Monday 26 May 2014

Wearable smoky eye, featuring the Urban Decay Naked Palette

Today I felt like wearing a bit more make-up, so I thought I'd post about it!



The Urban Decay Naked palette (the original) is a great option for nights out, but I wanted to create a smoky look that you could also wear in the day. Here's what I did:
Firstly, I applied Nars' Pure Radiant tinted moisturiser in the shade Finland to my face using a Real Techniques brush. This allows you to buff the product into your skin for a natural look. The photo doesn't show up my red patches or pigmentation issues. This product does not cover them completely, but evens everything out.

Then I used Urban Decay's Primer Potion to make sure my eyeshadow adhered well once applied. 

I used the shade Sin from the palette to highlight the inner corner of my eyes and blended it across the eyelid slightly using a Mac 217 blender brush.

Next I used Naked (a light neutral brown) across the whole lid. Combing matte shades over shimmers is a good way to play down the look, especially if you're a little older and don't want to draw attention to less youthful eyelids. The effect you're left with is still illuminating, but not too stark and glitzy. This makes it more appropriate for a formal occasion or the daytime. 

Finally I used Buck and then Darkhorse in the outer corners and crease to add depth and definition. Buck is a more reddish, darker brown and matte; Darkhorse is, as the name implies, a dark, cocoa-brown shimmer. I placed this final colour just in the very outer corner and slightly in the crease to complete the smoky effect. I then used a brush to blend the colours together.
Left to right: Sin, Naked and then Buck and Darkhorse
I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On eye pencil in Rockstar, a dark eggplant purple with shimmer. These pencils are amazing because they go on like a gel consistency and once set, do not budge. I lined the top lash line with a thin subtle sweep; to the lower lashes I only added liner as far as the middle of my eye and blended it out with a Mac pencil brush to make it look less harsh. This is a good way to make coloured eyeliner more wearable.

For mascara, I used my YSL Faux Cils which I previously reviewed here. It is fantastic at adding volume and length, however, as expected, it is beginning to dry out a bit, so I may be swapping back to Benefit's They're Real soon.
To disguise my ever-present dark circles, I used a little of Bobbi Brown's Corrector in Light Bisque, which is salmon-tinted and therefore counteracts the blue under my eyes. I also applied some Nars' Creamy Concealer in the shade Vanilla which is a great option for dehydrated, crepey undereyes like mine.

To add slight definition to my eyebrows, I like to apply a little bit of Charlotte Tilbury's Brow Lift eyebrow pencil in Grace K (a light brown colour). This is the most amazing eyebrow pencil because it is quite a stiff texture, so you can build it up gradually. I just like to fill in any sparse areas and then brush through with the brush included.

For cheeks, I used Mac's Well Dressed because I wanted the eyes to be the main feature of this look. Similarly, on the lips I used some Lanolips lipbalm in Rhubarb (a nice pink shade).

And here is the result:
Excuse the wet hair!
I hope this gives you some ideas of how to use this palette to make a wearable look for day or night. See below for all of the products I used. Thanks for reading!
Don't ask me why the pencil brush is in the concealer!

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