Urban Decay Naked 3 palette full review!

The Basics:

• Newest Naked palette by US makeup powerhouse Urban Decay.
• Available in Sephora’s and Ulta’s the world over, as well as Beautybay.com, and Urban Decay’s own website.
• $81.40AUS via Beautybay.com, $52USD via Sephora.
• Each pan contains 0.5oz of eyeshadow, translating to just over 14 grams.
• A selection of 12 pinks, mauves, coppers and browns.

The Rundown:

Preceded by both the Naked 1 and 2 palettes, Urban Decays most recent addition to the Naked collection we beauty addicts tend to adore is the Naked 3. This rosey hued palette contains 12 buttery, blendable shades suited to a wide array of skin tones. The palette comes with samples of the 4 Urban Decay Primer Potions, none of which I have used. I’ll have to give them all a go at some point. At first glance, this palette can appear fairly one dimensional in its potential to create a number of different looks. I urge those of you who feel this way to give it another chance, as I found there is more than meets the eye.

The Review:

I know a lot of people have had issues with this palette. Some aren’t impressed with the range of shades, others have found issue with the finishes available, and others don’t feel suited to the rosey hues in terms on skin tone. To all of you, I beseech thee to open up your mind and give me, and this palette, a chance.

I really liked Naked1. Naked2 was also a great palette. I totally understand why a lot of beauty aficionados, myself included, have been totally sucking UD’s dick over them. They’re great, wonderful and versatile palettes. But I hardly use them. Like, ever. I know UD started the neutrals craze back in 2010 with its release of the first Naked palette, but since then everybody and their mother has come out with a neutrals-only palette, and some have been just plain better than UD’s Naked 1 and 2 (I’m talking to you, Lorac pro. Have my babies.) Then UD comes straight out of the left field, keeping it fresh, new and different with the Naked 3 palette, which has since sparked a rose gold trend and maintained its originality in the market. Since it’s only been out 3-4 months since its release, I’m still expecting other major brands to hop onto the bandwagon.

What already happened.

 

What I’m predicting will happen.

Thus far, however, the Naked 3 has been the sole palette promoting rose gold shadows and not a lot else. And I’ma tell you right now, I love it. I honestly didn’t think it would work for me, and I’m not a huge fan of pinks as eyeshadows as I tend to find they make me look like a sleep deprived intravenous drug user, but I seriously love this palette. It is SO pretty, the shades are SO buttery, and it is just SUPER flattering on everybody I’ve seen it on. Warm, cool, dark, light, whatever. All manner of ladies and gents have rocked this palette and I’m so glad.

Not a particularly great photo, but here we are. A stripe of Nyx Milk through the middle, and UDPP under it. The Milk makes a huge difference! I ran out of room on my wrist, so Blackheart is #1 instead of #12.  Whoops.

As I mentioned, I think Naked 3 offers a beautiful selection.

1. Strange. A matte buttery cream
2. Dust. A sheer, glittery baby pink.
3. Burnout. A deep, peachy shimmer.
4. Limit. A light, matte dusty rose.
5. Buzz. A true rose gold shimmer.
6. Trick. My personal favourite, a stunning metallic, slightly glittery copper.
7. Nooner. A pretty, matte mauve.
8. Liar. An incredibly buttery, pigmented shimmery rose-mauve gold.
9. Factory. A satiny bronze.
10. Mugshot. A silvery metallic taupe.
11. Darkside. A satiny, rich taupe-mauve with great colour payoff.
12. Blackheart. A matte black base with a wash of red microglitter.

The overall shadow quality is fantastic, however some do stand out more than others. Liar, I feel, is one of the strongest shades in terms of overall pigmentation, giving creamy opacity with just one stroke. Shades like Dust (purportedly named thus due to its propensity for fall out. I’m kidding, but not really..) need a bit of work to build up, and would best be applied damp. Trick can sometimes be prone to fallout, but not so much as Dust, and its just such a pretty shade that I’m inclined to forgive it. The shades containing glitters are on a whole more difficult to work with on the lid, whereas the satins and shimmers are incredibly pigmented and blendable, feeling buttery smooth both in the pan and on the lid.

Bonus! You guys have no idea how long it took me to get this photo. No idea.

To conclude, I give this palette a 7.75/10. The packaging is solid, the shadows are beautiful and the colour payoff is great on most of the shadows. The “most” being where the 2.25 points were shaved off. I would also have preferred there to be less glitters and more satiny finished, but you can’t have everything. This palette is such a pretty product, and I’m so very glad to have purchased it.

I’m jumping on the rose gold trend for a look tutorial I’ll be posting tomorrow, so stay tuned, and happy blending!