Nail Polish Review - Nars Night Rider & OPI's DS Magic

I am a self-professed nail polish junkie. My history with it has been somewhat conflicted -- as a child and a preteen, I loved the stuff. My first ever nail polish was a Tinkerbell peel-off kind, which I lovingly painted on to my nails with utmost care, only to peel it off a couple of hours later. Then I went through a no-nail polish stage, where I think I owned maybe one bottle that I shared with my mom. Over the years, that one bottle slowly became four or five, until a little over a year ago. Soon I found myself slinking over to the nail polish display in drugstores. Stopping dead in my tracks and turning around whenever I passed a salon. Finished my midterms? Reward myself with a new bottle. Having a crappy day? Make myself feel better with a pretty new shade. Got an A+ on an important paper? Yay, new nail polish!

Now that I am taking a break from school and working full time, I don't feel that I need an excuse (haha), and I am also more willing to splurge! Hence the reason why I am reviewing these two polishes. Both have price tags that are a far cry from your average Sally Hansen or Revlon polish, but does the quality make them worth it? 

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Urban Decay Naked Palette - Swatched and Reviewed

I originally was not planning on swatching this palette, since it's so ridiculously popular that it has been swatched a million times, and well. I am lazy. BUT, while talking makeup and pretty packaging with my friend Susan, she requested a swatch, so I figured why not? This blog needs more content (haha), and it is not like swatching is an all-day task or anything :p 

So, after receiving my Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary limited edition palette today, I figured that I would get 'er done. Swatches of the 15 Year Anniversary palette are still a work in progress though, so they will be in a different post!

Anyway, description of the Naked palette from the Urban Decay website: 

"You can look great NAKED! This long, lean, seductive case is packed with TWELVE gorgeous neutrals. Shades range from delicate champagnes to dark, gritty gunmetal, and feature FIVE NEW shades with names like Darkhorse, Virgin and Buck. We've also included a range of textures: everything from glitter to shimmer to matte. The chocolaty velvet case is emblazoned with the word "NAKED" in gold foil lettering. (Just wait 'til your friends see you pull this sexy thing out of your bag. Jealous!) The mirrored case also includes a professional quality, cruelty-free Good Karma Eyeshadow Brush, AND a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion in original formula. This is a shadow palette EVERYONE can use, and a truly spectacular gift. Experiment with office-appropriate neutrals, summertime bronzy looks, or sultry smokiness. With such a diversity of neutral shades at your fingertips, there's more to neutral than meets the eye."

Alright, now that we've gotten the introduction out of the way, let's get reviewing and swatching!

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First Post! Beauty on a Budget

So, this would be my first post on my brand spankin' new blog. How do I feel? Uncertain. I have been wanting to start a beauty blog for awhile, but considering my track record with blogging, I am not so good with updating. Even my personal blog; I used to be so good at updating it with boring, everyday crap that nobody except the most loyal of followers want to read, but now? Pfff.

But I hope that I keep up with this one, because it seems like it will be fun!

Anyway, for my first post, I figured I would make it about ~*staying beautiful*~ on a budget. And by budget, I mean, a university's student budget. Well. A university student's budget that can afford the odd splurge every now and then, because I personally am not at "eating-ramen-everyday" level, but not "MAC-is-practically-my-middle-name" level, either. Basically, this post is sort of documentation of my past experience - where I generally skimp on cost, and where I have found it best to save my money and splurge. Because as we all know, there are some quality drugstore products out there, but also quite a few that don't measure up to those which are higher-end.

So, without any further ado...

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