Battle of the Neutral Palettes

I had been working on a post to review the Naked 1 and Naked 2 Palettes from Urban Decay.  However, I was never able to complete the blog post because I just can't make up my mind which palette is better.  I realize I should review these palettes separately and judge them standing alone, but, in the back of my mind, I was determined to choose ONE neutral palette as a go to.  

My ideal neutral palette would have the following Essential Shadows (as I call it): a matte black eyeshadow, a matte warm brown eyeshadow for blending purposes, and a light colored matte (or very little shimmer) eyeshadow for purposes of highlighting.  Matte black and matte warm brown are essential for every look I create.  I use black to line my eyes, buff out my black eyeliner, and to define my outer crease.  I also use warm brown eye shadows to blend, blend, blend, and blend some more.  

I do NOT like using solely shimmery eyeshadows.  Shimmery shadows are very reflective of light and they tend to pronounce the signs of aging by drawing attention to wrinkles.  If the entire eye look consists of shimmery shadows, the colors tend to look like they blend together.  I prefer more of a contrast that requires the mixing of matte and shimmery shades.

Onto the Naked 1 and Naked 2 palettes: both of these palettes have one or two of my Essential Shadows but not all.

Naked 1 - top swatch

• Pro: has 2 blending shadows - Naked (3rd from left) and Buck (5th from left)
• Con: does not have a matte black shadow.  Instead, has a shimmery black shadow, Creep (2nd from right)
• Con: does not have a matte to minimally shimmery highlight shade.  Instead, has a VERY shimmery highlight shade, Virgin (far left)

Naked 2 - bottom swatch

• Pro: has a matte black shadow, Blackout (far right)
• Pro: has a matte highlight shade, Foxy (1st left)
• Con: does not have a warm brown eyeshadow for purposes of blending.  Instead, it has a cool brown shade, Tease (5th from left).  Tease has a more taupe color to it.  This may not be a problem for some, but I prefer warm brown.  Based on my personal experience, warm browns are more universal for blending.

Let's say I was packing to go on vacation.  If I were forced to bring just the Naked 1 palette, I'd bring along a matte black shadow, such as Carbon from MAC, and skip highlighting.  If I were forced to bring Naked 2, I'd include a matte warm brown shadow such as Soft Brown from MAC.  

What to do??

Enter Lorac's Pro Palette:

In the words of Carrie Bradshaw: "Hello, Lover!"

This palette has ALL of my Essential Shadows: matte black (Black), matte warm brown (Taupe and Sable), matte highlighter (White and Cream), and minimally shimmery highlighter (Nude and Champagne).

What I also love is that the shadows are organized into two categories: matte on top and shimmery on bottom.  These colors are mostly neutral but if one desires more variety in color, there's Garnet, Deep Purple, and Slate to play with.  The shadows have great color pay off even though they can be a bit powdery.  

So, if I were to choose ONE neutral palette, I'd choose Lorac's Pro Palette.  At $42 for 16 shadows,  ~$2.63 per shadow, this is a great value palette compared to $50 for 12 colors in both Naked palettes making it ~$4.17 per shadow.

Which palette would you choose?

Makeup for Katie - Daytime Look

Katie wanted her makeup done for a daytime birthday event.  The look achieved: Neutral eyes with bright lips.

Face
Dr Jart's Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm
Coastal Scents Eclipse Concealer
**No powder was used - the BB cream set beautifully on Katie's skin, which is combination skin. 

Eyes
MAC paint pot in Painterly
MAC e/s in Soft Brown
MAC e/s in Wedge
MAC e/s in Woodwinked
Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 - e/s in Busted
Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 / Naked Basics Palette - e/s in Blackout
Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 / Naked Basics Palette - e/s in Foxy
MAC fluidline in Blacktracks
Maybelline Volume Mascara in Black Black

I left her eyebrows alone believe it or not!

Cheeks
Benefit - Hoola as contour
Nars - Orgasm blush

Lips
OCC's Lip Tar in Pretty Boy

Review: Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette

For years, I've been searching for the perfect neutral eye shadow palette.  Not one single neutral palette out there satisfied me.  As I got older, my search for a matte neutral eye shadow palette increased.  I've been trying to steer clear of shimmery shadows since I've entered my thirties as they draw attention to wrinkles.

Enter Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette: 6 neutral shades.  5 of the 6 are matte and 1 is shimmery.  I can forgive for the 1 shimmery shadow since I use it to highlight the brow bone area and the inner corners of the eyes to brighten them up.  The color pay from the shadows are good since they are well pigmented.  The shadows themselves are smooth and blend very well.

Shadow colors from left to right: Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame (W.O.S), Naked 2, Faint, and Crave.

Venus: I use Venus, the shimmery white to the far left of the palette, as a brow bone highlight as well as an inner eye brightener.

Foxy and W.O.S. can be used all over the lid, as a brow bone highlight, or inner eye brightener.

Naked 2 can double function as an all over lid color or as a transitioning/blending shadow.

Faint can be used as an all over lid color or for the outer corner of your eyes to make it more defined.  I personally like to use Faint to define the creases of my eyes.

Crave can be used for the outer corner of your eyes in addition to being a great liner.

If you want to transition from a natural daytime look into an evening look, the eye shadows in this palette can act as a base.  Apply colored shadow over the Naked Basics shadows and, voila, you're ready for a night out.  As with any other eye shadow, I recommend using an eye shadow primer before application to prolong its staying power as well as decrease creasing from oily lids.

Aside from the gorgeous shades and their smooth application, I like that these shadows come in a very compact container.  In fact, the palette itself is smaller than an iPhone and just as sleek.  Thus, this will be a staple in my makeup bag when I travel.

Available at urbandecay.com, Sephora, Ulta, and Macy's for $27.

Verdict: A necessary staple in my makeup bag.

Las Vegas Wedding - Jennifer and Lance

Like many other brides on their wedding day, Jennifer did not get much sleep the night before.  Still, this gorgeous and down to earth bride was nothing but smiles, jokes, and preoccupation with her vows during the morning of her wedding.  With a scant 3 hours of sleep, she understandably was concerned with how her makeup would turn out.  She opted for a natural look.

Quite frankly, when you have features as gorgeous as Jennifer, you don't need much makeup.  She made a gorgeous bride walking down the aisle.  Face aglow with happiness, she was surrounded by a sea of people who were as equally happy to see her marry her best friend.  Their vows were heart felt yet still delivered the right amount of humor.  It was touching and truly an honor to be in attendance.

I had a fabulous time not only doing Jennifer's makeup but her entire bridal party.

Face:
Make Up For Ever HD Foundation
Make Up For Ever Duo Matte Powder Foundation in 207
Tarte Concealer

Eyes:
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Baked
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon
Urban Decay Half Baked Eye Shadow (Naked Palette)
Urban Decay Dark Horse Eye Shadow (Naked Palette)
Urban Decay Blackout Eye Shadow (Smoked Palette)
MAC Mylar Eye Shadow

Eyebrows:
Makeup Forever Aqua Gel - #15

Cheeks:
Nars Laguna
Sigma Paris Palette Rouge & Peche blushes
Sigma Paris Palette Lumiere highlighter

Lips (not shown in photo):
MAC Creme Cup