A good nude eyeshadow palette should be part of every beauty lovers arsenal. If nothing else it’s a paint by numbers guide to make up. Any make up brand worth its weight in salt offers a nude palette but with a mix of satins, mattes and tones there’s still plenty of room for play in the market. With a mix of bright highlighters and brazen bolds, The Balm Cosmetics Nude’tude is the perfect toolkit for those looking for big bright eyes that pack a punch.
A beautiful mix of satins and mattes, Nude’tude ticks all the boxes for a nude eyeshadow palette. With bright whites and golden roses for highlighting the inside of the eye and a mix of traditional charcoals, berries and chocolates for definition, the palette seamlessly swings between the extremes you need for creating a base portfolio of eyeshadow looks. While the brush that comes with the set isn’t exactly the best for application, the product formula itself is great. With a solid pigmentation and smooth, even application, it’s easy to build up a variety of looks from wide awake daytime brights to evening nighttime smokes. I love the darker end of the palette with it’s redder tones, which I haven’t seen as much in nude palettes. I love the cool tones throughout even with the richer more traditional warm colours. I found that they lasted all day (even without the use of eyeshadow primer – rookie mistake) and blended a dream whenever I wanted to do a quick top up.
If you’re going to invest time in eyeshadow application you need to go all out on mascara. Mascara primer hasn’t really taken off the same way face primer has but I’m sold on it in a big way. I’ve tried a few over the years and a good eyelash primer has become a staple of my beauty routine, so when I found out Smashbox had one I near enough lost my mind. They are the house of primers so it only makes sense that their eyelash was going to be pretty spectacular too. And their Photo Finish Lash Primer? It doesn’t disappoint. I’ve noticed a real difference in my lashes when I use and don’t use primer, and it’s ideal for creating the false lash effect without faffing about with actual lashes and glue. I wore it with Smashbox Indecent Exposure which is a gorgeous true black mascara that focuses on separation and lengthening lashes. I love the textured handle for ease of application and the fact that the formula doesn’t clump even when building up your mascara. If you must choose between the two, definitely invest in the primer, it’ll completely change the way you do your make up in the morning.
It’s a true back to basics for beauty with these products. It’s not about shaking things up, instead it’s about refining the things that work and making them that little bit better. Say hello to your new best beauty buys guys.