I've changed my name!




I've given up the name Makeup Maven and have gone for something more personal. My blog will now be know as Makeup by Meggy. I've  also joined Bloglovin where you can now find me.

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Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Review





As soon as it was announced that Urban Decay was coming out with a second Naked Basics Palette I knew I had to have it. The original is one of my most used and most loved palettes so I was skeptical that this would live up but I think it's just as good. The packaging is exactly the same as the original and just like the first, it contains 5 matte shadows and 1 satin. The quality and pigmentation of these shadows live up to the expectation that comes with Urban Decay shadows. The shades in this palette are cooler toned than the first one which suites my skintone better. All these shades look good on my lids whereas with the original Naked Basics the colour foxy disappeared on me. I really appreciate how the dark shade in this palette is not black. Most palettes contain a black shade and having some variation is nice. I do have to say that this palette is missing a good highlight shade. Skimp is beautiful and I enjoy using it as a lid colour but it doesn't work as a browbone or inner corner highlight on me. Venus from the first palette is still my favourite highlight of all time. Overall I love this palette and I feel the two are different enough that it's worth having both.


Urban Decay Descriptions:
Skimp- pale nude, satin
Stark- nude pink, matte
Frisk-warm grey, matte
Cover- muted red-brown, matte
Primal- muted brown, matte
Undone- deep smokey brown, matte


Swatches:
                       Skimp,     Stark,      Frisk,    Cover,   Primal,   Undone

My Makeup Storage and Organization





 I am finally happy with the organization and storage of my makeup. For my birthday I got this vanity set from Bed, Bath and Beyond, It has a tri-fold mirror and a fake marble counter top. Since I finally got my lights installed my setup is now perfect.  I loved looking over other people's makeup storage and organization systems when I was figuring doing mine so I thought I'd share how it turned out.

 I store my brushes in a planter I cleaned up and filled with beads. I separated them by face and eyes. (They are mostly Zoeva or Real Techniques)

 My favourite perfumes and body sprays as well as my everyday makeup bag.

I keep my most used skincare very reachable. (Makeup remover, daily moisturizer and night oil)

 I got this storage container from Amazon and it's been perfect. The top drawer is all my eyeliners, eyeshadow pencils, any extra brow products or unused mascara. The second drawer is all blushers and the bottom drawer is bronzers and highlighters as well as any extra powder products.

In my vanity drawer I keep my foundations as well as cotton pads, my bag of sample products and samples I'm currently trying out. I also store my brush cleaner spray here.

In the big cabinet I have two storage systems. I also keep any extra products, travel products or products I didn't like and am going to give away stored in the back.

I keep all my lip products stored in this 4 drawer system. I sorted by colour (R to L) nude, red, pink and plums.

In the open drawer system I have on the top shelf I keep all my eyeshadows and eyeshadow palettes in the front. To be honest this is my favourite part of my collection.

In the back of that system I keep the skincare products that I use less often.

I will eventually continue with my makeup collection posts. See previous posts for my blush, bronzer/highlighter, lip butter/crayon collections and everyday makeup bag.

Fall Beauty Haul




Just a quick list of a few things I picked up for Fall. There will probably be reviews to come on at least some of the products.


Formula X The System with Perfection



Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics



Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2


theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer


Ole Henriksen Nuture Me



NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla

it Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette Review




This is a pretty unique palette that I picked up at Ulta in the States. It consists of 14 matte shadows and one called "transforming pearl" that can turn the shadows satin. The packaging is soft and velvety which is fairly unique in makeup packaging but it can be prone to collecting dirt. The actual shadows themselves aren't normal matte shadows either. They have the best consistency I've ever seen in a matte. They are very buttery and bendable and not at all powdery and stiff like which are characteristics that usually plague matte shadows. Most of the shades are very pigmented as well.


There are really no duds in this palette and I couldn't even choose a favourite. The shades with the best pigmentation in my opinion are Sunrise and Sunset, unfortunately with my skin tone they aren't the most wearable colours. I prefer wearing these colours without the transforming pear, I find it mostly just mutes the colour and doesn't make it very satin.


Swatches: Sheer Joy, Soft Light, Warmth, Soulful, Mocha, Violet. Midnight, Noir, Love, Sunrise, Sunset, All Heart, Java, Iconic

With Transforming Pearl on top

September ispy Bag Review




What is ipsy?
For my birthday I got a subscription to the ipsy Glam Bag service. Every month you'll receive in the mail a beauty bag filled with samples and full sized items. To become a member go to ispy.com where you can take the beauty quiz to describe the type of products you'd be interested in and subscribe to the service for only $10 a month.

Waiting List
I was put on the waiting list in August when I signed up. It was less than a month of waiting before I was accepted. September was the first month my bag arrived. By sharing on Facebook you can apparently get off the wait list sooner but I found that unnecessary.

September Bag

Overall Score: A
I thought the itself bag was really cute and I'll probably find another use for it. It's a metallic silver faux leather with studs along the top.

I got five items in my bag this month. And overall all the products were very good and I believe I will actually get use out of them.

Be a Bombshell Cosmetics - Smooth Criminal Powder
This is a very finely milled white powder that I would use to set my concealer. It's very smooth and actually reduces the appearance of pores. This retails for $12 on beabombshellcosmetics.com.

Maybelline - Master Glaze Blush Stick in Make a Mauve
This is slightly smaller than the original one you can find in the drugstore but there is still a lot of product and I probably won't get through it all. The shade I got will be perfect for winter as it is a darker shade but can be made sheer enough not to be too harsh. The formula is a little more glittery than I would normally go for but still a good product.

 Briogeo - Don't Despair, Repair!
I have't tried this hair mask yet (or any hair mask actually) so I don't have anything I can say about how well it works, however it smells amazing. According to the Briogeo website they are preparing to launch their products in Sephora. The full sized product retails for $26 on www.briogeohair.com. 

Nourish Organic - Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser
This was my one disappointment from this months bag. I am very picky about my cleansers as my face is very sensitive specially to cleansers. I didn't like the smell this had, it is supposed to be fragrance free but I did not find that to be the case. The consistency was also not creamy but more of a liquid.

Pacifica 7 Free Nail Polish - Red Red Wine
This was by far my favourite product in this months bag. This is a full sized bottle that retails at $9. It goes on opague in just one coat and it doesn't chip anywhere near as fast as most other polishes. The colour is also beautiful and the packaging is super cute. I was very impressed.

August Favourites




I have spent most of the month of August at the lake and therefore I haven't been wearing a lot of makeup this month. However I still have some favourites including some new things I got as birthday gifts.

James and Nirvana White Perfume
I had the mini rollerball of this fragrance on my blog before but I got a full sized version for my birthday and I have been wearing it every single day since then. The scent is so amazing, I just can't get enough.

Naked 3 palette
This was also a birthday gift and I am in love. The colours are so beautiful and rosey but they are completely wearable for everyday. I'll probably end up doing a full review of the palette at one point.

Zoeva Rose Gold Brush Set - 102 silk finish
Another birthday gift. I absolutely love all the brushes in this set and I may do a whole blog post related to them later but the 102 silk finish brush is my favourite. I use it to buff in my foundation and my foundation has never looked better or more natural. The brush is so soft and not too dense it so it doesn't leave any streaks.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 80 Creamy Beige

This was a new release from the leather line and I absolutely love it. I love all the colour tatoos I have but this may have become my favourite. It is so natural on my eyes it's what I've been reaching for when I want to have a no makeup, makeup day. It is insanely quick to apply but it makes it look like you put in effort when you haven't.

Milani Luminoso Blush
I took this blush to the lake with me so I've worn it a lot recently. It's perfect at giving a sun kissed flush to your cheeks. I find with this I don't need to use bronzer.