Review : Zoeva Nude Palette

This is a rather late post but "life happened" so I only had the opportunity today. *giggles* I got this Zoeva Nude Palette from my lil sister who gave it to me for Christmas. To be honest, I've never heard of the brand Zoeva but my sister insists that it's "all the rage" among her friends in Singapore. I decided to do a little bit of research on the brand and it turns out that Zoeva was founded in 2008 by Zoe Boikou in Germany. You can read more about Zoeve here. Now let's talk more about this gorgeous palette! The site says: "The ZOEVA Nude Palette is the ideal eyeshadow palette to create classic daytime makeup in fashionable nude nuances. Versatile and in hot demand, this color palette with 28 classic neutral hues for the always in style Nude Look is ideal for a smoky eye effect as well as for a subtle no-makeup-look.  Intensively applied, the color palette creates seductive cat eyes. The perfectly matched colors suit any skin type and are essential for the classic bridal make up. The matte and shimmery shades are ultra high pigmented and extremely longlasting – for flawless beauty at anytime." Content/Ingredients:
1 Eyeshadow palette with 28 nude powder eyeshadows.
Palette size: 23.0 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm
Pan size: 2.6 cm
Net Wt./Poids Net 33.2 G/1.17 OZ.

Ingredients/Inhaltsstoffe: Talc, Mica, Mineral Oil, Kaolin, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lanolin, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77007, CI 77742, CI 77510, CI 77288, CI 16035, CI 19140:1, CI 42090].
Price : 18.95 EURO which is roughly P1200 without shipping A girl can never have enough nude eyeshadows or nude palettes and I'm no different. I was ecstatic over receiving another nude palette that's perfect for creating everyday looks, smokey looks & even classic bridal looks. This palette contains 28 classic neutral eyeshadows encased in a a beautiful demi-matte black case. The downside is the palette doesn't come built in with a mirror. It has a diverse range of finishes that I feel is an awesome bonus for a palette like this. As for the pigmentation and longevity of these eyeshadows, I have to be honest... Some are great and some could use a bit of improvement. It varies from color to color but overall I'm happy with most of the eyeshadows. I remedy problematic ones by using a good eyeshadow primer or base. I've noticed that the NYX eyeshadow base (skin tone) works best with this palette. I've used this palette for several brides already as well as clients who availed of my graduation package because a lovely neutral eye is always perfect for formal events like a graduation. I've even used this handy palette on myself when I create everyday looks. For a complete set of swatches, check out this lady's awesome post. Overall, I'd give this palette a 4/5. If you can get your hands on this palette, GO FOR IT! It's worth the money. *wink*

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Oh Let's Get Naked (2)!

Everyone probably already knows so much about this palette and I know I must be the last person in the entire universe to do a mini review + swatches post on this but I just needed to, really! Ever since its release back in late 2011, I've been wanting to get my hands on the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette! Last Christmas I received this as a gift from my lil sister (@kidzedso on Instagram) and I was beyond psyched. Little disclaimer, this is going to be a word & picture heavy post.
The Naked 2 palette features 12 full size eyeshadows in a mix of matte & frosty finishes. It comes with a synthetic bristles dual ended brush & a mini lip junkie gloss in the shade "naked". It is also packaged a whole lot different from the original Naked palette, it being in a metal tin type package with a snap closure. It has a bigger mirror than the original Naked palette. The Naked 2 palette seems similar to the original Naked palette at first glance but in reality this palette leans to much more of a taupe-cool browns color scheme while the original one has a warmer color scheme (I personally do not own the original palette but have borrowed it from a friend for comparison purposes and a "versus" post for the future). It retails for $50 USD (approx P2000), $80 SGD (approx P2600). In the Philippines its price ranges from P2800 (super sale!) to P3600 (a bit of highway robbery IMHO). FOXY is a pale yellow-beige with a matte finish. It applies a bit sheer and can be a bit too powdery for my liking. I use this as an all-over-the-lid wash color and a brow bone highlight. HALF BAKED is a coppery brown with a slightly golden shimmer to it. Has excellent color payoff & is a delight to blend. Half Baked is also in the original Naked palette & is part of the permanent range. BOOTY CALL is a pale pink-white beige shadow with a frosted finish. It looks absolutely gorgeous as an inner tear duct area highlighter (& even as a lid color). CHOPPER is a medium red-orange toned copper shade with a slight silver glitter sparkle (not so obvious in the photo) & is a bit prone to fallout. TEASE is a mauve-brown that looks plummy in some lighting. It has a matte finish and can be a bit chalky but I still favor it as a crease color. SNAKEBITE is an absolutely gorgeous dark bronze with a golden sheen. I am in love with this shade. It has a buttery consistency and is easy to blend. Lovely on the lid as it is in the crease. ** Lighting is a bit off in this photo! So sorry!** SUSPECT is a light grayish bronze with a frosted, metallic sheen. A lovely lid color that I've been favoring lately. PISTOL is a pewter gray shade with a frosted finish. The payoff is great and it is also very easy to blend. I've been using this as a soft transition color for my basic black smokey eye just to add that extra something to the look. VERVE is a pale beige gray that comes off looking like an oyster shade in some lighting. I like using this as an inner tear duct area highlighter.  YDK is a coppery midtone brown with a slight silver shimmer. Has good consistency but still a bit prone to fallout when I use it (maybe I should get a better primer?). BUSTED is an deep burgundy tinted brown with a deep golden undertone. I love using this on my crease and on my lower lash area. It has a soft frosted finish and awesome color payoff. BLACKOUT is an intense matte black shadow. Has great color payoff and goes on an opaque matte black that's a must for me. Great as eyeliner too! This dual ended brush also comes with the Naked 2 palette. In the original Naked palette, a dual ended eyeliner pencil was included. I personally would have preferred the dual ended eyeliner pencil BUT this dual ended brush is pretty nifty too especially when you're on the go and need a good brush to do your eye makeup. One end has a flat shader brush and the other end has a blending brush. Both are made of synthetic fibers.
Lastly, this mini lip junkie gloss in the shade Naked was also part of the "package". It is a pretty medium rosy pink shade that screams "perfect with any look". It "cools & plumps" and is currently my favorite. I've been reaching for it the past few days. I might have to look for the full size one soon. This is definitely one  gloss I wouldn't mind using everyday. It has a very strong minty smell (& taste) to it which doesn't bother me personally BUT may be offensive to other people. So, there you have it folks! My mini review + swatches. I'll be posting looks using the Naked 2 palette soon. Anyway, what do you think of the Naked 2 palette? Do you own it? If yes, do you love it? If no, are you planning to get your hands on one? Catch you guys next time!

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