Selfridges Haul: Urban Decay and Mac

When I was over for the #bhmbloggermeet event a couple of weeks ago (read all about what happened here) it would have been rude not to pop over to Selfridges beauty hall after the main event and see what treats were waiting to be discovered.

That place is a total candy store for anyone who loves all things make-up. I didn’t go totally wild, because I’m supposed to be watching my spending due to the house move, but I did pick up a couple of things I’m going to share here.

Mac ‘Lady Danger’

£15.50

Kerry of KerryJustBeauty talked me into this one! She was dead set that she wanted this shade before we even went to the meet, and then when we saw Jessica from the Central School of Makeup wearing it, she was even more determined to go and pick one up.

I was actually certain that I wanted to try one of the much-vaunted YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks, but after swatching about a million shades I was disappointed. I couldn’t find ‘the one’.

 I wanted a red but I didn’t like the reds they had in the range, they were all too dark or too pink-toned. I also didn’t really like the consistency, it felt too shiny and sort of greasy. So I left the YSL stand empty-handed.

We cruised over to the MAC department, and Kerry pounced on her beloved ‘Lady Danger’. I decided to give it a go as well and it was so gorgeous, I had to take one home with me.

I loved the vibrant tones of this – it really is a ‘true’ red with warm, orange undertones and very punchy. Not for the faint hearted, but I love a bold lip look.

The formula is incredibly dense and pigmented, so you can really go full tilt. Its quite a matte formula but its not too unforgiving on the lips and it isn’t too drying.

As for staying power, are you kidding me? You’ll struggle to get this baby off at the end of the day. When it does fade, it does so nice and evenly, no horrible patches.

Of course this shade is quite rightly one of the more famous MAC staples. The coral undertones are universally flattering it seems – blondes, brunettes, women of colour -  I’ve yet to see anyone this shade doesn’t suit, if they have the stuff to pull it off!

I do love red lips, but since finding ‘my’ red (Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in ‘Rebelle’) I have very rarely used anything else, however, this is the one that’s persuaded me to stray!

It’s just gorgeous. To swatch is to love with this one, so be warned! I can see this becoming a classic of my lip wardrobe fast! Very glad Kerry brought this one to my attention.

 

Urban Decay Revolution lipstick ‘Naked 2’

£15.00

Could it be possible for me to fall any further in love with Urban Decay and anything they release with the word ‘Naked’ in it?

This was one of those ‘Oops, I bought it!’ purchases you don’t really intend to make, but once I’d tried it, it just had to be.

I think finding the ‘right’ nude can be just as challenging as finding the ‘right’ red -  perhaps even more so.

The undertones are paramount in that they need to match your skintone, but not be too similar- or there’s no contrast. And there is, of course, a spectrum of nudes, from creamy, to peach, to pink, to brown.

I don’t think I’ve ever quite cracked it. I covet the ‘Bardot’ lip with a passion, but its ever so tricky. Like finding the perfect pair of jeans, its an ever-evolving quest.

My favourite nudes so far have been 17 ‘Beehive’ – a gorgeous pale nude on a budget – or Nars ‘Biscayne Park’, but there’s always room for a new nude love.

So I was busily swatching away. I made a beeline for the Charlotte Tilbury counter, but they were all too brown or too rose-toned -  not floating my boat. MAC I have never really liked their nude lipsticks at all. Illamasqua I thought I’d found one, tried it on and realised I looked like a corpse.....Great in the tube, not so great on me!

But over at the Urban Decay counter, I found this gorgeous shade.

I’ve never tried their lipsticks since they revamped them, so this was a new discovery.

First of all – the packaging. Wow. I love that pewter, lilac-toned metal they use, and its here in force on the tubing. Paired with the stark faceting on the tube, it makes it really stand out and look great thrown into a clutch bag for the evening.

They call these lipsticks ‘creamy, badass luxury’ and boy, are they ever right.

This glides on like a dream, leaving lips feeling moisturised and smooth. These have a lovely, creamy shine – not exactly a gloss, I’d call it more of a ‘dewy’ effect  -  that’s not overdone and is ever so sexy.

Pumped full of nourishing oils and a ‘Maxi-lip’ plumping system, this makes even the thinnest lips look seriously pillowy.

There’s jojoba and avocado oil, and cocoa and shea butter in there as well, which means this wears more like a balm than a lipstick – but the pigmentation is also brilliant, even on a neutral shade like this.

The wearability is very good as well, and this lasted all afternoon on me. The comfortable feel is second to none -  the kind of product you keep reaching for, just because it feels so damn good to apply.

Another killer product -  the quality of UD’s offering at the moment is superb. From my holy grail foundation and the dominance of their palettes to this little find – I haven’t tried anything from them lately that hasn’t absolutely killed it. What a beaut! I want one in every shade.

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

£9.00

This was a total impulse buy, something I’ve had my beady eye on for a while, so when I saw they were doing 30ml ‘travel size’ editions at the till, I snapped one up.

It makes perfect sense. You spend all that time and care on your look, and then it melts away by lunch. Who wouldn’t want to invest in a setting spray to address that problem?

This claims to keep your warpaint in place for 16 (count em) hours, sealing in make-up with an invisible, weightless mist that guards against fading, settling into lines, patchiness, melting and cracking.

Plus, it has patented Temperature Control Technology, actually lowering the temperature of foundation, eyeshadow, blush and concealer to create a little micro-climate for your face. The future is here.

Of course there are many other ‘fixing sprays’ on the market – I used Fix Plus from MAC at the moment (which is good, but could be better) and I notice Makeup Revolution has just launched one, but Urban Decay have the original and best for a reason.

Doing a travel size is genius, because you can try it out for a lower price, but its still a pretty generous amount. Plus, if you buy the full size, you can keep and refill this one for your handbag or if you’re travelling. Major win.

And that was it for my little Selfridges haul. Have you tried any of these products? What was your verdict?