Nude Dungeoneering! The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review

Greetings from safely behind the cleric’s Turn Undead spell, fellow rogues!

Funny thing: despite Urban Decay being one of my favourite brands ever, and its products featuring (one way or another) in quite a lot of my posts, I don’t actually have that many dedicated reviews. I think the only one is the review of their (excellent) Venom lipstick, and I’ve decided that needs to be rectified. I may not be at the forefront of their latest releases, but I think there’s always room for a rogue’s perspective on any kitbag staple, right? Of course there is 😀 So without further ado, I bring you (slightly infested with the risen dead), The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette!

Cap’n Skelzor and his crew were trying to figure out what ‘Naked’ meant (and why there were two of them) when we happened on the scene…

I’ll get this out of the way early: I have a special fondness for Urban Decay because of how accessible they make their products to (in my case) NZ consumers despite having no stores or regular stockists here. Sure, you have to use a parcel forwarding service (NZ Post’s You Shop or the American one suggested by UD), but the total for buying and shipping a Naked 2 palette to New Zealand (mildly dependent on exchange rate) is , in my experience, ~NZ$75. US readers may choke on their campfire rations a bit, but people who buy them and resell them here usually want ~NZ$110 (plus shipping) for a Naked palette, so you can see the maths works out well in my favour to go with UD directly. There are other websites around, but I’m never entirely sure of the authenticity of the product. Anyway, babbling aside, I just wanted to say thanks to UD for making their stuff accessible here at the ends of the earth, at the US price. I much prefer that to the usual model of opening a store/counter here and doubling (or tripling, MAC?) the prices!

Cap’n Skelzor’s motley crew, shortly before the Cleric went all Turn Undead on their a-… ischia?

Anyway, on with the actual review…

Right! For anyone who’s just come up from an extended expedition into the Underdark, the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette is a sturdily metal-tinned offering that contains twelve neutral toned eyeshadows (four matte and eight shimmery). The colours run the gamut from pale matte yellow, through metallic copper, taupe and warm silver to deep matte black. The palette is supposed to be ‘the cool-toned one’ of the three Nakeds – this is most definitely a relative term, however, as many of the shades are warm. Overall, though, I can see where the ‘cool’ idea is coming from. The palette also comes with a double ended brush (lid+blending – nice to have but kind of scratchy) and a mini lipgloss that I found way too minty/plumping and instantly misplaced (I think the paladin ‘liberated’ it, actually – he’s been looking extra pouty for a while now…).

Finally! Cap’n Skelzor and crew have the chest open. Now they’re arguing about what you’re supposed to do with the contents, since they lack eyelids.

Okay, I think I’ve kept you in suspense for long enough – I know your day isn’t complete without seeing swatches on my phosphorescently white forearm, so here we go, from left to right in the palette:

First round! As you can see, Foxy is nearly invisible on me, and Bootycall’s shimmer is the only thing saving it from the same fate on my phosporescent…phorearm. You know, I actually had to dangle my arm down and let the blood pool in it to even make enough contrast between my skin and Foxy for what little you see in the top picture! 😀

Foxy is a matte, cream yellow shade. It’s smooth and non-chalky, but obviously doesn’t stand out against my skintone. I usually use this for highlighting the inner corner or blending in the upper edge of a bolder shade near my browbone.

Half Baked is a fabulous medium gold. The payoff is incredible and the shine made the rest of the party start looking at me funny and asking where the treasure was (it’s always the rogue they suspect – not like we spend our lives disarming traps for them or anything, hmph!).

Bootycall is a lightly shimmery pale peachy pink sort of colour. Like Foxy, this one is nearly invisible on my skin when blended, so makes a great inner corner/browbone blender highlighter, or a cheek highlighter!

Chopper is a warm pink copper. Its pigmentation and standout qualities are similar to those of Half Baked – rich, opaque and shimmery. (used here!)

Still taking advantage of the arm dangling trick to get better contrast on these 😉 My photo skills may be fledgling, but having only daylight for your setup and a glow-in-the-light-or-dark skintone doesn’t help…

Tease is a matte…heathery taupey brown? It’s sort of hard to describe, but it’s smooth and buttery and works well as a crease shade or soft smoky liner. (used here!)

Snakebite is a warm/cool shade. On the one hand, it’s a coolish dark brown, but then it has what I’d sort of call rosegold shimmer. The net effect is to make it a warm shimmery brown, but it’s technically more complicated than that.

Suspect is a softly shimmering tan. This one is nice as a crease shade or liner when I’m going for a really neutral, natural look.

Pistol is a gunmetal grey shimmer. Great for smoky eyes or lining!

And the last four! No, I do not make a soft generator like humming in direct sunlight, no matter what that sniggering druid told you…

Verve is a pale silvery shimmer that almost has a kind of ‘faded antique rose’ note to it. Very pretty, and has the texture and pigmentation of Half Baked and Chopper. (Used here!)

YDK is a warm pinkish brown copper – next to it, Chopper looks positively orange! Once again, we see the Half Baked effect in terms of texture and pigmentation. This one is both a great crease shade to Chopper’s lid colour, and a standalone beauty. (used here!)

Busted is a cool dark brown with what almost seems like fine plum shimmer in it. It’s not supposed to be that specifically, I think, but in the pan it always has a more purple tone to it than I imagine it should…

Blackout is a solid matte black. The pigmentation could possibly be slightly more intense, but it’s a solid colour in terms of application, blending etc. You can see it most definitely in action here in my rogue look!

I take My Naked 2 palette on all my travels with me – its secure packaging and versatile nature make up for the little bit of extra weight, and the shadows don’t crease (even after two hours of nice sweaty ballet/catacomb clearing). They last until I choose to take them off, and if I use the UD primer potion with them, then, well, I haven’t found out how long they last yet because I don’t sleep in my makeup. Two daggers up from this rogue!

What do you think, fellow adventurers? Is the Naked 2 a favourite neutral palette of yours? Or is there another treasure out there you prefer? 😀

 The Verdict:  Despite the warmth of some of its shades, you really can’t go wrong with the UD Naked 2 palette if you’re a cool-toned vampire (or anyone else, really). If you don’t own a lot of eyeshadow, it gives you a really great selection of useful colours, both matte and shimmery. The payoff is excellent, the longevity is great (with or without primer, in my experience) and you get a troll-load of eyeshadow for the price (especially if you’re in Middle Earth). The packaging is sturdy and the brush is…functional if rather scratchy. If you don’t already own a lot of neutrals, I would say definitely check this one out!

The practicalities: The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette costs USD 52.00 each for 12 x 0.05 oz /12 x 1.3 g, is permanent, and may be acquired from http://www.urbandecaycosmetics.com. If you’re not in the US, they have a parcel forwarding service that they recommend, and if you’re in NZ, you can use YouShop from NZ Post to get a US shipping address. Importantly, there’s NO requirement to have a US billing address or credit card, which is usually where things go wrong for non-US consumers. Yay! 😀

Until next time, fellow adventurers, don’t forget to check for traps!

Syl

I am an adventuring rogue, not a mercenary for hire, and as such, all opinions expressed here are my own, based on a genuine fondness for/interest in this product. If you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to pin your parchment to the board (contact me) at thepaintedrogue [at] gmail [dot] com., or use the contact form provided! All images and text on this blog are the property of The Painted Rogue unless otherwise stated. If you nick off with any of it, be prepared to find a dagger in your back. Possibly with a legal troll attached to it. You don’t even want to *know* what he powders that wig with.

Birdcalls From the Shadows – The Painted Rogue is Now on Twitter!

Greetings from the depths of the instruction manual, fellow adventurers!

So the other day we were raiding this underwater grotto, and I found an odd artefact that looked like a kazoo. As soon as I picked it up, the overwhelming desire to tell people things in very short sentences overcame me, and the wizard sagely advised that I must have found an Arcane Tweetcaller. Why it was underwater in the grotto is anyone’s guess really, as there aren’t many birds down there, but whatever the reason, I, Sylirael the Rogue, am now Twitter enabled!

 

The adventuring party says huzzah!

 

If you feel like hearing the latest from the advance guard of the beauty adventuring party, or more probably the addled ramblings of a rogue who stayed up too late being chased over rooftops, please follow me on Twitter, @thepaintedrogue! There is also a new and shiny button (that I think works…) over there on the sidebar in the Follow A Rogue options.

 

To everyone who has taken my blog feedback survey so far, thank you so much! I’m still leaving it up (indefinitely, probably), and if you haven’t yet taken it, but would like to, please click here! I’m looking forward to diving into your responses, and making The Painted Rogue and even better place to come for adventures in beauty. 🙂

Until next time, fellow rogues, don’t forget to check for…tweets?!

Syl

 

I am an adventuring rogue, not a mercenary for hire, and as such, all opinions expressed here are my own, based on a genuine fondness for/interest in this product. If you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to pin your parchment to the board (contact me) at thepaintedrogue [at] gmail [dot] com., or use the contact form provided! All images and original text on this blog are the property of Syl unless otherwise noted. They may not be reproduced without permission – if you do, I’ll those bards after you who tweet every little thing that they do. Every. Little. Thing.

How to Make a Rogue Blush, in One Easy Step

Greetings, my fellow rogues!

If you are wondering why my face is a flaming red today: no, it wasn’t a makeup accident or the result of an extended sprint to avoid a drider…

It is, in fact, because the lovely Vida of Goodgraceiousness was so kind to nomiate me for a Liebster Award!  It seems that this award is one for which you are nominated by your fellow bloggers, if they deem you a worthy adventurer-on-the-rise (with less than 200 followers, not counting the drider – seriously, do those things ever give up?). I’m honoured by Vida’s kind nomination, and encourage you all to check out her blog – she’s a very sweet, open person, who has encouragement and inspirational musings for everyone, and welcomes those who share her faith and those who don’t, alike :-).

 

 

Now, Vida has asked me some questions!

1. Why did you start your blog?

Being a rogue is more than an adventuring class – it’s a way of life. I wanted to share my rogueish wisdom with the world, through the obviously closely related media of makeup, dancewear, miniatures and fantasy RPG references. I have been truly inspired, however, by how positive and encouraging the blogging community is out there!

 
2. What is your favorite hobby or activity – one that really makes you feel happy and peaceful?

Well, aside from a truly well-picked lock or disarmed trap, you mean? Probably raiding dungeons with my trusty adventuring party – it’s not even the loot at the end that makes this rogue happiest – it’s spending time with her closest friends, working together to achieve something wonderful. Loot is great, though – not going to lie…

 
3. What is your favorite book?

Oof. This is a really hard one. There are so many wonderful books out there (except the ones that turn out to have fangs in them or are cursed. You want to stay away from anything on a skeletal mage’s bookshelf, basically). I think, in the end, I’m going to have to go with Feet of Clay, by Terry Pratchett. Honestly, anything by Terry Pratchett, but that particular book of his I think I’ve re-read more than any other. That or The Hogfather, anyway!

 
4. Tell us something about you not many people know.

I once challenged a Beholder to a staring contest. I know, I know…

I can also read hieroglyphs.

 
5. What was the most magical day of your life, and why?

The day I married the wizard, of course!

 

The Skeleton King wasn’t there at the time, just so you know.

6. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?

I believe in lust at first sight, for sure. As for love at first sight, while I believe that it might happen for some people, I’ve been fortunate to enjoy growing into love, which is one of the sweetest things I think you can experience.

 
7. What is your favorite childhood memory?

Eating my mother’s freshly made plum cake in Summer, while listening to the cicadas. Either that or the day I discovered that I could pick the lock to the front door with a pick I made myself. What can I say, I’ve been a rogue from very early on!

 
8. Describe yourself in three words.

Rogueish, academic, unintentionallyhumorous (see? I made that into one word. Hah!)

 
9. If you could spend a day with one person, living, or dead, who would it be and why?

Either Narmer or Aha, so I could try and find out once and for all who was first. #teamaha 😉

 
10. Who is the one person who can always make you smile?

The Wizard, without a doubt. People, always remember to have a Wizard in your adventuring party (just make sure you keep them at the back – they’re kind of squishy) 😉

 

Now it’s time for me to nominate a few blogs myself – this is a mixture of blogs that have been around for a little while and blogs that are brand spanking new. Some of them are newer to me and some are older. Some I’ve followed officially and some I have lurked on (putting together this list has prompted me to remedy that!). However, I think all of them are worthy adventurers that I hope continue to grow and flourish.

For my nominees – if you decide to accept, here are the rules (my additions in brackets):

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog (please!).
2. (Dig in) and answer the 10 questions given to you by the nominee before you.
3. You must nominate 10 (or as many as you like) of your favorite blogs with fewer than 200 followers (on their blogging platform/site) and notify them of their nomination.
4. You must come up with 10 (preferably entertaining!) questions for your nominees to answer.

My nominees (should they choose to accept) for the Liebster Award are:

Dagger and Brush

Fashion Fragile

Unpack The Box

The PhD Baker

A Tolkienist’s Perspective

Girl Behind the Glasses

The Makeup Train

Ballet Duck

Pointe Me To The Barre

Metal Miniatures

My questions for you are (feel free to answer as seriously or as frivolously as you like):

1. Why did you start blogging/questing?

2. After a long and challenging journey, you find your untimate treasure chest – what’s inside?

3. If you could only take one type of rations/food into a month long trip into the Underdark/a dungeon/a desert island/camping – what would it be?

4. The paladin is asking you what your life’s true and noble quest is. What do you tell him?

5. What aspect of makeup do you love the most? Or, for those who don’t partake, if you had to wear one type of makeup (lipstick, blush, eyeliner, whatever) every day on pain of having your brain sucked out by a Mindflayer, what would you choose? You may also choose to fight the Mindflayer!

6. How did you first get started with your current passion/hobby?

7. You can invite five historical figures to come on a quest with you. What’s the quest,  who are the figures, and why did you choose each of them?

8. Which country would you most like to live in/explore (other than the one in which you currently reside/were born)?

9. If you could be the wizard, what would be your most-used spell or power?

10. You accidentally put on a pair of cursed boots that make you dance, nonstop. What sort of dancing are you doing?

 

I hope you all have a bit of fun answering the questions! Until next time, don’t forget to check for traps,

 

Syl

 

 

 

 

Let your Inner Rockbard Out with Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick in Fuchsia Fever (#60)

Hello from the shadowy wings of the concert stage, my fellow Rogues!

Do you love to make a statement? Do you love to gaze out upon the throngs of your admiring fans and blow them a winking kiss from your bold, bright lips? Do you love a lipstick that will last all the way through that bolstering enchantment that you’ve been singing up a storm for?

Yes?

Then you need to ckeck out Estee Lauder’s Pure Colour Lipstick in #60, Fuchsia Fever:

Susie the bard was honoured when she found out that Estee Lauder had named one of their boldest lipsticks in her honour – Fuchsia Fever is her stage name!

Fuchsia Fever is an intensely pigmented, bold, bright blue based fuchsia, with one of my favourite lipstick names of all time. It perfectly sums up what this lipstick is about. It’s loud, it’s proud, and its gorgeous – it’s definitely the rockstar Rockbard of my collection.

Susie is oblivious to the fact that a fan seems to have gotten overexcited and tried to throw her a drink – how can you look away from such a stunning lipstick?

Fuchsia Fever is a dream to apply and wear – one or two passes (depending on how hard you tend to press) delivers exquisitely smooth, opaque coverage, with a soft satin sheen. On the lips, it feels unbelievably light and soft, and on me it is hydrating the entire time it’s worn. During application it can be a little smudgy (as the texture is so creamy), so those who like it may benefit from a lipliner, but once it has ‘dried’ I don’t see any bleeding or feathering.

Swatch in natural daylight. This was two passes, but you can really get away with one.

Wear time clocks in at about 6 hours on me, which is fantastic – more than enough to go clear out a dragon’s lair and divide the loot up afterward. The lipstick leaves a solid stain behind, to, and if you’re feeling brave and talented you can use this lipstick as a cream blush – perfect for that bold stage presence.

Artificial light, to show the sheen. This colour is super intense! It dries down a little less shiny, but there is still a satin finish.

The packaging is the usual gold Estee Lauder affair for this type of lipstick, and is totally functional. It closes with a solid, smooth click and you can see the colour at the bottom, which helps pick it out at glance when you’re angling for that mid-concert or post-dungeon touch up. The only downside to this lipstick in my opinion is the scent, which is the typical strong EL sweet/floral one. It doesn’t bother me once it’s on my lips, but it’s definitely in your face while you’re putting it on (might pay, therefore, to apply it downwind of that minotaur lair).

Susie admires her fabulous stage presence, highlighting an additional use for the EL packaging lid – full-length dressing room mirror!

I really can’t stress enough how bold and bright and beautiful this lipstick is. It’s the kind of lipstick that makes you feel unstoppable and fabulous, and I’d recommend every rogue or bard have at least one lipstick in their arsenal that makes them feel that way, no matter what the colour is!

*note: The swatch on the Estee Lauder website for this lipstick is utterly ridiculous – it’s literally a violet purple. Clearly, this lipstick (and the colour fuchsia in general) is not violet purple. Might pay to be wary of the swatches on the site – try their lipsticks out at a counter if you have the chance!

The verdict: Let your inner rockbard out with this brilliant, bold, long lasting, pigmented, hydrating lipstick. I could go on, but it doesn’t do for a rogue to gush!

The practicalities: Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipsticks cost NZD 50.00/USD 26.00/GBP 20.00 each for 3.8 g/0.13 oz. Fuchsia Fever is permanent, and the line is available from Estee Lauder counters and  www.esteelauder.com (or your local variant of this URL).

Until next time, fellow adventurers, don’t forget to check for traps!

Syl

I am an adventuring rogue, not a mercenary for hire, and as such, all opinions expressed here are my own, based on a genuine fondness for/interest in this product. If you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to pin your parchment to the board (contact me) at thepaintedrogue [at] gmail [dot] com., or use the contact form provided!

High-Dexterity Blogging – Beauty, Dance and Science

Well, hello world!

People generally expect ‘rogue’ to involve daggers, black leather and a penchant for nocturnal larceny. While those are all lovely, I would like to show you that being a successful rogue takes some serious multi-tasking, often in areas you might not expect. This blog aims to help my fellow rogues, both current and aspiring, to navigate some of these areas…

Confidence and creativity: if you’re going to talk your way past those guards, confidence and creativity are key – a little cosmetic assistance can work wonders with this, and be enormous fun to boot, but how do you know which balms, powders and rouges are worth your gold?

Knowledge and Alchemy: from poisons, traps and smoke bombs to the aforementioned cosmetics, alchemy is a considerable (and oft-overlooked!) part of the rogue’s arsenal. Knowing what goes into the tools of your trade is both fascinating and well worth your time.

Mobility and attire: most people forget that drifting soundlessly over rooftiles in a high wind in the middle of winter is actually quite strenuous, as is vaulting gracefully over the heads of the mercenaries sent to help you along into the afterlife. Any good rogue needs an excellent set of moves for limbering up, and bard-rogues in particular will appreciate the need for comfortable, attractive, high-quality dancing attire.

A rogue usually prefers to remain in the shadows – unless she feels she has something to say that might interest others. I do hope you will find something of interest here!

Until next time, don’t forget to check for traps,

Syl