Last week I had my Urban Decay make-up done at Debenhams in Fishergate Shopping Centre. I booked in for the 'Full Monty' beauty treatment, done by the lovely Sarah! We had a joke about how that's the best name ever (duh) and she got to work glamming my face up the way only the ladies of Urban Decay know how. I booked in for a 45 minute session- a full face make-over and was introduced to the beautiful Urban Decay x Jean-Michel Basquiat palettes which actually come out on the 11th May. (being the art lover I am I was stunned and so excited to try these shades a week early!)
I chose to work with 'Tenant' for it's bright colours from greens to blues, to a luxurious purple. The box is a reprint of Jean-Michel's artworks and is made of canvas, a super lovely touch. Not only that but you can hang the palettes up like little paintings!
The treatment experience:
When I first got there I had very minimal make-up on: brows, a little concealer and clear mascara. Sarah cleaned my face before hydrating my skin with the Quick Fix spray, which I now HAVE to get my hands on. It's infused with vitamin B6 and left my skin feeling hydrated but not oily.
Rarely am I without make-up in public so on the way there I felt a lil' nervous but to my surprise, having my make-up taken off in front of passers by wasn't as scary I thought because Sarah was so friendly and made me feel so comfortable! It was like getting ready at a friend's house, except y'know, you're being pampered.
We started on my eyes first, using some gorgeous transitional shades called Foxy and Riff. We then dove straight into the incredible (highly pigmented and bold) Tenant palette, heading for emerald greens, a daring but wonderful choice indeed.
Usually I'd avoid bold colours on my eyes, mainly because I'm afraid I won't be able to pull it off but after this session I feel inspired to dive into the brighter shades for Summer. We then moved on to my skin, a clever make-up trick is doing this second because it means wiping away any eyeshadow droppage will be easy!
I actually kept the Naked Skin products afterwards, redeemable with the money I paid for the whole treatment! This is so amazing because it essentially means you're just purchasing products, while getting a lil' make-over and trying out a couple of samples on the side for free. Honestly the Naked Skin foundation is my new love.
I've been mixing one pump of it with a dab of the Kat Von D foundation I got for Christmas for instant full coverage. Alone, the product is beautifully buildable and light!
The brushes you see in these photos are actually made from recycled plastic bags and tins. You'd never guess it, they're so soft! If you've been reading here for a while, you'll know I'm really trying to stop using disposable, single-use plastics so this made me super happy. Thanks for giving a damn about the environment, UD.
Moving onto defining my face, we discussed contouring (something everyone seems to have adopted into their everyday make-up, which is great) but sometimes you want a little less definition on the cheeks and more focus on the eyes, which is what we are going for with this look. Blending very little dark cream concealer in on my cheeks before going in with the Naked Flushed palette for blusher, bronzer and a little highlight, I was lucky enough to snag a couple of highlighting tips to boot.
The look was completed with lipstick in the shade 'Uptight'.
The Send off and samples:
After some more lovely conversation, Sarah had put a box together for me full of little goodies and samples including the famous All Nighter Long-Lasting setting spray, Vice liquid lipstick samples, their liquid eyeliner in the darkest shade, Perversion and a 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil in Crimson. I also got my hands on some sample shades of eyeshadow which I haven't tried before! I can't wait to do a warm look with of some of the pink tones.
On this day I was wearing a pink flower in my hair, you might have seen it in a lot of my Instagram photos lately. When I looked in the mirror I noticed that all the colours Sarah had chosen really complimented my clothes and my skin tone. I was so happy to wear such a perfect look for myself with very little direction!
The finished look and cruelty free debate:
When I got home I took the flower out of my hair and punked up because I felt sassy af. Totally repping the Urban Decay vibe, who are cruelty-free despite their parent company, L'Oreal.
There's quite a big debate about whether cruelty-free customers should buy from brands that are owned by testing brands but to me, it's like going to McDonald's and buying a veggie burger. You're simply showing them that more people are interested in this cruelty-free option and and proves to others how great the cruelty-free option is! So... if you order the vegan option at a typically meat-based restaurant, you're still funding the restaurant, but telling them that you'll only buy into their vegan option. Does that make sense?
Products don't have to be tested on animals to be amazing and hopefully one day L'Oreal will go completely cruelty-free themselves if enough of us tell them WE WANT IT!
I put snippets of this whole experience on my Instagram story. The 45 minute treatment ended up taking maybe an hour or more because it was quite quiet in the store, so Sarah had time to work on me for longer which was so sweet. This was a great experience, I can't wait to book another one!
Have you ever had your make up done at a counter or would you ever consider it? What's your favourite Urban Decay product? Let me know where you stand on this cruelty-free debate too, I'd love to talk!
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