Archived Post

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio Review, Photos, Swatches

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio ($36.00 for 0.24 oz.) contains three powder highlighters to “give skin a luminous look” that uses “sophisticated, microfine Naked shimmer” and can be used on face and body. As far as coverage goes, the brand says “the color payoff of a loose powder with the convenience of a pressed powder,” which suggests high pigmentation from my experience with loose vs. pressed products and resulting coverage. If you’re unfamiliar with Urban Decay’s Illuminated formula, it’s actually rather sparkly and would not use the word “microfine” to describe it–these are best for those who want noticeable sparkle on the skin, though the underlying finish is more subdued or in this palette, two of the shades just give random sparkle rather than adding luminosity to the skin. Two of the three shades were rather sheer in this palette as well. It is a baked formula, and I have found these to fade faster than traditional powder blushes.

Pyrite is a medium, golden brown with warm undertones and a frosted sheen and light bits of gold micro-sparkle. This was the least visibly sparkly on the skin, but it also produced the strongest sheen. The texture was soft, slightly dusty but smooth, applied well and blended out without much effort. The color lasted for seven hours on me before fading. Too Faced You Light Up My Life (P, $30.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). ColourPop Frosted (LE, $10.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). MAC Glow, Baby, Glow (PiP, ) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar). Anastasia Sunray (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar). CoverGirl Bronze (200) (DC, $9.99) is darker (90% similar). Melt Cosmetics Gold Ore (P, $39.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar). Tarte Idol (LE, $29.00) is lighter (90% similar). Phytosurgence Solar Sheen (P, $26.01) is less shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar). Pat McGrath Bronze Nectar (003) (PiP, $60.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Maybelline Molten Topaz (P, $9.99) is darker (90% similar). Tarte Park Ave Princess (PiP, ) is darker (90% similar). Artist Couture Conceited (P, $27.00) is darker (90% similar). Rouge Bunny Rouge Goddess (P, $48.00) is warmer (90% similar). Becca Topaz (P, $38.00) is darker (90% similar). ColourPop On the Loose (PiP, $12.00) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Charlotte Tilbury Gold Bullion (LE, ) is lighter (95% similar). Flesh Beauty Rise (P, $28.00) is darker, warmer (85% similar). Fenty Beauty Coppa Chill (P, $28.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (85% similar). Tower 28 Gold Coast (P, $20.00) is less shimmery, darker, glossier (85% similar). Fenty Beauty Champagne Heist (P, $25.00) is darker, cooler (85% similar). Top 20 dupes listed, see the rest. See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Oasis is a very light beige with subtle, warm undertones and silver sparkle. The texture was firm, stiff, and difficult to get the product off of as a result. This impacted the color payoff, too, and it was extremely sheer (I could barely get any to show). Applied, I get a few bits of sparkle but almost no detectable luminosity on my skin, so I actually think it misses the mark completely as an illuminator! All the sparkles had vanished within six hours (that’s about all I could judge the wear from). Cle de Peau Delicate Pink (14) (P, $55.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Natasha Denona Icy Nude (PiP, ) is more shimmery (90% similar). Laura Mercier Highlight 01 (P, ) is more shimmery, more pigmented (90% similar). Cle de Peau Bal Masque (LE, $120.00) is more shimmery, more pigmented (90% similar). Urban Decay Luminous (P, $30.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight (P, $44.00) is more shimmery, more pigmented (90% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Twilight is a muted, light-medium peachy-orange with an iridescent pink sparkle. (I was surprised at how similar it was to Aura, actually.) The powder was thinner and dusty to the touch, and it kicked up an excess amount of product in the pan, even with a light hand. I saw visible bits of the pink sparkle on the skin but little in the way of even illumination, so it looked matte in photos. The coverage was sheer to semi-sheer, and it was just barely visible on my skin tone in person (but not in photos). The softness of the powder made it easy to blend on the skin, and it didn’t emphasize my skin’s texture or pores. It seemed to wear for about six hours on me. Anastasia Hard Candy (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, more pigmented (90% similar). Urban Decay Aura (P, $30.00) is more shimmery (90% similar). Urban Decay Fireball (P, $26.00) is more shimmery, lighter, brighter (90% similar). bareMinerals Joy (P, $29.00) is less shimmery (85% similar). Smashbox Gilded Rose (LE, $39.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). Kevyn Aucoin Starlight (P, $44.00) is more shimmery, warmer (85% similar). Cle de Peau Golden Apricot (P, $55.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

See more photos & swatches!

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio
Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Trio

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Foundation
  • Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder
On eyes:
  • MAC The Naked Time Pressed Pigment
  • MAC Bird of Prey Pressed Pigment
  • MAC Join My League Eyeshadow
  • Sephora Go For a Ride Eyeliner
On lips:
  • Urban Decay Pallor Vice Lipstick

72 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Krista Avatar

Why would they not have just made a trio palette of their existing highlighting shades that are more popular and better quality than these things have been in the past? Wouldn’t that have made more sense?

Christine Avatar

I’ve always been a little confused by the marketing on these in general, as they’re not a super, crazy intense pigmented highlighter, and they are sparkly/glittery – as far as highlighters go, it has a lot more visible particles than the majority of highlighters (I think that should be played up, because it can surprise people… in a bad way, but it is a point of differentiation).

Jocelyn Avatar

I was watching several youtubers on SnapChat open these in PR boxes and their first impressions were basically the same as this. Most said they were just “OK” and that because of the overt sparkle they were more likely to use these on the body rather than the face. That bronzey color does look really pretty on you, though. Would love to see you reviewing some Jouer products, Christine! Their liquid lippies are gorgeous, and the new highlighters they just released look DIVINE!

kjh Avatar

El baddo! Basically no excuse. But Oasis in the pan certainly doesn’t look “F.” Lots of folks will be taken in by this. Thank god we have you. But there’s always a good takeaway. I had better rethink the UDs in the Ulta 21 days…..Firebird looks interesting. It’s mix and match highlighters/blush,right? Some of these are virtual no shows in your looks! Great LdeP and lip shade.

Katherine T. Avatar

Yikes!!! What the hell happened to Oasis and Twilight??? They look awful. I like Pyrite but have the CoverGirl dupe already, so I’m good. Easy skip on this one

Deborah S. Avatar

Well, this is just sad. I always wonder how a major brand such as UD can produce a product and not have tested it extensively. Surely they would know that their claims are an exaggeration or just plain garbage. I just don’t get how this happens repeatedly to brands. Good news, not even tempted!

Michele @Binxcat4ever Avatar

I’m a UD girl but these didn’t even look good to me in the palette! I’m surprised that did as poorly as they did though given that some of their highlighters are pretty good. I’m also surprised at the shade palette they used for this. The whole package just seems kind of meh.

Melanie Avatar

Ugh, what a shame! That first shade, Pyrite, is so pretty and I’ve been obsessed with highlighters lately. (Hello, Lorac Light Source stash from the Ulta 21 Days sale.)

But the second two shades? My $10 Ulta brand highlighter performs better than that. My $6 Makeup Revolution highlighters perform better than that. From a brand like UD, there’s no excuse for such poor quality.

Anime Avatar

That one in the middle looks like the press was absolutely insane. I have been experimenting with homemade pressed powders, and I used to think you were supposed to press everything as HARD as you can, but it’s not always the case. The powders that I have pressed too hard in the past end up flaking off in chunks to expose the area underneath (as it appears above) and when I tried baking the powders, it only made matters worse. I can only imagine how unpleasant this was to use if it was a baked formulation AND a heavy press. I hope you get to review a product soon that just blows you away and makes up for this unfortunate event. LOL

Christine O. Avatar

I know most people prefer to not be negative and try to look at things in the positive but can we just this once say this is a crap product? This items to me, is more suited towards very young girls who are looking for that glitter ball look. Not someone like me who it 53 years old but loves wearing a good highlighter. Nothing wrong with putting makeup out for tweens and teens but maybe jazz up that packaging to appeal to that age range.

I heard good things about UD Illuminators a few years ago and went into Sephora to try them before I bought one. So glad I did. One swipe and I was like yeah, I think not.

Viki Avatar

Wow, thanks for the review! I was about to buy it after seeing how pretty the packaging is and how promising UD’s products usually are. I’ll skip this one!

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

Despite loving UD in general, I wouldn’t bite on this. I have LM #1 already. That’s enough to last 20 years. The review puts it in the casket. Thank you.

BlushandPearls Avatar

I don’t know why companies add sparkles to their products. Really annoying. So many great products are unusable due to sparkles – such a waste.

Abigail Avatar

i thought they would definitely make improvements to the formula considering the drastic increase and interest in using highlighters since their last release. i’ve swatched their old illuminator multiple times and find it lacking pigment and chalky… so while i’m not surprised these are the same, i thought UD would make improvements!

Kristen Avatar

These have been on sale for $21 (for the holidays, presumably) at basically every retailer that carries UD. The UD website even has it at an extra 30%, so less than $16 – tempting for gifts. They didn’t look that great in person and I’m glad that your review confirmed that!

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!