Naked experimenting

 

It's just a fun play on words; don't get too excited. The naked palettes are the thing of legends and are the go-to kit for all make-up lovers. There are 3 editions but in my opinion original is usually best; the naked2 is a lot of pale tones and I like dark eye make-up and the naked 3 is too pink for my skin tone but go with the one you like the best. The RRP is £37, although this was another of my cheeky America bargains, which to say there are 12 shades I think is a pretty good price. To show you what good value it is, I decided to experiment with 3 different smokey eye looks.

For all the looks I created, I used the same base; black eyeliner underneath my eyes and mascara on the top and bottom lashes (I used Rimmel Kohl and Rimmel Day 2 night). When using eyeshadow, you should always use some kindof primer. The real stuff is quite expensive so I just use a dab of moisturiser on my top lids to keep the eyeshadow in place and it works just as well. I started this look with a base colour of Smog, which I applied all over the lid with the larger side of the double ended brush that comes with the palette. I then used the small brush to work Darkhorse into the outer corners, in a pointed style rather than a rounded one. Because I have round eyes, a cat-eye style suits me better but just do it to your own eye shape. I finished the look by blending Half Baked into the inner corners - a lighter shade in the inner corners makes you look more awake which I always seem to need sadly.

Again I started with the same eyeliner-mascara base and decided to highlight a different part of the eyelid. I used the Toasted shade as a base all over the lid, and then I used the small brush to apply Hustle to the outer and inner corners of my eye, blending in the crease of the lid. I loved the highlighted middle part of the eyelid; just make sure you use two similar colours so it blends together nicely.

The classic and arguably the best smokey eye; using silvers, greys and blacks. It's also my smokey-eye of choice when I go on a night out. I applied Gunmetal all over my lid with the large brush and then added Creep in the outer corners with the small brush and blended inwards. I also used Gunmetal, using the fine edge of the small brush, under my bottom lashes, to lighten the insides of my eyes. Another part you should highlight is under the arch of your brow; I used the Virgin shade of the palette which worked well. I also always use liner with a dark smokey eye; I prefer a felt tip style rather than a liquid because it's easier to control. There's nothing worse than perfecting your eyeshadow, only to end up with black liquid eyeliner smudged all over your lids. I added a small flick to add to the cat eye style; this look is even better with fake eyelashes.