this is the link to its web page : click here !

Julia xx

Review : Angels on bare skin by Lush

Hello !

Today I'll be reviewing a Lush face cleanser, Angels on bare skin.

At first, I was supposed to buy Coalface, but I changed my mind because I thought Angels on bare skin was maybe more useful for me, as it has little bits that could be good for exfoliating my face.

This is the product :

 

Here is what the website says about the product :

"Angels on Bare Skin evens out skin tone, reduces redness and improves the health and appearance of your skin – giving a natural healthy glow.

The ground almonds in this product release their goodness and turn to an almond milk on your hand when you add water."

 The main ingredients are almond, kaolin and essential oils, and lavender. It looks like this :

You can see the little lavender bits of the product. They can fall off it very easily when you take some product so you can find them everywhere in the sink ! And the little orange dots (if you can see them here) are the almonds.

Basically, to use the product, you take some of it (about the size of a pea) and mix it with water, then apply it on your face. Then, of course, you take off the product and that's it !

When I use the product (every morning and night - I mean before going to bed or around that time), it cleans my face very well and makes it smooth and mat. I noticed that it diminishes my imperfections and spots and leaves my skin clear. I really like that !

The only thing that bugs me is that after I clean my face with it, my skin is dry in some areas, around the nose and on my chin. I've always had dryness in these areas of my face, and unfortunately the cleanser is not moisturising enough - I know it's not really meant to be, but still.

For the smell, it is a quite strong one. When I first smelt it, I disliked it (even though it's lavender and I love it) because it was so strong. But after some time you get used to it. It reminds me of the Portuguese countryside where I go every now and then during the summer !

So to sum up, this cleanser is a good product and does the job well, but it's not a miraculous one though.

I'm not going to purchase it again, I'll try a new one to see if I find the perfect one for me !

Julia xx

Review : Mat Velvet + foundation, by Make Up Forever

Hi !

After a month of using it, I'm finally making a review of my new foundation ! It's the well-known Mat Velvet + foundation, by Make Up Forever.

I have a combination to oily skin, and finding a good foundation is a real struggle for me. My last one was a Maybelline, for no particular skin type. It did a good job, but even with some powder on top my skin always became shiny in the afternoon. It annoyed me a lot.

So when I almost ran out of my foundation I started looking around on the Internet to find a new more more suitable to my skin... And I quickly found out about the Mat Velvet + one.

After watching and reading some very good reviews, I decided to get it, to give it a try.

The foundation looks like this :

I was so surprised when I bought it, the bottle is tiny. You have 30ml of foundation.

You take the amount of foundation you need with this tip :

You have to take care because before using the product you need to shake it, but when you do so the foundation goes out even if you don't press the bottle : you may end with too much product on your hand. But I guess this happens only in the beginning when the bottle is still full.

I read that the texture was very thick, but I think it's not, it's not difficult to apply on your skin or anything.

Here is a swatch on my hand :

 

So now, let's go for the face review !

As I said, it's quite easy to apply, I didn't struggle to put the foundation on as some people did according to some reviews I saw/read. I apply my foundation with my fingers and it blended really well.

The effect is indeed mat, your skin goes instantly mat and unified when you wear the foundation. I was very happy of the result, except for the coverage maybe ; it's not as high as I thought it would be. Everybody said that the coverage was amazing (and even a little bit too much maybe), but that's not what I feel when I wear it... so I would say it has a medium to high coverage instead.

Time for pictures, so here is one picture of (one side of) my face without foundation, and another picture when I have the Mat Velvet + (and no concealer or anything) :

No foundation obviously, yerk !

Foundation on !

Sorry for the lighting on the second picture, it turned out quite orange but that's not what it looks like in real life, I promise !

You can definitely tell the difference between my skin with the foundation and without it. It covers my scars (well I don't know if they are scars actually, but I mean the reddish parts on my cheeks) quite well, my blemishes, etc. But if sometimes you have spots, the foundation will not be enough and you'll have to wear concealer for a perfect result. Anyway, when I apply the foundation in the morning, I'm very happy and I love it and all that jazz...

Then we come to the not-so-good part of the review... the matifying effect !

As I said when you apply the foundation your skin looks amazing, mat, perfect... but unfortunately, it doesn't last so long (well it didn't for me, maybe other people are luckier) !

When I come home, maybe 8 hours after I've done my makeup, my skin isn't matified anymore... you can tell it's oily and not pretty at all. Maybe if you add a little powder during the day you can make the effect last a little more, but the foundation was supposed to do the job alone and I'm afraid it doesn't... I was quite disappointed of that. I read a few times that you didn't even need powder on top of the foundation, because it lasted so well... 

Maybe my skin's just weird, but the result wasn't what I expected. 

***

To sum up, here are my thoughts about the Mat Velvet + :

 + it's easy to apply on your skin

 + the shape of the bottle, the tip of it

 + the coverage (even though it's not as high as I thought it would be)

 + the effect right after you've applied it

 - the price (I know it's Make Up Forever, but still)

 - the quite short-lasting matifying effect

I think that's all for this foundation !

This is a looong post I know, but at least I'm sure I said everything I needed to say about the product.

I hope this post will somehow be helpful, if you're interested in buying the foundation !

Julia xx

Review : Sephora body butters

Hello !

It's time for a review !

So I'm a bit mad about body products, I always want to try a lot of new creams, butters, shower gels, etc. During the last sales (in January), I bought two Sephora body butters - I got them for 4€ both, what a bargain ! And since then I've been using them.

I have the monoï body butter, and the pineapple/grenadine one.

They are 200ml, so they can last you very long.

The texture is not very thick, compared to the Body Shop butters. It goes quite well into the skin, you don't feel sticky or anything after you've applied it.

For the scents, I really love the monoi one. I wanted to keep it for the summer but... I'm weak, so I've started using it already. It smells soooo good.

I'm not so keen on the pineapple/grenadine one, just because it's not really my type of scent. But it's still quite good, other people must enjoy it.

The best thing about those scents is that when you put your clothes on just after putting it, you can notice some time later that your clothes do smell the body butter... I don't know it had never happened to me with another butter or cream so I thought it was cool. It is !

These body butters are available at Sephora for 9.90€, in a lot of different scents. I think when I finish the butters I have, I'll try the cotton flower one. It will be perfect for spring and summer.

Bybye !

Julia xx

What I read : Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

Hello lovely people !

Today I'm going to write about a book. I've just finished reading it, and it has become one of my favourite books ever : Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë (well this is already written in the title, I know).

I've seen some adaptations of this book, but before that I had never read the book. As I was in my "Jane Eyre fangirl" period - I could watch and re-watch the movies all the time without getting bored, it was almost scary - I decided it was the best time to read it !

The book was published in 1847, under the name "Currer Bell", and encountered a great success.

The story is very well known - that of Jane Eyre, a poor orphan who, mistreated by her aunt and cousins, was sent to a boarding school. When she grew up she became a teacher in that school, and then advertised to go elsewhere. That's when she was hired to work at Thornfield Hall for Mr Rochester, as a governess for the little French girl Adèle.

And that is the beginning of a love story that you must already know very well !

I'm not going to sum up the whole book as there are so many things going on, many events happen in Jane's life - but she's happy in the end so that's okay !

Jane Eyre is not only a romantic story, it is the story of a life, a tough life made of difficult times - how awful Jane's childhood was ! - and brighter moments, which are described by Jane herself, narrator of her own story. Between the events she tells, she spreads little reflections about her situation, her philosophy and the way she handled things. Jane never complained, never grew bitter even though she had lots of reasons to, and never regretted anything. Behind her "plain and little", as she says herself, appearance, her seemingly fragility of body and mind, she shows a great courage and a humble spirit. As strange as it may be, she is a strong character.

I love how, in the 19th century, when women were not really put forward in society, some women like the Brontë sisters, or a little earlier Jane Austen, managed to write stories about women in their society, and how their books were successful. And it's impressing how these stories are still loved and studied and used as references today, in more evolved societies were women have more importance.

It makes these women writers of the 19th century models that I look up to.

***

I'll maybe do an article about the adaptations of Jane Eyre that I've seen, just because this is something I love to talk about, and I'd love to share my thoughts about all of my interests.

But that's all for the book, I wouldn't bother anybody by making a precise analysis of the plot, the characters and the themes, there may be some essays on that subject already (I'll search for that, it must be very interesting to read the thoughts of professionals !) so I'll keep it short.

That was my "literature post of the month", see you next time !

Julia xx

Review : Naked Nail Polishes by Urban Decay

Hello !

One of the last times I went shopping, I bought the Naked nail polishes by Urban Decay (I posted it in my haul). I finally tried them all, and made some swatches to show here.

The first thing you can see is that the colours are very beautiful. They do remind of the eyeshadows. The only exception may be "Hustle", which is here a dark purple with silver undertones, whereas the eyeshadow is a very dark brown. For the rest of them, they quite look like the original colours.

They are all easy to apply, the brush is not too big nor too thin. They all lasted me long, though I took them off about 3 or 4 days after I had put them (I like to change my nail polish often). 

Here are the polishes :

Naked is a nude beige colour. Although it's a nude it's quite opaque and you can go with two coats only. For this swatch I wear three coats. It almost looked like my own skin colour, sometimes I had that weird feeling that my nails had disappeared ! but it is very classical and perfect for work, if you can't wear bright or sparkly nail polishes.

Sidecar is, as in the Naked palette, a light beige colour all sparkly. The nail polish has a nude background colour, with silver glitter in it. With one coat, you only see the glitter, so maybe you could wear this polish on top of any other. But you can also wear it on its own, with three coats it looks like this (but you can go with two coats, that would be okay) :

 

Sin is a sparkly pinky colour. It is so beautiful when the light goes on the colour, it looks all bright and pretty. Again, a kind of neutral colour that goes with almost everything. I'm wearing three coats here.

Smog is a bronze colour with gold highlights under the light. It is a sparkly polish, just like the eyeshadow. I have three coats here.

Hustle is a sparkly dark purple. As I said, it doesn't look like the eyshadow of the same name but it really doesn't matter, the colour is beautiful. I don't wear dark nail polishes a lot, and I didn't have any purple in my collection. This one is cool, but I think will suit better in the autumn/winter, these days I tend to go for lighter colours. I put three coats (I always go for three coats anyway).

 

And finally, Creep is a black with silver glitter in it. It is much more sparkly than the original eyeshadow, I must say. And it is very pretty and would be great for a night out or a party. 

The only problem is that I'm not used to wearing black nail polish, I don't know why but I always find that it looks sad on me, it doesn't suit me. That's a pity, because the colour is amazing ! I'm not gonna wear it very often, but maybe keep it for nights out. I only have two coats in this picture, and it's enough to have a good opacity. Sorry it's badly done, but I took the picture right after putting the polish on. I usually take off the nail polish on the sides of my nails : even though I paint my nails all the time, I still do it very badly and I put nail polish everywhere on my fingers. Clumsy me !

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That's all for the Naked nail polishes ! I hope the swatches are alright, my camera cannot zoom very well (it's a quite old one *sigh*) so I did the best I could.

I really recommend them, the colours are pretty and almost all of them are wearable everyday.

I bought them in Sephora for 24€ - that's less than the price of two O.P.I. polishes, so it's fair enough. I don't regret buying them at all.

See you next time !

Julia xx