Because you're worth it!

I have found the absolute best eyeshadow out there: Urban Decay. This morning, I put on a sparkly light green shade called Urb; it's still on, still sparkling away. I just love that. In terms of wearing well, it's better than Nars and Stila (my other favorites) put together. Now, Nars and Stila both have a better selection of neutrals, but so far my test drive of UD has been extremely successful. (Note: I used the pinker beige from Nars All About Eve as a base shadow under Urb; both applied with MAC brushes.)

The test drive was spurred by my purchase-by-mail of one of the line's Face Cases. It's a cute little compact that has four eyeshadows, two lipsticks, two lip glosses and something they call Body Haze, which is basically a cream blush. I hate to even tell y'all about my Face Case, because good luck finding one for yourself. (If I find them online, I'll absolutely let you know!) I was looking for another to no avail. The one I got is called First Date->Pin-Up, which is supposed to enable you to look like either a madonna or a whore, or something in between if you prefer.

The lipsticks have a good texture, and I really like both the colors in the case. Gash is a deep blood red with a little shimmer and Scratch is a neutral peachy-pink, also with a little shimmer. Both go on soft and smooth, and both smell artificial at first, but the fragrance fades and doesn't add much of a taste.

I liked the color of Gash so much that today I hit Sephora and bought the Lip Gunk and nail polish in the same color. Lip Gunk is a good product. It's your basic lip gloss, but it's very thick and comes in an array of colors that rock. The colors that came with the kit are Biker, a pale lavender shimmer; and Area 51, a deep reddish plum with glitter. I also bought YDK, a pinkish taupe frost, today. I passed on Twisted, a glittering gold, but I'll probably go back and get it. At $12, you can't beat these for fun.

See, generally if you have chapped lips, you can forget about glosses. My lips were not in great shape today, but when I put on a light layer of Area 51 on over my lipstick, my lips looked and felt smooth and shiny. The product is sticky at first, but after a few minutes that calms down, though you still get the full color.

I found Urban Decay to be a reasonably priced line, especially considering how well the products stay on. Plus, the colors are a lot of fun, and the packaging doesn't overwhelm the products. If you're looking for a holiday treat for yourself, I highly recommend a Lip Gunk and/or a glitter eyeshadow.

before - after