Naked Frustration

So, here I have been... lusting... hankering after the Urban Decay Naked Palette. Truly a thing of beauty, full of gorgeous neutral colours, every last one of which, I can envision myself wearing and enjoying daily.

There's a problem! Well, we all know (or do now) that there was a shortage and Urban Decay had to change the pencil included for a brush in order to keep up with production. So, I enquired about retailers in Portugal, since my usual online method continued to be fruitless, and Urban Decay have confirmed that there isn't a single retailer in the country. What? Now, let me get this straight, Sephora stocks this item in France, Italy and Spain, amongst other countries, but don't see fit to supply us in Portugal. For shame Sephora, for shame. I'm shaking my fist as I type. Are we so undeserving?

I am seriously not amused. The longer this palette continues to be unobtainable, the more seductive it gets. I swear, I'm dreaming about it on a nightly basis. My other shadows have been receiving contemptuous stares as I try to choose the one that least pales in comparison. This is becoming quite the unhealthy obsession. The worst thing is I have never had the privilege of trying an Urban Decay product, so in reality I have nothing to compare to, except the word of other bloggers who shamelessly flaunt their bounty (only joking ladies, it's on all your recommendations I base my love for this product, testament to the great reviews you write). I'm seriously green eyed right now.

I'm just going to have to console myself with a 'nata' (Portuguese custard tart), something that can only be had here, na na na na na na, so there!-D I would attach a picture of me in childlike sulky pose, but that would be slightly disturbing from a 30 year old I expect.

Sleek Storm Palette

I know I'm a bit late on the band wagon, but such is the world of beauty. Recently, I came upon so many good reviews for Sleek eyeshadow palettes, so just had to try one. Since I like my browns and smokey eyes, I chose the Storm i-Divine Palette. With a mixture of shimmers and mattes the colours looked like they were right up my street. These are pretty well priced on Sleek's website at €8.50. Including postage to Portugal it totalled at about €15. Bargain. 

My goodies arrived this morning. First impressions were that size wise the palette is not enormous, but it's very heavy. I think the pans may be quite deep. After a quick swatch on my snow white arm, the colours seem pretty pigmented. These were swatched dry without primer using just the sponge applicator included. All are shimmer except for the third from the left in the top row and the two first colours from the right on the bottom row. To be honest, I think I prefer the shimmers, but the matte black could be useful for smoking out other colours in my humble collection. The browns are your usual versatile mid tone browns, not terribly exciting  know, but very practical for every day use. Surprisingly, it's the 2 colours in the middle on the bottom row that have me all excited. One is so hard to descibe, in the palette it appears to have green tones, but on my skin it's more of a dark grey, but without the dreaded blue undertones. The one on the right is a very smokey greyish/ purple and is absolutely gorgeous. 

I predict I'm going to have some serious fun with this little beauty. This may even entice me to venture away from my oh so safe usual brown smokey eyes on occasion. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut when you have limited time to get ready in the mornings and know a look suits and takes just a couple of minutes to apply. 


Would I buy this again? Well, I think so, only time will tell. If I use it frequently then yes. Would I buy another palette from Sleek? Definitely! At this price and with quick delivery, I think  they may become one of my go tos when I need to incorporate something different into my routine.