“All Matte. All Naked.”
This is going to be a tough blog post for me to write. I do not usually write posts with less than awesome thoughts on products. Let’s jump right into the review. I ordered the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette online with very high expectations. The first Naked palette from Urban Decay was amazing and I used it for quite a long time, but I had not bought any other releases since. I do tend to gravitate towards more matte-theme palettes, which is where this palette shines. My expectations were set very high for a palette with great predecessors… and I was let down.
I opened the package and fell in love with the packaging itself. A rose gold shiny plastic case that I could have daydreamt about. The mirror on the inside is one of the most beautiful palette mirrors I have ever seen, it’s massive! It was perfect for doing my makeup when I needed a mirror to see up closer. I love the colour selection they selected for this palette. Twelve matte shades to cover basically any look you could want. This palette did tend to stick to the warmer side of the colour spectrum, and I’m perfectly fine with that. It was even nice that they included a double-ended eyeshadow brush for application and easy for travelling.
The letdown of the Naked Ultimate Basics palette.
Everything was smooth sailing until it came time the next morning when it was time to do my makeup. I joyfully grabbed the Naked Ultimate Basics palette and attempted to recreate the look I had done the day before with another palette. When I used my own eyeshadow brush to apply the product it went on my eye with really good pigment, but it did not blend out as you would expect. It stayed in the one spot and I had to keep applying more to eventually cover my entire lid. I also tried this two other times with the provided brush and even (shudders) with my finger. Same non-blending application every single time. When blending out with a blending brush, it blends better but removes a decent amount of the pigment. Not ideal.
I’m gutted that I did not enjoy using this Urban Decay palette as I had really hoped. I am hoping this is the one and only faulty palette of the batch. I hope that everyone else got a palette that was easier to apply and work with. If you are ever considering purchasing this palette, test the sample one in the store first if possible. That way you will get a good example of how blendable it is. I am going to go back to using my trusty Kat Von D palette that I love so dearly.
