The Naked palettes are coveted by most beauty gurus and makeup wearers. They include a wide range of colors, sparkly or matte shades, a long lasting wear, and an ability to layer for daytime or nighttime looks. Overall, these palettes are well worth the last penny in your piggy bank, and they will last you a while as well!
Here are my reviews for the various palettes in Urban Decay’s Naked line to give you an idea of which one you might want to invest in. You will also find some of my favorite tutorials for some of the palettes, for those of you who love your palette but don’t quite know what to do with it!
Meet the Palettes:
Naked
The original Naked palette is what inspired the continuation of the line. With staples such as “Sidecar” and “Half Baked” this palette has earthier tones. There are loads of shades incorporating brown and gold. This palette is really good if you like subtler smoky eyes or if you prefer richer colors for everyday use.
Naked Basics
Though I wouldn’t recommend this palette by itself, it is a great addition to other palettes. It has some amazing base colors and the color “Crave” can double as an eyeliner if you use the right brush.
Naked2
The Naked2 palette has cooler tones and is perfect if you want a good palette to wear on a daily basis. These colors are generally lighter and they contain some overlap from the original Naked, making it a good palette if you want something a little less earthy. My go to colors on this palette are “Suspect” and “Tease.”
Naked2 Basics
This mini palette has some warmer neutrals and browns that are perfect for day-to-day use and, if built upon, it could double as a brown smoky eye for nights out. If you don’t want to buy a full palette, I would recommend this one—especially if you are just learning how to apply eyeshadow!
Naked3
The Naked3 palette has amazing pinks and neutrals that give off a warmer feeling. This palette is very different from the others because it seems to stick to one color and varies the shades. It looks amazing on people with green eyes, because the pinks and purples contrast with your eye color. “Dust” is a great inner corner color, and “Trick” is a warmer version of “Half Baked.”
Naked Smoky
This is one of the most recent palettes that Urban Decay has released, and the colors are gorgeous. As you move toward the middle the shades get darker, with the left side containing the sparkly shades and the right containing the matte ones. This palette is amazing for nighttime outings, but doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility if you want everyday use. However, it does offer the ability to do brown, grey, or black smoky eyes. “Combust” is easy to layer with and “Armor” is great for adding some sparkly silver drama. (Editor’s note: it also comes with a pamplet explaining how to do four different kinds of smoky eyes, with looks ranging from day to night!)
The larger palettes come with a brush and typically a smaller sample of Urban Decay’s eye primer called “Primer Potion.” If you want a Basics palette and don’t have brushes, I love e.l.f. brand because they typically sell their tools for around $2 and can be found at Target. (You can browse the selection online here!)
The Palettes in Action:
I mostly picked “nighttime” looks, and these are just some tutorials that show a wide range of what the palettes can do. I recommend going on YouTube or Pinterest and looking up tutorials for your favorite palette. You can even filter by your eye color and get some new layering tips to make your eyes look wider and brighter!
In this tutorial, Melissa Alatorre uses the Naked 3 palette to make a deep brown and purple smoky eye:
Here, Pixiwoo creates an extremely dark and dramatic smoky eye with the Naked Smoky palette:
In this one, Melrae Segal uses the Naked Smoky palette to create a “grungy” but simpler smoky eye: