Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Through The Looking Glass eyeshadow palette

YESSSSS!!! That was my initial reaction when I saw this palette appearing on the net the first time.  I got to know UD because of their gorgeous I love New York Palette and I feel like it's been ages since they brought out an eyeschadow palette with artistic packaging like that.  Don't get me wrong, I love their naked palettes.  These have all your everyday colors and are very convenient for traveling or if you're doing someone else's makeup.  But when it comes to packaging, they're just not that interesting.

So I was really excited when I saw that UD was 'going back tot their roots' in a matter of speaking and of course I just had to get this palette (or what did you expect?)!  I left my email on the notification list of Feelunique.com and waited.  Well, I'm lucky that I didn't wait until I got a mail because I never did!  I saw on instagram that the palette was in stock and ordered immediately, good thing I did because it sold out very fast.  And not only the palette but also the lipsticks of the Alice In Wonderland collection.  So that tells me that there are people out there that are even more into collecting makeup than I am because those lipsticks aren't the most wearable colors (which is why I didn't get them).

This palette is so gorgeous.  The packaging is a real work of art!!  I absolutely love it!!  Of course this isn't made for traveling and it's not the most handy palette but hey, all's fair in art right?

The eyeshadow collection is very colorful and great for experimenting.  I know UD shadows are great quality shadows but these shadows just blew me away.  The pigmentation is to die for and they go on so buttery and creamy.  

You get 20 all new shades in the palette and each column is dedicated to a character of the movie: Alice (left column), Mad Hatter (second column from the left), Mirana (third column), Iracebeth (fourth column) and Time (last column). You can recreate the look of your favorite character by using the colors in their column or you can just mix and max the colors and create your own looks.

I had so much fun swatching these.  I always do swatches before I start playing with the shadows and I already knew I was going to love putting these on my eyelids.  These shadows are so pigmented, I swiped once with my index finger on my arm to make the swatches and as you can see the pigmentation on these is just fabulous.

top row

second row

third row

bottom row

I know there are colors in there that I'll probably never use but to me this palette is more of a collectors item with the benefit of great shadows.  

Where to buy:

I bought mine at feelunique.com but unfortunately it's totally sold out.  I paid €56,76 for mine.

This week on the blog

I have a few days off and decided to spent most of my time writing blogposts.  Why?  First of all, I have some very exciting new goodies that arrived last week and I really wanted to share them with you!  And second of all, it hit me that I have so many things that I really want to write about and haven't gotten around to it yet.  Or as one of my colleagues told me last week "I bet if you open your drawers at home you could write posts for a whole month".  She's absolutely right, I could write a post every day for a month without buying anything new (but where's the fun in that).  I don't know if I'll be able to post every day but I've written ahead for the whole week by now so maybe it is possible, we'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, here's what you can expect on the blog this week:

- Essie's Retro Revival Collection

- Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette

- Embryolisse Lait-Créme Concentré

- NOTD: Catrice Mauve To The Beat

- Dose Of Colors haul and review

- Urban Decay Alice In Wonderland Eyeshadow Palette

If I had to choose between any of these as a favorite than I really couldn't.  (spoiler alert! all products mentioned are awesome)

So tell me, what are you most excited about?

note: this post was meant to go up yesterday but blogger wasn't uploading any pictures,  an update of my laptop fixed everything fortunately 

The product that changed everything for me: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

I was a real girly girl when I was little.  When my mom didn't look I would walk around in her heels, wear her pearly necklaces and use her lipstick.  As I got older that changed.  Puberty was hard on me, I was really self-conscious of my body and wore XXL clothing all the time (looking back I was probably a size small or medium at the maximum).  But puberty ended and I found my place in the world.  I started wearing normal sizes, started going out and putting on make up.  And I loved it!!  I didn't have that much make up but I loved experimenting with it.  The only thing I hated was the creasing of my eye makeup.  After a few hours a lot of my eyeshadow had transformed into a thick line in my crease, what a pretty sight! But since I didn't wear make up everyday, only when I was going out, it wasn't that big of a problem.  All that changed when I ruptured my Achilles tendon and I had to keep still for 6 weeks.  Yes, 6 weeks where all I could do was sit in the couch and get on everyones nerves I can imagine.  My only friend was my laptop and the internet.  That's when I discovered the world of blogging, beauty blogging in particular and when I learned about eyeshadow primer.  I had never heard of such a thing before but to me it was such an eyeopener.  I read about it and read about it and read about it and finally decided I had to get this!!

Those who know me will find this next part hard to believe but I was afraid of buying this online so when I was mobile again, I went to every drugstore and perfume store in town and asked for an eyeshadow primer.  This was the year 2010 and the looks I got were looks of disbelief.  Eyeshadow primer?  Not available for the normal public it seemed.  And than in one store they gave me this Sensai eyelid base.  I don't remember how much it costed but I was so happy to have found it that I just bought it.  And it didn't do anything for me!  Absolutely nothing!  It felt like an eye cream, it applied like an eye cream and stayed 'wet' like an eye cream.  I was so disappointed!!  

But all the bloggers couldn't be wrong, right?  So I got all my courage together and bought the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion online (at Boozyshop.nl but they don't carry UD anymore).  I had never heard of Urban Decay before and online shopping was totally new for me.  What a difference with today!!! I buy so much online these days and I roll my eyes at everyone that has never heard of UD.  My purchase didn't let me down, it did exactly what it promised and ever since then I've used this base every time I put eyeshadow on (which is almost everyday really).    And that was the beginning of the end ... from that moment on I bought makeup like there was nothing else and the little girl inside me that stole her mothers lipstick came to live again!

I don't know how many Eyeshadow Primer Potions I've used since then but I always come back to the UD eyeshadow primer.  I've tried the painterly paint pot by mac but that didn't work for me, my eyeshadow stille creased.  The samen goes for the color tattoo's by Maybelline.  They work fine when I put UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion underneath them.

The same goes for Nyx Jumbo eyeshadow pencil in Milk.  I agree that it's a great base and it brings out the color of your eyeshadow a lot more but I have to apply it on top of my UD eyeshadow primer.

But now my UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion is getting empty and I'm torn.  Do I just buy another one or do I try something else?  Like Too Faced Shadow insurance or The Balm's put a lid on it.  I hear so much good of those that I want to try them but somehow it feels like cheating.  UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion has done so much for me that it will always hold a special place in my heart.  I think I'll try my Lorac sample sizes first and maybe I'll give the Sensai one another go (after all, I am another person now, one that has a lot more experience when it comes to eyeshadow primers)  That way I can buy some time before I have to decide what to do.

Do you have one product that changed everything?  Let me know in the comments!!

Note:

Yes, you read it right: I will try the Sensai eyelid base again even though it's like 5 years old.  It's been closed ever since, still looks fresh and doesn't smell bad.  Reading up on it, there aren't many positive reviews on it so chances are it's still as bad as I remember and will find its way to the waste bin very fast.

And yes, my painterly paint pot has dried out so I had to get rid of that one too.  There was just no way to work with it anymore. Such a shame!

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

Once you’re hooked, there’s just no going back.  I’m talking about the naked palettes by Urban Decay.  I remember chasing after the first one (which was always sold out everywhere) and finding it in a Sephora in San Fransisco at opening time.  There were 4 palettes in stock and I took 2 (one for me and one for the bestie), sorry not sorry for the people coming after me.  Mind you, this was like the 10th Sephora I visited that trip and the only one that had it.  That was the trip my man first got to know Sephora, learned that MAC isn’t always short for McDonalds and saw a Naked Palette bring pure happiness to his girl.

It was a good marketing trick, making sure stock is always low, the product is hard to find and bloggers write about it.  It became a cult product, a legend on its own.  A good quality eyeshadow palette with only natural/nudes in there.  Since than almost every brand has come out with a similar palette but they started the whole thing.

UD had added 2 more naked palettes and of course the 2 naked basics (that are great for traveling) to their range.  And like I said, once you’re hooked, that’s it.  So it should come as no surprise to learn I almost have them all.  The only one missing is the Naked Basic 2, I’m still planning on getting it but waiting on a promo of some sort.

from left to right:

High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor, Slanted, Dagger

Black Market, Smolder, Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen

from left to right: High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor, Slanted, Dagger

from left to right: Black Market, Smolder, Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen

And now Urban Decay came out with this one: The Naked Smoky palette.  Sure you can make a more ‚natural’ look with this palette but there mostly darker colors in there, perfect for the smoky looks.

Just like most palettes these days there is a booklet in there on how to make certain looks.  I love this!  I’m no make up artist and even though I watch tons of tutorials on youtube, I really love these little ‚how to’s’, they just make everything look so easy.

I love the packaging, it’s very solid.  It has a plastic case which makes it easy to clean and has a magnetic lock.  No need to push hard to close this baby!

The shadows are great quality, as usual with Urban Decay but I especially love the glittery shadows.   To me they scream girls’ night out!  I really need to plan more nights away just so I can bring out the full potential of this palette.

And of course UD is a real make up brand which means they know you can't do much with a 'sponge thingy' so instead they give you a full size dual end brush with which you can make all the eye looks in the booklet.

Where to buy in Europe:

I bought mine at feelunique.com for €53,58 (I did have a £5 discount so I paid less) but you can also find it at Sephora.fr for €49,95 (they charge shipping so feelunique will probably be cheaper).

Being sick and receiving Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

Remember my Catrice It Pieces blogpost I wrote on Monday?  And how I needed a little pick me up?  Turns out I was sick.  I went to work on Tuesday but my boss sent me home and the doctor ordered me to stay home for the rest of the week.  I’m not the best patient I must say, resting is hard for me.  My first thought was ‚well, if I’m home all week, I might as well catch up on the ironing’ … of course when you’re running a fever that’s not the best thing to do.  Your body immediately tells you it’s not a good idea.  

I’ve tried to rest as much as I could, taking at least 2 naps a day , taking all of my medicine, doing everything the doctor told me but things haven’t really improved.  So this morning it was back to the doctors office where she took some blood, I’ll have the results this evening but I’ll probably have to turn to antibiotics to cure whatever’s going on.  And hopefully I’ll be alive and kicking again by the end of the weekend.

But it hasn’t all been bad this week because the mailman came with my feelunique.com order: the much anticipated Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette (€49,25 retail price).  You can expect a more in-depth post about this one (with swatches) on the blog soon.  

For now, I’m trying to put up a post every day just because I enjoy it.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep this up since I work full time and all but the shorter NOTD posts make it easier to maintain this schedule.

When 2 loves come together ...

Aside from my man, my family and friends I have 2 big loves: make-up (duh) and New York.  I absolutely love New York.  Whenever I’m there I just come alive and it always feels like coming home.  The last few years I’ve been there every year and chances are I won’t be able to make it this year and that thought alone gets me all depressed.  I don’t know what it is but I thrive on adrenaline (going to bed at midnight and lying awake at 5 a.m. listening to the city waking up - and no, it’s no jet lag) and when I leave I always feel unfulfilled, like there is still so much more to see and experience … the city always leaves me wanting more!!!

So you can only imagine what it’s like when I find make-up product dedicated to New York.  I think they deserve their own display, or better yet they should be locked away so nothing will ever happen to them.  And no way (and I really mean no way) will I ever use them.  

Here you have them, my two most precious make-up products: Urban Decay I love New York palette and Physicians Formula city glow bronzer in New York.

As much as I love the naked palettes, I remember the palettes Urban Decay used to launch were real work of arts.  So much detail and so special, the make-up really wasn’t the most important reason you’d buy them. I wonder why they don’t make palettes like that anymore, they were known for it … a palette from UD was just pure beauty. 

I was too late to grab the I love NYC palette when it came out but then one day I saw it on cheapsmells.com (now known as allbeauty.com). Lucky shot, I know because 2 days later it was gone.

It’s just so pretty!! I mean look at it: it has Brooklyn Bridge, lady liberty, the empire state building, the yellow cabs, the lights … the eyeshadows in there are probably great too but I have no intention of ever trying them.   This is one palette that will never be used and will be cherised forever.

The Physicians Formula City Glow Bronzer was given to me today.  A friend of mine just came back from NYC and I asked her to buy this one for me.  I’d seen it on the net and I just knew I had to have it.  I have to say the pictures don’t do this bronze justice, it’s really gorgeous and I’m sure that if it were any other city on there I would be using it and loving it.  But since it’s New York, I’ll just look at it and I’ll never ever use it (of course thinking about it now I could’ve asked her to bring 2, one for display and one to use).

I really think of these two as little pieces of art, too pretty to use.  And one day I’ll have a make-up room and I’ll put them up for display but until then, they’ll stay locked away where nothing can happen to them and every now and then I’ll take them out just to look at them.

Everyday makeup routine

Jeej, it’s monday - said no one ever.  I imagine most of us have a morning routine we don’t mess with once it’s in place and there isn’t a lot of margin for change.  So it’s no surprise that my makeup routine for working days is pretty much the same every day.  I can even do this before I have my first cup of coffee and it usually takes me 10-15 minutes max to put it on.  (the exception being those days where I really can’t get started no matter how hard I try and I end up wondering why there isn’t any color coming off my mascara only to find that I’ve been putting 3 coats of eyebrow gel on my lashes).  I guess I can even get it down to 5-10 minutes but putting on makeup feels like a little treat to me, a bit of me time before the hustle of the workday starts and therefore I don’t want to rush it.

This is what I wear to work every day, I’m going for the 'me but better' look.  Very natural and not too 'synthetic’ looking and something that easy to apply even when you’re still half a sleep.  

First is the base: Mac Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Base Lumière in Radiant Pink.  I love this, it feels moisturizing and gives my skin a healthy glow. The skin on my cheeks is quite dry and as I’m getting older I feel like my skin is starting to look a bit more dull, especially in fall/winter time.  This is the perfect primer if you want to remedy that.  

In the fall/winter I put on a real foundation but now that the weather is getting warmer, I switch to a BB cream or something similar.  Last year I bought the Guerlain Lingerie De Peau BB Beauty Booster in Light and since I had some left I started using it again this year.  I still love it as much as I did last year, it’s easy to apply (I use my fingers instead of a brush for this one),it looks really natural and has an SPF 30.

I don’t use under eye concealer simply because I haven’t found one that doesn’t crease.  I have lines under my eyes so under eye concealer is a tricky one.

To set everything I use my Hello Flawless powder by Benefit and for a blush I love my MAC legendary blush from the Marilyn Monroe collection.

For my eyes I really wouldn’t know what to do without my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  My eyelids are a bit greasy so without a primer my eyeshadow would never stay put.  Next up is MAC Haux in the crease or should I say to create a crease.  I have hooded eyes (it only gets worse when you get older, don’t say I didn’t warn you) so I don’t really have a crease.  Nevermind, I just slap the color above my eyelid and pretend it’s a crease.  MAC All that glitters on my eyelid and MAC Dazzle light on the inner corner for that extra pop.  After the lash curler had done it’s duty I tightline my upper lashline with a brown pencil (Bourjois Contour Clubbing waterproof pencil in 57 up and brown) and a good coat of Benefit’s They're Real mascara.

MAC Eyebrow pencil in Fling to fill in those brows a bit and to set it Hema eyebrow gel

And to finish it all off some MAX fix+ which helps the whole thing to melt together and make it look very natural.

I play with the lip color a bit although I don’t go for very bold colors when I have to go to work.  But MAC Pink Plaid, Cut A Caper or Shy girl are regular guests here, as are Too Faced Melted liquified long wear lipstick in Melted Peony and Urban Decay Sheer Revolution lipstick in Sheer Streak.

A simple, neutral look that you really don't have to think about, perfect for weekdays!

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution lipstick and 24/7 glide-on lip pencil in Streak

A few months ago I was in a Sephora in Lille (France) when I saw the prettiest lip pencil ever!  You know how it goes, you are sure you have everything and you are on your way to the cash register when all of a sudden something catches your eye.  Without thinking you just throw it in your basket and off you go.  It was like that when I saw the Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on lip pencil in Streak.  I absolutely fell in love with the color!  Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when I was in the USA visiting Sephora and I passed the Urban Decay counter thinking about my Streak lip pencil and how I didn’t have a lipstick to (completely) match the color.  Short of time (my man was waiting so I was shopping against the clock) I bought the Sheer Revolution lipstick in Streak without really looking at it in detail.

I have to say, I love the color of the lipstick but when I came home I was really disappointed.  The color doesn’t match the lip pencil at all.  The lip pencil has a more orange undertone and is a lot brighter than the lipstick is.  I thought it would be easy: a brand that has different lip products in the same color (or with the same color name I should say), for me that’s a guarantee for a perfect match.  Apparently not.

Never mind, a nice lipstick (and it really is) and a nice lip pencil, I can work with that.  The result is a nice pink lip, not too harsh but not too nude either.  A perfect lip for everyday and totally work proof.  I filled in my lips completely with the pencil so it would work as a base, since the lipstick is sheer this makes sure the color will last longer.  And it did, 5 hours later the color began to fade.  Considering I had a few drinks and dinner, it passed the test with flying color.  

I will definitely be wearing this combination this summer but I still wonder why a brand would bring out 2 lip products with the same color name that are no color matches.  Maybe the normal Revolution lipstick will be a better match, I guess I’ll find out in a few months when UD will finally be available in store in Belgium.  As for now, this combination has to do.

As you can tell, selfies are not my forte.  Maybe I’ll get better at it, maybe not.  It’s not really my ambition to be good at it and bombard you with pictures of myself as I’m quite camera shy.  But writing about lipstick without showing how it looks in real life just doesn’t work for me.  No filters were used on these pictures.  It’s just me, the light and the makeup.  

Where to buy:

In Belgium: ici paris xl (website only for now)

Worldwide: feelunique.com (free shipping for orders over 14£)