Getting Naked!

 

I did it. I caved. I got the Naked 2 Palette. Then I found the Naked Palette on sale. So...I got it, too. Was it worth it? Sure was. Between a gift card and the sale online, I got both for $60, so no guilt here.

Before I get to my thoughts, here is what I know you all want: PICTURES.

First up: The original. Forgive my camera's increasing distaste for macro pics.

Packaging

Ingredients and Product Info on Back

Includes Eyeshadow Primer Potion

The actual palette

Close up on the suede-like texture.

The first 4 colors (Virgin, Sin, Naked and Sidecar)

The Middle 4 (Buck, Half Baked, Smog and Darkhorse)

The final 4 (toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal)

The Included Brush

Next up: Naked 2

The Packaging

Ingredient List

The Palette

Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall and Chopper

Tease, Snakebite, Suspect and Pistol

Verve, YDK, Busted and Blackout

My Thoughts:
The differences between these two palettes are very nuanced. Half Baked is the only color name repeated, and the color is different in each palette. There are a lot of VERY similar shades, and realistically, you don't NEED to have both. That said, if you're a makeup junkie or if you wear a lot of neutrals, you could get them both and not feel duped.

I've seen some reviews that say Naked 2 is better for cooler skin tones. I am very pale with pinkish undertones, and I can't say I agree 100% with that. I think the fact that the colors are a bit lighter in Naked 2 makes it easier for us fair-skinned ladies to work with. There are seven or eight colors that could be used as a nude or highlight shade, compared to the five to six in Naked. Obviously, this is going to vary according to your specific skin tone.

I really don't have a problem with all the shimmer, but I can see how some may be put off by the lack of matte shades. There are only two or three in each set.

The brushes are a nice inclusion. I can't say they're necessarily better than the ones in my bathroom, but If I wanted to throw one of these in my purse to change from day to night, or for touch-ups later, it is nice to have the option without taking the ones I use for primping in the morning.

I think it's great that you get a "free" gift in each set, too. I've been meaning to try the Primer Potion, and the lip gloss is really cute. Here are a few shots of "Naked." Isn't the lid cute?

I've only used the primer potion a few times, but so far, the wear is really good. My eyes crease terribly. Over twelve hours between application and this picture:

My eye...with Naked Shadows. I forget which colors I wore...

Primer Potion

Overall, I'm really happy with the purchase. I think I may have held off on the second one were it not for the aforementioned discounts. I look at this like buying a little black dress. I'm going to use it at some point. :)

Kim-Pletely in Love with Fabulous is My Middle Name!

 CAUTION: PHOTO SPAM AHEAD

For those of you who read my tweets (@MWGirlieGirl), you probably saw I picked up some of the Kardashian Kolors on my shopping trip the other day. Continuing my recent pink kick, the first one I tried was Kim-Pletely in Love. I'm almost sad I mucked this one up with some glitter, but the end result was pretty.

The shimmer on Kim is barely there, but so pretty. It's nearly impossible to photograph, at least with my camera. This pic shows off the shimmer, even if the color isn't super accurate. Even in person, it's subtle, so I thought I'd liven it up a little. Also, I couldn't wait to wear all the new polishes. If I could have found a tasteful way to wear them all, you be I would have.

For the glitter, I used Fabulous is My Middle Name, also from Nicole by OPI, but not a Kardashian Kolor. This one is WAY fun, and I foresee this being a party time staple. This picture actually shows the little bar glitters pretty well. There are bits of hot pink, red, blue and gold in a clear base with a microglitter that appears to be kind of a champagne color. I just dabbed a little near (and on) the cuticles and blended down the nail. I added a pink rhinestone on the middle finger. I think it's off-center. Maybe that's just me.

I took some bottle shots to get a better sense of the colors. The second one of Kim-Pletely in Love is horrible, but the only way I could find the glitter without it being all blurry and rotten looking.

Both of these colors are so pretty, I couldn't stop taking pictures. Kim-Pletely in Love would make an awesome french manicure pink, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm not normally into french manis, but I did actually like the VNL on this one. It took 3 coats on most fingers, 4 on my middle nail to cover some yellowness (Thank you, Dree...).

I was really happy with the formula on both of these. The brushes were both great, though I do like that the Kardashian Kolors have a bit wider, thicker brush. It's not quite the controversial Perfect Stroke Brush, but it's nice. I think Fabulous is My Middle Name would easily build up for a crazy glitterbomb mani, but also is great for layering.

Belated Blogaversary Giveaway!

After posting pictures of my polish stash the other day, it dawned on me that I've been at this awhile...and that I missed my 6 month blogaversary. I had planned to do some kind of giveaway if I managed to continue this hobby for 6 months...and I did!

Being late for stuff pretty much sums up my life some days, so I decided to give some things away. Better late than never, right? The question is...what to give away?

It dawned on me that whatever products I choose essentially constitutes an endorsement from me. Since I am purchasing the prizes with my own hard earned dough, I felt it was only right to show love to the companies who have shown me love. Retweets from Zoya, Color Club and Nicole by OPI have gotten me TONS of page views, and I love all of their products, so my prizes were chosen.

Now for the specifics:

Prize #1: One bottle of Zoya Nail Polish. You can choose any color available on their website. I will have it shipped directly to you.

Prize #2: One of the Kardashian Kolors from Nicole by OPI. Since I can't find a way to buy directly from Nicole's website, I narrowed this one down to the Kardashian Kolors so that your choice would be readily available.

Prize #3: One bottle of Color Club Nail Polish. Like Zoya, any polish available from the website is up for grabs, shipped directly to the address you provide.

How do I win these fabulous prizes, you ask? Simple. Follow the blog. This is mandatory. If that doesn't happen, you don't get any of the other bonus chances. You can also earn entries by following @MWGirlieGirl on Twitter, Retweeting about this giveaway, and by "Liking" this blog post on Facebook. 5 total chances to win per person.

Entries will be accepted until 11:59PM (Central Time) on February 15, 2012.

This is my first giveaway, so if there are any kinks along the way, please bear with me. I'm using the Rafflecopter widget below to run the giveaway, so hopefully this will be a smooth process.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Multiplication of thePolishes: How the Stash Has Grown...

So, here's the funny thing about being a beauty blogger: You accumulate a lot of stuff. I've always had a fairly well-stocked vanity, and I'm not quite at the level of having closets dedicated to my goodies, but I'm getting there fast. Case in point. My first post, the polish stash looked like this:

This was everything I had for nail supplies. Everything. All in two neat little boxes. The collection of polish alone now fills two boxes completely, and the third doesn't even come close to holding the removers, creams, decals, cotton swabs, etc. I use.

This is just the polish and a few nail-specific odds and ends. I didn't even go up to the bathroom to get the removers and magic potions. And this is after my sister raided my stash and took little pieces of the collections I wouldn't wear on a regular basis, and I gave some of the unused bottles out for stocking stuffers at Christmas. My goal is to keep everything at a manageable level so my boyfriend doesn't start refusing to come to the girl den that is my apartment. Neatly organized in three little scrapbook boxes...for now...

Zoya Alegra

 I've been on a bit of a pink kick lately, in case you haven't noticed. My current mani is full of glittery goodness from Zoya. I picked up Alegra as part of the Flash Promos in December. I thought she might be a NYE pick, but ended up opting for a different glitter. Alegra was originally released with the Sparkle Collection. Charla and Ivanka are also in my collection, and Alegra is equally beautiful.

 The Sparkle collection certainly twinkles, but without big chunks of glitter. To say they shimmer is an understatement, but there isn't an "In-Your-Face" sparkle. It seems to pop more in low light and up close. If you have concerns about glitter at work, this is something you can wear without it being too much.

 The Sparkle Collection and the Summertime glitters are also fantastic for subtle Ombre manis. I have a sample with Essie's Meet Me at Sunset and Zoya's Tanzy here. Tons of fun, and really easy to do.

 You can see the glitter particles in the flash shots, and these seem to be fairly accurate color-wise.

Even in person, the minute differences in the glitter colors make the color change a bit, depending on the light.

Julep Maven January 2012

Since I posted Helena last night, I thought it might be a good idea to get a post up about the January Maven box she came in. Along with Helena arrived a bottle of top coat as well as the Pomegranate body creme. I used the top coat with Edyta previously, and I can't say it was extremely glossy, and I used another top coat with Helena, so I can't credit Julep yet. The body creme smells fantastic and has a lighter texture than some creams. It's definitely not a body butter, but it doesn't leave you feeling greasy after using, which is nice. Smells yummy, too. :)

Julep Helena

 I'm finally getting around to wearing my new Julep polishes from the aforementioned Maven boxes, and I'm featuring Helena tonight. First, let me say this color is AMAZING. I love me some pink. This pink is hot. Fuchsia or magenta would be more accurate, I guess. Surprisingly, I think it could be pretty wearable for most people, too.

 The formula, like the other Julep polishes I've tried so far, applied smoothly. Like buttah. Flawless in two coats. I used three, just to see if it made a difference. It didn't. You're good in two. For this mani, I used a base of the Julep Nail Therapy followed by Julep's Base Coat, which seem to be a good combination. One interesting note: Helena dried on the matte side (see above photo). I don't know if it was the base coats or the polish, but I added a coat of Barielle Matte-inee, which isn't SUPER matte, but I thought might change it up. Didn't see a difference. The picture above is the most accurate representation of the color. It's almost dead on with my monitor.

 As pretty as Helena is by herself, I REALLY wanted to make her glossy, and a plain magenta mani seemed a little boring, so I busted out some more Nail Art Decals from Cina. This set is Garden Glam, which is a couple of little fairy-looking things and cute sparkly daisies.

 The bright pink flowers were a little hard to see unless in direct lighting, but I'm pretty happy overall. To get my glassy, glossy look, I used a coat of Julep's Fast Dry Topcoat, followed by the Beauty Secrets Top Coat I've been using for years. A lot of bloggers use Seche Vite and swear by it, but the big ole' bottle of Beauty Secrets is about $6 at Sally, which is a steal. It dries really quickly and is really good for sealing in nail art decals and stripes and the like. It's also free of formaldehyde and toluene, which makes me happy.

Helena dried like a sheet of glass. I've been wearing this mani for about 72 hours, and I chipped my index finger because I sometimes forget fingernails are not screwdrivers, but otherwise the wear has been fab. I was able to patch my finger, and you'd never know the difference. That's one sign of a great polish.