Urban Decay are known for launching amazing products throughout the year and each year there is more and more excitement. The Naked collection from UD is already high up on everyones list and now theres a new palette to get your hands on; the Naked Heat is the hottest Naked palette yet in my opinion. Even the look of the palette is on fire and the shades are too die for with rusty oranges, fiery reds and smokey purples.


Urban kindly sent me the Heat palette* a couple of weeks ago and I've been experimenting with the shades and creating hot AF looks. I'll be honest I only own the Naked Ultimate Basics palette from the Naked collection as I'm not a nude/neutral eye shadow lover but I was super excited about the Heat palette as soon as it was announced. Although the shades still fit perfectly into the Naked collection they have way more colour and appeal to my alternative style.


The Heat palette has 12 ALL NEW shades and it's a must have for any UD fan, the guys at Urban have taken inspiration from popular shades in the Vice 4 palette (Bitter) and Naked Ultimate Basics (Extra Bitter) which are reddish brown and burnt orange shades; it's like the fans asked and UD gave! There are 7 matte shades, 2 metallic, 2 shimmer and 1 micro shimmer inside the beautiful palette, my favourites being 'Scorched' a metallic deep red with gold micro shimmer and 'Ashes' a deep reddish brown matte; both of these shades can help create a smokey heated eye look. I'd expect no less from UD than each shade featuring the Trademarked 'Pigment Infusion System' which gives you amazing staying power, blendability and a velvety texture. I always find UD's shadows apply easily and the longevity is amazing!!! The Heat palette gives me everything I'd expect and more, it's completely different to any other palette and sits in my collection strongly.


Whenever I'm thinking about purchasing a palette the packaging can throw me or influence me to buy it so packaging is really important when it comes to cosmetics; UD know this and put so much effort into their packaging. Heat is no exception, it's still the same shape, style and pan size as the other Naked palettes but in a whole new world of its own, the fading background on the lid adds to the heat theme and the 'HEAT' text on the top is graphically appealing, the rest of the palette is a fiery metallic orange shade and the eyeshadow pans sit nicely in a brown setting. Under the lid is a full size mirror and theres a double ended brush included so applying makeup on the go is easy with this palette. The brush has a blending brush on one end and a crease brush on the other, all you need to create that hot heated look.


As I've said above I've had the palette a couple of weeks now and have had loads of fun wearing the shades and creating different looks whenever I can. The two lighter shades in the palette 'Ounce' and 'Chaser' make perfect base shades then you can build up the mid-shades like 'Lumbre' and Dirty Talk' before adding the darker shades to define the look and line the lower lash line; I particularly like the 'En Fuego' shade for this. The layout of the shades makes it easy to create those ombré looks and you can work your way around the palette comfortably.




I've swatched the whole palette so you can really see the intense shades and the metallic's are crazy pigmented!! Look at that shine! Naked Heat has taken a favourite spot on my dresser along with my other UD palettes and I don't see it moving any time soon!



You can get your hands on the Heat palette now from Urban Decay's website and in stores.

Being a makeup fan and Street Art admirer I am so excited about the collaboration between Urban Decay and Jean-Michel Basquiat that recently launched. I first caught wind of the collection through social media a bit ago; the UD socials were showing a launch party and all the products looked amazing! Bright and bold shades with creative packaging and we all know that Urban know how to do packaging!

Liv from my local Urban Decay counter in Debenhams invited me down to see the collection and give me a creative eye look using the new products. Arriving at the counter I could see the special stand filled with the Basquiat products. My first thoughts was how fantastic the packaging looked in person, then I picked a palette up and was even more amazed; the palettes and lipsticks packaging have a canvas-like feel to them. This really shows the artists work in a new creative way for a makeup palette.


The full collection is made up of 2 eyeshadow palettes, a blush palette, 3 lipstick shades and 3 liners, these are all available on the Wigan Urban Decay counter. You can also get a vault filled with the whole collection and and 3 makeup bags from the UD website; all of which have Basquiat designs on them.

Eyeshadow Palatte's Tenant and Gold Griot

Tenant is my favourite of the two palettes because of the bright and bold shades included; I've always been more of a fan of colourful eyeshadows than nudes/browns. This palette opens landscape and has the Basquiat's art work all the way around. Each of the 8 shades included is based on the colours used in the artist's work from 1960 (bright pink) to Exu (bright green). There are 4 matte shades, 1 matte-satin shade, a metallic shade and 2 shimmer shades; there are so many looks to create with this palette.


Gold Griot is the neutral palette in the collection featuring nude and brown shades, to me its like the base of the art work before the colour is added. It reminds me of a wood background (which is what the Gold Griot art work was created on) and brick work. I really like that this palette opens portrait which gives it an edge since this is different to the other palette Tenant and other Urban palettes. The shades range from pale nudes like Enigma to deep navy like Pseudonym and has shimmer shades like Influence so you can still have a stand out eye look without the bold shades in the other palette. Gold Griot includes 4 matte shades, 2 shimmer, 1 matte-satin and a metallic gold.


Every shade in both the palettes have UD's pigment inclusion system included, they are all blendable with a velvet texture; I'd expect nothing less from Urban. Both palettes also come with a double ended brush to apply each shade easily and on the back of the palettes is a cutout so you can hang the palettes up on display just like the pieces of art work they are.

Gallery Blush Palette
Another art work filled palette but inside is a face palette featuring 2 blush shades, 1 bronzer and a highlighting shade. The 4 shades have UD's afterglow formula so you have 8 hour long lasting wear. Jawbone is a medium bronze shade so it can be used on any skin tone, I'm very pale and this was perfect on me but can be built up for a darker look if needed. The gold-champagne shimmer (Now's The Time) gives an amazing glow to the upper cheek bones. Having 2 blush shades in the palette also means anyone can use the palette, you have a medium pink shade X-rated and a radiant berry NOHO which can be used alone or mixed to make your desired shade. Gallery Blush is a great travelling palette with having everything you need in one place and in a lightweight palette. This palette can also be displayed just like the eyeshadow ones, just hang up using the cutout on the back of the palette.


Lipsticks in shades; Abstract (brown), Exhibition (purple) and Epigram (nude)
Each of the lipsticks have the same formula as UD's Vice lipsticks so they are highly pigmented, have a creamy texture, super long lasting and are easy to apply. The shades aren't bright and bold shades but more neutral however you have some colour with Exhibition having a purple tone to it. Abstract is the brown shade and reminds me again of brickwork and Epigram is the perfect nude. Each lipstick has canvas-like packaging with Basquait's art work all around.


24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in shades; Post Punk (neon green), Vivid (blue), Anatomy (Brick)
The collection is complete with 3 eye pencils in 2 bright shades and one neutral, all of which work really well with both eyeshadow palettes or on there own. All 3 of the pencils have the standard 24/7 formula being waterproof, creamy glide on and long lasting, you can blend out each shade after applying for a more intense look. UD's 24/7 liners contain moisturising ingredients with vitamin E, cottonseed oil and jojoba oil. Vivid is my favourite shade out of the 3, this bright blue shade is just like nothing I've seen before. Post Punk is a neon green shade adding a pop of colour to any look. Anatomy is a brick brown shade and the neutral shade from the range. Although the pencils themselves don't have the Basquiat art work on them, they have the collaboration text on them.

Liv gave me a bold and colourful look using the Tenant palette and Vivid liner along with some UD favourites Moondust, Razor sharp liner and Heavy Metal glitter liners. I was really happy with the look being a full colour fan and I've tried recreating the look at home. To finish the look Liv applied the Exhibition lipstick and used one of the new lipstick top coats to add some glitter to my lips.

The Basquiat collaboration really is an art work collection, each time UD collaborate I am blown away with the creativity they put into the shades, packaging and products. I also think this collection is really good value for the money, the palettes aren't as expensive as I thought they would be and you always know that your getting the UD quality you'd expect.

You can pop into Debenhams stores and see the collection for yourself now!

If your a colour junkie with your makeup like me, then this is the palette you need. Urban Decay have given us the limited edition Full Spectrum palette featuring a whooping 21 shades (the most ever in any UD palette). Full Spectrum is filled with UD's iconic eyeshadows all with the trademarked Pigment Infusion System meaning each shade has a velvety texture, amazing staying power, is super blendable and rich in colour.


Urban Decay are known for giving us fans the best in colourful, bright and vivid eyeshadow shades so I think they have really struck gold with the Full Spectrum palette. Back in 2015 UD launched the Spectrum Eyeshadow palette which was limited edition and everyone went crazy trying to get hold of the palette so if you bought that palette or didn't manage to get your hands on it, the Full Spectrum will blow you away either way. Go out now and pick up the Full Spectrum palette, it's filled with vivid shades from bold brights to matte white. Inside the palette the shades are organised with each row containing an ombré of shades grouping each three eyeshadows by colour family including yellows, pinks, oranges, purples, blues, greens and a wildcard row featuring black to white.

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Girl Meets Brush was founded in 2015 by Lynne Mills a celebrity makeup artist; she created a range of 12 essential makeup brushes for use by professionals and non-professionals. Lynne Mills started her career studying in Manchester and had a desire to run her own business, she set up the EyeCandy Pro team in 2005, which is an award winning company within the bridal industry. Lynne is the co-founder of eye-lash company Miss Flicklash by Eylure which will be relaunched with new branding in 2016 according to the GMB website.

As well as buying these beautiful brushes, with each full set you also get an online makeup consultation but you can also purchase makeup master-class sessions via the website too. I found GMB through Dollibox, a few months ago a Girl Meets Brush were featured in Dollibox; I liked that the brushes handles are a grey colour with a matte black bristle holder, this is very different towards other makeup brush brands and made them stand out to me. All of Girl Meets Brush's products are Vegan friendly and cruelty free too.


I went ahead and ordered the 6-piece Smokey Eyes & Eyeliner set which is priced at £44.99, this comes with 6 makeup brushes, a GMB brush bag and an online makeup consultation. I was really excited for my brushes to arrive and couldn't wait to try them out. I haven't claimed the online makeup consultation so I won't have any comments on that but I have found the brushes to be amazingly good quality, aesthetically pleasing to look at and they apply makeup really well.

I particularly went with the eye set as that's what I spend most of my time on when applying makeup and I have a lot of different eye products so having plenty of eye brushes is beneficial for me. The 6 brushes included are; the Eyeshadow Shader brush, Eyeshadow Blending brush, Pencil brush, Highlighter Blending brush, Angled Eyeliner brush and an Eyeliner brush. The GMB bag is the perfect length to fit all the brushes in and leaving plenty of room for my makeup products too, I like that the bag is clear so I can see everything inside.

Highlighter Blending brush & Pencil brush 


These are my two favourite brushes in the set, I particularly like the 'Pencil' brush, this is a really versatile makeup brush. You can apply almost everything with this, it's great for applying eyeshadow to the outer corners of your eyes and packing a lot of pigment onto your eyes; the brush holds a lot of product and by dabbing the brush onto my eye I found it left a lot of product on my eye lids, this saves me so much time! The 'Highlighter' brush is another fabulous shaped brush, not only is this brush perfect for applying your base eyeshadows but also for applying highlighter to the tops of your cheeks, nose and brow bone; again its a versatile brush. All the brushes bristles are soft and so they are save to use around the eye area which can be delicate.

Eyeshadow Blending brush & Eyeshadow Shader brush


The two eyeshadow brushes are probably the two I use most, the Eyeshadow Blending brush is used for every eye look because we all know that blending is key to creating most looks. I like the domed shape of the brush and the soft bristles help to blend your eyeshadow easily, the bristles are also longer than some of the other brushes which also helps to blend and can reach all over your eye at ease. The Eyeshadow Shading brush is a flat brush with fine fibres which is great for applying a full base shade or working into the crease of your eye. The flat shape of the brush creates a denser feel to the bristles so a little product goes a long way on this brush too.

Angled Eyeliner brush & Eyeliner brush


Eyeliner brushes are a brush I don't use very often for the only reason that I find applying eyeliner with a brush difficult and usually stick to my felt tip pen style products. I have used this eyeliner brush for applying brow product in small strokes, this helped me create a fuller looking brow. The Angled Eyeliner brush to me looks like a brow brush but again this just gives the brush multiple uses; like all of the GMB brushes. The angled brush is slightly wider than a standard brow brush meaning applying eyeliner with it would probably be easier as more of your eye is covered in one stroke, again I haven't used this brush for applying for eyeliner but used it on my brows and to tidy up my lipstick. Using this brush around my lips to tidy up a rushed lipstick job was easy and effortless, the shape of the brush and a little concealer makes small lippie mistakes disappear.

To fully review these brushes, I have washed them a few times to see how they dried and if the quality held up after washing. I can confirm that the brushes washed easily with product coming out of the brushes with brush wash and a brush cleaning tool. I always dry my brushes upside down or hanging off a shelf so they dry well so I did this with my GMB set and found they dried in the same shape they arrived in and the quality is just the same even after quite a few washes.

I'm very impressed with everything about these brushes; the company, design, quality and uses are all spot on, I will definitely be purchasing another set in the future!
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On Thursday evening I was lucky enough to be invited to Urban Decay's exclusive VIP preview evening in the new European flagship store, which is located on Carnaby Street in London. The new store is in the perfect location for us beauty lovers with an easy to find store, about half way down Carnaby St, you can see the store beaming with neon lights from afar.


I was super excited for the evening and was really eager to see the new store especially since I haven't been in an UD boutique before; there is only UD counters close me at home. Although I have read online that there may be a Liverpool boutique opening soon??? Travelling to London takes me 2 hours each way by train, I arrived at Euston station a few hours before the store event, so I spent my time exploring Carnaby Street. There is lots of beauty boutiques and stores around the area so I truly think UD will fit straight in.


At 6 o'clock I made my way to the store with 2 other bloggers who I had spoken to on twitter earlier that day, we all gave our name at the door and was let into the UD wonderland. The store was lit up like Blackpool illuminations (northern girl in London here), everything looked amazing from a full range of products to the stores flooring! I was looking around trying to take it all in. The boutique is home to UD exclusive makeup and boutique lifestyle products you can't find anywhere else, there's extravagant fixtures throughout with custom neon lights directing you to the different areas in the store. Urban Decay have literally gone all out with this flagship boutique!


Inside the store to the right was a lady giving out fresh purple popcorn for us guests to enjoy. I spotted the Naked vault, Pro Brushes vault amongst other UD gift sets on a table close by; I was so happy to see the Pro Brushes up close and in their beautiful floral box, it would be a dream to own this set! The Naked vault was the biggest I've ever seen with not only the Naked palettes included but also lipsticks and liners; this would make the best Christmas present. I couldn't wait to see the Full Spectrum eyeshadow palette and see the bright vivid shades, the palette is an absolute dream. Being a colourful eyeshadow lover myself this is a palette I can't wait to try and wear. (I will be reviewing this palette in another blog post shortly)





In the middle of the store was a stand filled with products from Vice lipsticks to All Nighter foundations. I liked this display as it was a different view of the products than just being on a wall display like they usually are, especially on UD counters; this gave the store a boutique and different feel to it. Also on the first floor was the Vice Lip App wall where you can take a selfie and try on every shade of Vice lipstick, this app is available on the app store for you to try at home too. I enjoyed using the Vice app as trying on 100 lipsticks would take forever; its also really easy and fun to use.


There were celebrity DJ's (Laura Whitmore & Charli Vos) playing music whilst we explored the store on the evening which gave it a party atmosphere. Heading down the colourful stairs to the UD lounge was a very exciting experience. Downstairs features 8 makeup stations in an ever evolving space which can be used for events and is the perfect beauty hangout spot. As well as these 8 amazing beauty stations, the lounge has a refreshments bar which was serving mini bottles of Moet with gold sippers, purple PRESS juice and Fuji water on the night. Phone chargers are available as well as a realtime Instagram wall featuring what's hot in the makeup world and a selfie station ring of light where you can upload gifs of your new makeup looks; I of course had to have a go on this. (see my Twitter for my gif) You can join the online conversation by using the hashtag #UDCarnaby.





Adding to the purple theme there was another circus wonderland foodie station making purple candy floss which was very yummy, I took some with me to eat on the train home too. The event got every busy with guests dropping in throughout the evening, the store was filled with bloggers, celebrity guests, press and VIPs with everyone talking about the new store, makeup and UD products. Everyone was checking out the product stands with a whole wall decided to the Pro brushes, an area filled with Vice lipsticks and a best selling palette wall too; there really was so much too see.



Upon leaving the event I was given a goodie bag which I will review in another blog post, thank you to Urban Decay for putting on such a glam and exciting event; the boutique looks fabulous!
The store screams UD's 'beauty with an edge' mantra and is like nothing I've seen before, you really need to experience the boutique for yourself. If your a true UD junkie or beauty lover like myself you will have the best time in the store. I already can't wait to visit again next time I'm in London!
You will find the new Urban Decay store at 44-45 Carnaby Street, London, W1F 9PS and you will not be disappointed when you visit, trust me!

As you all know if you read my blog that I'm a massive fan of Urban Decay however the Naked palettes have some what never made it into my collection; I think this is because I love bright and bold shades when it comes to my eyeshadow so the Naked palettes have always felt a little too neutral for me until now.

The newest Naked palette launched last month in September, it's the Naked Ultimate Basics palette which is an all matte palette filled with 12 new Naked shades. The fact that this palette was all matte pulled my interests straight away, all the UD fans have been asking for is a full matte palette so UD have listened and given us the goods.


Lets talk about the case and how amazing the design is; when I first saw the palette I was surprised at the size of it as I expected it to be a lot bigger however with 12 shades inside its actually the perfect size. Instead of a long tin-like case like the previous Naked palettes UD have gone with a new shape being square and added a crazy good design on the lid; the design is fresh and unique but still has the a Naked vibe to it. The lid has a sort of 3D effect with the text raised up on the palette making it dressing table worthy too. The bold and striking design also has a futuristic feel to it which pulls the eyes into the middle of the palette to read the 3D text featured.


Inside the lid is a full size mirror making the palette a great travelling item and of course a mini sized double ended brush is also included to apply those matte shades easily. This brush has bigger bristles on one end to apply those base shades and is great for blending, the other end sports a small smudge-like brush which is super for applying eyeshadow into the crease of your eye and under your waterline. The whole palette comes together so nicely and each shade adds to that 'ultimate' autumnal look we want over the A/W months. The magnetic lid keeps those shades safe and sound inside the secure case that you just won't want to put down.

Each shade is not only new but also exclusive to this palette so you won't find the same shades in any of the other Naked palette; this is a completely brand new palette all together. The shades included in the ultimate basics palette are very appealing to me more so than the other Naked palettes because of the darker shades. Although they are still Naked shades they are highly wearable for a bright coloured eyeshadow lover like myself.

The top row of the palette is slightly lighter in shades than the bottom row, I particularly like these shades for base colours especially 'Blow' and 'Nude' both of these are perfect for starting your makeup looks before layering the darker shades like 'Lethal' over the top. I've used the base shades with some of my bolder UD shadows from other palettes as well; they really are amazing for this, the matte velvety texture leaves a long-lasting sleek look. Of course each shade is highly pigmented and blendable just as you'd expect from UD.


On the bottom row are the darker shades including 'Extra Bitter' which is my favourite shade in the whole palette, this burnt orange shade is absolutely perfect for Autumn. 'Magnet' is a grey shade that had hits of blue in it, this is a second favourite shade of mine. It's a different shade that I've never seen anywhere else before; it feels really new to me. The shadow pans look the same size as in previous Naked palettes, they are a long rectangle shape which is great when putting product on your brush, a couple of sweeps applies enough product onto the brush to apply onto your whole eye lid.


For my first Naked palette I'm very impressed, the matte shades are lovely and easy to work with; I will be wearing this palette throughout the A/W months and well into Spring too. I'm also now thinking I need to buy the Smokey palette and add to my new Naked collection.

The Naked Ultimate Basics Palette is available to buy online and on Urban Decay counters for £38.50. I bought mine from Debenhams and used my Beauty Club card points and got £5 off; I love my points cards for times like this.
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Too Faced is a brand I've followed for a while now but not long enough, I first discovered them online but didn't make a purchase for some time. After that I started to see some products pop up in TK Maxx stores and this gave me an opportunity to try the brand before purchasing online from over seas; I was super impressed with the first product I brought which was a lipstick and this started my love for Too Faced!

Recently Too Faced announced that they had worked with NikkieTutorials to create a new must have set called 'The Power of Makeup' and it would be available to purchase from Debenhams; of course I went ahead and brought the set as soon as possible.


The set is made up of a gorgeous palette filled with eyeshadows, blush, hightligher and contour products; along with this palette there is a full size Sketch Marker Eyeliner, Deluxe Glamour Dust Glitter Pigment in shade Glitterally, Deluxe Shadow Insurance Eye Shadow Primer, Deluxe Better Than Sex Mascara in an exclusive purple shade and 3 Glamour Guides.

The Palette really is amazing and includes 9 NEW eyeshadow shades including a beautiful purple shade called 'Wham Bam' which I absolutely love because its so bright and bold. The top of the palette features lighter shades that are brilliant for base eyeshadows; 'Sugar Coated' is my favourite of the top 3 shades, its a pink pearlescent shade and I can't stop using it. On the second row are some neutral shades including 'Irresistible' which is a gold glittery shade; it's perfect for any night out. Lastly the final row of eyeshadows are more me, than any of the other shades, 'Mystic Hour', 'Wham Bam' and 'Wanted' are all super pigmented and bold; they create dark and mystic looks which I like to wear. All 9 eyeshadow pans are a decent size and will last, along with all being very pigmented and with the use of the eyeshadow primer they stay put all day.


Under the eyeshadows there are 2 blush shades; 'I Will Always Love You' is an orange shade and 'Justify My Love' is a pinky shade; I personally prefer the pink shade as it matches my skin tone better than the orange. Below these blush shades is one contour pan (Chocolate Soleil) and one highlighting shade (Champagne Truffle). I have tried the Chocolate Soleil shade before in a set and enjoyed using it as a contour shade, it blends beautifully on my skin and isn't too dark for me. 'Champagne Truffle' is from the chocolate bar collection and is Nikkie's go to shade for the perfect glow and it really does leave a perfect glow once applied; it's become one of my favourite hightlighers.


Too Faced's Better than Sex mascara has already been hyped up in the beauty world and I couldn't wait to try it, the mascara included in this set is also in an exclusive purple shade; yay! I do usually stick to black mascara but I've been playing around with coloured mascaras and liners lately since there on trend. This purple mascara is the perfect shade that isn't too bright and in your face but still stands out enough to see the purple colour. The hourglass shaped wand glides the mascara onto my lashes at ease and only a little product is needed to cover all of my lashes. I received a black shade of this mascara in my Glossybox this month which I'm over the moon about; look out for my review of that coming up soon.

Eyeliner is an absolute staple in my makeup bag and I don't leave the house without it, I was pleased to see a full sized Sketch Maker in this set and its in black; my go to liner shade. The Sketch Marker is an ink like liner that has a calligraphy tip which helps to create a smooth winged liner. I found this liner to be long lasting however I did see some colour fading throughout the day; nothing that couldn't be topped up though.


The Deluxe Glamour Dust Glitter Pigment in shade Glitterally is a beautiful sliver, pearl shade that twinkles with blue and purple tones. Its high in pigment and holds up well all day, I've applied this over my eyeshadow, on top of lipstick, used it for festival looks on my cheeks and in my hair. Its such a versatile product, only a little bit of product is needed as it seems to blend out well but for a more intense look applying more layers works too. Before applying over my eyeshadow I dabbed on a little of the Shadow Insurance that also came in the set, this eyeshadow primer is a thin creamy skin coloured formula that feels so soft on the skin. My eyeshadow and the glitter stayed put all day with using this primer under each layer; I will be purchasing a full size primer once this runs out.

Lastly in the set was a small booklet with 3 glamour guides in it from Nikkie herself, inside are 3 looks to create using some of the products in the set and some extra Too Faced products too. The first look is called ' Once Upon a Glam' which is a golden natural look with a hint of glam. 'Go Big or Go Goth' is the second look and my favourite being the alternative look in the guide. Finally ' Glitter is the New Black' is a glitter filled eye look that everyone could rock using that glitter pigment heavily on the eyes.


I've looked on the Debenhams site and as I'm publishing this post I can't find the set on the website but it is available still on the Too Faced website here. I've ordered from the Too Faced website in the past and had good experiences, the postage is fair and customs charges are included so there's no extra costs upon delivery. Every so often they run free international shipping offers so keep an eye out for those too.