Musings of a Muse

I love color. When I was 4 years old I told my mother I was going to be a famous artist needless to say it didn’t happen.

But I can play at being an artist with every color in the rainbow in my cosmetic wardrobe so of course I was happy to add Urban Decay’s New Big Fatty “Color” Mascara to my beauty arsenal!

Like all good things Urban Decay puts out these mascaras are packed full of funky shades to turn your lashes from blah to WOW! I was excited to test these out as not many brands put out such gorgeous hues of color when it comes to mascara!

These are a mini version of the original Big Fatty Mascara which I think is perfectly suited because who can seriously polish off a tube of bright aqua mascara? Not likely. A mini version is the perfect size for those days you’re feeling a bit daring! At a price tag of $17 USD each you might wince slightly but no one ever said it was cheap to be gorgeous!

The formula isn’t the best I’ve come across and I had to do quite a bit of work to get this evenly applied onto my lashes. As I find with all colored mascaras it’s a chore to get it on correctly. Application consists of swiping the color on, clumping some of the color on using the tip of the applicator, brushing it through with a lash comb, and finally applying another layer.

This is no fault of the product but just the general drama of colored mascara! I’ve tried a few colored mascaras and aside from Majorca Majolica Splashing Blue Mascara I’ve never had a successful application without having to go through several steps to get the product evenly onto my lashes! The brush is a nice big chunky one which could attest to it’s name “Big Fatty”.

I tested out all the colors that were released and Black Cherry is by far my favorite. It’s a deep maroon that goes perfectly with cranberry, pink, browns, and even bronze colors! Below I created a look using Urban Decay Big Fatty in Black Cherry.

Other colors available are Purple Haze which is a deep purple, Electric Blue which borders aqua and blue, and Indigo which is an off color blue with tiny touches of purple.

If you’re purchasing these or already own these I came up with some killer combinations to match up with Urban Decay eye shadows that I already own. You may have some of these or maybe wanting some after seeing my combos! Enjoy!

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara in Indigo Combos

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara in Purple Haze Combos

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara in Electric Blue Combos

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara in Black Cherry Combos

All in all these are a fun way to spice up your Summer eye makeup! Definitely worth checking out and swatching for yourself. I recommend checking out Black Cherry and Electric Blue as they are my fav of the four released!

Loving these?

Wanting ‘em?

What colors are you thinking of pairing up with ‘em?

Tell the Muse!

Check below for some other Urban Decay reviews and posts you may have missed out on!

Rediscover why Matte is where it’s at with Urban Decay’s Matte Eye Shadow Collection!

Click here to find out why I’m suddenly loving bronzer thanks to Urban Decay Baked Bronzer!

Click here to see what reviews are upcoming from Urban Decay’s Summer 2008 Collection with my sneak peek!

Oily Summer skin blues? Click here to hear my review on on Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder!

Possibly one of the first things that caught my eye when I first saw Urban Decay’s De-Slick Mattifying Powder was the rocking style of the compact. It quite reminded me of something Anna Sui would come up with! The compact is a dark, funky purple with an entwined skull and rose emblem on the top. I know a few of you had mentioned that you simply wanted this because of the awesome design of the compact and I’m definately in agreement with you! The compact is chic and it’s no great chore pulling this out of my bag for touch ups on the go.

I don’t have super oily skin but I get my days in the humid weather where my forehead starts to shine like a mirror. It hasn’t been too hot in the city lately (mostly rain and cold) but we have had a few nice days and I was able to test this out to see how well it works.

First of all I think a few of you had concerns about the color of this and how well it blends. The color is a super white translucent powder and you might know from past experiences that powders like this sometimes give your complexion a very ashy appearance. That’s simply not the case with Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder. It blends very well into the skin and does a super fine job of soaking up oil on your face. I can’t speak for darker skin tones but I can say that super fair and medium fair skin tones will be very happy with the blending results. It sinks beautifully into the skin and creates a silky, soft canvas for your makeup.

The best use in my opinion is for touch ups through out the day when your face feels like it’s melting due to oil build up but if you so choose you can of course use this to as a base for your makeup after foundation and before blush.

The staying powder is excellent. I’ve heard it compared to mineral veil in one review and even going so far as to say that it was better! The effects of the powder lasts close to 7 hours on my skin before my forehead started showing signs of being oily again. This is a gift from the Gods above for my lovely Singaporean girls who fill my ears with the woe of humid weather and oily skin (I feel your pain)!

The price of the compact could be a turn off for some at $28 USD but if it works I’m not one for counting pennies and this happens to work really well.

All in all Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder is well worth taking a look at!

I think I might safely say it’s Muse Approved for purchase!

Have it? Want it? Love it?

Tell the Muse all about it!

I’ve been having fun since last week testing out Urban Decay’s Summer Collection for 2008! Weeeeeeeeee! I love new makeup don’t you?

The good news is I’m loving it all! The bad news is the review is coming in several parts since I’m slowing testing it all out!

You might remember in my previous sneak peek of the Urban Decay Summer Collection 2008 post that I had almost all of the latest releases however in this post I am only reviewing the eyeshadows and the bronzers! Have no fear I’ll definately bring you up to date information about the other items released as soon as I’ve tested them all out fully!

You might already know by reading my blog that I hate bronzers with a serious passion! I don’t like a tan, I don’t like the sun, I don’t like bronzers, or bronzing or whatever you want to call it. I enjoy my pale skin thanks very much! I SPF myself to death in the Summer months in hopes I’ll keep a nice fresh, milky complexion!

However, Urban Decay has changed my mind about bronzers in a major way! Oh my I can’t believe I’m admitting this!

I’ve been using Urban Decay’s Baked Bronzer for about two weeks now, almost every day! I’ve been creating look after look after look using it and I sincerely cannot get enough of it! I’m really in love and I’m about to slap a hearty Muse Approval on this fantastic little compact in two seconds!

I’m shocked to say that I actually like a bronzer but this is seriously like no other bronzed powder I’ve tried before. It doesn’t give me that bad orange glow nor does it give me a dark tanned look! The looks I achieved with it are more a golden peachy glow that I think looks amazing on my skin! My skin didn’t change color when I used this. I’m not sporting a bad tan at the moment which is total plus for me as I hate looking tanned ugh (brings out my double chin yuk!).

The color of the bronzer is more of a gold shimmer that blends beautifully on the cheeks to create a glowing, healthy look that I’ve just fallen madly in love with! It’s enough color to look sun kissed but it’s not over done to the point I looked “baked”. I think my main reason for falling so deeply in love with this is it quite reminds me of a MAC MSF but without the chunky glitter.

The first few times I used this it was over a peachy blush but I proceeded to use it by itself the past few days and I noticed that the effect remains the same! I keep getting this beautiful glowing shimmer to my skin that’s gold with hints of peach.

I think I may have overdone it in some of my FOTD’s in all honesty as it looks like I stepped into the sun and stayed there a bit too long but I honestly dug the look. You’ll have to tell me what you think!

The compact is $24 USD and well worth your hard earned cash since the powder doubles up as an eyeshadow! I’ve used this both on my face and my lids to create a beautiful “touch of gold” look!

Here’s an FOTD of me using Urban Decay Baked Bronzer on both my face and my eyes! I didn’t use anything else on my face just the bronzer so you can get a general idea of the color and how it looks on!

Definitely a love for the Muse!

If you hate bronzers please for the love of god try this one! It’s amazing! The Muse Approves in a major way (and you know I don’t stick the Muse Seal of Approval on anything! Try this! Now!).

It’s been a while since Urban Decay has released any eyeshadows. They did come out with the Matte shadows in the Fall but they failed to interest me as you know I’m a shimmer girl! They also came out with the loose pigment shadows but I have most of the colors in the Deluxe eyeshadows so it seemed pointless to indulge in these! I own almost every color Urban Decay has put out! If you watched my “Stash Video” you know that I have every single color known to man and some that aren’t even around anymore! I’m a big time fan of the shadows! Of course when I heard two new eyeshadow colors were being released I was all over it like wildfire!

The two newest colors are Rush and Blaze. Honestly, you might be thinking how shimmery these are or how glittery but good news for the glitter haters they aren’t overloaded with shimmer or glitter. They blend perfectly with minimal to no fall out!

One color that could be an interesting, cheaper dupe of NARS Galapagos Eyeshadow would be Rush. Rush is described as a coppery bronze where as Galapagos is a chocolate brown with gold infusion! Both appear similar colors but I haven’t yet seen Galapagos in person so I’m unsure!

As you can see from the pictures they look quite similar but the Urban Decay version is much cheaper! I haven’t gotten my hands on Galapagos yet but as soon as I do I’ll be sure to do swatch comparisons!

I was wary of Rush at first as it just appears sorta blah in the pot but after application I was delighted at how well it went with the Baked Bronzer!

Here’s an FOTD of me using Urban Decay Baked Bronzer and Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Rush:

I might have been slightly wary of trying out Rush but I had no problems jumping in with two feet when it came to Blaze. Blaze is such a beautiful shimmery golden peach that looks so amazing on! I fell deeply in love just by swatching but once I had it on my lids it was most definately true love!

Here’s an FOTD of me using Urban Decay Baked Bronzer yet again and Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Blaze:

I’m extremely pleased so far with Urban Decay’s Summer Collection. I have to say that I wouldn’t normally purchase these particularly shades for myself so I’m very happy I had the chance to test something a little bit different! I’m delighted with both shadows and the bronzer and I definately give them a go ahead for purchase!

Here’s a few swatches to help you out with your purchasing (do ignore the fact that I labeled the Baked Bronzer wrong! It’s not “Half Baked” it’s just “Baked”):

Without Flash


With Flash

So far Urban Decay’s Summer Collection is fast turning into a favorite release for me this season!

Urban Baked Bronzer and Urban Decay Eyeshadows in Rush and Blaze get a big Muse Approval for purchase!

Do have a click over to the Urban Decay website for more information on the Summer releases plus face charts!

Love Urban Decay?

Want any of this?

My ears (and eyes) are open! Speak to the Muse!

Stop back soon to hear about the rest of the Urban Decay Summer Collection including the new colored Big Fatty Mascaras!

Here’s a sneak peak at the Urban Decay Summer Collection 2008!

I’ll be reviewing these shortly for you!

Craving the Urban Decay Summer Releases?

Loving it?

Hating it?

Tell the Muse!

Urban Decay is clearing up it’s RIP items! Time for a sale! 50% on over 50 items!

Cheers to that!

Click to enjoy the sale!

Mmmm some exciting items from Urban Decay!

Anyone for Loose Pigments? The Muse most definately wants these! These come an an ARRAY of colors! Click to see some of the amazing colors on offer from Sephora!

Urban Decay Loose Pigments $20 USD

Quick fix for your brows? No problem!

Urban Decay Brow Box $29 USD

Spring is in the air with all these new makeup goodies!

$1 Shipping on orders great and small at Urban Decay!

Sweet! If you need to stock up on some primer or just one shadow or even do a larger order the price can’t be beat!

I think Urban Decay is half-baked.

First of all I can’t begin to tell you what a big Urban Decay fan I am! I love, love, love the brand!

But today I’m just feeling confused.

They sent me an E-mail this afternoon trying to get me all hyped about their new Limited Edition Shattered Collection! MY GOD Only 50 are being made!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um…

So?

What’s the point? It contains nothing that’s LE.

Urban Decay’s Limited Edition Shattered Collection (Only 50 are being made! My god get yours NOW before it’s too late!)

The collection includes a mini primer potion, Shattered Eyeshadow, Glitter Eyeliner in Air Guitar, and a mini 24/7 eyeliner pencil!

The price is nice sure but I’m wondering why only 50 are being made and why it’s so highly limited edition?

When you think about it you’re not really getting that big a deal. Glitter liners are $18 each anyway and so are UD Shadows. So what they threw in a mini eye pencil and a small primer potion!

Hell, if you want you can pick up Shattered and Air Guitar any day of the week!

I’m so confused.

Almost as confused as I was when Sephora decided to throw me that curve ball with the Colorful Story Palette! Didn’t hear about that? Click here for the details!

I’m clueless as bloody hell so Jeers to you Urban Decay! You’re obviously smoking from the same pipe as Sephora!

What the hell?

I’m noticing a major trend in the cosmetic gift giving selection this year. That’d trend would be minis!

Yay!

I mean we obviously love full size products but hell don’t we love mini versions that we can tuck in our purses and makeup bags for touch ups here and there and everywhere?

Urban Decay has graced us with it’s mini 24/7 Kit which you can check out by clicking here.

Benefit has it’s new Powder Pop! palette available which contains mini versions of it’s popular powder line. You can droll over it by clicking here.

Stila has a mini kit of it’s lipglazes which I purchased yesterday! You can see my first impression here.

And now some more minis that are popping up at Sephora for the Holiday Season! Let’s have a look.

Napoleon Perdis Lip Couture Set for $35

Ok so these might not qualify for mini but I’m making the big assumption these aren’t the big sizes.

Next on our menu the Bare Escentuals Buxom Babes Lip Polish Set for $28

Next on our list of minis would be the Bourjois Paris Kisses From Paris Set for $18

A cocktail of lipglosses for you! Lorac Mini Mini Mocktail Bar for $25

The best deal yet (I believe this might be full size but don’t quote me on that) would be the Smashbox Light Speed Lip Gloss Collection for $29!

Tarte has a new trio of cheek stains as well which are $30 and entitled We Wish You Happiness Mini Cheekstain Set. This isn’t very new because Tarte has these as normal catalog items and plus they offer them almost every holiday season however from year to year the case they come in changes which is fun!

Minis aren’t new to Sugar Cosmetics but they always have some of the cutest minis I’ve come across This one is called Glitterati and has glitter on one end a light matching cream base on the other! The set is $32.

So..what’s so great about minis anyway? Well minis are great for toting around for touch ups plus they are so lightweight that they fit in the smallest of places which makes for easy storage! You also get a slew of variety and bang for your buck by purchasing these sets! It’s such a great way to try several items in one cute kit.

Get shopping Grab some of these as gifts while you’re at it!