Mini Urban Decay Haul



Urban Decay were having a sale a couple of weeks ago and I snapped up a few items (from the dregs) just before it ended.

I bought two of their eyeshadows in "YDK" and "Dashiki", a lipstick in "Confession" and a lip gloss in "Stung".

Urban Decay eyeshadows are my all-time favourite and since I already own 4 of their palettes, I definitely do not need any more. However, these were on sale for just $6 each and since they're usually around $18 I couldn't pass them up.

L-R: YDK and Dashiki 

"YDK" is a gorgeous light brown with frost/ medium shimmer, while "Dashiki" is a true frosted blue. Both of these colours are like butter and apply like an absolute dream. Urban Decay eyeshadows are typically incredibly soft, with excellent pigmentation and these two are no different. "YDK" suffers from a little bit of fall-out but nothing compared to the glitter bombs that Urban Decay can sometimes produce.

"YDK" on my lids with a touch of "Dashiki" in the crease. 

I also picked up a lipstick in "Confession" and a lip gloss in "Stung" which were $3 and $4 respectively (original prices- $22 and $12). 

They are both very dark, which is all the rage for Autumn/ Winter, but quite sheer and buildable. They are also both non-sticky and feel very nice and moisturising on the lips. My only gripe is that "Stung" could be more pigmented and I am not a fan of the overly honeyed smell.

One layer of "Confession" on my lips with no lip liner

Urban Decay have always had quite quirky packaging and I absolutely love the packaging of the lipstick. It's all very reminiscent of the legend of King Arthur pulling the sword out of the stone and it's reassuringly weighty in the hand.

Overall, I was very pleased with my purchases (particularly the eyeshadows) and they were an absolute steal at under $20. There are still a few sale items available on the Urban Decay website so definitely give it a look.However, unless you're a huge fan of glitter, I suggest bypassing any eyeshadows that have "sparkle" in their description. These eyeshadows tend not to be UD's best....

Until next time,

Nana Adomah

REVIEW: Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ Foundation

I feel like I've been foundation shopping all year in a quest to discover the perfect foundation. I've tried so many different foundations and many times I thought I'd found "the one", only to be cruelly disappointed when they slid off my face before the end of the day. I found a few that I loved but they all seemed to be missing a little something. Estee Lauder Double Wear Light was great but I was in between colours and who's got the time (and money) to be mixing two $35+ foundations every day? Urban Decay's Naked Foundation was also good but I wanted a little bit more coverage. Lancome's Teint Idole gave me almost everything I wanted but in the end it was just pipped to the post by...

 

MAKEUP FOREVER MAT VELVET+!!!

 

 

Okay, that's quite enough drama. I purchased the Mat Velvet+ from Sephora last week after trialling it for a couple of weeks. I'd been wanting to try this foundation for a long time but since Makeup Forever is so difficult to find in the UK, I had to wait until I was in America. I really like the consistency because it's quite creamy without being too thick. It's medium-full coverage and it's easily built up. It also lives up to its claims and lasts for a full day. I have a very oily t-zone and even though my nose would get oily again in a few hours, the rest of my face remained generally matte.

 

 

However, once I actually had the full-size product in my hand, I almost didn't buy it because it looked absolutely tiny. $36 for that dinky bottle? With the persuasion of my (bad) friends Rachel and Vanessa, I bought it anyway and imagine my shock when I took it home and discovered that it was

the same amount of product as my MAC, Revlon, and E.L.F foundations (1.01 oz). Appearances really are deceiving and you only need a very small amount for a full face. My shade is #75 (not very imaginative MUFE) and although it applies a tiny bit too fair, it oxidises slightly to my perfect shade.

Pros:
Excellent coverage
Long-lasting
Mattifying
Small size makes it very portable
A little goes a long way
Does not contain SPF so you avoid that awful white cast that can appear in pictures

Cons:
Doesn't contain SPF (haha! Contradictory, I know)
The price may be a little steep for some
Dries very quickly so you have to be super fast when blending
Rubberized packaging picks up dirt easily

In summary, I am very happy with this purchase and I definitely recommend anybody looking for a non-oily foundation to at least try a sample.

The MUFE Mat Velvet+ Matifying Foundation can be purchased from Sephora.

Until next time,

Nana Adomah

 

FOTD: Orange Crush

I've been having a mini love affair with orange lately. I've also been trying to use some of my make-up that I haven't touched in a while- "shopping my stash" if you will. To that end, I decided to build a daytime look around my MAC "Firespot" eye shadow, which I got a few years ago in the Moonbathe collection.

I paired the orange-y eyes with one of my favourite blushes 'Taj Mahal" by Nars, slapped on some pink lip gloss, and I was good to go.

Face
Mat Velvet+ matifying foundation in #75 Coffee (Make Up For Ever)Lustre drops in "sun rush" (MAC)
Pro Longwear concealer in NW40 (MAC)
Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in "Dark" (under eyes) and "Dark Deep" (whole face) (MAC)
"Taj Mahal" blush (NARS)

Eyes
Lids- "Firespot" (MAC)
Crease- "Vanity" palette (Wet 'n' Wild)
HIghlight- "Ricepaper" (MAC)
Lower lashline- "Antiqued" (MAC)
Eyeliner- Waterproof velvet touch eyeliner in 'black ink" (GOSH)
Supercurl curling mascara (Urban Decay)

Lips
Luscious liquid lipstick in "Raspberry" (E.L.F)

I think orange is a nice change from the usual golds and bronzes and it works well the whole year round. Would you rock orange eyeshadow?

Until next time,

Nana Adomah

OOTD: Stylish Strands (Christie Brown)

Christie Brown is a brand founded by Ghanaian designer Aisha Obuobi and they've become known for cutting-edge fashion with an African twist. I've wanted a Christie Brown necklace for a few years now and I was finally able to get my hands on one over the summer. However, this gorgeous necklace stayed in my closet for months because I had no idea how to style it....

My friend C gave me a last-minute invitation to her friend's fashion show in downtown Atlanta and I hurriedly threw on the necklace in an attempt to jazz up the most boring outfit in the world. Loads of people stopped me to ask where it was from so it can't have looked that bad. Even my cousin, who hated this necklace when I first bought it, conceded that it was "quite cool".

Necklace- Christie Brown
Blazer- Talbots
Clutch- Ted Baker
Wedge booties- New Look
Jeans- can't remember....

The multi-strand necklace is super long (almost knee-length) and each strand is made from a patterned Ghanaian cloth. I absolutely adore it and I'm looking forward to styling it in different ways. Do check out the Christie Brown website as they have some fantastic clothes and accessories. Their new A/W 2012 collection is a particular favourite.

So what do you think? Yay or nay?

Until next time,

Nana Adomah

Birthday FOTD

Greetings! Long time no blog and I won't waste both our times with excuses so onwards we go....

 It was my birthday last Friday and I really wasn't in the mood to do anything at all but my very lovely friends dragged me out to dinner and a good time was had by all. I kept my eye makeup pretty simple so I decided to jazz it up with a red lipstick.

Face
Mat Velvet+ matifying foundation in #75 Coffee (Make Up For Ever)
Pro Longwear concealer in NW40 (MAC)
Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in "Dark" (under eyes) and "Dark Deep" (whole face) (MAC)
"Coral" blush (Sleek)

Eyes
Lids- Color Tattoo in "Bad to the bronze" (Maybelline)
Crease- "Galapagos" eyeshadow (NARS)
HIghlight- "Ricepaper" (MAC)
Eyeliner- Waterproof velvet touch eyeliner in 'black ink" (GOSH)
Supercurl curling mascara (Urban Decay)
False half lashes (Ardell)

Lips"Chestnut" lipliner (MAC)Lipstick in "Shade 1" (MUA

I bought this MUA lipstick about 2 years ago but I only remembered I had it last week (shame on me). I wanted something different from my usual matte, red lipstick and this could not be better. It glides on ridiculously smoothly and it's insanely pigmented. It also does a fantastic job of staying put. It survived a three-course meal and drinks with only one touch-up so it's a definite keeper.

Thank you so much to everybody who wished me a happy birthday. It was very much appreciated.

 Until next time,

Nana Adomah xx