Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

Christine — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:00:40 +0000

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette

More Naked with Flushed

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette ($30.00 for 0.49 oz.) includes a bronzer (described as a sheer medium bronze satin), highlighter (described as a soft pink champagne shimmer), and blush (described as a dusty rose satin with a hint of shimmer).

Bronzer is a medium-tan with orange-brown undertones and has a barely-there sheen. It does have sheer color, as described. The texture is firm but not powdery or really dry, just firm; the texture does not feel like Urban Decay’s eyeshadows, which are buttery and dense, softer, too. MAC Cajun is darker and more shimmery. MAC Nude on Board is browner, less orange. Urban Decay Gilded is browner and frosted. It applied the best out of the three shades, and because of the strong warm, orange undertones, will complement warmer complexions more. On my skin tone, it was a soft, warmed-over shade that actually worked well but I don’t see it showing up on medium-dark to dark complexions or working with cooler skin tones.

Highlighter is a champagne beige with a frosted, metallic finish. The payoff is seemingly sheer, but it really frosts the skin when applied. A little goes a very, very long way! Even lightly used, it yields a frosted, metallic finish on the skin that, unfortunately, emphasizes pores quite readily. I did a heavier application on the left, then a lighter application on the right (over the blush and bronzer, respectively). Bobbi Brown 24 Karat is more golden. bareMinerals The Love Affair has a golden sheen. MAC Superb is similar when applied, though darker/more pigmented. MAC Redhead is a touch pinker. Bobbi Brown Rose Gold is similar.

Blush is a medium-dark rosy pink with a hint of coral warmth that is mostly matte in finish. Though there are some bits of shimmer, it really looks matte both swatched and applied to the cheeks. It had so-so color payoff but the texture was on the drier side. It didn’t blend as easily as a great blush does. Guerlain Pink Punk is a bit pinker. MAC Supercontinental is lighter. MAC Fleet Fast is similar–a bit darker. Laura Mercier Canyon Sunset is darker.

The shades can be used individually or blended together as desired. I was expecting a denser, more buttery texture–more like their eyeshadows–than the firm, drier texture that was here. The highlighter was more like their eyeshadows, though still less buttery. The good news is that none of the shades were powdery. When I wore these yesterday, the bronzer wore the best with seven and a half hours of wear, while the highlighter was a bit patchy after six hours. The blush lasted for seven hours but was noticeably faded after eight hours.

I know that Urban Decay stated in the press release that this is designed to work with all skin tones (and straight from the press release: “as our staffers can attest”), I’m not sure it will. The bronzer, by being so sheer and not very buildable, may not show up on some complexions at all. The blush may accentuate redness in cheeks, and because it’s not as blendable, it can look ruddy and uneven (rosy-hued blushes can be hard to perfect). The highlighter is over-the-top even in light applications, so I don’t expect it to appeal to as many. It’s just going to emphasize pores and any imperfections on the skin.