Happy New Year!

In a few short hours, it will be 2013. 2012 has seen many good moments for me, and many, many bad ones. In hindsight though, even those bitter moments have taught me a lot, and opened new, more significant doors for me. This year, I finally saw the truth in two of my mother's signature quotes; "what goes around comes around" and "there is always a reason for everything". I now believe in these two ideas because of a number of important events in 2012.

Let me give you an example. In 2012, I didn't make the bursary shortlist for a very popular private school. I didn't make the shortlist, because I stuck up for myself in the interview. I entered that interview with every grade an A* with the exception of two A grades. Not once was I asked what I could do for their school, instead, the 'gentleman' interviewing me did nothing but talk about how those two A grades where unsatisfactory. After about 20 minutes, I very politely said farewell and walked out of the interview.

I was mentally kicking myself for a good while, thinking I had lost the opportunity of attending what I then considered a superior school, until I got home to realise that the man had sent four emails to both of my parents asking whether I would like to be interviewed again. Without telling me, my dad replied with a rather extensive email highlighting all the reasons why he didn't like that establishment, and for a good few days I hated him for it. That was however, until I realised that the school don't even use the well recognised exam boards of Britain, but rather a 'Mickey Mouse exam board' (as my grandad called it). The exams are nowhere near the level of standard of regulated exams, and this is why the school achieved like it did. This is something that I am really glad I experienced, even though it made me shed a few tears at the time because now, I am more determined than ever to get into a good university, so I can scan my acceptance letter and send it to everyone who said I wasn't good enough to make it.

Not all of 2012 was bad though! I started this blog in August, and it is something that I will never ever regret. Nobody reads this dark little corner of the web yet, but hopefully in 2013, that will change. I have made a few resolutions that I hope I can keep, because losing weight is just not a realistic goal.. :L



My Resolutions!

I hope 2013 brings new opportunities, both for myself, and those around me.

Thanks for reading!

Rabbit.

Review: Urban Decay Naked Basics

To celebrate my good report and the fact that the Christmas holidays had started, my mum bought me the new Urban Decay palette while we were out shopping. 

The exterior packaging

 

The new palette features 5 matte colours, and one 'satin' shade (It's shimmery. There. I said it.). Urban Decay have released this palette due to many of their customers saying that there was not a useful balance of matte and shimmery shades in the Naked/Naked 2 palettes.

 (L-R): Venus (satin pink nude), Foxy (matte buttery yellow), W.O.S (matte champagne), Naked 2 (matte mocha), Faint (matte cool chocolate), Crave (matte blackest brown)

This palette was, therefore, designed as the bigger palettes' sidekick, but I think I will truthfully use it much more than my Naked 2. I am someone who prefers matte colours, and personally, I like that there is one slightly shimmery shade for the inner corner/brow bone highlight. The shadows are good quality, but very light and neutral- some people seem to confuse the two.

 

The packaging is also something that has improved drastically. The Naked palette is covered in a flexible felt-like material that you have no hope in hell of cleaning. The metal exterior of the Naked 2 does not attract dirt, but it attracts twice as many scratches, and has a pitiful plastic hinge. The new palette however, is made of a very sturdy heat-formed plastic shell, with a similarly secure hinge. I have not had mine for very long, but it seems very hard to scratch and can even be cleaned with a dry tissue.

The Naked 2 (top), and The Naked Basics (middle). The Naked palettes are about twice the width of the new one.

The palette retails for £20, which is a decent price drop from the £36 price tag of the full size palettes. It is much more present worthy too- I don't know about you, but I don't have a steady run of money to buy expensive gifts, and £36 is really pushing it.

Thanks for reading!

Rabbit.