For Every Neutral & Matte Eyeshadow Lover Out There

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette ($27.00 for 0.30 oz.) contains six full-sized eyeshadows: Venus (soft, off-white demi-matte), Foxy (very light yellow/beige matte), Walk of Shame (very light pinky nude matte), Naked 2 (rosy taupe matte), Faint (warm, dusty brown matte), and Crave (deepest, darkest brown/black matte).

You’ve been pleading with Urban Decay to release a matte version of the Naked palette, and Naked Basics is their answer. You may be familiar with shades like Foxy (available individually, also in Naked 2) and Walk of Shame (exclusive to Build Your Own Palette), which have shown up in other palettes.

Venus is a white-shimmered creamy white. It’s not a full-on frost, but it is more than a satin on me. When I used this on the brow, it added quite a bit of sheen against my skin tone. The color payoff was excellent, and the texture was soft, smooth, and buttery. Urban Decay Kinky is matte. bareMinerals Silhouette is more metallic.

Foxy is a yellowed beige with a matte finish. It had good color payoff and was soft and smooth to work with. Urban Decay Booty Call is a frosted version–a little more orange. bareMinerals Serendipitous is frosted. MAC Brule is more beige.

Walk of Shame theBalm Adagio is less pink. Urban Decay Virgin is frosted. Wet ‘n’ Wild Drinking a Glass of Shine is comparable. theBalm Matt Smith is similar. Inglot #390 is more beige.

Naked 2 is a soft taupe–a little brown, a touch of gray–with a matte finish. It had nice pigmentation and a soft, smooth texture. Giorgio Armani Moonlight Beige is shimmery. MAC Omega is darker. MAC Camo is browner, darker.

Faint is a medium-dark brown with a hint of warmth and a matte finish. The pigmentation was perfect, and it was very soft to the touch. theBalm Sultry has a satiny sheen. bareMinerals Namaste is similar, slightly grayer. MAC Wedge is warmer.

Crave is a dark black with brown undertones and a matte finish. It was very soft, smooth, and nicely pigmented. Le Metier de Beaute Fin has micro-shimmer, which isn’t very visible applied. Giorgio Armani #1 is very similar. MAC Dark Dare has micro-shimmer.

The palette itself feels and looks tiny. It’s minimalistic (and I don’t think I’ve ever described any packaging by Urban Decay as such!) and perfect for travel. It could fit in your wallet–it’s delightfully compact and lightweight. I couldn’t believe there were full-sized eyeshadows in it. The soft, almost rubberized (but not quite like NARS’ packaging) case should hold up well to travel abuse, and it is easy to wipe down.

Now, the only warning I have is if you already have both Naked palettes, you have one shade exactly, and then Crave is similar enough to Blackout (2), while Venus is similar to Bootycall (2) and Naked 2 is a tiny bit darker/grayer than Naked (1) and Faint is a bit darker than Buck (1). See individual shade descriptions above for dupes. There are also three light shades in the palette, though they each have a different tone so they’ll work differently for cool, warm, and neutral looks but can feel repetitive.

If you’re a fan of neutrals, OR you know someone who loves (or perhaps, has to wear) neutrals, this is a must-have palette. The texture of these eyeshadows is phenomenal; silky, smooth, finely-milled, but not even a smidgen powdery. They’re densely pigmented with true-to-pan color payoff.  I test-drove them over the weekend, and they lasted eight hours without fading and stretched into the ninth hour the same way–without a primer.

The Glossover

	Naked Basics A+
	If you're a fan of neutrals, OR you know someone who loves (or perhaps, has to wear) neutrals, this is a must-have palette. The texture of these eyeshadows is phenomenal; silky, smooth, finely-milled, but not even a smidgen powdery. They're densely pigmented with true-to-pan color payoff.
	Product 10/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Application 5/5
	Where to Buy
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Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Venus Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Foxy Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Naked 2Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Faint Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Crave Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay New Eyeshadows (Reformulation) Review, Photos, Swatches

Urban Decay Eyeshadow ($18.00 for 0.05 oz.) has recently undergone a reformulation so that they’re “richer and smoother” with better color payoff. I compared the original and new formulas for the four shades I have, which were Last Call, Loaded, Mushroom, and Rockstar. Chase has only been released in the new formula, I believe. I could not find Shattered (and I tried to see if I reviewed it previously but only found the Loose pigment version).

• Chase is a medium bronze with a subtle red undertone and a glitzy golden shimmer-sheen. Urban Decay Suspect is more subdued, less golden. Bare Escentuals Cognac is a bit darker, more red-toned. MAC Woodwinked is slightly more red-toned. Inglot #406 is deeper.
• Last Call is a plummy burgundy with a hint of pink sheen. Inglot #450 is redder, less purple. I couldn’t think of a dupe for this one–everything is either too red or too purple!
• Loaded is a blackened green-teal. It goes on very, very dark–you will lose some of the strength of the overall green/teal if you blend it out, but it doesn’t look full-on black. Bare Escentuals Max Volume is a bit lighter and greener. OCC Poison is greener. theBalm Jealous Jordana is less intense, slightly greener.
• Mushroom is a gray-brown–it’s a very intense taupe. MAC Keep Your Cool is more muted. Chanel Illusoire is less brown.
• Rockstar is a dark, smoky purple with subtle red undertones. MAC Indian Ink is almost like a matte version, though it is a little darker. Lancome Zip Me Up is a bit lighter. Estee Lauder Cyber Lilac is a touch lighter.
• Shattered is a silvered blue with a green-gold duochrome. Dior Garden Pastels is slightly greener. Urban Decay Aquarius lacks the duochrome.
• Walk of Shame is a pink-tinted light beige nude with a matte finish. I imagine it will work as a nice highlighter on lighter, cooler complexions. When I tried to use this, it looked a little chalky. It reminded me of a matte version of MAC Phloof!.

Consistently, all four reformulated versions were better than the original versions, but the difference is minor. They’re better, but not so much better (because they were already rather good) that I’d rush out to replace them. Primarily, the difference is a softer texture that has a little more give, so it almost feels creamy to the touch. The softness can result in a little more powderiness, but it is such a small amount that it is a minor concern. With Walk of Shame, there was more powderiness than with the more shimmery shades–if you’re familiar with the softer matte textures, it’s as much as expected.

I tested the wear, specifically, of these shades: Chase, Last Call, Shattered, and Loaded. None of the shades I did in recent testing (in actually comparing the formulas) had Urban Decay’s famous (or, perhaps, infamous) micro-glitter, so I’m not yet ready to do a full review on that finish. The original launch date for this was supposed to be a week out yet, which was when I was going to do the bulk of my testing, so I’m really sorry for having to scramble a bit!  With a primer, I didn’t have any wear issues, and I didn’t have wear issues with the originals previously.  Without a primer, these did seem to adhere better to bare skin than the original formula, and after eight hours of wear, there was only minor fading (it wasn’t particularly noticeable except at a very close distance).

I’ll be testing additional shades in the next few weeks and will keep you informed on how the wear goes with those!  These particular shades are some of Urban Decay’s best, so they may represent that end of the spectrum, while other shades more prone to being troublemakers may not do so well in a wear test.

The Glossover

	Urban Decay New Eyeshadows (Reformulation) Review, Photos, Swatches A
	I really appreciate the color accuracy between the original formula and the new formula--I couldn't detect any differences between the four I was able to compare side-by-side. The new formula does wear a bit better without primer, though the results were the same when used with a primer. These are softer, smoother, and as a result, more pigmented in a single pass.
	Product 9.5/10 Pigmentation 10/10 Texture 9.5/10 Longevity 9/10 Application 4.5/5
	Where to Buy
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Ingredients for 5 shades (I accidentally destroyed one of the boxes!)

Original / New: Mushroom, Last Call

Original / New: Loaded, Rockstar

Urban Decay Chase Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Chase Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Chase Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Chase Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Chase Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Last Call Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Last Call Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Last Call Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Last Call Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Last Call Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Loaded Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Loaded Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Loaded Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Loaded Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Loaded Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Mushroom Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Rockstar Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Rockstar Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Rockstar Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Rockstar Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Rockstar Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Shattered Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Shattered Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Shattered Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Shattered Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Shattered Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Walk of Shame Eyeshadow