Saturday, March 31, 2012

Twice Naked

Being devoid of self-control, it was inevitable I'd cave in and buy the Urban Decay Naked2 palette. Let me just say upfront: I don't regret it. In fact, I kind of wish I hadn't held out for so long. I've purchased so many cheaper "alternatives" in the hope of replicating some of the shades in the palette, when really I should've just bought the real thing months ago.

It's natural to compare Naked2 to the original Naked palette. Naked2 comes in a far sturdier and heavier tin case, which I find a little thick and clunky. On the surface, the packaging seems a lot more impressive than the cardboard of the original, but when it comes to usability, I actually prefer the thinner and more lightweight design of the first Naked palette. The magnetic strip which satisfyingly clicks when you close the front flap makes the eyeshadows more readily accessible than the tin casing of Naked2, which requires a bit more effort to open and close. Included is a dual-ended brush which is quite stiff and synthetic-feeling. I'm not interested in using it as I prefer smaller and much softer, fluffier brushes. There's also a mini Lip Junkie gloss which has a nice cooling mintiness, though the travel size Primer Potion that came with the original Naked would've been a more popular inclusion.




Minor complaints about the revamped packaging aside, the colours of Naked2 are absolutely gorgeous. I dare say I prefer them to the the original Naked palette. I bought the first Naked palette two months ago and while I do love it, I find the overall shade selection to be on the darker side. For everyday wear I've been using a combination of Smog/Darkhorse or Toasted/Hustle, the lighter colour over the lid and the darker one closer to my lash line and blended out. Occasionally I'll use Sin and/or Virgin as an inner corner highlight or Gunmetal over the lid for a smokier eye. I basically haven't touched the two matte shades (Naked and Buck), Half Baked, Sidecar or Creep. Half Baked is repeated in Naked2, which has drawn understandable criticism. It's a pretty shade, but being a very warm, yellow-leaning, shimmery gold, it's not versatile enough to get much use on a day-to-day basis. It could just be the excitement of the new, but I just feel that there are more standout shades in Naked2 (Suspect, YDK, Snakebite and Busted) that are the type of colours I consistently find myself searching for, and that I'm truly glad to own in this palette. The colour selection is also more tailored for everyday wear.





Naked and Naked2 are sufficiently different to justify having both, especially if you're a neutral eyeshadow fan. If anything, rather than being a deterrent, one of the main attractions of these palettes is the price. You're looking at $50-60 for 12 superior quality eyeshadows in an array of wearable and more dramatic shades. Having both palettes would comfortably satisfy most of your eyeshadow needs.

49 comments:

  1. I can't wait to get mine :) I ordered it a couple of days ago :) The colours are beautiful x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhh, I hope you like it when it does arrive! :) Let me know what your fav colours are.

      Delete
  2. I like every colour of it :) good choice ! :)

    http://lamodetoujoursavecnous.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. I CALLED IT!! You commented on one of my posts saying you had ordered something from Beauty Bay and I replied thinking this would be it. I think I'm right. :P I have Naked1 in the mail for me (finally), but now I think I prefer Naked2 because I'm in need of everyday colours. Woops. :x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, you know me too well :) The original has kind of darker, bronzier shades, but there are still some nice lighter ones in there (Sin, Virgin, Naked, Sidecar if you can make it work, Toasted). I think you'll still like Naked1, there are some gorgeous shades in there (Smog and Darkhorse especially, I also really like Hustle), the two highlight shades are classic UD colours (Sin especially). I would only say I prefer the colours in Naked2 because it has a few that I really, really love and can use day-to-day, which I don't think I can say as much for Naked1. But I'm still happy to have both :) Please blog when you do finally get your hands on the original Naked :D Would love to hear your thoughts.

      Delete
  4. You've made me want this even more now!
    I swatched them both a couple of weeks ago and preferred this one to the first. It's so high on my wish list haha!

    Laura xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love if UD was sold here in physical stores and I could swatch them in person. I just go off the heap of blog posts and YouTube videos about these palettes and naturally buy into the hype :p It's funny because I didn't think anything would top just how popular and well-received the original palette was, but now they've made Naked2, I see that I do like a few of the colours more than those in Naked1. Hope you manage to get your hands on this palette eventually and you're not disappointed! :)

      Delete
  5. I want this. I have naked 1 but I need this in my life too xx


    www.misslv.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You do! :) Hope you manage to get your hands on this palette eventually, I'm sure you'll create lots of gorgeous eye looks with it.

      Delete
  6. oh I got this for my birthday last week !! and Ive been using it everrrry day! ;D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhh, yay! :) Which colours do you tend to use and how? Would love to know!

      Delete
  7. wow,I love the colors in the palette,so beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are, probably more than my swatches show. I really love the second half especially :)

      Delete
  8. I have yet to buy either palette! Holding off until I seriously start wearing eyeshadow everyday. I think I'd go for this one instead, the shades DO look much lighter than the first one! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's probably a good idea :p I like how rational and restrained you are with your choices, lol. This one's probably more appropriate for lighter, everyday looks than the original Naked, which is bronzier/darker :)

      Delete
  9. These are so pretty! I really love them, all the neutrals look so classy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're really pretty and wearable neutrals, such a versatile and useful everyday palette with shades that could also be worked for more special occasions and going out as well :)

      Delete
  10. your blog is like my new favorite. i love reading! new follower here:) and yes, that palette is BEAUTIFUL. both 1&2 are my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I've followed you back :) 1 & 2 are both lovely to have and I'm glad that I own both, but I think I'm going to be on an eyeshadow ban for a while now :p

      Delete
  11. Thank you for the comment you left on my blog!
    My hairbands were broken too! They're definitely handy to have!
    I love the eyeshadows on here they look fab! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I absolutely love mine. Have been using it for months and still loving it. Contemplating whether I should go back and get the Naked Palette as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's good to know, I hope that I'll only grow to love this palette more in time, but knowing me, I can be a little fickle :p Naked1 has darker, bronzier shades. I've heard people describe it was more "warm", but I guess that just means there are some more gold-leaning shades than the brownish/greys/taupes in Naked2. I still think it's nice to have both, though of course not essential :) (Unless you're beauty-obsessed, of course.)

      Delete
  13. I'm still undecided if I want to get it or not... :D

    http://www.sandra-thepuzzleofmylife.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you like neutral eyeshadows and you feel like you don't have too many similar colours to this palette, and you wear eyeshadow fairly often, and can spare the $50 for this, I say go ahead! :)

      Delete
  14. Completely agree with what you said about the bag ;)
    Great colours!
    xx

    http://golden-mirrors.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. ughhh...now i really want this palette! When it first came out, I thought I wouldn't need this but like you said, the original one gravitates more towards the darker side so this new one is better for every day use. However, I don't always put on eyeshadow so it's a little hard for me to justify another splurge haha. But....Sephora is having another one of those 15% discounts for Beauty Insiders and now it just seems like a perfect chance to get the Naked2! >_<" i can't decide.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, decisions decisions! :) I don't want to be an enabler, if you think you have enough eyeshadow for your current purposes, then there's no need to go buy this palette, as nice as it is to have. But that discount does seem appealing! Good luck deciding :p Let me know if you do pick it up! :)

      Delete
  16. Thanks for the comment. :) Unfortunately, she never looked at it/responded to anything I had to say about it, so... I don't know. She responded to someone else that did her look so I was pretty disappointed. Oh well.

    I like this review! I have NAKED1 so I really can't spend 50$ on a NAKED2 but maybe in the future.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no, that's too bad :( Maybe she just missed seeing it? She must get quite a lot of comments/responses. I'm sure if she had the opportunity to properly see it, it would've loved it.

      Delete
  17. thanks for stopping by. you have a great blog, im now following. hope you can keep coming back and return the follow. =).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the follow, I've followed you back :) Looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future!

      Delete
  18. Nice review, lovely. I'm tempted but I don't really feel like I'm missing out on much not having it... However, I may have planted the seeds by hinting I'd like it for my birthday. (: x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure you have enough lovely eyeshadows as it is to not need Naked2, but if it was a gift on the other hand ... ;)

      Delete
  19. Yep, I think this settles it, I NEED naked2! I don't have either and they're no longer avaliable here because they sold out and never came back in stock! The second palette looks like shades I'd use more...I guess I can wait until I get the opportunity, till then I've got enough! Or so I say! :) thanks for sharing and swatching! they're lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's always a good mentality to practice, thinking you have enough :) I bought mine off Beauty Bay, which is also where I bought Naked1 from. I did see Naked2 being sold at some markets in Chinatown in the city where I live, but the vendors were selling it for $90! Geez, you'd think they never heard of the Internet :p

      Delete
  20. love this palette...and love ur blog doll...xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Following you now :) It is a gorgeous palette, I'm really glad to own it finally.

      Delete
  21. Hey Honey, thats great. I love your Photos. Nice Blog....;O)))) I follow YOU, i hope you follow me back. Kisses from Germany ;****

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks so much for this, I've been wanting to buy this but wasn't sure quite sure about how neutrals would look on me. I think I'm going to give it a try :)

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. Great post, I love that went into the pros and cons, especially about packaging as that is most of the time a deal breaker for me. I would defo consider getting this based on your post!

    Lauren
    http://tasteslikelove.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful and very inspiring posts on your blog! Would you like to follow each other?

    ReplyDelete
  25. I like your post so much! The colors of this palette are really gorgeous!
    I’ve just wrote a new post, tell me what do you think about it!
    Take a look and if you want we can follow each others: Cosa mi metto???

    ReplyDelete
  26. I like your post so much! The colors of this palette are really gorgeous!
    I’ve just wrote a new post, tell me what do you think about it!
    Take a look and if you want we can follow each others: Cosa mi metto???

    ReplyDelete
  27. I needed both palettes to satisfy my Naked cravings :) I love your swatches, they're great! :) And the clicks of the tin makes me happy too :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love the colours of that palette!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love smoky eyes, just wondering if I should buy naked 1 or 2. Thanks!

    xo Jo

    http://whiterosesandcoffee.blogspot.ca/

    ReplyDelete
  30. i need one too now!! thankss for sharing!! ^^

    check out my blog when you can :D
    http://thesimplesophistication.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  31. ps. new follower! your blog is very inspiring! follow back if you want!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hey! I just want to let you know that I gave you an award on my blog. :)

    http://www.sandra-thepuzzleofmylife.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...