Funnily enough I found myself discussing the possibility of a third Naked palette earlier this year
with a good few fellow beauty addicts and the general thoughts tended to steer towards that
should it happen it would have to be something special and what else was really left to do with neutrals?
Well Urban Decay have indeed just launched their third Naked palette, is it as special as I imagined
it to be? In a word no but it is different in a sense from the other two but I do think a fourth palette
is really pushing it as what else can you possibly do with neutral eyeshadows?

Ladies and gents I bring you Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette!


Annoyingly all three Naked palettes have very different packaging, the worst being the original
which is presented within flocked chocolate brown velvet that does not age well at all,
the latter palettes are better designed with Naked 2 coming in metal case and the newest addition
Naked Basics sharing similar packaging to that of NARS - rubberized plastic.
The Naked Basics palette is teeny tiny - smaller than an iPhone but it does have a sizable mirror
and six pans of eyeshadow which fits comfortably into the palm of a hand.
Design wise this is very well thought out and is perfect for travel as it is small, secure and can take
a knocking without smashing the eyeshadows and the mirror allows for on the go application.


This is being dubbed the all matte Naked palette which isn't fully true as one shade is shimmer based
with the other five being matte in formula - close enough I guess!
Only four out of the six shades are new and exclusive: Foxy was featured within Naked 2 and is available to purchase as an individual shade,Walk of Shame (W.O.S) was an exclusive to the Build Your Own Palette system prior to the Naked Basics palette launch.
I quickly want to state that I find Urban Decay eyeshadows to be some of the better pigmented eyeshadows
out there and find them a pleasure to work with - they blend, build and wear wonderfully so
but to get the most from each shade I do recommend using a primer before application.


Shade run down and how each shades preforms:


Venus - light frosty off white with slight yellow tinge, soft to the touch but not the best pigmented
and a little disappointing as I expected more from Urban Decay. The highlighting option from this palette.

Foxy - light, cool toned yellow beige/ivory, it doesn't look all that pigmented on my skin tone but when applied to the eyelids I had no problem getting the shade to show up, velvety soft but the shade can lead ashen on deeper skin tones. 

Walk of Shame (W.O.S) - light, pink toned nude, another shade that appears less pigmented than it is but much like foxy it actually presented no problems and makes a great all over wash of colour on lid but again can become ashen the darker your skin tone.


Naked 2 - lightest tan, no problems what so ever with pigmentation but I did find the shade to lean more
grey than it appears in the pan.

Faint - mid tone, cool brown, again this is provides great colour pay off and is a great crease shade,
this would also make a wonderful brow shade for those with blonde to light brown hair.

Crave - almost black with a brown leaning, this is unsurprisingly is the shade in the palette that packs the biggest punch in terms of pigmentation. Although it may appear black it is on close inspection a super deep brown and when applied it less harsh, a fabulous option for those who find true black shades a little
overwhelming.


Do you need this palette? Chances are you will have similar shades particularly if you have bought the other
two Naked family members (doesn't that sound rude?) but if you prefer matte eyeshadow in everyday, office appropriate shades then it is a good buy for that reason alone as Urban Decay's eyeshadow formula
is pretty much King in my eyes.

Within the UK the Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette is an online exclusive to Debenhams,
it will slowly filter into other Urban Decay stockists and is a permanent addition to the Naked collective.

6x1.3g/£20 via Debenhams - link