Urban Decay Archives - The Beauty Look Book

Urban Decay Naked Cherry Collection Review + Swatches

October 18, 2018

I have an Urban Decay Naked Cherry Collection review + swatches for you today! This is a collection I did not expect to work for me based on the color scheme. I rarely wear reds or pinks on the eyes (Naked Heat was too warm for me) so I was pleasantly surprised to find the colors are actually easy to wear for my neutral-makeup loving self. I’ve been the biggest fan of the original Naked, Naked 2 and Naked 3 eyeshadow palettes. Anytime anyone asks what palette I’d recommend to start out their makeup collection it’s one of those (sad that the original one was discontinued though!). In the Naked Cherry launch we have:

Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette ($49, palette made in USA, brush made in China)
Naked Cherry Highlight and Blush Palette ($34, made in USA)
Naked Cherry All Nighter Scented Makeup Setting Spray ($15 for 30 ml/1 fl oz, made in USA)
Naked Cherry 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Love Drug and Black Market ($21 each, made in USA, although my other eyeliners in this formula say made in Germany)
Vice Lipsticks in Juicy, Devilish and Cherry ($18 each, made in USA)

The star in the collection is the Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette. Urban Decay makes some of the best eyeshadow formulas for their mattes and shimmers. They’re buttery smooth, have excellent pigment, are easy to build and layer. They also stay put, even the glitters. Naked Cherry pulls more pink and plum with cranberry tones rather than cherry colors to my eye, but I’m all for that because a true cherry red would probably not work on my complexion.

Colors include:

Hot Spot perfect matte pale pink cream
Caution sheer cool beige matte
Bang Bang shimmery warm soft pink
Feelz matte mauve
Juicy matte warm pink
Turn On shimmering light mauve grey champagne
Ambitious shimmery warm bronze with plum tones
Bing matte violet mauve
Devilish matte warmish purple
Young Love shimmery plum cherry color
Drunk Dial deep shimmer plum
Privacy matte plum brown with red tones

Below wearing the Naked Cherry Eyeshadow shades in Bang Bang, Feelz, Ambitious and Drunk Dial, Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Devilish, Naked Cherry Highlight and Blush Trio. Also wearing Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in 6 + 7, mixed, Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Powder #2, Hourglass Arch Brow Pencil in Dark Brunette, Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara.

A lot of you have asked whether I prefer the Naked Cherry palette or the Charlotte Tilbury Stars in Your Eyes. It’s a tough call because while there are similar tones, I find them very different. The Charlotte Tilbury has more shimmer and glow with lighter warmer gold tones. It has more of a glam feel because of the shimmers. The Naked Cherry has a more monochrome feel with pink, plum and cherry colors. It also has more variety in the deeper colors for plum/pinks. Right now if I had to pick one it would be the Charlotte Tilbury one simply because I like the gold and champagne colors. I do think the Urban Decay one is more unique compared to what I already own.

By request, swatching them side by side (review + swatches of the Charlotte Tilbury one here)

Naked Cherry 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Love Drug and Black Market are smooth eyeliners. The 24/7 Glide-On is among the smoothest pencils I’ve tried and they never tug or dry out. They haven’t always been smudge proof on me and don’t last 24/7 like a liquid liner but they do stay put without sliding around for several hours on my eyes. I usually top/set with a deep powder shadow as a liner to help it stay longer. Your mileage may vary depending on how oily your lids are.

Love Drug is a shimmery plum, Black Market is a satiny black with a sheen. I’ve swatched a few other pencils I still have next to the new ones:

The Naked Cherry Highlight and Blush Palette was very different from what I expected. Colors swatch with medium pigment on the arms, but on the face it is sheer. Also there’s almost a secret shimmer in one of the colors you can’t see in the pan. Once swatched the colors are a soft champagne with a hint of pink, sheer light cherry pink (goes on a lot more natural than I anticipated) and a duo chrome pink flash shimmer. The good news is that this is a palette I think is impossible to overdo. It applies smoothly, doesn’t emphasize pores or fine lines, colors blend naturally on the skin. But if you need pigment and color this might be too natural for you.

Vice Lipsticks in Juicy, Devilish and Cherry are new to the launch with special-edition cherry packaging. They’re not scented (thank goodness, because I don’t like cherry smells). I’ve tried a few Vice Lipsticks before and find the formula hit or miss depending on color. Some were really dry and patchy on my lips, but others are smooth, creamy and comfortable. All three in the Naked Cherry line are excellent. Juicy is a unique sheer shimmery iridescent peach with copper and bronze micro shimmers. It’s sparkly but not gritty on my lips. Devilish is a bright berry pink with micro shimmers. Cherry is the perfect deep cherry cream. Coverage is sheer-medium for the shimmers, full for the cream. Application is smooth and there’s a slight sheen to the finish. Lasting power is very good. They’re creamy and semi-thick so they adhere to the lips but they don’t feel heavy.

Naked Cherry All Nighter Scented Makeup Setting Spray is something I was so reluctant to try simply because I don’t like cherries. I did try it though and it’s actually a lot more pleasant than I expected. It smells like a sheer sweet cherry, almost like a toned down candy cherry. It performs just as well as the regular All Nighter Spray to set makeup and keep it in place for hours. I still don’t know how I feel about scented face sprays that smell like fruit. I’m all about ones that smell like rose or lavender, but the only one I truly love that is food scented is the MAC Fix+ in Coconut because I love anything coconut.

Natural look wearing Juicy Lipstick, the lighter shades of the Eyeshadow Palette and the Highlight Blush Cheek Palette. Same base + brows as what’s listed in the photo above.

Overall a really cute collection! I think the eyeliners are definitely dupeable, so if you have black or plum in your stash you can probably recreate the look with something similar. Love Drug does pull a little more cherry in color and Black Market is more of a muted black rather than a classic deep version. I feel like the Highlight and Cheek Palette is going to be hit or miss for many of you. If you’re lighter than me it will show up. I’m right at the skin tone where it gives a barely there glow. If you’re darker I suspect it will be too sheer/light for your complexion. The eyeshadow palette was an unexpected YES for me. I’m still a peach/gold/bronze kind of gal for eyeshadows but it’s nice to branch out here and there with colors you normally wouldn’t wear. Considering I rarely wear reds or pinks I find myself being braver with color and love trying new combinations.

You can find the Naked Cherry Collection out now. I’m really surprised to find that several items have sold out here and there. You may have to do a little shopping around to find all the colors you want.

Available at Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom and Urban Decay.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think? If you wear warm or pinks or reds what’s your favorite palette of the moment?

Naked Cherry collection provided for review.

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Lips Urban Decay

Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Glosses

April 9, 2018

Urban Decay has launched a new lip gloss formula called the Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss ($20 each for 0.23 oz/ 7 mL). There are 20 shades total with creams and sparkles and shimmers. Urban Decay describes these as ultra-shiny, cushiony soft, long-lasting and not tacky. I’d say the description is on point on all counts. The color range is quite wide with something for everyone. The formula has a smooth finish and cool-plumping effect without the sting. They have vitamin E and peppermint oil and on my lips while they weren’t really hydrating they did not dry out the lips or make them peel.

These come with a sponge-tip applicator that is flat and skinny:

Up first are the cream colors which are non-shimmers. Pigment varies from sheer to medium. Most of them have a smooth finish in the color but there were a few I found streaky. Left to right: Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lip Glosses Fuel, 1993, Obsessed, Beso, Rapture, Backtalk, Savage, Snitch, Bang, Jawbreaker.

Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lip Glosses in cream shades:

Fuel is a neutral pink beige
1993 is a medium tan sheer brown
Obsessed is a pale pink (slightly streaky)
Beso is a deep plum
Rapture is a medium pink
Backtalk is a perfect mauve
Savage is a bright hot cool pink
Snitch is a peachy coral
Bang is a bright coral red
Jawbreaker is a streaky purple violet

The shimmers are also smooth in texture. Some have some intense sparkle but none are gritty. Below left to right: Midnight Cowgirl, SPL, Fireball, Naked, Big Bang, Dirty Talk, Shadow Heart, Goldmine, Candy Flip, Snapped:

Swatched below left to right:

Midnight Cowgirl is a sheer beige with gold flecks
SPL is a clear base with light purple-pink sparkles
Fireball is a clear base with duo chrome pink and orange sparkles
Naked is a super sheer mauve shimmer
Big Bang is a hot pink sparkle
Dirty Talk is a copper sparkle
Shadow Heart is a deep brown wine
Goldmine is an unflattering yellow gold sparkle
Candy Flip is a clear base with violet sparkles
Snapped is a streaky purple base with blue sparkles

My favorites in general are the creams. Top five shade picks include Backtalk, Fuel, Snitch, Rapture and Fireball. I’ve been really impressed with the formula. They’re smooth but don’t slide around. The texture is indeed cushiony and comfortable to wear right now. It’s something I think I’ll appreciate even more once the humidity returns.

Overall thumbs up. There are a lot of fun colors to wear and a big enough range of neutrals that are different from each other. I like that a lot of these are natural looking without looking the same. Urban Decay did a great job at launching a diverse range. They do have a minty scent to them but it’s soft and not overpowering.

You can find the Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Lip Glosses out now in stores and online. Available at Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Ulta Beauty and Urban Decay. If you’re a Sephora Beauty Insider mark your calendar as their savings event starts this week for Rouge. More details and recommendations coming soon!

Urban Decay glosses provided courtesy of Urban Decay for review.

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Eye Makeup Marc Jacobs Beauty Natasha Denona Urban Decay

Warm Eyeshadow Palettes from Marc Jacobs, Urban Decay and Natasha Denona

March 30, 2018

Happy Friday! Quick roundup today of three warm-toned eyeshadow palettes that some of you have been curious about. I’m more of a neutral lover when it comes to shadows although I do love warm bronze and golds and soft peachy shades too. The warm eyeshadow trend has been super popular for a few years now and I’ve learned to embrace it. There was a day I though I’d never wear an orange or warm brown shadow but I’ve found with some layering they can make some really nice eye looks.

Today I have a review and swatches of three palettes including the Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Palette in Scandalust, Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat and Natasha Denona Mini Sunset Palette. Also shown in top photo is a miniature Louis Vuitton perfume, Wayne Goss Brushes #7 and #4 from his Anniversary Set Volume 2, Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush in 410 Corail Naturel.

A quick look at them all in direct sunlight where you can see the shimmer a bit better:

Up first is the Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Palette in Scandalust. I’ve had this one for a while since the new palettes launched. My go-to is still the neutral option Glambition (review and swatched here) for a perfect everyday kind of look. Scandalust is a lot warmer but still very wearable for me. I like to mix the shades from both palettes sometimes. Scandalust has ultra smooth rich pigment that feels like velvet. Pigment is really good and easy to layer.

Shades include from left to right:

Hot Pants is a soft shimmery cream
At the Office is a medium mauve-nude matte
Cause a Fuss is my kind of shimmering peach with champagne shimmer
That’s Why is a matte brown
They Call Her is a shimmering copper orange
Little Miss is a matte plum brown
Scandalous is a wine pink red matte

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Next is the Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat. I’ve always thought that the Urban Decay matte shadows in their Naked Basics and Naked2 Basics Palettes have been among the best. The Naked Petite Heat also has excellent texture and pigment although some of the shades aren’t quite as pigmented as the other two. The color payoff is still really really good with smooth application. Alone it’s a bit too warm for me but I like to mix in a little from Naked Basics to neutral things out a little. The soft mattes are perfect layering and blending shades for days where you feel your eye color might be too neutral or cool. The warmth adds depth and life to the look.

Shades include:

Inhale pale ivory shimmer
Vibrate light-medium beige
Hot Spell soft warm brown
Wild Thing matte orange
Heist matte warm brown
Strike deep cocoa matte

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Finally the Natasha Denona Mini Sunset Palette which is probably he cutest eyeshadow palette I have ever seen! It’s miniature size with tiny pans. This one has excellent color payoff on all the shades. It has a mix of mattes and shimmers with no glitters (yay!). It is very warm and alone too warm for me to wear. I do like it for layering with other palettes though. To some I know this may be too complicated but I find for the most part I’m layering shadows anyways so I don’t mind pulling from a couple palettes.

Colors from left to right:

175CM Guava is a matte soft brown
176M Apollo is a metallic deep red
177 CM Dirty Mars is a matte warm brown
178M Sun Beam is a metallic warm gold
179M Halo is a sparkling ivory champagne shimmer

Overall thoughts are that the quality, pigment, color payoff, blendability and lasting power on these palettes are all excellent. That being said, Scandalust is the only one I can wear on it’s own. The other two I need to layer with others but for me the Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat is just what I need to warm up an eye look.

In terms of comparisons to other warm-ish palettes, I find the NARSissist Wanted Eyeshadow Palette to be more wearable for me although it’s a different kind of warm. It’s got a warm rose vs a warm orange theme. The NARS NARsissist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette is the perfect warm neutral palette for me as it has a wide range and includes enough neutrals for me to layer with warm colors. I also find the Pat McGrath Eyeshadow Palette in Bronze Ambition to be more in the warm-neutral category which I really adore.

For those who want to know which eye brushes I like the best, a comprehensive roundup of my favorites in my Favorite Eye Makeup Brushes and Tools post.

You can find the three palettes out now at all counters and online.

Marc Jacobs available at Sephora, Neiman Marcus and Marc Jacobs Beauty.
Urban Decay available at Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Urban Decay.
Natasha Denona available at Sephora.

The three palettes featured were press samples sent for review consideration. As always all opinions my own.

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Highlighters Urban Decay

Urban Decay UD x Gwen Blush Palette, Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighters and Beached Bronzers

April 11, 2016

Today I have a roundup of several cheek products from Urban Decay including the UD x Gwen Blush Palette ($45), Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighters ($26 each) and Beached Bronzers ($28). All the items are very pretty and give the complexion some life and color in a natural way. The UD x Gwen Blush Palette in my opinion is one of the best blush palettes I’ve ever tried. It has a good mix of cool and warm and also matte and shimmer finishes to give you a lot of options. The colors layer nicely and application is smooth. I do find some similarities between the colors in the palette and the new highlighters/bronzers. You may want to shop your stash too as some of these will probably be duplicates or similar to what you own but more thoughts on each one below.

First a quick look at the cheek, highlighter and bronze items from Urban Decay side by side. I’m trying out a new interactive tool so you can shop the images by clicking on the icons. Let me know what you think!

Swatches on bare skin:

Up first is the UD x Gwen Blush Palette. This comes in a medium-sized mirrored compact similar in style to the UD x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette. The packaging is very sturdy and well made. The colors have medium but buildable pigment and the texture is very soft and smooth. There is quite a bit of powder kick-up when I dip my brush into the powders but it’s easy to clean up and once the product is on the face there isn’t any fall out. Cherry is a soft cool matte pink, Easy is a medium rose with gold shimmer, Angel is a soft champagne gold, Lo-Fi is a medium tan, Hush is a shimmering peachy champagne, OC is an iridescent soft peach that flashes pink.

As you can see from the swatches above near the top of the post, Angel has a similar effect to the Afterglow Highlighter in Sin, Lo-Fi is a more yellow toned version of the bronzers, OC has a similar pinky sheen to the Afterglow Highlighter in Fireball. I would say by comparison the Blush Palette has a softer more natural look on the skin compared to the others. I love this palette because it’s so versatile and goes well with a wide range of looks. That being said the colors are fairly standard and I suspect you can find similar shades from MAC, NARS or other brands. I do really like that Easy Blush is a rose gold that is medium in undertone but doesn’t darken on my skin. So many rose blushes end up darkening and look muddy on my skin while Easy stays true to color. Angel has that pretty warm golden champagne undertone which makes it look soft and diffused on my olive skin. Hush is borderline a highlighter so I mix it with Lo-Fi to add more color on my skin.

Next up are the Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Highlighters. These are designed to be long-lasting and the claim is they last 8 hours. On my normal combination skin I found they did not last on my cheeks for the full 8 hours. I would say color stayed true from morning around 8 am until 2 pm (so for around 6 hours). After that the color faded a bit. It was still visible but there was noticeable fading, at least on me. The colors are very pigmented and intense but are easy to blend and buff out. I’ve swatched them heavy and blended to try and show the difference. The heavier you swatch these the more intense the shimmer and with a heavy hand the colors are lighter in color.

Sin is a pale champagne gold, on my skin it looks very pale, almost like a pale cream. Fireball is an iridescent peach that flashes pink. Aura is a pale pink that flashes slight pink and blue tones.

Shimmer-frost wise I think these are definitely on the more shimmery side but they blend out smoothly on the skin. Sin is the most frosted on me since it has a sharper contrast to my olive skintone. I expected Aura to look really frosty but on the face it gives the skin a pretty glimmer. Fireball has a smooth shimmer that isn’t overly frosted. I didn’t have time to reswatch comparisons, but Fireball is similar to the Anastasia Hard Candy Highlighter reviewed here and Aura compared to the Laura Mercier Highlighters in this post here. Sin is one of the more unique shades I own for highlighters but it has a similar effect to that of MAC Nylon Eyeshadow.

A quick look from the weekend with Lo-Fi and Fireball Highlighter on one side vs just Lo-Fi on the other so you can see how the highlighter adds a bit of a glow and more dimension:

Last up are the two Beached Bronzers. These are matte bronzers that come in round mirrored compacts. I love the packaging – the palm trees add a fun twist with the summer theme. Sun-Kissed is the lighter and warmer option of the two, it has a pinkish undertone which makes it more wearable and natural on my skin. Bronzed is the deeper option and gives my skin a more bronzed brown look. For my medium skin I prefer Sun-Kissed right now – it just looks more natural while Bronzed borderline makes my skin look a bit weathered as it’s more brownish and deep. I love a good bronze but these days try to go a bit easy on it since I’m not as tan as I am in the summer time. They are different enough to justify owning both – I think fairer skins will prefer Sun-Kissed. Deeper skins will probably find Bronzed better for their skin tones. Neither turns orangey and I was relieved to find they did not darken on the skin. The texture is very smooth and the blend nicely on the skin without any streaks. If you’re super fair I’d recommend you opt for either Gold Dust or Terra from Tom Ford instead as those will look more natural on the skin.

In terms of performance all the cheek products work very well. The quality is excellent and I really didn’t know what to expect before hand since the Naked Flushed palettes did not work for my skin type at all (they look super chalky and emphasize pores on me). I think the UD x Gwen Blush palette is the winner and if you’re trying to narrow down your picks, I’d say opt for the palette since it will give you the most options packaged in a single convenient compact. If you like more visible pigment or color for the cheeks you may find the Blush Palette too sheer or natural looking. In that case I’d recommend you opt for the NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette which has more pigment and more color but will also give you a wide range of options.

The highlighters are really pretty but I can’t say any of them are absolute musts. If I were to pick one favorite it would be Fireball – the mix of peach and pink is really pretty although it’s nearly identical to one of the shades in the Anastasia Gleam Glow Kit, the UD one performs exceptionally well.

The Bronzers are nice to have but not musts. That being said I find it rare to find good matte bronzers that are smooth in finish and application that don’t darken. The ones from Urban Decay perform really well – I like Sun-Kissed the best and the packaging is fun for the upcoming warmer weather months. Even though I can probably find similar shades in my collection to all the cheek items featured, I don’t have any regrets purchasing them – the formula works really well to add color or highlight without emphasizing pores.

You can find the Urban Decay cheek palette, bronzer and highlighters at all Urban Decay counters now. Online at Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Ulta Beauty and Urban Decay.

Have you checked out any of the items yet? What did you think?

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Eye Makeup Urban Decay

Best of Urban Decay Cosmetics

December 9, 2015

Urban Decay Nordstrom The Beauty Look Book

If I were stuck on a desert island and could only have one makeup palette with me, it would be any of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. I’ve been such a huge fan of Urban Decay for years and out of all the makeup I’ve bought, tried and tested, the Naked2 and Naked3 Eyeshadow Palettes are hands down my favorites – ever. I’ve done quite a few reviews on each palette in the past but I don’t think I’ve ever rounded them all up in one post. Today I’ve teamed up with Nordstrom to share my favorites from the line along with swatches and thoughts on their latest launch the UD x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette.

The Naked, Naked2, Naked3 and Naked Smoky Palettes all have a mix of beautiful neutrals. Each palette offers a diverse range of colors and textures ranging from matte, shimmer, frost, glitter and satin. The texture of the shadows are amazingly smooth, rich and super easy to blend. They last all day on my lids – although some of the glitter shades will have some fallout. I would say Naked has the most diverse range of neutrals from light, medium to dark. It has a split mix of warm and cool shades. Naked2 is the most neutral option with colors that will make any taupe lover go crazy. It has 2 of my favorite colors in YDK and Suspect (also available individually). Naked3 is the rosy pink neutral option, as one who rarely wears pink eye shadow, it was a huge surprise to me at how wearable the colors in this one are. The colors are absolutely perfect. The latest Naked palette is the Naked Smoky which I adore but is hit or miss for many. It’s the darkest and most dramatic mix of neutrals – the texture of the shadows is slightly harder than the other palettes, but I find pigment to still be excellent and easy to blend.

The best matte eyeshadow palettes on the market are the Urban Decay Naked Basics and Naked2 Basics. I passed on the Naked Basics one for the longest time because I thought the colors would be too light for my skintone. Thanks to the extra push from my readers, I bought it and have been really happy. I don’t usually like matte shadows because I find they are either too sheer or too intense. Sheer ones just don’t show up on my skin, intense ones are too powdery or creamy and make my lids look wrinkled. The ones from Urban Decay are the perfect texture to just melt into the skin but at the same time the pigment shows up really well. The colors are easy to blend with each other. I like using these alone or mixed with shimmer colors. If I had to pick one, I would say Naked2 Basics is my favorite for my medium olive-toned skin, but both are really good.

The 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner Pencils come in a wide range of colors. I of course prefer the neutrals (there are tons of options in this range), but there are lots of bold brights and shimmers that are really fun. I always have Bourbon on hand, I have a few actually. One is a mini from a holiday set, and I also have the full size. It’s a shimmering dark chocolate brown. Rockstar is a classic deep plum. I like that it’s deep but not so dark that it looks black. The Naked Double-Ended Pencils are nice to have for travel because you get 2 shades in one stick.

If you’ve used Urban Decay for a long time, you are probably aware of the lipstick changes over the years. The formulas have changed numerous times (they used to have their glosses in a squeeze tube, anyone remember Midnight Cowboy?). Right now three current lip formulas I like include the Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss, Revolution Hi-Color Lipgloss and Revolution Lipstick.

The Ultra Nourishing Lipglosses are cushiony shiny glosses. They are on the sheer side, so many of them end up looking very similar once on the lips with slight variations. My favorite is Naked because it has the prettiest sheen and shimmer that makes the lips look full but not too full.

The Revolution High-Color Lipgloss is a rich pigment gloss that is almost like a liquid lipstick. The two neutrals in the line are Kinky and Liar, I almost bought both but they are really similar. Liar is deeper and more pink, while Kinky is more beige and peachy.

For the lipsticks, I’ve only bought one formula. There are three formulas of lipstick. The Revolution Lipstick is the classic version which offers creamy pigmented coverage with a bit of a sheen. Lasting power is really good. There is also the Revolution Sheer Lipstick and Revolution Matte Lipstick as well which I haven’t tested on my lips, but when swatching them in store, the sheers are just that – sheer. The mattes are full coverage velvets.

For the face, the Naked Skin products have often received high ratings and raves. I have tried two items and really like them. The Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation is a smooth powder that gives natural medium to full coverage. I use the shade Medium Light Warm. I like to use it to set liquid foundation or for mid-day touch ups on the T-zone. As a foundation it lasts pretty long and looks very natural. I like that it doesn’t cake even if you use the sponge. The Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer is a great concealer for both under eye and spot coverage. It’s full coverage without looking cakey. My match is Medium Neutral and I like how it really covers but blends well into the skin so it looks like your skin.

Swatches of all the concealer shades:

Last but not least, the latest from Urban Decay is a celebrity collaboration. They just launched the UD x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette (limited-edition). Being a fan of both, I knew had to buy it even though at first glance there were 2 shades I thought might be questionable. Here’s a quick snapshot below to show you the size/scale of the packaging compared to the other palettes. It has 15 eyeshadows in a large mirrored compact (Naked palettes have 6 to 12 shades). I love the little detailing on the mirror.

The 15 shades are mostly neutral with 3 colors that offer a bit of pop. There is a good mix of matte, shimmer and satin with one glittery shade and two colors that are on the sparkly side. I’ve been playing with this for only a few days but initial thoughts are thumbs up.

Descriptions of the colors in the UD x Gwen Stefani Palette:

Blondie is a shimmering pale cool-toned cream
Bathwater is a frosted yellow champagne
Skimp is a satiny soft pale cream with pink tones
Steady is a shimmering beige pink
Punk is a matte warm brown
Baby is a shimmering neutral mauve pink taupe
Anaheim is a matte fawn beige
Stark is a matte warm beige
Zone is a matte tan
Serious is a satiny grey brown with shimmer, goes on more matte
Pop is a glitter champagne sparkle
Harajuku is a cool-toned blue based pink shimmer
Danger is a sparkling bright navy
1987 is a sparkling gold
Blackout is a matte black

Pigment on all the colors is really good. There is some fallout with a few of the shimmering sparkles like Harajuku, 1987 and Baby, but once on the lids they stay put. The only color I wasn’t thrilled with is Pop mainly because it has crazy fall out with the glittery chunks unless you pat on the lids with a finger (over cream shadow to help it stick). I thought Danger would be a mess but it actually stayed put and didn’t fall all over the face when I applied with a detail brush. I thought Harajuku would give me a pink-eye look but it’s actually a very wearable pink.

Quick eye look with six colors layered and blended. The camera flash washed out the colors but I included a snapshot of the colors lined up together I used to help show the mix:

That rounds up my favorites from Urban Decay. There are a lot of single shadows that fall in the shimmer neutral category that are staples in my weekly makeup routine but the palettes are so much more convenient to use. Many times I find palettes have a few shades that I don’t like but with the Naked ones, I like every color in every palette.

If you’re looking for a versatile palette, you can’t go wrong the Naked Palettes. My top 3 favorites are Naked2, Naked3 and Naked2 Basics – they are good for everyday, great for travel and have enough color to create a look for evening or special occasions. The colors are timeless and you can wear them any time of year.

Do you have any Urban Decay favorites? I’m curious about the Naked Skin Foundation, Loose Powder and Afterglow Blush – if you have any thoughts please let me know, I’d be interested to hear what you think.

Thanks to Nordstrom for teaming up to sponsor this post. As always, all opinions my own.

33 Comments

Eye Makeup Urban Decay

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

July 21, 2015

The latest addition to Urban Decay’s Naked line is the Naked Smoky Palette ($54 for 12 shadows 1.3g each + a dual ended brush). I think it’s a glorious palette and am completely over the moon with it. I had been counting the days to the release date as I’m a huge fan of all the Naked Eyeshadow Palettes (yes, all of them). When I saw previews I was worried this might be too cool-toned for my olive skin. I usually need a mix of some warm shadows otherwise colors look very grey on me. The Naked Smoky Palette has a really good mix of neutral and cool shades, all of which layer beautifully together.

Naked Smoky has 12 shades in a magnetic mirrored compact. Out of all the Naked 12 Pan Palettes, this release has the best packaging. It’s sleek with a super modern look and sturdy feel. The brush is also the best one I’ve tried out of the three palettes I own. One end has a small domed tip which is really quite incredible for applying the darker shades along the upper lashes. The other end is fluffy and picks up a good amount of product and blends nicely.

The shades range from high shimmers, one glitter, a few satiny shimmer shades, and four matte colors. All the Urban Decay colors I’ve tried (palettes and singles) are typically very soft and feel buttery smooth when you apply them. They’re almost like velvet and sometimes there is a bit of debris that can fall off the brush but once color is on the lid it stays put. The textures in this palette seem to be a bit harder than most other Urban Decay shadows I’ve tried making some of them colors a bit sheerer on their own, but pigment and quality is still very good.

High is a highly pigmented pretty champagne beige shimmer (it’s a bit darker and less pink than Sin)
Dirtysweet is a pigmented warm copper tan frost with shimmer flecks (it’s like Half Baked but a bit more muted)
Radar is semi-sheer warm bronze shimmer, texture is bit harder compared to the others making it a bit sheer but this one still has good pigment
Armor is the only glitter shade, it’s a glorious grey taupe shimmer with silver glitter flecks, there is fall out when you apply it (it will fall off the brush) but once it’s on the lids, it stays put
Slanted is a sheer silver with a blue undertone, it makes a lovely sheer wash or a good blending color to soften the darker colors, if you want a high impact silver you might find this lacking
Dagger is a satin grey black, there’s a tiny bit of shimmer, but it looks more matte on me, it also has a hard texture but I like this applied with a detail brush over eyeliner to intensify a smoky look

Black Market is a muted black satin, this one is also harder in texture making it a softer smoky black, I like to use it with the small end of the Smoky brush to create a blurred line across the upper lash line, it’s a black that is goof-proof if you apply in small strokes
Smolder is a medium pigmented deep purple shimmer, this one works best over a creamy primer or creamy eyeshadow as a base to help bring out the color
Password is a matte grey brown with a smooth texture, I like layering this on top of other shadows to create a soft smoky gradiant
Whiskey is a warm matte brown that an ultra smooth texture
Combust is a greyed mauve pink matte which is so pretty on the lids
Thirteen is a super pigmented pale matte pink

I pulled the other three Naked Palettes for comparisons of the colors and brushes:

Swatched on Chanel Beige 40 skin:

Brush comparisons:

Eye swatches below with High all over the lids, Dirty Sweet + Armor layered and a tiny bit of Black Market applied wet as a liner over Zero 24/7 Eyeliner

Based on feedback on other reviews I’ve done on the Urban Decay Naked
Palettes, I think your mileage may vary depending on your shimmer preferences.
Many of the shades in the palettes have a frost or metallic finish but I
find them very wearable for even conservative makeup lovers. That being
said if you can’t wear shadows with a lot of shimmer, I
recommend the Naked Basics, Naked2 Basics or Edward Bess Matte Artiste if you want a good palette of neutrals.

Out of the four 12-pan Naked Palettes, my favorites are still tied between Naked2 and Naked3. The new Naked Smoky is quite amazing and since I really like the others I find it a must-have even though I could probably create something similar by mixing and layering the others. That being said the colors are unique and I like that there are no repeat shades in this palette compared to the other ones. I almost always bring one of the Naked Palettes with me when I travel – I find them versatile and I think the neutral beige/tan shimmers are really pretty. Each palette has enough colors to take a look from day to night, for any occasion. The look I did above is super natural with the lighter shades, but you can layer the darker colors for a smoky look. I give this one a huge thumbs up – it’s the perfect naked version of a smoky palette.

You can find the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette at all Urban Decay retailers now. I ordered mine online from Urban Decay. You can also find it at Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta and Macy’s.

Have you tried this yet? Do you have a favorite Naked Palette?

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Urban Decay

Urban Decay Naked On the Run Palette

December 17, 2014

The latest addition to the Urban Decay Naked series is the travel palette called Naked On the Run ($54, limited-edition). I’m a huge fan of the Naked Eyeshadow Palettes so I jumped on the bandwagon and ordered the newest palette of neutrals which has products for eyes, lips and cheeks.

Naked on the Run has five neutral eyeshadows with a mix of shimmer and matte colors, a mini 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner, a Naked Gloss, Bronzer, Blush, Highlighter and a mini Perversion Mascara. The colors in this palette:

Dive Eyeshadow is a sparkly medium rose pink with a high frost and some gold sparkle
Fix Eyeshadow is a matte light-to-medium tan brown
Resist Eyeshadow is a shimmering warm taupe
Dare Eyeshadow is a matte medium-dark warm brown
Stun Eyeshadow is a sparkling chocolate with gold and brown chunky shimmer
Bronzer is a finely milled soft bronze color
Blush is a cool pink with a slightly satiny sheen
50/50 Highlighter is a satiny pale pink shimmer
Stag 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner is a deep brown with some plum tones, it has a lovely shimmer
Sesso Lip Gloss is a nude plum pink with an iridescent sheen

The Naked on the Run Palette is designed to be travel-friendly or to carry with you on the go. It does have everything you need for a complete look (minus brushes) and the colors are versatile, neutral, extremely pigmented and easy to wear. The compact however is huge. It’s about 5.4 inches by 5 inches and a little over 1 inch thick. For a travel palette I expected something more compact, but the palette is deep to accommodate compartments for the lipgloss and mascara. The mirror is one of the biggest that I’ve seen in a compact which makes it super useful to apply the product whether you’re at home or traveling or on the go.

For size reference next to a medium-sized tote and magazines. You can see that the Naked on the Run is fairly large. It won’t fit in any of my makeup bags, but it does fit into one of the larger compartments in my purse:

Scarf by Nordstrom, iPhone Case by Gray Malin, L’Occitane hand cream mini, Prada Saffiano tote, Fujifilm Instax Mini 25 (similar version here and here), Smythson Notebook, NARS Contour Brush

For the products, the eyeshadows are richly pigmented and velvety in texture, true to Urban Decay’s signature eyeshadow formula. There is a higher degree of frost with the shimmer shades but I found them very wearable. The colors do seem to be standard neutrals, but with most of Urban Decay’s neutrals, I find they always manage to add a special mix of shimmer or sheen to their neutrals that gives them a new twist making them unique.

The cheek products which include the bronzer, blush and highlighter are finely milled with a very soft texture. The pigment is sheer to medium but buildable. I reviewed two of the Naked Flushed Palettes before and think I might be the only one who cannot wear them on their own. There is something about the texture that makes my cheeks look very dry where pores are suddenly emphasized and skin looks chalky. I had the exact same experience with this palette, but based on reviews I’ve read, it appears I might be in the minority with my thoughts on the cheek products.

Sesso Lip Gloss is a gorgeous plum rose pink but it’s very sheer. You can see the natural lip through the lip gloss but it does leave a very natural rosy tint. It has a smooth texture with a slightly minty scent. I like the Naked Lip Glosses because they make the lips feel hydrated and smooth without that sticky tacky gloss feeling. Lasting power is medium for a few hours before it disappears. This is exclusive to the palette.

Stag Eyeliner is a really pretty dark brown plum shimmer. It leans more plum on me. I believe it’s currently exclusive to the palette, but I hope that Urban Decay adds it to the permanent line or releases a powder shadow version of it. It’s really quite pretty.

Last but not least, the palette includes a mini Perversion Mascara. This is the first time I’ve tried it although it’s been on my radar for months. The 200+ customer reviews on Sephora were mixed so I didn’t know what to expect. I found it lasted all day without smudging or flaking. The color is a rich deep true black and stayed the same rich color once it dried. For application I felt like I had to pack on 3 layers to make it adhere to the lashes. Application was overall easy and clump-free. It defined the lashes and added a bit of volume. The only thing I didn’t like about this one was that it didn’t hold the curl quite as well as other mascaras I’ve tried.

Swatches, eyeshadows swatched on the arm without a base:

Eyeshadow pigment is richer when swatched over a base (here is a mix of face primer and tinted moisturizer):

Other products with swatches on bare arm:

One last shot:

I’m a huge fan of the Naked series so this is overall a nice addition for me. The cheek products take extra work for me to make them work. I need to add a dewy base or highlighter underneath to make them look less chalky-looking but the colors are nice and naturally flattering. If you already own all the other Naked Eyeshadow Palettes and Naked Flushed Cheek Palettes you may find this has too many similarities to the others to justify owning. Even though this is designed to be a travel palette for on-the-go, I don’t know how I feel about lugging this around in my purse. The compact seems fairly sturdy and while I am usually gentle with purse handling, I’m not sure that I would want to leave this inside for an extended period of time. Also the palette is huge and takes up a lot of space in my purse. I did test it on-the-go with me for a few days and for me it’s just too big to carry around.

I’m happy with mine, but it’s not something I plan on repurchasing. For reference, Naked + Naked2 + Naked3 swatched here, Naked2 Basics swatched here, Naked Flushed featured here.

You can find Naked on the Run at Urban Decay counters and stores now. Online at Sephora, Ulta, Urban Decay and Nordstrom.

Did you buy Naked on the Run or test it in store? What did you think?