I Anticipate Us Making Out: Urban Decay's Full Frontal Lipstick Stash

Urban Decay was having a sale, okay? I couldn't resist. Don't give me that look.

I'm always hesitant when it comes to lipstick, because MAC is my go-to, and I have my signature colour and I pretty much stick to it. But I ended up getting myself Urban Decay's F-Bomb Revolution Lipstick  because that is fucking hilarious, and irresistible.

And let me tell you a thing. This colour is amazeballs.

It really is a "Fuck You" Red - bright. bold, and unrelenting. It's a moisturizing formula so your lips don't try out, has just a little shimmer that catches the light when you laugh in the face of your enemies.

So when UD was having their Friends & Fans sale, I scooped up this beauty with a selection of UD's bestselling Revolution lipsticks - they call it the Full Frontal Lipstick Stash, and it features 6 shades in miniature sizes, as well as their 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Ozone

From Top: Ladyflower, Crush, Illicit, Gash, Liar, and F-Bomb

It's a collection of six super wearable colours, that's for sure. I was actually a little bit disappointed about them being miniature sized, but the great thing about that is you can put it in your purse or pocket or clutch bag and not have to worry about it. Plus, it's great for someone who maybe doesn't wear lipstick everyday, because this way you don't have to worry about shelling out $22 for a whole tube. Instead, you get six for #39, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me. 

So far I'm really loving Crush and Gash, as well as my new baby F-Bomb. If Urban Decay does one thing well, it's bold colours. And that is right up my alley.

And for those of you who are thinking about Holiday gifts, this is a GREAT option for the makeup lovers on your list! 

I Caved and Bought Another Naked Palette

I know I'm going backwards with the Naked palettes by Urban Decay.

I started with Naked 3, which is beautiful and perfect. The truth is, I always thought the other two were too brown for me. And I know that's like, sort of the whole point of the "neutrals" thing. But I'm not really a neutrals girl - I stay away from browns and beiges in all things, not just makeup.


And so I was really hesitant to purchase any of the other Naked palettes, because there were only one or two colours that I would really go for normally (greys and blacks, thank you very much). But I saw the Naked 2 used on my sister for her wedding, and I sort of went, alright fine, Urban Decay. You win again. 

So far I'm really happy with Naked 2 - the colour payoff is great, and now that I have both, I can mix colours and they still blend together perfectly. So far I'm using Pistol the most; it's a shimmery grey and it works really well with the pinks of the Naked 3. I love Blackout too, as well as YDK and Tease.

Overall, it's like, shut up and take my money, UD. Whatever, I give up trying to resist. But also, can we maked Naked 4 white, grey, black, and like, lavender? That would be great, thanks.

Fall Style Inspiration: Stealing from the Brit Boys

Harry Styles, Matt Hitt, Matty Healy

Fall Essentials by evilqueenstyle featuring Urban Decay

T shirt
etsy.com

Uniqlo purple shirt
uniqlo.com

H M biker jacket
$57 - hm.com

Topshop short skirt
topshop.com

Steve Madden black leather boots
stevemadden.com

Alexander McQueen skull ring
couture.zappos.com

Rag bone black hat
rag-bone.com

Urban Decay lipstick
$24 - johnlewis.com

More Nudity: Urban Decay's Naked Flushed Palette

As you all know, I'm a big fan of Urban Decay's products, so when I decided to start wearing bronzer and maybe doing a little bit of contouring, Urban Decay was a natural place to start.

The Naked: Flushed palette is so easy to use. Basically it's like Contouring 101 - it includes a buildable, sheer bronzer, a very pink blusher, and a shimmery champagne coloured highlighter. I've been using this every day on my face and have been very pleased. Here's what I look like with it:

Basically what I'm doing is placing the bronzer in the hollows of my cheeks (and yes I'm sucking them in to do that so I get the placement just right) and also a bit along my hairline so it looks natural. To do this I'm using the (weirdly enough) ELF Studio Blush brush. That brush has sort of a pointed tip so I can get it right in the hollows, and then also blend it really well. Another reason why that kind of brush is great, or an angled blush brush, is because I'm using bronzer on the sides of my nose to slim it down a little (#bignoseproblems).

After bronzer, I'm either using the blusher on the apples of my cheeks and then highlighter along the cheekbones and down the center of my nose, or lately I've been mixing both the blusher and highlighter on my brush together. This creates a more sheer, natural look. The pink blush in this can be a little overwhelming if it's too heavy handed, and combining both on the brush will even it out a little. Plus you get a nice, natural highlight that way.

I'm really loving the Naked Flushed palette because it's easy to use for every day, and I like having all the products I need in one case, especially when I'm travelling. It stays pretty much all day (but better to use your All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray as always) and is really great for basic contouring. Apparently also I'm going for a pretty much all Naked products face. Another win for Urban Decay!

PS - how is everyone liking the new layout? I think it's way easier to navigate, don't you? And I'm loving my little crown social media icons! Thanks so much to Eve of Epic Eleven Designs for all your help, I really love what you've done with the place. And if you're in the market for a new blog layout, she's having 25% off in her etsy shop right now!

The Body Electric: Urban Decay's Electric Palette

Okay so, I know I talked about in my last post about my style being more black-white-grey-red than anything else, and that's totally true. But I do love me some neons, especially for the summer. When UD first started sending marketing emails about this palette, they were geared towards the festival crowd, and as my ass can't afford to go to Coachella, I didn't even bother to look. But soon I started seeing swatches popping up on the blogs, and I knew I had to have it.

Welcome to the Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette.

Essentially this palette is the complete opposite of the Naked palettes, and gets back to what UD was when I first started buying the brand - bright, highly pigmented colours that you don't really find anywhere else. This isn't your average palette. This is a palette for the bold, the brave, and the wild.

I was so gleeful when I opened the palette for the first time that I actually kept the swatches on my arm for a while, because I kept looking at them and going "look how BRIGHT they are!!" They really are bright, and the color lasts a long time even without a primer. But obviously a primer enhances them even more, and UD also has a great page for the palette complete with blogger looks to help those who may be at a loss as to what to do with anything that isn't a nude.

The other great thing about this palette is that I'm seeing the colours used in new ways - for eyebrows, as hair chalk, even on lips. So seriously, go nuts. I've used it in my brows (the blues and purples are better for darker brows, but go over them with concealer and primer first and then do whatever), used it as coloured liner - the palette is so versatile for what it is. I totally encourage finding new and weird ways to use bright colour. Be unexpected, be experimental. This palette makes me want to look like Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games with crazy brows and lips and whatever.

So, basically, if you're not afraid to have people staring at your face a little, this palette is highly recommended. It's totally badass, and totally worth it.

From The Good Queen: My Amazing Sephora Experience featuring Estee Lauder, Urban Decay, NARS & more!

I've been in a rut lately. Around Christmas I began trying new moisturizers because my tried-and-true BareMinerals was just not cutting it in this dry winter air. Also, I'm now in my mid-30s and not only is my skin changing, but it's time to get serious about anti-aging. I've also been feeling as if I need an entirely new routine. A dear friend told me that you can get your face done at Sephora for free with a $50 purchase -  how easy is that?! - and I've been searching for a free weekend day to go. That day finally arrived. When I went to make the appointment I discovered that there is another option: a personal beauty consultation. More in-depth and a minimum $125 purchase. Sign. Me. Up.

The appointment is supposed to last for 90 minutes. But thanks to a cancellation, my personal beauty adviser (PBA), Rosita, spent two hours with me. A PBA-in-training, Sharee, set me up in a private room in the back of the store, offered bottled water and snacks, and made me feel like a real VIP.  Sharee removed the tinted moisturizer and concealer I had on with a Caudalie makeup remover product and, because I mentioned dry skin, applied an amazing, life-changing product called GLAMGLOW Thirstymud as a masque. Rosita and I talked for a while at first about my concerns and what I was looking to achieve that day. I also brought along a all the e.l.f. brushes, e.l.f. geometric eyeshadow palette and Stila Portrait of a Perfect Eye my fabulous sister The Evil Queen gave me for Christmas, but I unfortunately have no idea how to use.

The next step was prep. The store was hosting an Estee Lauder global makeup artist and skincare expert named Derek for the day. Rosita had him come in and give me a mini-facial. Derek first cleansed with a product called Perfectly Clean, which is a non-foaming cream cleanser that doubles as a moisture mask. He recommended applying before I get in the shower, letting the product and steam work some magic, and either rinsing or buffing off with my Clarisonic. Then he used a pair of classic serums: Advanced Night Repair and Advanced Night Repair Eye. After the serums he applied Advanced Time Zone eye cream, a new product called Revitalizing Supreme, and Resilience Lift Night for the neck and decolletage.

LESSON #1: "Night" creams and serums can and should be used during the day. 

Between the GlamGlow and the fabulous Estee Lauder products, my skin has never felt better. I bought the GlamGlow, cleanser and serums. They were expensive but worth it. 

I will use the moisturizers I have (Clinique Moisture Surge Intense and Moisture Surge Eye) and will consider the Estee Lauder creams when it's time for new. And one of my self-discovery items that I may keep up forever is Clinique's Take the Day Off oil cleanser. I've been using it at night only for two weeks and I'm obsessed with it. Oils are a new trend that I hope stays around, because this cleanser is an absolute must for my dry winter skin.

Rosita stated with eyes. I had my face done at the BareMinerals boutique once and they did this also. I think the reasoning is so you don't get eyeshadow dust all over your under eye concealer. I've been trying this at home for a few days and it's a trick I will stick with. She applied Urban Decay Primer Potion using a brush, which allows for more control and only the amount of product you need, as opposed to applying with your finger. Rosita taught me how to play with color, which is something I've never been good at, and how to layer and blend eyeshadows. We went through my brushes and pallets at the same time so I could replicate the look at home. She used a BareMinerals Ready 4.0 pallete called The Happy Place: a pretty peach shimmer on my lids, matte grey in the crease, and shimmery plum as eyeliner.

LESSON #2: Apply eyeshadow first.

LESSON #3: Apply eyeshadow primer with a brush.

LESSON #4: Blend your eyeshadows!

Before we got started with foundation, Rosita color matched my face using this neat Sephora + Pantone computer system. Basically, this device takes pictures of your face in three places and spits out a code, which you then plug in to the in-store system or the Sephora website to get a complete list of all the foundations that match your skin color. You can email it to yourself and save it to your Sephora.com profile. No more testers! No more buying something that is perfect in the store but looks weird in natural light! It's pretty amazing. We tried a few different options but settled on Makeup Forever Professional Face & Body Foundation. The product is lightweight, sheer-to-medium coverage, and made of 80% water. Rosita applied Makeup Forever Professional HD primer and foundation using a cute pink Beauty Blender sponge. She applied a NARS concealer to my under eye area in a V-shape, extending the V up past the outer corner of my eye for a lifting effect, and blended with the sponge. Then she added a Sephora Smoothing & Brightening Concealer in rose to the inner eye and dark circles and blended with the sponge. The combined effect was fantastic and I've been able to replicate it successfully at home.

LESSON #5: Have your foundation color matched by a professional. It's free and easy!

LESSON #6: Apply undereye concealer in a V shape for a lifting effect. 

Rosita then brought out a NARS palette called NARSissist cheek: bronzer, Orgasm blush, and highlighter in one. She taught me how to use all three products for a combined sculpting effect that is great for everyday contouring and highlighting without being full-on Kim Kardashian. She finished the look off with a Sephora Collection Nano lip liner and lipstick, and a fantastic Tarte pencil called EmphasEYES Inner Rim Liner in nude that gives a natural bright and awake look. Advising that I shouldn't need to set with powder, Rosita gave me a light spritz of a Caudalie spray by L'Wren Scott and, after checking that the mascara I'd applied at home that morning was still in good shape, I was good to go. 

I've been able to replicate everything successfully at home because the entire concept of the PBA is to teach you how to do it all yourself. I use Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray before leaving the house in the morning. At lunch, I use translucent powder (BareMinerals READY luminizing Mineral Veil) on my nose to reduce shine. It's been a week and I am very pleased with the long-lasting effects. My skin is happy and I feel fabulous.

QueenGram #2

How many bags of makeup do you travel with?

This month's Glossybox (so excited for the beauty blender!!!) and December's Ipsy Bag 

Eyeshadow look with Naked 3 (Trick base, Factory in the V, Strange on the crease) and Liquid Eyeliner tests (MAC liquidlast liner, Be A Bombshell eyeliner in onyx, and PUNKER Worlds Baddest Eyeliner by Ardency Inn)

My awkward face from Tuesday night wearing J Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil in 203 Red Rose (from the Ipsy bag)

Evil Queen Style featuring Body Heat dress from Nasty Gal and boots from Topshop

Evil Queen Beauty's Favourites of 2013 Part 1: Getting Naked with Urban Decay & Fresh skincare

Happy 2014, Beauty Queens! It's time for the obligatory 2013 favourites post.

I'm going to start off with the best thing that 2013 had to offer, the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. The Naked Palettes have been a big hit with the blogger world, but up until now, they've all been too, well, brown. I'm not a brown person, and actually I actively avoid it. All these "natural" palettes are brown and beige and fucking boring. So I haven't really been all that thrilled with the Naked palettes until now. There was a huge buzz when UD announced that they were doing a third version, and I was SO THRILLED to find that it was a beautiful pinky palette. They call them "rose gold" shades, and they range from soft glimmery pinks to more golden colours, and a lovely defining grey and black with red glimmers at the end. It's safe to say I'm in love, and there are so many beautiful combinations that I really feel like I never need another palette again. The colours blend flawlessly and last all day, and the brush that comes with the set is pretty much perfect for creating a multitude of looks. I'm so pleased and it was totally worth the money.

Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands, so the other products I'm putting on this list are the Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup which I use every day and pair with their Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion and I always set with All Nighter Setting Spray. I used to use their cream-to-powder foundation, but since that has been discountinued, the liquid foundation has been serving me well. I definitely recommend using the primer though as I find it wears a little bit by the end of the work day.

The B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray was something that came in a sample bag and I was a little bit confused as to what it was for, but I use it before I put on my moisturizer and it really helps my skin absorb the moisture and stay moisturized throughout the day. Right after I shower I spritz it on and I never feel wanting for moisture, even with the winter cold. It's really useful if you have super dry skin like me.

Fresh is definitely my favourite skincare brand of 2013. They're a little bit on the pricey end but I really love the products and they've lasted me a good long time, so I don't regret shelling out for them. The Soy Face Cleanser and Moisturizing Cream are part of my daily skincare routine and have never failed me. My skin has never felt softer and smoother.

The Brown Sugar Body Polish works wonders for my skin. I have very dry skin which can get scratchy and flaky, and this stuff makes everything smooth as all get out. The first time I used it at my boyfriend's place, he said I was "all marinated", so it passes the boy touch test! I use the Sugar Lip Polish before I put on my lipstick and it really helps soothe my chapped winter lips so that my lipstick goes on flawless and stays flawless throughout the day. Pretty much is my entire skincare routine was Fresh products, I'd be really happy. I'd be broke, but really happy, and with fucking flawless skin.

Stay tuned for part 2,

Guest Blog from the Good Queen: Battle of the Primers

A few weeks ago Christina asked if I wanted any of the product samples she wasn't going to use. I love makeup, so of course I said yes. I also offered to write this guest post. But be warned: There is no way my writing could ever be as funny as hers, so I won't even try. 

I was really excited about the primer samples Christina gave me. Ordinarily, I am completely devoted to Bare Minerals for makeup and skin care. My skin is sensitive and breaks out at the slightest change, and I find that Bare Minerals products keep everything under as much control as possible. But this week I put aside my trusty BM primers to try Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and Benefit "That Gal" brightening face primer.

I used "That Gal" for two days, and my face exploded. So it's going in the bin thanks to my pesky pores. For those two days, however, I didn't really notice any "brightening," though I think that effect may be more noticeable under a tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation. It kept my face in place for most of the day. To make the comparison fair, I used the Bare Minerals Prime Time foundation primer on the third day. It worked just as well as it always does and, like the Benefit product, kept my makeup in place for most of the day. I really don't think there is any primer in the world that is going to make me look perfect at 8 p.m. when I apply my face at 7 a.m. I always have to touch up in the afternoon.

With the eyeshadow primers I could literally do a side-by-side comparison (see photo above). Urban Decay on the left; Bare Minerals Prime Time eyshadow primer on the right. I used both shimmery and matte eye shadows. The consistency of the Urban Decay is a bit more liquid-y and goes on smoothly. The Bare Minerals is thicker and I feel like I used more of it to get the coverage I wanted. Both products worked perfectly. Unlike the foundation primer, that stuff stayed on my eyelids for 12+ hours -- my eyeshadow looked exactly the same at the end of the day as it did when I applied it. 

Has anyone thought of using eyeshadow primer all over their face? Because I'm starting to think that might be a good idea.

The Good Queen Katherine (sister of The Evil Queen Christina)

Christmas Wishlist Part 1

The holiday season is quickly approaching and this year it is all about the Naked 3 Palette. I am a huge fan of Urban Decay but so far the Naked Palette's haven't impressed me - or rather, they're not colours I'd actually use. I'm not a brown kind of girl, and yes I get that the whole point of the Naked palettes is neutrals, but neutrals don't have to be brown. So, I fucking love this palette. It's pink and purpley instead of browny, which is 100% up my alley. I'm obsessed. I need it. I have to have it. It better be in my damn stocking come Christmastime.

Since I'm trying to change up my makeup routine a little (read: experiment with something other than what's come to be my signature MAC black liquidlast winged eyeliner), I think it's time for some COLOURED EYELINER INSTEAD (because the wings are mine forever), and I'm going with Stila this time:

What's appealing to me about the Stila High Shine Liquid Vinyl Eyeliner is the applicator tip. The MAC is definitely a brush, which makes it a little hard to apply and get even every time. I like that this applicator has more of a pointed tip, so if I wanted to, say, wear a line of purple above my black, I think it would be much easier to do with this.

I'm also going to ask for the TokyoMilk Dark Body Souffle in Destiny No. 79, which is the same as my rollerball perfume.  I'm really into this brand right now, not only because their packaging and marketing is totally on point, but also because the scents are just fucking badass. There is no other way to describe it. Destiny No. 79 musty, mysterious, sexy, and make you feel like the fucking Queen of the Wood Nymphs or something. It smells like a fairy tale, and not the Disney kind, the original Grimms Brothers kind where people get their limbs cut off and eyes pecked out by creepy birds. I love it. It's Evil Queen epitomized. I want to bathe in it (oh wait, there's a Shower Gel? Add that to the list too).

I want to start experimenting with Lush products so I'm going to go with their Dream Cream first, which I hope will be good for my extremely dry skin. I've heard a lot of great things (Mindy White of States is a fan and I fucking love her) about the brand and since I've got so many skin problems (dry patches, itchiness, etc) I'm hoping Lush will be good for me. It's so hard to find products that really work, so we'll give this a go and see how it works.

Also in desperate need of some new wardrobe additions, so I'm going with:

Faux Shearling Mix Biker jacket from Topshop

Luxury Rebel Aberdeen Lace Up Boot from Free People

Amulet Maxi Dress from Nasty Gal

Real Evil Queen Style. 

xx

C