Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder ($29.00 for 0.20 oz.) is described as a “soft, glowing beige powder.” It’s a pale, champagne-beige with warm white sparkle and shimmer. The finish is rather frosted, somewhat metallic. Kevyn Aucoin has a much, much finer shimmer that translates to a more luminous glow. NARS Debbie Harry Highlighter is less sparkly. NARS Albatross is more golden. Chanel Poudre Signee de Chanel is slightly pinker. Chanel Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel is less shimmery. See comparison swatches.

It has a soft, silky texture that gives off quite a bit of shimmer/sparkle when you touch your brush to it, so I’d actually recommend using a light hand and a fluffy brush (maybe a fan or stippling brush). If you like more over-the-top highlighters or more metallic sheen, you’ll like this. If you prefer a very minimal glow or more of a soft sheen, this is probably going to be too much for you. Applied moderately, it definitely emphasized pores somewhat. If I applied just the teeniest, tiniest bit, it just barely emphasized the skin’s texture. There are also small, but visible, off-white sparkles. They’re fine enough that they really only present themselves as they catch the light, so they don’t look like dirt particles otherwise (sometimes more glittery products will look like dirt on the skin, if they aren’t reflecting light). The powder includes a small, domed-shaped flat brush, and I used that to apply the product in the swatches. It yielded light-medium coverage when I used it. It wears six and a half hours on me, which is not surprising given it is a baked product (and I generally get shorter wear with baked products across brands), and it can look faded/slightly patchy after eight hours. It is housed in a larger, square box with a “suede” finish (lightly velvety).

It’s online now at ULTA, and it is an ULTA exclusive, but it officially launches tomorrow, 9/10.

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder (applied as a highlighter with a separate blush)