How to get the UD Naked Palette for $41.98 on Ulta!

The UD Naked palette is so IN-STOCK at Ulta!   As of 1/8/2011 12:51 AM, it's still in-stock.   This palette has definitely reached cult-status at the moment and is notoriously difficult to get, although, they were in-stock at Sephora recently (Sephora is OOS now) and being sold for ridiculously high prices on Amazon (seriously, the prices are ridiculous).

So far, the ULTA deal is the best way to get the Naked palette cuz you can use the code 53131  (expires 1/29/2011) for free shipping off all purchases $25+ and if you go through E-bates if you're buying at Ulta, you get 5% cash back! When I got the Naked palette at Sephora, I actually had to purchase two things to get free shipping :P  Anyway, this is the best deal for the UD Naked Palette I've seen so far.

How to get the UD Naked Palette for $41.98:
1.) Click through E-bates (my referral link, if you don't mind ^_^). Make an account if you haven't already and find Ulta.  

2.) Click on SHOP NOW - this allows to get 5% rebate on all your ULTA purchases, that's $2.02 in this case.

3.) On the Ulta website, find the UD Naked Palette. Add as many as you want to the cart.

4.) Type in 53131 during checkout to get Free Shipping.

5.) All done ^_^! You got the UD Naked Palette for $41.98!  Make sure you go back to the E-bates website to set up for Cash Back method.  The easiest, most painless way is to get paid is use Direct Deposit via Paypal (which is what I did) :)

Hurry, hurry and good luck :D!!!

UPDATE: Ok, rats - I forgot they charge states tax.  But so does Sephora, so it's a good deal and you save the same amount regardless ^^;;  But technically should change the title of my blogpost.... 

Zoya 3 FREE Polishes Sale + UD Naked Palette Re-stocked @ Sephora!

We have the best fans in the world! As promised, the code is listed on the image above. The code is good for 3 Free* bottles of polish. The code is now active. (Because we love you guys and didn't want to make you wait until the 4th!) The code will be active until January 7, 2011 at 11:59PM EST.

Huge thanks to Steph for giving me heads up about Zoya's 3 FREE Polishes Sale! This sale ends in 3 days so now's your chance to grab any 3 Zoya polishes for only $6.95 total ($2.32/each) - basically, all you have to pay for is shipping!   I've tried Zoya polishes before and they have an excellent formula, silky smooth and long-lasting (though it does vary a bit by color).  I personally recommend Trixie (a beautiful silver), Goldie (a true gold), Freja (a gorgeous gunmetal, my personal favorite), and Jo (a unique, delicate cornflower blue-lavender color that is perfectly opaque with 2 coats).

All colors are in stock so grab the colors you want Zoya now, code FB2011 at checkout. This sale is limited to US.

These are the colors I picked - What Zoya colors would you get?

The famous and ever-elusive UD Naked palette is actually IN-STOCK at Sephora.   It definitely has been the most-hard-to-get palette of the season so get yours now!  Also, UD Naked Palette is now being sold for $44 on Amazon by Urban Decay.  It should qualify for free shipping even if you buy on Amazon, just read the instructions carefully.  Amazon can be your backup place to purchase if Sephora runs out of stock (which they prolly will in a few hours).  Lastly, rumor has it that the Naked palette will be re-stocked at Ulta stores/online very, very soon. Don't forget to go through E-bates if you're buying at Sephora for 4% cash back! So, gogogo :D! Good luck!

Get the UB Naked Palette for $44 flat at Beauty.com

From Temptalia.

If there's one palette that's been a hit this year it's been the Urban Decay Naked Palette ($44).  It's been OOS on Urban Decay's Official website and Sephora for weeks and buying it at other places like Ulta is irritating because they charge $5.95 for shipping unless you spend $50+.   Needless to say, Ebay and Amazon sellers are even worse, some are charging upwards of $100 -_____- Seriously, it's friggin' shameless. Anyway, the point is, Beauty.com just re-stocked the UB Naked Palette today!  It's $44 (the basic retail price, you won't find it any lower anywhere) and qualifies for free shipping (Free Shipping on $25+).  So basically...if you've been wanting the Naked Palette - you can get it now :D!

I don't have this palette myself but people have been raving about it for months due to it's sleek design, wearable colors and good value.  Here are Temptalia's amazing swatches and closeups if you want a closer look.  I'm debating if I should get it myself but >.< I dunno, I've been buying too much makeup lately.  In the meantime, I thought I'd let you guys know that it's available since I know a lot of people want it.

Speaking of, Beauty.com is actually a new discovery for me ^^ and they carry a lot brand names like Stila, Smashbox, Too Faced, Bare Minerals, Urban Decay, NARS, Cargo Philosophy.... I have yet to make a purchase but they do seem promising.  Interestingly, it's a part of drugstore.com, I guess they're diversifying ^_~

UPDATE: Sold out on Beauty.com as of 9:30PM....basically less than 2 hours later :P 

BUT the Naked Palette is now in-stock at Ulta.com - Siwing did a quick breakdown of the coupon code and shipping info in her post :D So if you're really lemming for this product, go check her post out~

Wild Flower Fairy Makeup Tutorial

First off, I want to say thank to everyone who commented/watched my Rea-l Mayer video ^_^!  It was my first makeup tutorial and I wasn't sure how it'd turn out but you guys made every second worth it.

This was the "nature inspired" Halloween look I alluded to a few posts ago before Ergo Proxy bounced into my life.   It's actually one of the more tame looks I had in mind, before I wanted to do something totally psycho...like an insect or something just to see if I could do it xD   I prolly still will if I can cram it in before Halloween....aka in 8 days omg.

I forgot to mention in the video that I'm using a wet brush to intensify the color.  I like to just wet a paper towel and wipe my brush between colors and this both cleans and re-wets the brush for the next color.  Also to intensify the colors even more, use some kind of colored eyeshadow base before you apply the UD eyeshadows - my recommended eye shadow base would be the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the appropriate colors (very affordable + tons of colors). I didn't do it in the vid though because I find the UD shadows to be pretty vibrant as is.

This look is essentially an UD Book of Shadows III look. I'm trying to use this palette as much as possible, mostly because it's my first legit palette ^^;; and I want maximize my purchase per se ;) So far I'm really liking the colors, they're super pigmented with minimal fallout (except Midnight Cowboy, which I now never use and is pretty much universally regarded as a bad eyeshadow even by UD-lovers).

Products Used:
* = in the UD BoSIII

* UD Primer Potion in Original
* UD Snatch eyeshadow
* UD Kush eyeshadow
* UD Psychedelic Sister eyeshadow
UD 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Yeyo
* UD 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Ransom
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Liner in Black
UD Heavy Metal Eyeliner in Distortion (I said Pyrotechnic in the video...no idea why I said that -_-)
Missha Shining Style Stick Eyes in White
(yes I forgot to apply mascara X_X)
Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil & Gel in Brown
Lioele Silky Highlighter BB Touch
Rock & Republic Pressed Blush in Tease
NYX Round Lipstick in Circe
C.O. Bigelow Menthe Lip Gloss
G&G GBT Violet Circle Lens (LOVE THESE. Review coming soon.)

Not shown in video:
Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation (sorry ^^ I said in the video it had no SPF :P)
L'oreal True Match Concealer in Cool (light/medium)
Neutrogena Oil Free Makeup Remover (is what I use on the Q-tip)

Ideas to enhance the look: I really recommend getting latex elf ears if you can (something really big and crazy would be cool ^^).  If you can get cuffed earrings too I think that would just take this look to a whole new level.  Also if you want a "wilder" looking fairy you could put a streak of dark lipstick on the center of you lower lip and use a black gel liner to trace more designs.  I didn't use setting powder because I wanted to look dewy but it made it a bit it hard to draw on my face with pencil because there was so much slip.  For the vid it was fine because I only wanted faint design but for a darker line, I'd say use a gel or a grease stick if you have one.  Also if you have your hands on a nice pair of lashes, use them.  I think one that wings out and is thicker on the outer ends would be particularly nice since they would enhance the exotic look.  Fyi, the lashes shouldn't be too dramatic or you'll overwhelm the eye shadow colors. This look can be adapted to be makeup for different colored flowers or an elf/pixie look... ^_^!

I had a little trouble editing this - I had an insane 45 minutes of footage.  I decided to try filming more "freestyle" - usually I film in little bits with each step on separate clips.  This time I just left the camera running and filmed it straight through.  Bad idea.   Anyway, the light was gorgeous today so I spent a lot of time hugging my mom's potted plants xD She has a thing for alien looking plants in case you haven't noticed :}

Here's a closeup of the eye makeup.  The top pic is too yellow and if you're wondering why my eye makeup looks a little different for each eye it's because my eyes are wonky; one has a double fold and the other is a hidden fold :P

For peeps curious about the flower crown, it's almost embarrassingly simple x.x I cover the tape in the back by flipping my hair over it after clipping the crown into my hair.

Anyway, if all goes well I'll be cranking out a few more of these :D  I hope you guys like!

Review: Urban Decay Book of Shadows III

This really isn't a proper review because I didn't include my own swatches but here's a peek at something I ordered from Sephora a few days ago -

The box was huge O_o Sure was packaged well with enough packing paper to last a year.

Tis the UD Book of Shadows III - Love NYC (and a Philosophy Hope In A Jar sample)!  It's Urban Decay's Fall 2010 palette and it debuted on August 28ish.  It's my first UD palette and I bought it at after seeing the color swatches on Temptalia.

Btw, the reason I'm not doing swatches of my own is because Temptalia and Pursebuzz truly have the best swatches for this palette and my camera's crap macro (combined with my wobbly photography skills) just can't measure up.  Temptalia's swatches (imho) are more accurate in terms of how the colors look on your eyes.  Pursebuzz's pictures look a TAD on the saturated side (and a bit dark) but show the undertones and glitter specks the best.  So use those swatches as you will - I will say both swatches combined give you a very accurate look at what you're getting short of going to Sephora yourself.  And also I am only comparing the respective strengths of temptalia's and pursebuzz's pics because it really is impossible to capture the reflection, hue and sparkle of a shadow in one picture.  Both reviewer's focus on slightly different aspects of makeup so it's up to you to see if the palette is for you I think ^^

Anyway, my first impression was I was shocked by how huge this palatte is O_O!

It literally is the size of a book!   The sample palette at Sephora was (understandably, to fit on the rack) was half this size so my eyes just popped out when I held the real thing in my hand.  It feels weighty and has a really expensive heft to it :)  Not a portable palette for sure because the size and weight but very sturdy regardless.   And this book has a surprise ~

It lights up! Actually the lights had turned off by the time I snapped a pic but it's really pretty ^^ if a bit useless ;)  Lots of attention to detail though and I appreciate that :D  The palette came with a sheet with all the colors . . .

Opening the drawer . . .

Gorgeoussssss!! You can tell from the pics that this is no cheap cardboard box.  It's heavy, sturdy...well...the packaging is just great.  The primer potion is a mini size -

This picture turned out a little too yellow . . .

Quick summary (from Temptalia) - 16 colors total
In Blue = favorites

Exclusive to this palette: Loaded, Kush, Rockstar, Money, Bordello, Radium, Suspect

Sephora exclusives (aka a permanent color but hasn't been in other UD palettes): Haight, Psychedelic Sister

Repeats (in other UD palettes): Perversion, Uzi, Midnight Cowboy, Last Call, Maui Wowie, Smog, Snatch

Eyeliners: Zero, Ransom (both permanent colors in the 24/7 Pencil collection)
Eye primer: Original

I didn't own any UD shadows (or Ransom or the famous Primer Potion) so this was a 100% great buy for me and worth every penny ($54 at Sephora.com).  While the bright colors like Radium, Kush, Rockstar and Psychedelic Sister really catch the eye, this palette really is pretty versatile.  Perversion (matte black) is a staple for a smokey eye or simply tightlining your eye. Uzi (glittery white) is a little on the glittery side for say, work, but with a deft hand you can definitely get away with dabbing a bit on your inner corners.  Last Call (red-plum) is definitely a can-do for work even with it's rich color. Rockstar even can pass at workplaces with a slightly more relaxed dress code. Snatch (a delicate pink-peach with a gold sheen) has no fallout despite the glitter and is seriously my favorite base shadow at the moment.  And of course the famous Smog (bronze) is in the Naked palette (among many others) basically speaks for itself.  Suspect (a lighter bronze than Smog) is also obviously a very wearable color.

Midnight Cowboy (pink with gold glitter), despite looking modest in the pan, is actually way too glittery and Temptalia is quite right in saying it has a ridiculous amount of fallout.    Speaking of, I've read a number of negative reviews about this particular color and many have commented that it is their outright least favorite shadow :\  I can certainly see why, I put this on once and spent the next 15 minutes wiping off gold flecks from my nose, cheeks and picking it out of my lashes :P

I already own a couple UD 24/7 Pencils (including Zero) but I was so happy to get my paws on Ransom (purple with a blue flash).  I played around with all the colors and they are all incredibly pigmented, I can definitely see why UD is famous for their rich colors.  FYI the 24/7 pencils are fantastic.  As I mentioned before, I'd never used the Primer Potion before (or any kind of lid primer for the matter) and these pencils do not budge.   Without the lid primer, colors are definitely less vibrant but no less long-wearing I think.  I must do some swatches one day.

Just looking at this palette makes also sorts of makeup look ideas run through my head - I'm thinking of just doing a series of looks just from this palette to get to know it properly ^_^  Anyway, I hope you found this mini-review helpful in some way.  For people looking to make their first UD palette purchase, I definitely recommend this.  The ever-out-of-stock Naked palette is a good option as well (if you can actually get your hands on in the next few months) but I think for first time purchasers the BoS3 is actually a better palette in a lot of ways because you get a mix of colors both bright and neutrals to get you used to UD shadows AND have an array of colors to play with.

For those who own previous BoS's, here is a short and sweet comparison (with pics) of UD's BoS 1, 2, and 3 at London Beauty Review.  She does a quick comparison of the boxes and an overview of the colors.  Nothing too specific but enough to give you a taste of whether you should splurge on this palette if you have others.