MUA Undress Me Too Eye Palette (UD Naked Dupe?)

Like the majority of the Beauty Blogger world, I have been lusting after the Urban Naked Naked Palette since the moment my eyes meet it's beauty whilst blog browsing last year. The only thing that has prevented me adding it to my collection is it's hefty price tag. At 30 pound it's not the cheapest of eye shadow palettes and not everyone has the money to fork out on such a product. 

But hold your horses! Before you run off into a corner to cry about the lack of Naked Palette in your life, why not try a budget alternative? 

Meet MUA's Undress Me Too Palette. Now MUA has never been one of my favourite makeup brands. I can hear you all screaming 'WHAT KIND OF BEAUTY BLOGGER IS THIS WOMAN!?'. MUA has been a much raved about budget makeup brand since the beauty bloggin' world was created, but I've never personally seen the hype. Do not get me wrong, I've never been a snob when it comes to makeup and I love a bargain just as much as the next folk but my love for MUA has never been ignited (possibly because of my CRAZY dislike of their lip products). 

That is until I acquired this gorgeous palette. The only products I've really liked from MUA were their shadows and this set is no exception. When I was given this palette in a recent beauty swap I couldn't wait to give it a try. I'd heard some rave reviews about it and had sadly not been able to get hold of it in my local Superdrug (*sobs*) so was more then ecstatic about it's arrival through the post. The first thing I really noticed about this palette was just how versatile it was. As I'm either at college or work most days of the week, I like to keep my day look's simple and demure. The neutral shades in the Undress Me Too are just so wearable for everyday and allow you to create the most simple of looks. 

The shades within the palette include Naked (a light nude/yellow toned colour which is great for highlighting), Devotion (cooper golden brown), Shy (pearlescent nude/creme), Fiery (shimmery dark bronze), Lavish (light toned brown), Dreamy (dark, shimmery brown), Tranquil (shimmery, light brown), Exposed (grey hued shimmer), Reveal (pearlescent taupe), Wink (shimmery Mocha), Obsessed (dark expresso shade) and Corrupt (black matte). As I have quite dark brown eyes, brown shades are a massive love for me. I love the way that these shades can be used to create a more smoky, shaded look or even a matte shadow with a defined crease (was it just me that laughed at that last part?). 

The fall out for this product isn't the worst I've ever experience was it not great. I use my FCUK shadow brush and a blender brush, pressing the shadow into the lid rather then swiping. I still, however, feel that I am left with slight fall out from the darker colours within the palette, which is one of the most annoying things about a shadow due to the fact it often leaves you having to re-do your concealer/foundation. The staying power of this shadows are acceptable. I find that the lighter shades literally have the staying power of a buttered fly especially Shy which creases within the first few minutes of application. The darker shades however, particularly Obsessed, Dreamy and Wink have long wear. I find they do not crease throughout the day and would probably have even more staying power when applied after eye shadow primer. I have to say I was a little disappointed with the pigmentation of the matte shades within this palette. Lavish and Naked have little pigmentation and are not as true to their shade as I would have liked. However, the more shimmery shades such as Devotion, Fiery and Tranquil apply really nicely and are great for creating a more defined brown eye.  

I did swatch the shades for you below but it isn't the best lighting in the world. As you can see, these shades are really simple and understated which really help to create that 'barely there' makeup look. Overall, I really enjoy this palette. It helps me to create an everyday look perfect for spring. I have yet to try the Naked Palette so I can not say exactly if this is a great dupe for Naked, however, for 4 pound, this set of shadows are a great price for such a good product. Their shades are VERY similar to those found in the UD Naked Palette, Shy being a great dupe for Virgin and Tranquil a dupe for Dark Horse. The palette itself is also a lot more versatile and functional. It's small and secure enough to pop into your handbag on the go and fit's into my dressing table snug as a bug alongside larger palette neighbours. I still would LOVE to get my hands on Urban Decay's Naked but feel that MUA's Undress Me Too is a great substitute for those who want a bargain and can't defend spending 30 pound. It's a great price for a great product that I feel a great deal of you will LOVE. You won't be disappointed with this perfectly neutral palette. 

Let me know if you have tried this MUA product yet and how you compared it to the UD Naked if you have tried both! I'd love to hear your views. 

Georgia 

oxo

Pearlys Magic Dazzle Dust (Weekly Brighten Powder) Review

I'd always dreamed of having the Hollywood smile since having my braces taken off last year. But as a student on a part time wage, this was only ever a dream. That was until Pearlys dazzled their way into my life. You may have seen the Pearlys range while rummaging round your local Boots but if you have not yet had the pleasure of knowing who they are, I'll inform you! 

So Pearlys is the UK's premier provider of in-clinic and at-home teeth whitening treatments. Although the company is primarily based in London, they have a number of stockists and clinics nationwide, so wherever you may be, you can treat yourself to a set of beautifully white nashers. Pearlys are the brand that celebrities such as Mark Wright, Alexandra Burke and JLS put their trust in to keep their smiles looking beautiful, so it's quite clear to see this is a brand that can be trusted. After a few weeks of following the brand on Twitter and seeing the raving reviews their home whitening kits were receiving from customers, I decided to get in contact with the team at Pearlys and see if they could send me any products to try! 

A few days later, I received the company's 'Magic Dazzle Dust' in the post! The brightening powder which gives you the same sparkling clean you'd get from your local hygienist! The powder is very easy to apply and I got to work using it almost immediately, desperate to see what difference the product could make. Now my teeth are in a great condition as I was always taught by my mum that mouth hygiene was of the upmost importance, so I never thought that a deep clean would make that much of a difference, but this product really does leave your teeth feeling squeaky clean. The product should be dipped onto a wet tooth brush, focusing primarily on the teeth rather then the teeth and gums. You should brush the product in for around 2-4 minutes depending on how much of a deep clean your teeth need before rinsing your mouth and admiring the new polish. After using this product for the first time, I saw a difference straight after using the product. It felt like a deep clean at your local dentist and I could see that my teeth, especially the top row, were a lot brighter then previous to using the product. I've been using the product for around 3 weeks now, once or twice a week and can feel a massive difference. I'm so impressed with the level of customer service I also received from the staff at Pearlys. I feel like they are definitely a company I can trust with my teeth and I'm looking into having my teeth whitened with them in the near future! 

If you haven't tried any of Pearlys products out, you can find their products stocked at the local Boots or you can contact them through Twitter to find out where their nearest clinic is to you. With affordable at home kits and experienced staff, I just think this company is really great and hope to see a lot more of them in the future. 

Overall I'm really impressed with this product and will definitely be re-purcashing some 'Dazzle Dust'!

Give it a try and let me know what you think! 

http://www.pearlys.co.uk/

http://www.pearlys.co.uk/pearlys-products/ 

Pearlys Weekly Brighten Powder – £12.50

EDITED: A few readers have pointed out the fact that Pearlys may not be working within the new EU guidelines surrounding teeth whitening. New legislation says that only registered dentists are allowed to prescribe and provide 6% hydrogen peroxide. Non-dentist can only supply 0.1 hydrogen peroxide.

Pearlys actually supply most of their teeth whitening ingredients to licensed dentists. 

Here is the disclaimer regarding their EU Safety Certificate which can be found on their website: 

Pearlys provides products to both dentist and non-dentist teeth whiteners.

Pearlys dentist-only products include 16% carbamide peroxide (which is equivalent to 5.33% hydrogen peroxide) and are only sold to GDC registered dentists. By law, the first application of this product must be made by the dental professional, after this first pass the patient may continue to use the products provided by their dentist at home.

Pearlys non-carbamide/non-hydrogen-peroxide cosmetic whitening products may be provided by both dentists and non-dentists. The Daily-Whiten Foam, Whitening Pen and Syringes of Whitening Gel  contain the active ingredient sodium perborate 0.16%.

All Pearlys cosmetic products comply fully with the EU legislation click on the links below to view the EU Safety Certificates.

EU cosmetic safety certificate Pearlys Teeth Brighten Powder

EU safety assessment Pearlys Teeth Whiten Foam

EU Safety certificate Whitening Gel in Pen & Syringes

The whitening gel that is used in Pearlys Whitening Pens and Whitening Syringes provided with Pearlys Professional Teeth Whitening Home-kits is the same gel. The original EU Safety certificate did not spell this out and so we have had an additional EU Safety Certificate produced here:

EU Safety Certificate with Whitening Pen & Whitening Syringes in the title

This shows that the company do comply with the law and are professional and safe in their actions. 

Thanks 

G

x

Calling all Beauty Bloggers Everywhere!

Hello you beautiful people!

Are you a avid beauty blogger? Would you be interested in swapping reviews and products with other beauty junkies?

Follow my blog and get in touch with me via Twitter or Email if you'd like to get involved! 

@thatgeorgiacoan 

gezzieecoan@gmail.com

I'd love to network with you guys and possibly arrange some swaps of products with international beauty bloggers as well as just chatting to you guys to swap tips and tricks for beauty blogging and makeup/fashion!

Thanks

Georgia 

oxoxo