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Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion PrimerI’ve heard and read a lot of mixed reviews about the Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer. I swatched it a while back at an Urban Decay masterclass. And from then, I was super intrigued, so I took the hit and picked it up from Debenhams.

Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer

First up, I really like the packaging of these UD primers (they come in different finishes). I always appreciate a pump when I’m spending a few bob on a product. I like that you can see how much product is in the bottle too. You get 28 mls for on average €29. So you’re getting a ml of product per euro. It contains rosehip and argan oil.Urban Decay Primer

So what does the Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer claim to do? Well pretty much that. They say it blurs pores and fine lines. As well giving a velvet like texture to the skin to help foundation go on smoother. It gives the skin a bit of a pink tint. UD say this helps illuminate the skin. I think if you’re my skin tone or lighter that might be the case. But, if you’re darker, it could give a white cast to the skin, that might not be so flattering.irish beauty blog

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I really like this primer, it works really well for me. I do tend to use it only in my t-zone though. It’s thick in consistency and takes a bit of working in to the skin. I press it into my skin with the tips of my fingers.top irish beauty blogtop irish beauty blogger

The big no no that people say about it is that it balls up as you apply. That definitely can happen with a silicone heavy product like this if you use too much, or use it over a thicker moisturiser. They’re two things I tend to avoid on a daily basis so for the most part it blends out smoothly on my skin. It definitely glides over my enlarged pores and helps fill in my more prominent forehead lines. It gives a smooth base and foundation blends well over top. I find it does help with longevity too. I do always set my makeup with powder as well though.

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It reminds me of a thicker Benefit Porefessional, with a drier finish on the skin. I find that as it is thicker, it goes further than Porefessional.

I can whole heartedly say I am happy enough that I spent the €29 on the Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer. It ticks all the primer boxes for me. My skin likes silicone heavy primers and this is definitely that with a more velvet finish. Have you tried it?

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Yes, I am talking about it again! I said I would 🙂 In the last post here, I gave you swatches and my initial thoughts on it. Now I am back with a full on Urban Decay BackTalk Tutorial! Lipstick included.

Urban Decay BackTalk Tutorial

Usually I probably would have went a bit more neutral on the eyes showcasing a palette like this. But the lighter shimmery eyeshadows really don’t float my makeup boat. So my Urban Decay BackTalk Tutorial ended up being a bit darker than intended. But that’s ok and I hope it gives you an idea of how some of the better shadows work. I don’t want to write the palette off completely. I want to hopefully give you an indication of the good and the bad. I think most things in this beauty industry is up for interpretation. We all have different needs and wants.

Urban Decay BackTalk Palette

As always you can click here to check out the video directly, or it’s at the top of this post to click on too, for your convenience 🙂

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I also used the namesake BackTalk lippie in this video, which I am really a fan of. This whole palette is based around this, their best selling lipstick.

 

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I also used a dark purple liner to add some definition to the top lash line. Lots of mascara, top and bottom and then a flesh coloured liner in the inner rim of my eyes just to make me look more awake. I know pinks and mauves can sometimes make the eyes look a little tired if you don’t break them up a little.

Urban Decay BackTalk Tutorial

And that’s pretty much it for my Urban Decay BackTalk tutorial, yep I called it a tutorial, sure feck it 🙂 You can buy it from Debenhams here pretty soon if you like what you see. House Of Fraser have it in stock now.

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top irish beauty blogThere’s been a lot of talk about the new Urban Decay BackTalk Palette. Yes I was trying to be clever using the name there and what of it? 🙂

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I’ve had my eye on it since it’s release. As you probably know I am a huge Urban Decay fan just in general. I always keep informed about their new releases. And Jesus there’s a lot of them to keep up with. I may look at the brand through rose coloured glasses, but I always feel like they put their own spin on new trends. The products are generally really good quality too, so they keep me interested.

I’ve been really liking the Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions Palette of late, so the Urban Decay BackTalk Palette is right up my mauve loving street.

Just in case you didn’t know the BackTalk Palette is completely inspired by Urban Decay’s best selling Vice lipstick BackTalk, which as you can see is a mauve lip lovers delight.top irish beauty bloggerurban decay vice lipstick backtalk

I recently went to a Masterclass in the Urban Decay Flagship store here in Dublin for the palette. They kindly gave me it to bring home and the lipstick too. I am obsessed with the lippie, it’s right up my street. Mauve, matte but not drying, opaque in colour and really comfortable. I can understand why it’s a best seller. We’re here to talk about the new release though 🙂

Urban Decay BackTalk Palette

The Urban Decay BackTalk Palette contains two components separated by a magnetic, removable mirror within the middle of it.Urban Decay BackTalk Palette

On one side we have blush and highlights, all within the mauve monochromatic theme.

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From left to right:

Cheap Shot, Double Take, Low Key, Party Foul.

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Then if we flip over to the other side of the mirror, there is eight eyeshadow shades. Ranging from a pinky nude, to a dark coppered brown shade. Containing mattes and shimmers.urban decay BackTalk Palette Ireland

From left to right:

3 Sheets, Bare, Curve, Backtalk, Shade, Attitude, WTF, 180.

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If I am being completely honest. Overall, this palette just doesn’t perform for me. There are some shades that I do like. The Party Foul highlighter is nice and I like Backtalk, Shade and WTF particularly. There’s no consistency to the formulas though. The lighter shimmer shadows Bare and Curve take a lot of work. I find the magnetic mirror really good in theory, as you can take it out to do your makeup or whatever. But if you leave it in it’s just a bit cumbersome when you are switching between sides. It moves around! If I hadn’t been kindly gifted this palette, I totally would have gone out myself and bought it. Would I have been disappointed with my purchase? I think I would have been yes 🙁irish beauty blog

I’ll definitely do a look over on my YouTube channel with the palette so you can see it in real action on the visage. For now, I’ll just leave you with my messy swatches.

The Urban Decay BackTalk Palette will be available from House Of Fraser and Debenhams in store and online from the 14th of June here in Ireland. The RRP is €43.00.

Does it float your mauve loving boat?

xxx

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Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine LipglossesThe Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lipglosses launched into the Urban Decay boutique here in Dublin last week. I was lucky enough, (I feel like I always say that, but I always do feel super lucky). To head in and see them in action, and also take some home to play with.

Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lipgloss

There is twenty Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lipglosses to choose from in the collection. There’s bright shades, neutrals and four different finishes. They are metallic, holographic, cream and sheer cream. The glosses contain Vitamin E and peppermint oil for a slightly (not stingy), plumping effect. And then the flavour throughout them all is vanilla but with a hint of mint.Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lipglosses

I brought home five of the twenty shades and have been playing around with them for the last few days. I never really wore gloss, I always just found it a bit too messy. But brands have really upped their game formula wise and the sticky mess they once were seem to be a thing of the past. Ever since I got my hands on their Fenty Gloss Bomb, I have been rocking a glossy lip more and more regularly. This release, for me has come at a bloody good time. The formula of the Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lipglosses, in my humble opinion are super comfortable and easy to apply. The scent/flavour although strong, isn’t sickening. Also, they don’t burn the bejaysus lips off you!Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lipglosses

I have some of the more tame colours, these are just the ones I happened to get, so sorry if they look kind of similar in picture form on the lips, I promise they each look a little different in real life.urban decay ireland

First up we have ‘Midnight Cowgirl’. This is a peachy gloss with a sheer cream finish.urban decay cosmeticsirish beauty blog

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Second is, ‘Fuel’. It’s a coral-brown gloss with a cream finish.top beauty blogtop beauty blogger

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The third one I have is Fireball. This is a holographic finish thats peachy with a pink shift.urban decay debenhamsurban decay lipstick

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Fourth is SPL. This is pink with a holographic finish.top irish beauty siteirish beauty youtuber

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Then lastly I have Naked. A pinky nude with a sheer cream finish.top irish beauty blogirish beauty blog beautynook

 

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Here they all are swatched side by side for reference:

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All of the Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lipglosses are available in the Urban Decay boutique in Dublin now. They are also on the UD UK website here. And, will available in and on Debenhams from the end of April. The RRP is €18. What do we think?

(Yes, I clearly lost my mind after the swatching fest, sure look 🙂 )

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beauty blog irelandI managed to get my little grubby hands on the new Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat Palette before it’s official release date here in Ireland. I guess this beauty blogging malarkey has it pros 🙂

Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat Palette

So what is the Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat Palette I hear you ask? This is the follow on from the very popular Naked Heat Palette. Urban Decay have done this a couple of times before where they bring out a similar mini version of one of their extremely popular Naked Palettes. There’s the Naked Basics and the Naked 2 Basics. They have very similar hues, but generally the shadows are mostly new shades.urban decay ireland

This is the same for the Naked Petite Heat. The six shades included are all new but the brand say they are inspired by the original Heat. The size makes it easier to throw into a handbag or bring travelling, but the pans are full sized within.irish beauty blogger

There are five matte shades and one ‘demi matte’. From left to right we have:beauty blogger ireland

INHALE, the demi matte highlighting shade. VIBRATE, a matte light peachy brown. HOT SPELL, a light medium orange toned matte brown. WILD THING, a rusty orange matte. HEIST, a medium warm brown. STRIKE, is a deep warm toned plum brown.top irish beauty blogtop irish beauty blogger

All the shades are rich in pigment, soft and blend-able. There is fallout, but that’s usually the case for Urban Decay as the shadows are generally soft and not tightly packed in the pan. I adore the original Naked Heat Palette so for me as a makeup junkie, this little palette is a nice addition to makeup collection. I honestly would have bought it anyways, as I do tend to collect UD Palettes.urban decay naked petite heat palette

It’s extremely warm in tone,  (as is the original Heat). But obviously with the original, you have the choice to go with shimmers or mattes. The looks you can create with this just on it’s own are limited, so that’s something to be aware of too. I used it in conjunction with a green shimmer shadow for St Paddy’s Day which you can see below.

There was a limited number of them for sale in the Urban Decay store here in Dublin. Once they’re gone, it means you won’t get your hands on it here, until it’s official release at the end of April. They do have a UK website though and the palette is available through that for £26 here. Will you be picking one up?

Update** It’s now available from Feel Unique to us online here 🙂

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Urban Decay All Nighter ConcealerMy lovely friend Sue aka @itscherrysue (she LOVES to be called that out in the non digital world FYI 🙂 ), very kindly gave me the Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer. How much of a sound dude is she?

Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer

We were having a cheeky pint after an event and she pulled it out her back and exclaimed, ‘Gem, this is too light for me, you should try it’. The most romantic words I ever did hear. Sometimes having blue skin comes in handy!Urban Decay Concealer

So what is the Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer? Well I am so glad you asked. This is a followup to their All Nighter Foundation, which I actually wasn’t a fan of. It didn’t work great for my skin. I found it just slipped around.

There is 14 shades in the concealer range and Urban Decay say it’s 73% more pigmented than their Naked Skin Foundation. What a peculiar statistic!irish beauty blog

I have the shade Neutral Fair (thanks to Sue). It’s definitely a shade or two lighter than my skin tone. This concealer is famously known to oxidise though. UD actually recommend you to opt for the lighter shade if you’re in between colours, so that’s definitely something to note.

For me, this is a thick, full coverage concealer. I find it does a really good job at covering darkness and pigmentation, including redness and blemishes. I do for the most part only use it under my eyes. It sets super quickly, so you have to work particularly fast with it to make sure it blends into the skin. But if you do, it applies really nicely. On me, once it’s blended and set with powder, it doesn’t crease or get caught in any fine lines. I don’t generally have major problems with that happening though. I think if you have particularly dry skin around your eyes, this might be a miss.

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If you’re using a more full coverage base, I would be careful with applying this as you could go ‘cakey’ really is as it is quite thick in consistency.

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 I’ve heard talk of the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation being compared to the infamous Tarte Shape Tape. As I own both, I will offer my humble opinion.

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I think I prefer the packaging from UD, it’s more sleek and I prefer a smaller doe foot applicator. Shape Tape comes with a huge one and I can sometimes find it cumbersome and a bit messy as it can retain a lot of product. They come in at a similar price if buying directly. ST is a bit of a pain in the arse to get in Europe though with taxes. QVC do sell it but with a decent mark up and a more limited shade range. You get 3.5 grams of product from UD, whereas ST has 10 mls! For me, Shape Tape wins over All Nighter just because it has a thinner consistency and blends easier but still has the coverage and the staying power.top irish beauty blog

Saying that though, I really do like the Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer. It does a really great job. You can find it online from Debenhams here.

Have you tried it?

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