The Naked 2 Eye Shadow Palette by Urban Decay

My love of eye shadow 

 I am going to come clean and confess that among loving all makeup I have a slight obsession with eye shadow. My love of eye shadow began back in Junior High and since then I have been experimenting nonstop with different looks and techniques. Needless to say I was very excited to try out these eye shadows by Urban Decay.

                          Versatility

The Naked palettes by Urban Decay are very popular and have become a staple in many Beauty Guru's makeup collections including my own. These palettes are very versatile with a combination of beautiful shimmery shades and subtle matte shades that can create gorgeous looks for every occasion.

 Many women tend to over pack when traveling and if you are anything like me then narrowing down what makeup items get to board the plane with you is a small feat.The Naked 2 is the palette I tend to grab when I go on vacation or weekend getaways because it can replace many of my other palettes and it can create soft day looks, as well as sultry looks for a night out. For more info on how to pack makeup for travel please click HERE

Naked 1 vs Naked 2 the reviews:

My Naked 2 palette

The original Naked palette

 The Naked palette contains warmer, darker and more neutral tones and the women who seem to favor this palette are women with medium to dark complexions. 

The Naked 2 palette has cooler colors, that are a bit lighter but still rather neutral and it seems to be a favorite among women with medium to lighter complexions. Both palettes however compliments a wide range of skin tones which makes them both a great purchase.

The palettes are $60 each and you receive 12 shades with quite a lot of shadow per slot. They are nicely pigmented, and when paired with the Urban Decay Primer Potion the shadows pack a bold punch of color and lasts all day without creasing.

Differences in packaging:

photos from Sephora.ca

 I prefer the packaging of the Naked 2 because it has a hard sturdy outer shell that appears more durable especially for travelling. The first Naked palette has a soft suede like exterior that has a reputation for becoming quite dirty and difficult to keep clean. 

The Naked 2 also has a larger mirror which is ideal for doing makeup on the go, however I do prefer the magnetic snap closure on the first palette which seems less fragile.

Deciding between palettes

If you don't want to purchase both palettes then the best way to decide between them is to head to your local Sephora and swatch them both. It really comes down to personal preference since both palettes can flatter all skin tones.

The colors

In the Naked 2 I like the range of neutral blending colors like Tease (5th from the left) which works well to blend into the crease as well as the darker crease color called Busted (second from the right). I also like that there are beautiful highlight colors such as Foxy (1st on the left), for a matte brow bone highlight as well as Bootycall (3rd from the left) and Verve (4th from the right) for inner corner highlighting.

The matte black is a nice addition to the palette because it can darken up any of the colors, add definition to the crease and can be used damp for seductive smokey looks.

 All the shimmery colors are great for all over lid use or to highlight the brow bone. The only color present in both palettes is Half Baked (2nd from the left), which is a beautiful gold color and my favorite shade in the palette. I would have liked to see the color Naked in the first palette repeated in the second but you can purchase many of these colors separately.

Pairing with other palettes

The Naked 2 Palette also works well paired with other eye shadow palettes because the colors compliment other hues. Here is a look I did using the gold color Half Baked with a coral color from Inglot.

The brush: 

I was disappointed in the brush that came with the palette. One side is a flat eye shadow brush for all over lid application and the other side is a blending brush made with synthetic material. The brush is not fluffy and soft which would have made for easier blending and application; instead the bristles feel more like plastic and don't have much flexibility.

The lip gloss:

I would have preferred the primer potion that came with the Naked 1 palette instead of the small lip gloss. The gloss is very transparent and a tad sticky.

If you haven't gotten your hands on these palettes yet I would definitely recommend heading to your local Spehora to check them out.