Naked 2 palette PLUS Essie, shoes and other goodies!!!

It may be cold outside but I've been getting ready for spring!  Since I've been doing a little shopping lately, I wanted to share some things I've picked up that I am currently impressed with.  I could not hold out any longer on the Naked 2 palette and I just HAD to have two new shades from Essie's Spring 2012 collection.  Of course I also picked up some more leopard print items...I can't get enough of leopard print lately! 

When the last Naked palette came out I ordered it immediately online via www.sephora.com and I probably was one of the first to get it.  Even the Urban Decay rep at my local Ulta didn't have one yet, lol.  This time when the Naked 2 palette came out I decided to wait.  Well...last week I broke down and purchased it.  I purchased it as a reward for surviving a stressful week at work and I'm glad I did.  It's really a great palette with 5 brand new shades and yes I do believe there is enough room in everyone's collection to have both palettes.

Each Naked 2 palette comes with a sample size of Lip Junkie gloss in Naked and a double ended brush.

If you are not familiar with the first Naked palette, please read my review and tutorial here.

The first difference you will notice about the two palettes is the packaging.  The first palette is a velvet covered box with a magnetic closure.  The Naked 2 palette is made of metal and securely closes by snapping shut.  I personally like the packaging on the first palette since I have found the Naked 2 harder to open and close.  The metal packaging however does protect the eyeshadows better.

The only repeat shade is from the first palette is Half Baked (which happens to be one of my favorites!).  Half Baked is a warm toned gold with an incredible sheen.  The 5 new shades are Booty Call, Tease, Snakebite, Pistol and Busted.  I have found that the Naked 2 palette has more "cool toned" shades whereas the first Naked palette has warmer shades.  I personally love Booty Call, Suspect, Pistol and Busted.  I actually based my decision to purchase the Naked 2 palette on the swatch I made of Pistol in the store.  You can purchase the Naked 2 palette (and the original Naked palette) at Ulta, Sephora or www.urbandecay.com for $50 each.  Pictured below are some close-ups and swatches of each color.

#1- FOXY- a warm, vanilla colored matte shade

#2- HALF BAKED- a warm, golden shimmer

#3- BOOTY CALL- shimmery champagne shade

#4- CHOPPER- shimmer based bronze with slight glitter

#5- TEASE- cool toned, matte brown

#6- SNAKEBITE- cool toned brown with bronze and gold

#7- SUSPECT- golden beige with shimmer

#8- PISTOL- cool toned shimmery gray

#9- VERVE- shimmery "mother of pearl" shade

#10- YDK- cool toned bronze, similar to rose gold

#11- BUSTED- deep brown with a sheen finish

#12- BLACKOUT- black with a matte finish

~~~~~~~Swatches~~~~~~~

Booty Call, Chopper, Tease and Snakebite

Suspect, Pistol, Verve and YDK

Foxy, Half Baked (repeat from 1st Naked palette), Busted and Blackout

Close-Up Shots of the Shadows

L-R- Foxy, Half Baked, Booty Call & Chopper

L-R- Tease, Snakebite & Suspect

L-R- Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted & Blackout

Swatch of Lip Junkie gloss in "Naked"

~~~~~~~Spring Nail Polish Picks~~~~~~~

L-R- Essie's A Crewed Interest, Sally Hansen's Gem Crush in Be-Jeweled and Essie's Ole' Caliente

In addition to the Naked 2 palette, I picked up two shades from Essie's Spring 2012 collection plus a lovely polish by Sally Hansen.  A Crewed Interest is a creamy, peach shade that is really unique.  Ole' Caliente is a bold, orange-red that would look phenomenal against tan skin.  Sally Hansen's Be-Jeweled is currently on my toes and it sparkles very nicely.  If you are a purple lover like myself, you will love this shade!  Essie costs $8 each and Sally Hansen's Gem Crush shades are about $6.50 each.  You can find Essie and Sally Hansen at Ulta or your local CVS.

I also picked up a new blue polish by Milani in honor of my son's recent blue belt in karate and a new bronzer.  Bolting Blue is a nice bold, blue shade that goes on smoothly.  You can find Milani nail polish at Target, CVS and Walmart.  Park Ave Princess is a smooth, medium toned bronzer that has no shimmer.  I really like this bronzer since it goes on smoothly, doesn't fade throughout the day and gives me a nice glow.  You can find this bronzer at Ulta for $29.00.  Did I mention it is waterproof too?! 

Milani's Bolting Blue nail polish and Tarte's Park Ave Princess bronzer

Close-up of Tarte's Park Ave Princess (notice I am wearing Ole' Caliente by Essie on my nails).

~~~~~~~Shoes & Dresses~~~~~~~

I've been hunting down some leopard flats and look at what I found at Target!  Run...don't walk to Target for these super-cute leopard flats!!!  They are only $14.99!

I needed some nude pumps for a new suit I bought recently...how about these?  I found them at Target for only $29.99!  They are comfortable too!  Nude pumps go with everything!

Since I've been on such a leopard print kick lately, how about this scarf that I found for $14.99 at World Market?  I also picked up these earrings and bracelet which were both $4.99 (plus 20% off).

Finally I want to share two dresses I picked up this weekend at my favorite store...Belk!  Belk always has incredible clearance racks and these dresses were a steal!  The black dress was originally $110.00 and I got it for $26.00!  The purple print dress was originally $98.00 and I got it for $11.99!  I plan to wear the black dress to an evening wedding I am going to in March.  It has a tiered skirt (hard to see in this picture) with a bodice lined in nude under lace.  The purple dress will be perfect for work! 

Black lace dress-$26!

Purple print dress-$11.99!

As a side note...I've been playing this song on repeat this past week :) 

How to clean makeup brushes!

I wanted to stop in for a quick blog on how to clean your makeup brushes.  Dirty makeup brushes carry bacteria that can lead to acne and eye infections.  It's important to lightly cleanse brushes after each use (I use makeup remover wipes) but even cleaning brushes after each use doesn't replace a deep cleaning that I recommend once a week.  Deep cleaning your brushes helps to reach the makeup (especially foundation, blush and bronzer) and bacteria that rests deep inside the brush hairs causing the most trouble. 

I promise that cleaning your brushes using the simple technique below will save you money and is more effective than any brush cleanser I've ever bought!

Here is what you will need-

Dishwashing liquid and olive oil

You begin by distributing half of the olive oil and half of the dishwashing liquid onto a saucer.  I prefer scented dishwashing liquid since it leaves behind a pleasant smell on my brushes.  The dishwashing liquid helps to rid the brushes of any stubborn makeup and the olive oil helps to moisturize the bristles and to keep them soft.

Once the saucer is filled, you take the brush head and twirl the bristles evenly in the olive oil and the dishwashing liquid.  Coat the bristles and rub them either on the palm of your hand or between your fingers.  

The last step is to simply rinse.  I prefer to rinse my brushes in the kitchen sink so I can use the sprayer to ensure they are completely free of any soap residue.  Avoid spraying water on the brush beyond the brush hairs.  

After washing your brushes, wipe them down and squeeze out any excess water.  Lastly lay them down on a paper towel to air dry.  It can take up to 24 hours for larger brushes (kabuki) to dry.  It's important to remember to lay your brushes down flat to dry.  You don't want to dry your brushes standing with the bristles facing up or you will end up with damaged brushes like this one-

When brushes are allowed to dry standing up, excess water in the brush head seeps down and eats away at the glue holding the brush together.  The hairs will begin to shed then finally separate from the handle and you will end up with a brush that looks like this one!

I have found cleansing makeup brushes using olive oil and dishwashing liquid has been effective for natural and synthetic brush hairs alike.  I've tried many different cleansing methods but this is the simplest, cheapest and most effective there is!