Review: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Is there anything more hyped in the beauty blogging world than the Urban Decay Naked Palettes? Probably not. I've shouted from the rooftops that I'm a massive fan of the Naked 2, so when I heard Urban Decay were releasing a more compact palette with new shades called the Naked Basics, I was definitely interested...

So, Real Talk: the Naked 2 palette has 12 neutral shades in it. Why would I be interested in getting more? Is this just my inner make-up hoarder rearing her ugly head? What can they possibly add that is different to what I already have? Well, you just sit back and let me tell you.

The Naked 2 Palette is packed with shimmer. It's downright glitter-tastic. For a neutrals palette, I actually find it decidedly glitzy. "Chopper", for example, is an absolute triumph of a shade, but even for me (never scared of making a statement & without a typical 9-5 job), it's not exactly getting much daytime use. There are only 3 matte shades in the Naked 2, so when creating an eye look it's easy to get a little spangly. In contrast, the Naked Basics contains 6 shades, all but one of which are matte.

Now I'm not sure if I'm on my own with this, but as I get older (I'm creeping up on the big 2-6, y'all) I'm gently gravitating towards more matte shades for my eyes. The butteriness of the finish means they glide on easily, they're flattering and they don't sit in imperfections like scars and fine lines the way shimmer finishes do. I find them easier to blend too. I'll always be a shimmer gal but I can't lie that adding a few matte shades to my repertoire may well make the Naked 2 palette, and indeed several other of my eye shadows, a little more wearable for me.

There is only one duplicate from the Naked 2 Palette and that is "Foxy", a creamy yellow, which just so happens to be one of my most used shadows ever. "Walk of Shame" has also been seen before in the Urban Decay Build Your Own line so you can buy it individually, but it doesn't feature in previous palettes; it's peach finish makes a perfect light base. "Crave", a pure matte black, is very similar to "Blackout" from Naked 2, except I would say that "Crave" has brown undertones as opposed to grey which tends to work better for me and maybe others with a warmer skin tone. "Naked 2", a sandy tan, and "Faint", a mid-tone brown, are unique shades I can't think of dupes for, perfect for fairer girls like me to mix and use in the crease. "Venus", the only pearl finish in the palette, works great as a champagne highlight on the brow bone and inner corner, or can be swept across the whole lid to give your look a light sheen.

I can't say enough about the quality of the shadows themselves. They're rich, pigmented products which for me are unrivalled by any brand except for maybe Burberry, but I only have one of those to compare, so let me get back to you on that. These are by far the easiest shadows in my collection to blend, way easier than MAC, Illamasqua and Sleek to give a few examples. If any of you are familiar with Wet n Wild shadows which are available in the States, they're as soft and velvety as those but with none of the fall-out and double the staying power.

Despite the new edition's decrease in size, it's purely for show; the actual weight of product you are splashing the cash on is exactly the same 1.3g per shadow that comes with its predecessors. The packaging is sturdy, weighty, a weird hybrid of the felt & cardboard of Naked 1 and the tin of Naked 2. It's a butter-soft rubbery finish not unlike Nars packaging, though because of the colour I think it's less likely to get grubby so quickly. The mirror is a decent size for application on the go and there's no space wasted on pointless applicators or extras. The whole palette fits into the palm of my hand and is going to be absolutely perfect for travelling - an area where its siblings fall short. At the risk of sounding like some kind of cosmetics perve, it just feels good, yanno? It just feels good.

If I haven't gushed enough, personally (and I'm not even much of a neutral lover) I think the Naked Basics is the perfect way to top up either of his older brothers. While all 3 Naked Palettes are gems all on their own, together they are all you could ever need in an eye shadow collection. With the 18 shades of the 2 palettes I own, you can truly create an eye look suitable for literally any occasion. You can take things from natural and feminine to dramatic and smokey. You can create a sunkissed bronzed look for a summer holiday, or a 60s glamour look for your Christmas party. Seriously, these are good investments, I promise.

You can buy the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette for £20 at Debenhams. If you'd like to see any further posts or maybe even videos expanding on how I use these babies, just let me know in the comments!

Daily Deets:

• Sorry for the unexplained absence over the holidays, I've actually been pretty poorly! Never mind, back on top now.
• Expect lots of reviews coming up over the next few weeks - I've been spending like crazy, lots of things to show you guys :)
• Tomorrow night I'm being treated to a night in the Hilton! I'll be reporting back sometime next week. Can't wait for the big, fluffy duvet!

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