Review: Urban Decay Shadow Box

Walking through Ulta, you can't help but be drawn to Urban Decay's new exclusive to Ulta, Shadow Box. From the travel friendly size to the vivid colors, this palette is definitely an eye catcher. 

This palette comes in a sturdy purple and black orchid petal designed cardboard packaging with a metal UD magnetic closer. The box the palette comes in had the same design with a cute little paragraph on the back talking about the shadows and pictures of what the shadows were. 

When you open up the palette, you see a large mirror with "beauty with an edge" written in the right corner and two rows of 6 colors each. The paragraph on the back of the box packaging says there is a wide range of finishes from matte to sparkly but really there is only one matte color in black with the other 11 being sparkly. The top row colors are Sin, Indo, Bordello, Tarnado, Smog and Black Out. The bottom row colors are Flash, Mushroom, Lost, Freelove, Moonshadow and Baked Cowboy.

Top Row: Top to Bottom: BlackOut, Smog, Tornado, Bordello, Indo, Sin

Bottom Row: Top to Bottom: Baked Cowboy, Moonshadow, Freelove, Lost, Mushroom, Flash

A lot of these colors are well known and loves such as Baked Cowboy. Urban Decay definitely does sparkly colors better than matte colors as you can definitely see that in this palette. The 11 sparkly colors are much better quality than the matte black. The black is hard to work with while the sparkly colors are all smooth, silky and buttery. The colors is the palette are beautiful. You get some nice shimmer golden browns such as Smog and Lost as well as some bright colors as such Flash, a bright lilac purple, Indo, a deep teal, and Moonshadow, a bright navy blue. 

Overall, I think this palette is a great add on but you definitely can't travel with just this palette since it is mostly sparkly colors. I think this makes an awesome gift to any UD lovers. The colors in this palette are definitely going to be fun to play with!

Have you checked this palette out? What is your favorite UD color? 

Lots of Love, 
Rena 

May Favorites

My international giveaway is still opened CLICK HERE to enter! 

London Butter Nail Polish in Snog

Snog Swatch on my nails

UD All Nighter Setting Spray

ELF Small Stippling Brush

Midi Rings

Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm in 235 Mischievous Malicieuse

Mischievous Malicieuse Swatch

Hello Everyone!

Happy June and I hope you all had a great May. For my favorites this month, I have 3 beauty favorites, a nail polish and a fashion favorite. For make up brushes, I have been loving the ELF Small Stippling Brush. I have a full blog post about it HERE. It is really versatile and a great size. Also it is so budget friendly! For lip products, I have really been loving the Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm in Mischievous Malicieuse. I love how matte it is without being drying. Also it is absolutely gorgeous. It is a matte pastel coral color. For face products, I have been loving the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. I've done quite a few prom make ups this month and I have used this on every single one of them. This stuff is amazing as making your make up last all day and night and honestly it keeps your face looks fresh all night long. For nail polishes, I have been loving the Butter London polish in Snog.  I got this in a summer set from Ulta which I highly advice you check out! The color is the perfect bright summer pink. This looks amazing with a tan and on your toes. Lastly, my fashion favorite this month is Midi Rings and just rings in general.  They are so fun to stack and layer and I think they had a nice edgy element to any outfit.

What have you been loving this month?

Lots of Love,
Rena

April Favorites

Hello Everyone!

So I am assuming everyone knows the drill by now! It is the end of April and I can not wait for May 13th when I am all done with exams and papers. April has been a very stressful month with all this school work but I have had time to pick out a few favorites. I have an item or two from just about every category. Let's get into it!

For my hair, I have been loving Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Hair Cream. I use this when my hair is still damp and it does a great job holding my curls and controlling my frizz. I also use it on second day hair for control of baby hairs and fly away. As for brushes, I have been loving the Sonia Kashuk brush in No. 130, I think it is a buffing brush. But honestly I use this brush for everything from powder to contouring. It is really soft and great at distributing product. For my face, I have been using the Urban Decay All Nighter Make Up Setting Spray. This month I have had a lot of long days from class to work to studying to all nighter at the library. This stuff has been a life saver at keeping my face make up going strong. I use this after I powder my face but before I contour and blush. You can definitely use it after all that if you want! For my eyes, I have two products that I have been loving. First is the Rimmel ScandelEYEs Eye Shadow Paint in 007 Chestnut Taupe. This is awesome for a quick out the door look. It is a beautiful color and it honestly lasts all day long with creasing or smudging! One thing though, you have to work fast to apply it evenly because it does dry fast. Next, I have been loving the Calvin Klein CK One Mascara. I got this for my birthday in February from Ulta and I have read a lot of mixed review on this. Personally, I think it is great. It gives me amazing length and volume and it is a really intense black color which I love. Lastly for my lips, I have been loving the Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 06. It is a great bright pink color for spring. I put it on and I instantly feel fun and awake! It is also a pretty good dupe for MAC Impassioned (blog post coming soon).

What have you been loving this month?

Lots of Love,
Rena 

What's in my purse?!

Hi Guys! 
I hope you've all have had an amazing beginning of August! I actually just got home today from Vidcon in California and it was absolutely amazing. I am going to be doing a post about it and my July favorites as soon as I possibly can. I hate not having my favorites up yet but the hotel had really bad wifi since so many people were always on it. Never the less, better later than never right? Anyways, I recently got a new purse and I thought it would be fun to share with you what I keep it in. I love these types of posts because I am so nosey. I hope you enjoy!

Purse from Forever 21 for  $29.80

I absolutely love the color of this bag. Red is such a great statement color and I feel like it is appreciate for basically all the seasons. It is also a nice size. It's not too small that nothing fits but it always isn't so big that it hurts your shoulder. It is just perfect for everyday use and it has lots of pockets which is a major plus.

In the front pocket:

In the front pocket, I need the things I can not leave my house without. My car keys which have a bunch of rewards card on them and a few cute keychains including the one that is a shoe. My iPhone 5 which I can not live without. I love how light it is and just everything about it. My case on it (that you can't see) has glitter on the back and is from Amazon. Lastly, is my wallet from Target. This wallet is perfect because it is very slim but still holds all my cards, cash and coins. I use this wallet primarily when I am traveling and don't need all the extra gift cards/ receipts. 

In the main pocket:

In the main pocket, I keep everything else. First, I have my planner and multi colored pens. I am huge on keeping a schedule and I would honestly be lost without my planner. I like to color code my work schedule, homework due dates, special occasions and other commitments. Also, I keep blog ideas and everyday to do lists in there. Next, I always have gum or mints on my bag. Who likes bad breath? Yeah, no one. I also keep the nail polish that I currently have on and a top coat in my bag. I have chipped nails and I think they look super unprofessional so I like having it with me for touch ups. Then I have a little ziplock bag of things that could possibly spill or get messy. This included a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouth wash, make up wipes, chap stick and a mirror. You never know when you're going to end up spending the night at a friends or eat something that you just need to brush your teeth after so I like prefer to be safe rather than sorry. Lastly, I have a mini make up bag. In this make up bag, I have BooBoo Zap by Benefit for any pimples, Rimmel Nude Delight lipstick, NYX lipgloss in pink nude, Boi ing concealer by Benefit, Bad Gal Lash by Benefit, Sephora Baked Bronzer Duo with a Kabuki brush, L'oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Iced Latte and Naked Skin Beauty Balm by Urban Decay. These are the make up products I find that I reapply a lot and could use to do a full make up look if I end up sleeping at a friends. 

What do you always need to have in your purse?  Lots of Love,

June Favorites

Hi Guys!
I honestly can not believe how quickly June flew by; I swear yesterday it was still March! Just like every other month, I am going to be showing you my favorites of June! I haven't been using too much make up this month because I work outdoors and at pools and I just like to be natural at work. However, when I have used make up this month, I have really found great products that I love. So here they are! 

Earrings from Francesca's: 

 
I don't think I've ever worn these without getting a compliment on how pretty they are! They are these lovely big studs with a reflective stone in them that has a light blue base and also can look purple, pink and dark blue. They were $12.95 and I got them last year from Francesca's. If you guys don't know already, Francesca's is my holy grail jewelry store. I honestly think 95 percent of the jewelry I own is from there. They are great options and all their products are great quality. I just think they are so fun and summery. Yup!  I can't think of what else to say besides I love them.

Maybelline 24 hr Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk: 

I rediscovered the Maybelline 24 hr Color Tattoos this month and the pomegranate punk has been my most worn color out of the ones I own. There are so many options with this product. I can use it as a base for other colors or build it up to get a beautiful plum color with gold shimmer or I can use a little bit of it as a touch of color. It doesn't crease and lasts for a solid 8 hours! I did a full review on this product that you can read [here].

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm: 

The Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm has been a necessity product for me so far this summer. I always get sun spots on my face ( circle patches of lighter skin from the sun) so it is really important for me to have SPF on my face at work. However, I don't like putting on actual sunscreen on my face because it is always too thick and greasy. The Naked Skin Beauty Balm has SPF 20 in it and goes on light and easy. It also gives me a nice glow. I have the travel sized one just because I wasn't sure if I was going to like it and I am going to buy a full bottle once I run out.

Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil SPF 6:

Along the same lines as the previous product, I like my tanning oil to have SPF in it. I know SPF 6 isn't a lot but I am naturally pretty tan and I don't really burn so SPF 6 is enough for my body ( besides my face which I use 20).  I really like the Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil because it isn't overall thick and it doesn't make me feel stick. Also it doesn't attract sand to me at the beach like other tanning oils do. If you are looking for a tanning oil, I highly recommend this one.

Tarte Beauty and the Box in Secret Garden: 

This is my current favorite quad of shadows. Tarte has been a really big hit with me lately and this is one of products that started that trend. The four colors in this are: Sprout, Goldenrod, Fern and Vine. They are really pigmented and are beautiful colors. I did a full review on this that you can read [here].


Rimmel Lipstick in 642 Nude Delight:

My last favorite of this month is this Rimmel lipstick in Nude Delight. We all know my love for Rimmel; it is my favorite drugstore brand. This lipstick is a very nice nude color with a hint of shimmer. I've been wearing it on an everyday bases just because its subtle but still gives good color and lasts for about 5 hours without retouches. Rimmel overall has really good lipsticks especially the Kate Moss ones and if you are looking for cheap lipsticks but good quality, these are for you. 

What have you been loving this month? 
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Lots of Love