Revlon Nearly Naked Liquid Foundation Makeup

Hola my beauty lovin' babes!

I have ANOTHER Revlon foundation review for you today!! Revlon seems to be pumping out some really fantastic products lately, and I was super pleased to see another foundation in their line of hits. I did a little bit of research before picking up this foundation, but not as much as I usually do, as I was super intrigued by the whole "naked" concept and my shopping compulsion just overcame me.

As most of you probably know by now, my combination skin (lately) has been more on the oily side, as opposed to being truly "combination" in nature. I figured that the Nearly Naked foundation would be a bit of a gamble, since 'skin-mimicking' foundations tend to lean on the more dewy, or glowy, side anyways.

I picked my foundation up from Shoppers Drug Mart for about $15 CDN. I haven't really seen this foundation anywhere else yet (I've been avoiding shopping lately as we're trying to save money), but I would imagine that it ranges anywhere between $10-$17 CDN, depending on where you buy it. The bottle contains 1 fl oz (30 mL).

Photo credit: www.revlon.com

My shade is Vanilla, which is the lightest warm shade available from the line. There are 16 shades available, all split up into the "warm" and "cool" toned foundations - so virtually anyone can find a match. Revlon offers an interactive online tool to help you choose your appropriate shade, in addition to providing a little card on the display that will also help you determine which color to pick.

I don't particularly love the generic packaging. The sleek rectangular bottle and white cap make it different from every other foundation I own, but it's not really outstanding. Additionally, I hate the fact that there isn't a pump included with this foundation - it would be a nicer alternative to the open mouth that you have to dump foundation out of. Sigh de la sigh. This can get incredibly messy, very quickly.

As far as foundations go, I feel that Vanilla is as perfect a match as I'd ever find at the drugstore. I actually have more neutral undertones in my skin, but to counteract the pinky-redness in my face, I purchased the warmer foundation to cancel out and better conceal this.

The foundation has an SPF of 20, which does create a bit of a white cast across my skin in flash photography, but it's nothing too overwhelming. I think that powdering the skin definitely helps downplay the white cast as well.

The foundation itself is incredibly liquidy - in fact, its even more runny than Revlon ColorStay. I'd have to say it's as runny as my NARS Sheer Glow foundation was - and that's saying something. Revlon boasts that the coverage is buildable, and I would definitely agree. If you're applying a light first layer, the coverage is definitely sheer to light. If you use more product and a heavy hand, you can definitely achieve a light-to-medium coverage. Applying a second (or even third) layer will give you a very respectable coverage of the medium-to-full variety, depending on what all you need covered up. For my own purposes, I tend to go with a light layer around my face to even everything out, and then I go in with a little bit extra product on my brush to build additional coverage in my problem areas (cheeks, around the nose, chin, etc.).

Upon application, I find that this application is fairly tacky. It's not that it takes a while to set, it just feels sticky on my skin. Usually this is remedied by applying a powder to the shiny and/or tacky areas. I do find that towards the end of my 8 hour day, my foundation does tend to feel a little tacky, especially in my oily areas, but it's nothing a little powder won't fix.

I've tried several different ways to apply this foundation to my bare skin including my Real Techniques Buffing brush (wet and dry), my beauty blender sponge (damp), my Real Techniques Stippling brush, and my ELF Studio Powder brush. By far, my favorite way to apply this foundation is using my Real Techniques Buffing brush (dry). I feel like it gives me the coverage I want on the first go, and allows me to easily and efficiently buff the foundation into my skin. It doesn't seem to leave too many brush streaks behind in my foundation, which is a huge plus. Additionally, it makes building up the coverage incredibly easy. If I'm building up several layers of foundation, I'll usually roll a damp sponge over my face to ensure there aren't any weird streaks or marks left in the foundation from the bristles of my brush.

The longevity of this foundation is incredible. I'm not 100% sure how it manages to outwear the Revlon ColorStay on my skin, but it does! I can apply this around 8:30 am, and when I get home in the evening around 6:30 pm, it still looks EXACTLY the same as it did when I left the house in the early morning. It wears off beautifully in any event, not leaving any harsh lines or obvious 'bald' patches on my face. It wears off gradually, just fading slightly throughout the day. In fact, the most wear and tear I see is around my nostrils, but that's about it. The only other thing I notice is that my T-zone is slightly more 'dewy' than it was when I left the house in the morning. It's nothing that can't be remedied by a little powder, but it's not obnoxious or glaringly obvious... it just doesn't look quite as fresh as it could. For this reason, if I'm planning on being out later in the evening, I'll pack a powder along just to touch up after work.

At 9 o'clock am in the morning, in natural sunlight.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, in direct sunlight.

An up-close picture of my foundation at 9 o'clock in the morning.
Direct sunlight.

At 5 o'clock pm in artificial light.
On the left: no flash, On the right: with flash.

The left half of my face is clean, and the right half has foundation on it.
See how natural it looks!?

Another huge plus to this foundation is the fact that it increases the wear time of my blush and bronzer/contour astronomically. I look in the mirror at the end of the day, and I'm actually surprised because I can still see blush on my face... in fact, it looks almost as good as it did at the beginning of the day.

One of my favorite aspects of the Nearly Naked foundation is the way it sits weightlessly on my skin. I literally cannot feel this foundation at all. I get the coverage I want, without feeling cakey or weighed down by my foundation. Even when the end of the day rolls around and my face feels less than fresh, I still don't feel the nagging weight of my foundation. It's a comfortable, flexible wear - it is the picture of 'minimalistic.' 

Nearly Naked doesn't break me out at all. In fact, I've noticed that since using this, my skin has been happier and less 'upset' in general. Maybe it's my diet or something, but I've had fewer zits, and my complexion in general has been more even and smooth. 

What can I say? I'm in love.

I'd highly recommend this to everyone, except maybe those whose faces mimic the McDonald's deep fryers. Your skin might not fair so well with this foundation, but I'd say that anyone with dry to combination/oily skin could utilize this foundation and love it.

I cannot sing the praises of this foundation enough. I am so pleasantly surprised with this foundation. I am actually excited to get up in the morning and plop this on my skin. I love looking in the mirror and seeing my flawless skin look back at me. 

Definitely 5 out of 5 stars.

Let me know: have you tried the new Revlon Nearly Naked foundation!? What do you think of it...?

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I'm sorry for not posting the past few days, my lovelies! I've been preoccupied with school and my weight loss journey, and I'd been holding out on posting because... The Naked 2 palette was released in my Sephora today!!

I've always wanted the Naked palette, and I waited for someone to buy it for me for my birthday, Christmas, SOMETHING! But no one did. So finally, I resolved that I would buy it for myself after Christmas, should no one have bought it for me. However, I found out that Urban Decay was releasing a new palette, and I was intrigued - which one to get now!?

I did a lot of research and after a lot of deliberation and pondering, I decided that the best option, for me, would be the Naked 2 palette. It seemed (overally) in more sturdy packaging than the original, came with a double sided brush (He-llo!!! Who doesn't love a new brush!?), and a mini lipgloss. Plus, the colors seemed to intrigue me a little more than the original... so I decided to buy it. I found out a few weeks ago that it was going to be in around the 26th of January, but no promises were made. My husband and I stopped in at a Sephora after our supper date (romantic, I know... haha), and I was told that the 26th was definitely their release date.

So this morning I got up early, got to the mall at 9:15 and waited until it opened at 10. About seven other ladies showed up and waited with me, which got me very nervous. I knew the stock was limited - from what I saw, there were only about 10 palettes for sale, but I was the second one to actually buy one of these puppies.

So here is my overview/review of the Naked 2 palette. Enjoy!

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This palette retails for $60 CDN (ouch, I know...), while the original Naked palette retails for $58 CDN. It can be purchased from UrbanDecay.com (though Urban Decay does not ship to Canada. You've been warned!), Sephora.com, and Sephora stores. It contains 12 Urban Decay eyeshadows, 5 of which are brand spankin' new. Urban Decay refers to them  as "taupe and greige (gray-beige)" neutrals in a variety of finishes: matte, shimmery and glittery. It also comes with a dual-ended brush (one side with a crease brush, the other with a flat shader brush) and a mini Lip Junkie lipgloss in Naked.

The palette is packaged differently than the original Naked palette. The case is made of a heavy metal that snaps open and shut. The lid is hinged There is a long slot in the palette for the brush to go. It has a large mirror that takes up the width and height of the inner lid of the case. This makes it funtabulous for makeup application on the go. The palette itself is heavy-er but not cumbersome or awkward. It feels very sturdy and safe - and I feel less anxious about my shadows breaking or getting chipped/punctured, etc. with this case encapsulating them.

The plastic protective sheet is still on my mirror.

The lipgloss tube holds 3.23 ml (0.11 US fl oz) of product. The lid twists off to reveal a slanted plastic squeeze-up applicator, which is also fantastic for on the go. The lipgloss itself is in the shade Naked, which is a beautiful rose pink color. It has fine pink shimmer throughout, but it's definitely not noticeable in the least on the lips. It is fairly sheer, but the color is buildable - to about a medium coverage/pigmentation. It's supposed to cool and plump lips too. Which I totally feel - it's not uncomfortable though. It has a minty scent - VERY comparable to the smell of the candy, 'Misty Mints.' If you've had them, you know what I'm talking about... There is no taste to the gloss, and while the scent is pretty strong, it does die down as it sits on your lips. The gloss itself is a little sticky, but not too much so for my liking. It feels comfortable on my lips - almost like there isn't anything there. It does wear for a significant amount of time before I feel I need to reapply it, which is probably a function of the stickiness of the gloss, in general. Overall, this is great everyday color. It's incredibly wearable and very comfortable on the lips. It might be worth looking into getting a full-sized tube of this gloss if you like it after trying it. I would certainly consider getting a full-sized tube after it runs out.

Flash.

No flash.

The palette also features the cruelty-free Good Karma Shadow/Crease brush. The brush is a dual-ended synthetic brush with a flat shader brush on one end and a crease brush on the other. This brush is exclusive to the Naked 2 palette, so it's not available for purchase outside of this set. The bristles are incredibly soft on this brush. The handle is of a good weight and feels very comfortable in my hand. The crease brush is very dense and fairly stiff, so it works perfectly for blending out colors and creating an even gradient of color. It's domed, so it gets right into the socket of the eye, or applies a wash of color effortlessly. My only complaint is that the bristles are very long - I feel that I would've had more precision and control with a shorter bristled brush, but even so - this brush is fantastic. The flat shader brush is fantastic too. It's very dense and stiff, but very thin. It picks up color easily, and deposits it precisely where you want it on the eyelid. You have a great deal of control with this brush. The synthetic bristles of both are AMAZING - the brushes hold the product well when you first apply it to the brush, but don't absorb excess product - everything you pick up on the brush will transfer to your eye where and when you want it to. They're incredibly easy to clean and don't shed. A perfect complement to the palette.

Good Karma dual-ended brush
Still in the plastic wrapper.

Crease brush

Flat shader brush

Each eyeshadow is 1.3 g (0.05 US oz). There are 12 shades: (left-to-right) Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted and Blackout.

In natural sunlight.

*swatches of the palette to come*

No flash.

In natural sunlight.

Foxy is a matte cream white. Ideal for a brow highlight.
Half Baked is an intensely shimmery bronze gold shade. This is a great for summer bronze-y looks. I have nothing like this color in my eyeshadow collection. This is the only shade that crosses over for both the original Naked and Naked 2 palettes.
Bootycall is a shimmery white pink. Great as an all-over lid color, or as a shimmering brow highlight.
Chopper is an intensely shimmery (bordering on glittery) peachy copper color with silver microglitter.

No flash.

In natural sunlight.

Tease is a matte purple taupe shade. Perfect for a crease color or a transition shade. Probably my favorite of the whole palette.
Snakebite is a shimmery dark bronze. This would look GREAT in the crease with Half Baked on the lid.
Suspect is a shimmery beige color.
Pistol is a shimmery light gunmetal brown.

No flash.

In natural sunlight.

Verve is a shimmery 'oyster' color (according to Sephora.com).
YDK is a glittery bronze-y metallic color.
Busted is a shimmery dark purple-brown.
Blackout is a matte black. It's intensely pigmented, great for darkening the crease/outer corner, using as liner, etc.

My favorite shades from the palette are: Foxy, Half Baked, Chopper, Tease, and Busted. I love them all, but these have to be my ABSOLUTE, must-have favorites.

The shadows are incredibly pigmented. There are no sheer shades - there are light colors, but you can still get heavy handed with these shadows because of the crazy pigmentation. Very little product goes a long way. There is a great selection of neutral colors - great for every day, practical and/or office looks as well as more dramatic evening looks. The shadows are SO soft, they feel almost creamy. These are my first Urban Decay shadows, and I have to say - they've lived up to all the hype. They blend effortlessly across the skin. The only problem I have is with fall out - some of the shadows are so shimmery/glittery, you can get a lot of fall out on your face - for this reason, I would recommend you do your eye makeup first (when using shadows like Chopper or YDK), and your foundation last.

The portability and practicality of this palette is absolutely fantastic. Not only is it travel friendly, but there are twelve amazing shades to accompany you on your travels or just be your one-stop-shop at home for beautiful eye looks. The dual-ended brush is incredibly perfect by incorporating both a shader end and a crease blender end - you have the most practical and versatile brushes with you wherever you go.The lipgloss amps up or tones down any eye makeup look, and is incredibly travel friendly (the only downside is how small it is.. it can easily get lost or forgotten haha!)

For the price, this is palette has incredible value. It will definitely be one of my most used palettes of 2012 - and it's an incredible investment. It will take me forever to hit pan on any one of the eyeshadows, let alone the whole thing. I will definitely get my money's worth on this one.

My only *big* complaint is the price tag. Ouch. It really leaves a dent in your wallet. HOWEVER, if you're looking for a palette of immense quality and great value - this is it. You can't go wrong with a neutral palette - you will find use for it every single day. And at $2 over the original, I'd say it's worth the extra. I've swatched the Original palette in Sephora, and found that I didn't love the colors as much as I do with the 2nd edition.

I think that if you've got the money to spend, this is a really worthwhile expenditure. If you haven't experienced Urban Decay shadows before, this is a great way to try them out and get a large variety of staple every day (and then some) colors. I love the dual-ended brush, and it was reason enough to buy this palette over the original. I don't know that you necessarily need both palettes, unless you're a collector of sorts - the colors are fairly similar (in texture and color) and you can get away with getting one over the other. The immense (practical) value of the brush in this kit, however, sold me on the 2nd edition over the original.

I would DEFINITELY recommend this palette to anyone who was considering it.

5 out of 5 stars.
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Have you tried the original Naked palette? Which rendition do you enjoy more? Why?