A Review and Comparision of Urban Decay’s Naked and Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palettes

I was a Freshman in high school when I watched my first beauty video on YouTube, and you can totally guess what happened next. I fell deeper down the “beauty guru” rabbit hole.

Determined to be like the beauty vloggers I watched on YouTube, I decided to invest in some new makeup. The first “big” pieces of makeup I bought were two makeup palettes from Icing. The palettes I purchased were cheap, and the color payoff was terrible, but I didn’t care. I loved being able to experiment with my look.

Later that same year, I received the holy grail: Urban Decay’s Naked palette. After months of hearing makeup artists rave about the palette in their YouTube videos, I finally felt like I was apart of the club.

Making the switch from drugstore makeup to high-end cosmetics is memorable, but it can be daunting. You may feel overwhelmed when you take your first trip to Ulta or Sephora and find yourself surrounded by eye shadow palettes comprised of dark shades and bold colors. I’ve been in your shoes, and I’m here to help.

Over the years, two particular eyeshadow palettes have always been my top recommendations for people interested in purchasing high-end makeup. Urban Decay’s Naked and Naked 2 palettes consist of neutral colors that are perfect for beginners looking to take their beauty game to the next level.

Unfortunately, Urban Decay charges $52 a pop. Ouch. So, if you are interested in the Naked and Naked 2 palettes but don’t know which one is right for you, keep on reading.

*** Disclaimer: Urban Decay has come out with multiple eyeshadow palettes in their “Naked” collection. As of 2017, they have released the Naked, Naked 2, Naked 3 and the Naked Smoky palettes, as well as three palettes featuring matte shadows. From a personal stand point, matte shadows can be challenging for beginners since they require so much blending Shimmery colors are great for beginners because they are easier to blend, so I recommend sticking with those. The Naked Smoky palette contains some shimmery shades, but the colors in that particular palette are super dark, so I don’t suggest it either. The Naked 3 palette is pretty, but the colors in the palette have pink undertones which can be tricky to work with. If you have fair skin, pink-based shadows may cause your eyes to appear puffy. The Naked and Naked 2 palettes contain beautiful neutral shades that any skin tone and eye color can wear, so that’s what I’ll be blogging about today. Again, everything said above is my personal opinion. If you’re interested in matte eyeshadow, go for it, girl! If rose-toned shades are your thing, then work it with confidence! Makeup is all about expressing yourself, so you do you.

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Overview

 

The Naked palette is comprised of warm bronzes, silky nudes and polished metallics. Out of the 12 eye shadows in the palette, two have matte finishes, and the other ten have frosted/metallic finishes.

 

The Naked 2 palette is made up of cool browns, chilled taupes and metallic greys. Of the 12 eye shadows in the palette, three have matte finishes, and nine have metallic/frosted finishes.

 

 

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Swatches

The Naked palette

Virgin is an opaque pink shimmer. The swatch didn’t want to show up on my arm, but I promise you it’s a perfect candidate for an inner corner highlight. 

Sin is a champagne pink shimmer. This shade serves as a great base for any natural eye look

Naked is a nude shadow with a matte finish. Naked is very blendable and buildable, and it’s super natural when applied to the crease.

Sidecar is a pigmented bronze-taupe shimmer. I love pairing this shade with the other colors in the palette because it compliments the others so well.

Buck is a warm matte brown. This shade is super bendable and builds with ease.

Half Baked is a warm glittery gold. This shadow looks great when paired with Smog and Darkhorse.

Smog is a warm bronze shimmer. This color is by far my favorite shade in the palette because it looks gorgeous when applied to the eyelids

Darkhorse is a deep brown shadow with a frosted sheen. Darkhorse is a staple piece for any smokey eye look. 

Toasted is a metallic rose-bronze shade. This shadow looks beautiful when paired with Hustle because both shades have pink-purple bases to them.

Hustle is a deep mocha-plum with a frosted finish. Like I said above, Toasted and Hustle are like peanut butter and jelly because they compliment each other so well.

Creep looks like a dull matte black, but if you look closer, you can see silver sparkles mixed throughout the shade. This color is my least favorite shade in the palette; it doesn’t blend well and the color payoff is disappointing.

Gunmetal is a metallic grey. This is the only grey-toned shade in the entire palette, so it’s hard to pair this color with others in the palette. 

 

The Naked 2 palette

Foxy is a yellow-beige shadow with a matte finish. Sometimes shimmery eye shadow can look too harsh when placed on the brow bone as a highlight. Foxy is the perfect shade to pat on the brow bone if you need a natural-looking highlight. 

Half Baked is a warm glittery gold. This is the same shade that appears in the Naked palette, but this particular color looks much more cooler when surrounded by the cool browns and taupes in the Naked 2 palette.

Booty Call is an opaque silver shadow with a frosted sheen. I love wearing this color on my cheekbones as a highlighter.

Chopper is a light orange-brown shadow. To be honest, I rarely ever wear this shade because I’m not a fan of orange-based shadows.

Tease is a matte taupe. Tease is my go-to shade when I create a smokey eye look. The formula is so smooth, and it’s easy to control the intensity of the color. 

Snakebite is a shimmery cool brown. This is a staple piece for any brown smokey eye look.

Suspect is a cool beige-brown shimmer. I love pairing this shade with Snakebite because they compliment each other beautifully.

Pistol is a cool grey. This shade looks beautiful when paired with Verve because they both have grey bases.

Verve is a frosted silver. This shadow can be worn in a classic smokey eye as a base, or it can be worn in the inner corner of the eye as a highlight. 

YDK is a glittery bronze-brown. I love this shade. YDK is such a standout color. I love that you can wear this color with a bold eye or alone with a little eyeliner and mascara.

Busted is dark chocolate with slight shimmer. I recommend wearing this color in a dark makeup look because of its dark pigmentation.

Blackout is a midnight black with a matte finish. As seen in the pictures of my Naked 2 palette, I wear this shade a lot. I like to use Blackout as an eyeliner, and it works great. However, it should be noted that this shade is prone to fallout and it’s hard to blend when used in a dark makeup look.

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Final Thoughts

A side-by-side comparison of the Naked and Naked 2 eyeshadow palettes. The Naked 2 palette is on the top; the original Naked palette is on the bottom.

Something I would like to mention is how different “Half Baked” looks in both palettes. Half Baked in the Naked 2 (top palette, second from the left) looks much more lighter and beige-y when compared to the “Half Baked” in the Naked palette (bottom palette, sixth from the left), which looks much more golden and warmer.

That brings me to my next case. When looking at the two palettes as a whole, it can be noted that the Naked palette is much more warmer as oppose to the Naked 2 palette, which is more taupe-based and cooler.

I honestly can’t decide which palette I like better. Both shades from the Naked and Naked 2 palette look beautiful when applied to any eye color.

If you want to purchase one of the Naked palettes, I’d suggest you look at your current eyeshadow you like to wear. If your favorite drugstore eyeshadow has a cool undertone, go for the Naked 2 palette. If your go-to eyeshadow has warmer undertones, then scoop up the original Naked palette. The choice is up to you… or you can treat yourself and buy both.

I’d like to thank everyone who actually went through and read my first blog post. Your support means so much to me. Thank you for everything.

Xx

Kara