Saturday, July 13, 2013

Neutral Palette Showdown! Part One

Urban Decay Naked Palette(s) Review


Neutral, Nude, Naked, we have heard it all. This is a trend that is not going anywhere anytime fast. Neutral eyeshadow palettes are everywhere lately, and lots of different makeup brands are making them now. The colors range from white to cream, brown, grey to black, and every other color in those ranges.

Neutral colors are so popular because the colors are flattering on everyone, from different eye shapes to different skin tones, you can't go wrong with neutrals. The colors are also very versatile, you can create an everyday look, and then you can switch it up and go glam with a classic smokey eye.

The neutral eyeshadow colors are by far my favorite to use all the time. I love it.
So what's out there? What palettes are the best? Which palettes aren't that great? What you shouldn't waste you're money on.
Like I said, I love the neutral colors so I have tried quite a few neutral palettes. The first palette I'm going to review is the first one that I bought: the Urban Decay Naked Palette.
This palette retails for $50 and I purchased it at Sephora. This palette comes with 12 eyeshadow colors, a synthetic shader brush, and a mini primer potion.
The colors from left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep & Gunmetal.
I loooooove this palette, I would say this is one of my favorites. The eyeshadows are very pigmented, they are decently sized so they last you a long time, and they last a long time on my eyes. Even if its been a really long day and I work out and life happens, the eyeshadows do not budge.
This palette is mostly warm tone, which compliments my skin tone perfectly. My absolute favorite colors from this palette are Virgin, Sin, Naked, Buck and Darkhorse, They are so perfect together and are my go-to looks in the morning.
The only thing that I dont like about this palette is that there are way too many glittery/shimmery colors, and only 2 shadows that are matte. The shimmery colors are a tiny bit chunky and that gives me a little fallout.
Overall this palette is a winner. There are a ton of different looks that you can create and very handy for traveling. I would recommend this palette to everyone. It is amazing.
The next palette I'm going to review is of course the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.
This palette is very similar to the original Naked palette. It retails for $50 and also has 12 eyeshadow colors. I also purchased this palette from Sephora. The palette also includes a double sided synthetic brush, one side has a shader brush, and the other is a blending brush, and it also comes with mini Lip Junkie lipgloss in the color naked.The colors that are in the palette from left to right are: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted and Blackout.
The main difference between Naked and Naked 2 is the undertone of the eyeshadows. The Naked palette has mostly warm tone colors. The Naked 2 palette has mostly cool tone colors. The majority of the colors in this palette are glittery/shimmery (like the original) with only 3 of the 12 that are matte.
Before I purchased this palette I thought about it for a long time, because I already had the original Naked palette, and I didn't want to spend all that money if it was going to be the same. I saw a lot of reviews of this palette on Youtube, and finally I decided to buy it. And I am glad I did, because the palette is different from the original Naked palette. The colors are pigmented and are long lasting. It's very versatile, you can create so many different looks. It's definitely a one-stop-shop for any look, you will have everything you need in this palette. If you are a makeup addict like I am, you should buy it. I like this palette but I don't love it. I prefer the original Naked just because the warmer tones complement my yellow undertones better.
The last nude palette I'm going to review is also from Urban Decay (surprise, surprise) and it is their Naked Basics Palette. I must say that I got sucked into buying this product just because it was another Naked palette from Urban Decay. And I just couldn't resist.
This palette retails for $27 and has 6 eyeshadow colors. This palette was marketed to be an all matte palette that compliments the other two Naked palettes. The first color isn't really a matte though, it has more of a frost finish (on the Urban decay site they say that this color is a demi-matte), but all the other colors are matte. I especially liked that aspect of it because the Naked and Naked 2 palettes have mostly shimmery/glittery colors. The colors in the palette are the following: Venus, Foxy, W.O.S., Naked 2, Faint and Crave.
At first I really was exited about this palette. It's small which makes it perfect for travel or carrying it in my purse, you know, just in case. It looked pretty straight forward to use and the colors are nude, which by now you know that I'm obsessed with. But once I started using it I realized that the eyeshadows are very chalky and powdery, I thought it was just because they are matte colors. But I have matte colors from other cosmetic companies and they are not as chalky as these. Also the lighter colors in the palette are really similar, so even if I pack on one of the lighter colors and apply the next shade over there isn't really a distinction. It might be because I have a lighter skin tone. But the only colors that really show up on me are Venus (because of the frost finish,) Faint, and Crave (which are the two darkest shades.)
That made me sad because I really wanted to love this palette. When I am getting ready in the morning I find myself not reaching for this palette at all.
Overall I'm a little bit disappointed because the Naked and Naked 2 are such good palettes and I wanted the Naked Basics to be equally as amazing. Sad to say but it's not. I would recommend you not to buy it, just based on my experience with it. I think there are better neutral palettes out there. Don't just buy a product because of the company that makes it, which was my mistake. I would also recommend that if you really want a product not just eyeshadows, to go check them out at the store because there you can swatch and actually see how a color will look on you're skin.  

So that's the end for this part of my Neutral Palette Showdown. On the next blog post I will be continuing this series of reviews with my Mac Neutral Palette, the Victoria Secret The Nakeds, and The Balms Nude'tude palette.

Thanks for reading, and I hope all these reviews help you in making the plunge (or not) on buying really expensive things to put on you're face (or not.)

:)

2 comments:

  1. I love the original Naked palette! It's a must have product!!

    Kendra

    www.beautybykendrac.com

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    1. I completely agree with you. The Naked palette is one of my all time favorites!

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