Battle of the Palettes: Naked 2 and In The Buff

           W7 in the Buff                                                   Urban Decay Naked 2

I love a beauty dupe, who wants to spend a fortune for an item when you can have something similar for a fraction of the price? I heard that the w7 In The Buff Eye Shadow Palette was said to be a very similar dupe to the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. You can see from my photographs that they are extremely similar in the design of the palette, and the selection of shades they both have. With the w7 palette costing around £4.99-£9.99 (depending on retailer) and the Naked 2 palette a sky-high £38, I wanted to see how much difference the shadows had in quality, colour pay - off, and how long they last. 

I think the Urban Decay Naked 2 shadows are much more shimmery and feel creamy and are very pigmented. The W7 in the Buff shadows are similar in colour to the Urban Decay shadows, but apply much more matte than they appear to be. They aren't quite as creamy or easy to apply as they aren't as pigmented as the Urban Decay shadows. The darker colours in the w7 palette are pigmented but the lighter colours you really have to work at to get any colour pay off from them.  Similarly to the w7 shadows, Urban Decays shadows; particularly the darker shades are very pigmented. In fact, all of the Naked 2 shadows are highly pigmented apart from the lightest shade; Foxy. The w7 palette has some gorgeous shades. I think the shadows blend well together and they last a few hours before fading but I have to be honest and this time, the more expensive product does work better for me, as the Naked 2 palette shadows last around 7 hours.

I think the shadows are similar in colour and design, but I do think the Urban Decay palette has better quality shadows as the W7 palette shadows do not match the quality. I do think the W7 shadows are great and just need a lot more persistence - I would recommend them still for a budget friendly alternative, but Urban Decay wins this battle for me.

w7 Showing Out Mascara

w7 Showing Out Mascara in Blackest Black

I am a big w7 fan, but I do find it difficult to get hold of their products. I found a few reviews from bloggers who had discovered the website Xtras that stocked a lot of w7's products, so I ordered this mascara. It cost only £2.80 which I think is a great bargain for a mascara.

As you can see, the wand is quite thick and the brush is quite fat. The top of the brush has a little dome shape, which is great for getting into the corners and applying to the bottom lashes. 

This mascara helps to achieve very voluminous, long and thick lashes. It can get a little messy as it is a large brush, but if you are light handed application is very easy.

Have you found any bargain beauty websites thanks to reading blogs?

Battle Of The Brow Kits

Battle Of The Brow Kits

The contenders:

HD Brows in Foxy

Seventeen Brows That Brow Kit

W7 Brow Bar

MUA Pro Brow Brow Kit

The Results

HD Brows In Foxy

The RRP of this kit is an eye-watering £19.96! I refused to pay for this at full price as I find £20 for an eye brow kit very expensive.  I was happy to find it included in the Latest in Beauty Box, which made it Way cheaper than I could find it anywhere else, and worked out to cost me roughly £4 which I thought was very reasonable. I was really excited to try this kit as I had seen fantastic reviews online. Included in the kit are a nude and carbon shadow and two brown tone powders, and a small brush. There is also a handy mirror on the kit. There are three different coloured kits available - I was happy to find 'Foxy' in my beauty box as it is best suited for medium hair. The pigmentation for this is of a fantastic quality. Admittedly, only one shade is suitable for my brows (the darkest) but I do really like it. The other shades would make great use as eye shadows. It has great staying power, and makes the brows look defined and not over the top. 4/5. 

Seventeen Brows That Brow Kit

When I see new Brow products advertised I get a little excited, so when I saw this new product at the Seventeen stand in Boots for £6 I picked it up. Included in the kit is a powder, wax and highlight shade, as well as a small brush and mini brow pencil. The kit has a small mirror attached which is handy. The pigmentation of the powder is not the best, but this probably depends on your own preference on how bold and dark you like your brows to look. Personally, I like a bold brow, which I don't achieve with this colour. The staying power is quite good, lasting a few hours. The pencil is a handy tool which none of the other kits have, but it isn't quite as dark as I would like, and overall, this product lacks the colour range suitable for a darker brow. 3/5 

W7 Brow Bar

I was particularly intrigued with this kit as it included eye brow stencils, which are something I have never tried before. Also included in the kit are the four powders, an eyebrow comb, a slanted brush and also a mini brush. This is fantastic value for money as it retails for less than £5 (currently only £2.99 at Fragrance Direct if you like a bargain). There is a good selection of colours in the kit as well as a highlight. The quality of the powder shadows is great for the price. The brushes and brow comb are of a standard quality but nothing to write home about. I enjoyed using the stencils as they give a more definitive brow. The product lasts well for a few hours, the only thing I think the kit is lacking is some sort of wax or gel, but other than that I am really impressed with this kit. This is the only brow kit out of all four which doesn't include a mirror. 4/5  

MUA Pro Brow Brow Kit

The most inexpensive of the kits coming in at a mere £3.50 is the Pro Brow Kit by MUA. Included in this kit are three shadows, a setting wax, some small, slanted tweezers and a small brush. There is a small, handy mirror attached to the kit as well which is always a plus. The darkest shade is a dark brown, which is a perfect match for my eye brows. Also included are two highlight shades, personally these shades are a little too dark for high light for me, so I don't really use them for my brows, but I have used them for eye shadow and they are actually quite nice! The dark brown shadow is the perfect brow colour for me and lasts really well. The wax is the best part of this kit as it leaves my brows staying in place without that 'wet' look. I only use the brush for applying the wax as it is a great tool for this, and the tweezers are actually of a fantastic quality, and are the tweezers I use all the time. 5/5

It is a surprise to see that the cheapest product here won hands - down for me! I do like the other kits, but MUA have stood out for me for not only the price, but the quality of the product and the staying power. It just proves that you don't always have to pay for a more expensive brand name to get great results, as this is by far my favourite product which I use every day, and a great bargain make - up find!

January Favourites

w7 In The Buff Natural Nudes Eye Colour Palette: I picked this up back in December from The Clothes Show Live and have since been playing around with the colours. It is good quality for the price and some of the colours are simply stunning. They are easy to blend and last quite well. I love neutral eye palettes as I find those colours easy for me to use. This is definitely worth picking up if you want a great neutral palette but don't quite want to spend almost £40 on an Urban Decay one.

Loreal Paris Collection Privee by Cheryl in Cheryl's Nude: Anyone that knows me well will know I am obsessed with Cheryl, so off course I had to purchase this in hope it would turn my lips into Cheryls. I actually fell in love with the colour after buying it as I find it a really pretty nude which is great for every day. It lasts a few hours before needing to reapply it, and it is quite affordable too if you are after a nice neutral every day lipstick.

Soap and Glory Scrub Of Your Life: When I write Monthly Favourites posts there is usually a Soap and Glory product or two in there somewhere, I have wrote about this scrub many times before, I continue to use it again and again as it is just a great product. 

Topshop Lip Bullet in Rockabilly: I immediately bought this when I saw the name of it, as I have been brought up listening to a lot of rockabilly music, I was intrigued to try the lipstick as I don't often find anything or anyone that knows much about rockabilly. I again, brought this because of the name (shame on me) and not the colour, but I actually adore the colour. This is the first piece of make up I have had from Topshop and I was pleasantly suprised at how long it lasts on the lips and the beautiful colour of it, too. 

Have any products stuck out to you this January?

My Eyebrow Routine

How I Do My Eyebrows

Anyone that knows me well enough knows how obsessive I cn get with my eye brows. I like them to look nicely shaped and filled in. My eyebrows are something that I take pride in. Some may mock, but I just really like them to look neat and tidy, as naturally they are sparse and messy.

Once a fortnight (or whenever I feel they need doing) I wax my eyebrows using waxing strips especially designed for eyebrows, which are from Superdrug. The packs are really inexpensive and easy to use. They are readily shaped in short strips so they fit nicely underneath the brow.

 Between waxes, I pluck any stray hairs if I need to, but I try to keep this to a minimum as I can get quite obsessive and end up with none (!). I use slanted tweezers which I have had for years, I have no idea where they are from.

To style and fill in my brows I use a few different products and tools. I use an eyebrow brush to brush the hair the way I want it to sit (which I forgot to include in the photograph below, but we all know what they look like!). Next, I use w7's Style Eyes, which is effectively just a eyelash wand with a wet gel which helps to shape the brow. I use this before any other product so the hairs stay in place and it is easier to use.

I then use a thin, angled eyebrow brush from MUA Proffesional to apply the products. I use MUA Pro - Brow shadow (the darkest shade) firstly to fill my brows in, and then go over with a Real Techniques angled eye brush with Mac's Brun Eyeshadow. To finish, I use the wax included in the MUA Pro brow set to set my eyebrows. Thats it.

I know some people find it strange I use a fair few products on 'just eyebrows' - but it takes me less than five minutes to do. I always try to follow my eye brows natural shape, and I try my best not to go over the top with them, but I do really like doing them myself. I used to get them waxed at a Salon every two Months, but I just find it more convenient to do it at home now. My eyebrows are something I do every day - I can happily go for weeks without wearing any other make up, aslong as my brows are tidy and filled in.

What make - up is essential for you everyday?