Product Review - Urban Decay Naked Palette

Hi lovelies,

I'm doing this review for someone who wanted to know how the Urban Decay Naked Palette (UDNP) looks on darker skin tones. I have the first version of the Naked Palette (NP1), which goes beautifully on warm toned skin. I don't have the second version (NP2), but I have seen swatches and read that it better suits cooler toned skin. It is also my opinion that if you have one, you can probably skip the other, as they are quite similar and you can only use so many nude eyeshadows!

This is what the palette looks like, mine came with a small, travel-sized Urban Decay Primer Potion (a fantastic primer, I reviewed it here) and a brush (which I've never used, as I'm not a fan of it).

The closed palette. It has a lovely velvet finish and looks very luxurious!

Open palete with flash.
Left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half-Baked, Smog,
Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal.

Open palette without flash.

There are already tonnes of reviews out there on the UDNP1, so I'm going to limit this to swatches and a brief review. I've also included an EOTD of a more glamorous, night look I did using the palette. It's actually a bit prettier in real life, the photos don't quite do it justice, but you get the general idea.

L-R: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half-Baked without flash,
under fluorescent lighting.

L-R: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half-Baked, without flash,
but in artificial daylight lighting.

L-R: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half-Baked, with flash.

L-E: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal without flash,
under fluorescent lighting.  

L-E: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal without flash,
under artificial daylight lighting. 

L-E: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal with flash.

Here's a quick review of the pros and cons of this palette.

Pros:
- Excellent quality eyeshadows, they're very smooth and blend beautifully. They are all shimmer shadows, with the exception of Toasted and Buck, which are matte, and Sidecar, which is more of a glitter.
- There's actually a lot of versatility with this, you can create an endless array of looks for wearing during the day and wearing out at night.
- The packaging is compact and travel friendly, so it's the perfect choice for taking away with you on a short holiday or business trip, and as I mentioned on the previous point, you still have enough variety to create an array of looks to fit any occasion.
- Pigmentation is excellent, so a bit goes a long way. That also  means that each shadow should last you a LONG time.
- Quite affordable. I know, you're thinking I'm crazy for saying that, right? But think about it, I got mine for $50AUD from BeautyBay (and that included shipping), and when you divide that by 12, you're actually getting each shadow for about $4.20AUD! That's really quite a bargain, and a good investment to boot!

Cons:
- The palette isn't available in Australia, so you do have to purchase it online (unless, you're an international reader reading this, then this definitely isn't a con for you). I would suggest buying from either BeautyBay or HQHair. There's also always eBay, of course, but I'd be wary there as this palette has unusually high demand and as a result, you have a higher chance of getting fakes.
- If you find neutrals 'boring', than this isn't the palette for you as there aren't any bright colours in this one, so in a sense, it is a little limiting. However, I do wear neutrals a lot more often than I wear colour, so this worked very well for me.
- Some say that this palette gets dirty very quickly thanks to its velvet packaging but I have had mine for over a year and it's still pristine.
- If you have some of the other UD palettes, then there's a chance that you might be duplicating certain shadows already in this.

One last thing I will add, I know there are a lot of dupes out there for the UDNP1, and I know that this lovely blogger has put together a comprehensive list. However, I have a couple of these (like the Nyx and Australis one) and I have to say that while these palettes are great quality, I do end up reaching for my NP more than I do any others. So, if you like the look of the nudes but can't bear to fork out $50, you could perhaps investigate these options instead. If, however, you are completely in love with this, you might be better off saving yourself the cash and just buying the UDNP straightaway.

That's about all I can think of, so I'll just finish with a simple night look I did using the UDNP1. I used Toasted all over the eyelid, with Darkhorse in the crease, and Gunmetal just in the outer corner. I finished off with a slick of black liner and a dab of mascara.

  

That's all for now, folks...I hope you enjoyed reading this, and it helped you make a decision if you've been dithering about this!

Much love,
MM.
x