Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup - Review

Where has this Photoshop in a bottle been all my life?  Where?

I'd read some reviews on this on the Debenhams website but you know, I've learned, as have many of you I'm sure, that high expectations often lead to disappointment due to the fact that everyone's skin and preferences vary so much!  Well, in this case, I was not disappointed!!  

I literally only got this yesterday, and I just had to write about it!  It can't wait!

First of all, can we all just take a moment to appreciate how aesthetically pleasing the packaging is!?

Seriously?  And, even though it looks like a heavy glass bottle, it's not, it's super lightweight and has a pump dispenser.  

Now, there's quite a bit to cover about the foundation itself!

I got mine in the shade 0.5 which, according to the lady at the counter, is the lightest pink undertoned shade.  I wasn't sure if it would be a perfect match because it looked that much lighter than the shade 1.0, but once again I just didn't realise how pale I really am (not that I'm complaining, because if bleaching beds were a thing, I would be all up in that!) and it turned out to be a perfect match!  It blends into my neck seamlessly.  I think I may have hyperventilated when I first put it on!  Ha, ha!!

The formula itself is just so fluid and lightweight that you can literally apply this whatever way you like.  I still used a stippling brush as they're my favourite, and it applied absolutely beautifully.

I look for a couple of things in a foundation, and this passed all the tests with flying colours!

1. It didn't make the pores on my nose look demonic (a common problem), in fact, they were GONE.

2. This foundation is so fluid that I brought it up around my eyes instead of using a concealer, and it didn't settle into any fine lines at all throughout the day!

3. It covered all my freckles and any small blemishes without any issues.

4. I like full coverage foundation, and while I would classify this as medium coverage,  it is definitely buildable. 1 1/2 - 2 pumps is what I used and I was more than ecstatic with the result.

I applied mine over moisturiser only because, as I said in my previous post, I'm not the biggest fan of primers, I don't feel like they do much, and I wanted to see how well this foundation fared throughout the day with no extra "help" anyway, and it truly did not disappoint. 

 I felt like I was walking around with a Photoshop filter in front of my face all day!

I know the lighting isn't great, but in Ireland it's dark by like 5pm now, so all I had to work with was artificial light.  But this is what my foundation looked like after a good 8 hours of wear having endured a  hot, stuffy house party and then a cold evening breeze.

I took the photo at this angle so you can see how matte my nose, cheek and forehead still look.  For someone who would normally be shining bright like a diamond at that point, this is amazing. 

A couple of things to note are:

I definitely recommend you apply a good moisturiser underneath this if you're on the drier side because, it can and will cling to dry patches, but not in a horrendous "mouse formula foundation" kind of way.

If you're on the oilier side, I think this is still a good foundation for you.  I set my T-zone (which always becomes infuriatingly shiny throughout the day!) with a very light dusting of my No7 Perfect Light Loose Powder, and it lasted all day without any touchups and it didn't slide off and I didn't blind any cars with the reflection of my nose in their headlights on the way home!

Also, this is a water-based foundation, so silicone based primers mightn't be the greatest idea, as it will more than likely just encourage the foundation to slip and slide all over the place as the day goes on.

Now that I've tried this and seen just how amazing it is, I'm really thinking about snatching up the Naked Skin Concealer.  Have any of you tried it?  Is it amazing?  And most importantly, does it crease around the eyes??  Let me know!  

If you want to see some eye looks I've been wearing, stuff I've been buying, other random stuff or check in tomorrow to see this foundation freshly applied (in natural daylight this time), follow me on Instagram by clicking here!

If you've any other questions about the foundation, let me know!

Chat to ye all soon!

Shiv xx

Dermacol Seduction Lipstick

For those of you who aren't familiar with this brand (as I wasn't until a couple of months ago when I stumbled upon a Dermacol saleswoman in a car-boot sale!), here's a little info:

Dermacol started up in Prague, Czech Republic, back in the 60's, one of their bestselling items is 'Dermacol Makeup Cover', an extremely high coverage foundation widely used for face and body and for covering acne, rosacea and other skin conditions - this is actually my favourite Dermacol item to date (you can read more about it on their official website by clicking here, and I will be doing a post about the best ways to apply it very soon!).

They also claim that their products are not tested on animals, which is a huge plus for me!

I picked up this lipstick (among some other Dermacol goodies that I'll tell you about soon) in the Dermacol store in the Palladium shopping centre in Prague.

The only reason I actually bought it, was because I was suckered in by the super cute packaging.  >.< I got mine in the shade "07" because I like this kind of nude shade (they have some lovely nudes) and I thought this one in particular was quite unique as it has purplish/brownish undertones.

I love the shape of the bullet itself, and the detail of the little Dermacol logo pressed onto it.  

The website claims that this range is high coverage and has a creamy texture.  I agree with half of that statement.  It is extremely creamy, it doesn't tug at the lips, your lips feel very moisturised and it's extremely comfortable to wear.  However, I wouldn't call this a 'high coverage' lipstick.  It's not sheer, but it's got just the right amount of colour and is fairly buildable.  

For an intense lip colour though, you would definitely want to wear a lipliner with it.    

Here's a link if you'd like to have a look at the rest of the range:  Dermacol Seduction Lipstick. 

As far as I'm aware there are currently no Dermacol stores in Ireland, and even their website doesn't indicate how you can order their products.  The good news is that even if you're not planning on visiting a country that has Dermacol, you can buy many of their products online via the likes of eBay.

Thanks for reading, I hope this was of some interest or at least somewhat helpful!

Chat again soon.  Bye!

Shiv x

My (short) trip to Prague 2015

First of all, I have to get this out there…

 What is the deal with the airport in Prague!?  It was the strangest setup we’d ever seen (and I’ve been in many an airport myself), particularly on the way back to Ireland.

You show your passport and boarding pass, and then you wind up in exactly the same place that you were when you arrived to the airport on your way into the country.  And THEN you do all your duty-free shopping and whatnot BEFORE going through security, and each gate seemed to have its own security check, rather than just going through security, doing your shopping and then finding your gate…  We found it pretty confusing to say the least.

But anyway!  Prague was an experience and a half for an endless list of reasons, but for the sake of this post, I’m just going to talk about the trip itself and my own experience.

When we arrived in Prague airport, we went to the information desk to find out how to get to our hotel from there.  Turns out we had to get a bus to the metro, and from there we had to get on the red line, then the green line (or maybe it was the opposite way around?) and then our hotel would be 500 metres away… 

We got lost.

Looong story short, long before we eventually found our hotel, we ended up running down the middle of a dual carriageway, with our suitcases, at minus one degree, at 8:30 in the evening, laughing like lunatics as panic began to set in.  I can only imagine the drivers telling their families about us when they got home.  #Gobshites

Laura and myself 

Snug as a bug in a rug...  It was -1 the whole time!

Day two of the trip, was amazing!  We woke up to a beautiful snowy morning (even though sadly it didn't stick), and having picked up a few tourist information leaflets from the hotel, we decided to make our way over to the Palladium - Best shopping centre I've ever been to!

Over 200 shops, including some of my old favourites like Lush and The Body Shop, and some new favourites like Dermacol and Sephora!

The city itself was beautiful.  The buildings and streets are so different to anything else I've ever seen.  Some buildings you look at and assume they're something important based on the intricacy of the architecture and design alone, and then you get up close and see that it's actually just a shop or a restaurant!

Nike shop in Prague

I'm not the most adventurous of creatures, so I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't dare to try any of the real local cuisine, more than anything because I had heard that the diet is very meaty, and as a person that doesn't eat pork/beef/chicken/anything, I decided to just steer clear of anything that I was unfamiliar with! Ha ha!  I wound up eating pizza (To. Die. For.), and sushi... 

Sushi... proper sushi... so, raw fish.

I love sushi, I'll even dare to say that I'm half decent at making my own...  But I had never tried sushi with raw salmon on it.  It wasn't bad, it was just a shock to the tastebuds since I was expecting smoked salmon.  I could've gotten over the difference in the taste if it hadn't have been for the texture.  I couldn't deal with that texture!!  Eventually I just ditched all the fish, but apart from that it was good. XD

Apart from the food issues, getting lost and our dual carriageway incident the only other issue I had was with the currency.  I'd say I looked well at the tills, examining every single coin! 

All in all it was a great trip, I loved the city, I have every intention of going back (for a longer stay) and I highly recommend anyone that gets the opportunity to visit the country to take it with both hands!  

I will be doing a separate post about the little shopping I did and then separate reviews on the products, so if you'd be interested in reading those, feel free to come back or to follow.

Thanks for reading!  

Shiv xx