Urban Decay Singular Eyeshadow Pots | My Current Daily Duo

When it comes to eyeshadows, Urban Decay have to be a clear winner for me.  I use my beloved Naked Palettes on a daily basis and find their shadows to be best in terms of pigment and velvety consistency.  Buttery soft and easily blendable, they really are the cream of the crop for me and I think they're worth every penny.  Although my palettes get a lot of use and are ideal for taking abroad with me, I also have a selection of their singular pots.  I thought I'd introduce you to my current favourite duo - one shade of which most of you will probably be quite familiar with...

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in 'Naked' | Matte | £14.00 | Link

Yep, you're right. This is the lighter of the two matte shades featured in the Original Naked Palette.  I adore this colour and ran it down to the pan pretty sharpishly. I wasn't exactly keen on the idea of re-purchasing another Naked Palette purely for the sake of one shade so I was jolly well chuffed that they sell a singular version of it.  I guess you could say it's nothing special - but I really do love it to bits and it's just the perfect blending shade for use in the crease of the eye.  It's not too dark, so it doesn't look too heavy for during the day - a light dusting of it blended slightly up towards the brow bone provides a lovely, subtle bit of shadow and definition without going over the top. It's slight grey tinge helps to create a more natural look.  It's also a good shade for blending harsh lines and for wearing purely on it's own across the lid.  Urban Decay admittedly don't offer a great deal of matte shades - they're very much known for their sparkle and shimmer, but the matte offerings they do have are all very usable and great for neutral, everyday eyes. I use this without fail almost everyday - and I've even been known to use it to fill my eyebrows in so it really is quite versatile (my eyebrows are quite ashy so its the perfect kind of grey/brown shade). If I ever want a little more definition in the crease I simply blend the darker matte shade from the Original Naked Palette through the outer 'v' with a fluffy brush and I'm good to go.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in 'Easy Baked' | Shimmer | £14.00 | Link

I was lucky enough to win this little beauty in a giveaway hosted by The Sunday Girl a while back (thankyou Adrienne!) and it's fast become an everyday 'go to'. It is without a doubt extremely similar to the famous 'Half Baked', featured in both Naked original and Naked2 palettes, but I find it to be slightly lighter and a little more yellow toned.  It is described as a warm toned, golden copper with a frosty finish.  I love the texture of this one - like the majority of Urban Decay shadows, the formula is amazing and lasts all day without creasing or a great deal of fading - and gives a wonderfully smooth, seamless finish. I simply sweep this across the lid of a morning and take it slightly under the lower lash line for that extra 'pop' of gold.  Alternatively, I apply 'Half Baked' across the lid (slightly darker and more of a true gold colour) and then dab a little touch of this in the centre of the eyelid for a subtle eye-opening effect.  

I cannot recommend the Urban Decay shadows enough.  If you still haven't got your mitts on the Naked Palettes I'd recommend grabbing one or the other as a starting point - I promise that from then on you'll be hooked like me!  Or if the palettes aren't your thing, it's worth having a nosey at their singular pots - there's something there for everyone and I find each shade to be incredibly pigmented and amazing quality for the price. 

Do you love these eyeshadows as much as me? What's your ultimate favourite Urban Decay shade?

Mac Paint Pot | Rubenesque

Mac Paint Pot in 'Rubenesque' | £14.50

Mac paint pots have always intrigued me but for some reason, I've always managed to talk myself out of them. That was up until this month.  I've had my eye on their paint pot in 'Rubenesque' for quite some time now - after endless trips to the Mac store and umming and arring over whether or not to buy one, I finally decided it was time to get a grip and just treat myself.  I have a holiday in Greece coming up in 2 weeks time, and I've heard through the bloggery grapevine that 'Rubenesque' is a smashing match for tanned skin. SOLD.  I cannot believe I've never dabbled in the paint pots before - they're amazing.  I was instantly impressed with this little beauty and have been using it every day since I bought it.  

I'm a big fan of gold shades on my eyelids - I find it brings out the greeny blues in my eyes and warm colours generally seem to suit me a little more, especially in the summer months.  What I love about Rubenesque is that it looks different depending on the lighting - it's definitely more of a peachy gold as to a yellow gold but the tone of it changes depending on where the sunlight hits.   I tan quite easily when on holiday, and I can only imagine how bright and pretty it's going to look once my face has got a golden glow to it.  I use it either on it's own or as a base for powder shadow - and the creamy texture makes it a perfect lazy day shadow as you can just 'whack on and go'.  I apply either with my fingers or with one of my Real Techniques eyeshadow brushes and it works a treat either way.  They really do stay put as well.  I sometimes apply a bit of my beloved Urban Decay 'Half Baked' over the top and it's amazing how much the colour is brought out purely for having 'Rubenesque' as a base.  

Overall, I've been really impressed with Mac's Paint Pots.  I'd always imagined them to be hard to work with and difficult to blend but it's just not the case at all. The consistency is lovely and really easy to apply - just what you'd expect from a cream shadow except with more staying power.  The colour is perfect for these summery months and is the perfect option for you fellow gold eyeshadow lovers out there!  I shall have to try and take a few photos of my makeup on holiday when I've used this (although I'm not taking my blogging camera so I'll have to see how that goes!) - the colour is simply stunning and will look amazing on a slightly darker skin tone. I definitely have my eyes on a few more of the paint pots - 'Bare Study' being one of them (such a cult blogger product that I've always overlooked!) and 'Let Me Pop' being another.  I really cannot wait to get my mitts on a few more of these Mac beauties and I'm sure my collection will be stacking up very soon.

What's your favourite Mac Paint Pot?