Hello Friends! In this article, I share with you my thoughts on the NEW NAKED Reloaded palette by Urban Decay ("UD"). #udnakedreloaded
All photos here were taken and retouched by me. Should you wish to use them, please seek my written consent first.
This article includes PR gifted products.
The original UD Naked palette has been the go-to/holy grail eyeshadow palette since it was first launched. If you are really into makeup, you would probably have this palette in your stash. When I heard that UD was discontinuing the Naked palette, I rushed immediately to purchase two more (yes, I am a #makeuphoarder).
This palette launches on 26 February 2019. In Australia, UD is exclusive to Mecca Maxima. You can shop online or search for your nearest store by going to https://www.mecca.com.au/
It retails in Australia for AU$69 and in New Zealand for NZ$76.
The Packaging
Let's start with the packaging. When I opened the PR box from Mecca and saw this palette for the first time, my heart started pumping fast and I squealed with joy. My poor puppy and kitties were startled.
UD has gone to a WHOLE different level with the packaging of this new palette. It is so gorgeous.
This is a lightweight palette, covered in what looks like embroiled silk. There is a "padding" to it. The words on the cover look like they have been embroidered as they feel "raised" when I run my fingers over them. The fabric is screen-printed to include beautiful shades of brown and orchids. This is #packagingheaven.
Swatches and Performance
Now on to the eyeshadow shades and some swatches that I have done.
The Original Naked palette was designed to be a "neutral" palette. It looked good on every skin tone. The UD Naked Reloaded has 12 shades (like all of the other palettes) and leans more towards the warmer tones. This palette includes some very interesting shades that are "blushed toned". You also get browns; flesh-tones; and golds. In the photos below, I show you side by side comparisons of this palette to the existing Naked palettes. You will be able to see that the Reloaded Palette does not include any of the existing shades from the other palettes (not even shades from the discontinued Original).
From the left, the first shade "Bribe" is a light-medium flesh toned hybrid matte/satin shade (I say hybrid as it is a matte with a tiny bit of micro glitter pigments mixed in). The last shade "Blur" is a true matte medium flesh tone. One very obvious thing is that these two shades come in a bigger pan. That makes sense to me, as I would use these shades for blending out the other colours.
You get four satin shades: "Barely Baked" (warmer golden satin) ; "Reputation" (a light medium brown with red undertones); "Burn" (a slightly darker and richer medium brown with red undertones); and "Distilled" (a medium brown with cool undertones).
There are six matte shades (two of which are hybrid matte/satin shades): "Bribe" (light-medium flesh tone); "Retro" ( a peachy shade); "End Game" (a dark espresso coffee brown); "Bucked" (cool tone medium brown); "Boundaries" (a brown with orange undertones); and "Blur" (a true matte medium flesh tone).
There are two shades which I would describe as "foils". "Angel Fire" (a light pink champagne) and "Dreameweaver" (a darker brown with grey understones). These two shades swatch amazingly and really "stick" to your skin which is a good thing as you don't need to use a primer.
I always do makeup swatches on paper. If you have been following me for a while, you will note that whilst I have a neutral skin tone, I feel you can see the shades better on white paper. You can more readily see the quality of the eyeshadows when swatched on paper (I use art paper specially made for the charcoal/pastels medium).
In the slide show above, I've shown how the colours look under indoor lighting; in the shade; bright outdoor lighting and under studio lights. I've also done a few on my hand.
In terms of performance. I think the formula is AMAZING. The matte eyeshadows are hard to formulate as they can be quite chalky, this is DEFINITELY NOT the case with the mattes in this palette. The mattes and hybrid matte/satin shades are buttery and smooth.
The satin and foil shades are intense and extremely pretty. This has been my go-to neutral palette since I first received it. It is really easy to layer and blend these colours. You can also wear most of the medium shades on their own for a "wash of colour" look.
How does Naked Reloaded compare with the rest?
So, now to the comparisons. Below you will find side-by-side comparisons of the originals against the new #udnakedreloaded.
One very obvious difference is that Naked Reloaded does not come with a makeup brush. I really wonder why as I do love the dual-ended eyeshadow brushes included with the other brushes.
You can quite obviously see that #UDNakedreloadedpalette does not have the greys from the Original. What is missing is also one of the most popular shades that UD has created "Sin". You can buy "Sin" as a single eyeshadow.
I don't know why, but I didn't really like the Naked 2 palette. There are a few pretty shades, but on the whole, I found that I had to mix shades from the Original, to create looks I wanted. Naked 2 also came in a different "tin" packaging.
Naked 3 cashed in on the "rose gold" mania that struck everyone a few years ago. Naked 3 is a pretty palette, but again I didn't think it had the versatility or different shades as the Original. This palette was just 12 shades of rose gold eyeshadows. Don't get me wrong, I love this palette but always found that i had to supplement it with one of the other palettes.
I liked the Naked Smoky, however for some reason, I felt that it was just not as popular with the other Naked palettes. This was the first #UDNakedpalette that came in the plastic almost 3d packaging.
The #udnakedheat palette was UD's "red" (red hot) palette. I absolutely LOVE Naked Heat as I find the reds and oranges work well on me. Plus the packaging in the plastic 3D format is SO cool. I felt that the Heat palette had enough variety of shades to suit all skin tones.
Again you can see that the UD Naked Reloaded does not include shades from the Naked Heat palette.
A round of applause please for the #UDNakedcherry palette. To me, it combined the best from Naked 3 and Naked Heat. It is gorgeous. You have to get it. In the photo above, you can see that Naked Cherry is mostly red and blush undertones. There is more of a distinct varieties of colours in the Naked Reloaded.
Should you get the Naked Reloaded?
I'll update this article later with photos of the various looks I have created with the Naked Reloaded palette.
In conclusion, I think Naked Reloaded is definitely worth the price. It comes in beautiful and light (great for carrying in your bag) packaging. There is a good variety of shades to create any looks including a very pretty smokey eye. The formula of the eyeshadows are so good that you don't need to use an eyeshadow primer if you only want your makeup to last for say 4-5 hours (use a primer if you are slogging it out for 12+ hours or on a particularly hot day).
It is a great first addition to your collection if you have just started using makeup. If you are a #makeuppalettewhore like me, you DEFINITELY need it in your collection. I guess critics will argue that NOT including a brush is cheating, but personally, it doesn't bother me. I always tend to lose these brushes somewhere in my vast collection anyway.
Let me know what your thoughts are! You can find me easily on Instagram and Youtube. Here are the links if you aren't already following me on those channels:
(website) http://www.teacupofmakeup.com/
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