Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics

I am continuing my matte eyeshadow palette review with a palette that I wasn’t much interested in when it first released. Matte eyeshadows are a necessary evil to me: they will make any eyeshadow look work, but I prefer a good shimmer over a matte shadow any day of the week. But after trying and reviewing several matte palettes, I couldn’t leave this one out.  

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics eyeshadow palette

So compared to the other palettes I reviewed in recent months, this is the most expensive. At €55.05, it costs about €10 – €15 more than Kat Von D‘s matte palette, Too Faced’s Just Peachy Mattes and The Balm’s Meet Matt(e) Nude. For that price point, you get 12 shadows and for a change: they aren’t boring browns and greys, but also offer some interesting shades.

The Packaging

What makes this palette very appealing is the packaging. Urban Decay definitely nailed it on this one. The only downside to it is that this palette is all plastic, which it may not looks like at first. It does come with a good sized mirror in the lid and a brush as per Urban Decay’s usual kit. The mirror is not super sturdy I have seen many people with palettes where the mirror had fallen out.

The Brush

The brushes that Urban Decay puts in their palette are always quite decent. They are a double sided brush and while each brush is slightly different they are actually quite usable. This brush has a fluffy side and a smaller, much more dense side. While doing a full look with just this brush will be difficult, it is a good one to have in your collection. I like using these brushes for travel myself.

The Palette

The palette comes with 12 different matte shade that range from a cooler toned selection on top and a warmer selection on the bottom. And that is what I like about this palette. Especially those three taupe-mauve-purple shades on the top right side of the palette are ones that I feel make this palette for me. There are also some nice warm tones. That orange tone called Extra Bitter looks incredible too. Out of these shades there is one that has a slight sheen to it, which is the first shade in the palette, which makes it a great highlight shade.

The Swatch

In terms of pigmentation these swatches probably look not too impressive. But that is why I like Urban Decay shadows to be honest. Less pigmentation means easier to build up and easier to work with eyeshadows. Easier to work with eyeshadow means that you can slap these on in the morning without too much thought and create a soft, blended look without too much effort.

Texture wise these do not feel super buttery, but they also don’t feel dry and chalky. They are more in the middle. There isn’t too much kick up and these shadows are not powdery at all. They blend easily, look great with a primer and last all day. The mix of warm and cool tones makes this a great palette to use, but not all shades go together well, which limits what you can do in terms of color combinations.

The Application

Look 1:
Lethal (crease)
Instinct (blend shade & lower lash line)
Tempted (lid)
Commando (brow bone)
Blow (inner corner)

For my first looks I immediately decided to use the shades I was itching to use. Those burgundy/ mauves not only looked promising in the palette. They also worked beautifully on the eyes. The soft blend makes for a great everyday smokey eye that looks stunning on the eye. I think this makeup looks very pretty and it is a look I will be doing more often.

Look 2:
Lockout (crease)
Faith (blend & lower lash line)
Pre-game (lid)
Nudie (brow bone)
Blow (inner corner)

For my second attempt with this palette, I opted for the warm neutral shades in the palette. It is immediately evident that the mauve tones suit me much better, but still these warm tones are great and work just as well as the others. Mainly I used the lighter shades here as I felt the orange would be a bit too much for what I was going for. This is another great soft look that is great for everyday.

Look 3:
Extra bitter (crease)
Magnet (lid & lower lash line)
Blackjack (liner)
Nude (blend)
Blow (inner corner)
Pre-game (brow bone)

Finally, I decided to use whichever shades were still left to create a look. And while these are both cool and warm tones, I still think it works nicely. The orange shades works really well in the crease and will be great for doing a more intense warm toned look than the one I showed you above. The grey and charcoal colors are great for deepening up a look and thus this is a palette that will work for both day and night time looks.

The Conclusion

Yes, the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics eyeshadow palette is a gem that I am glad I got my hands on. In terms of matte palettes this is one of my favorites as it ticks all the boxes of what I like in a palette. There are some shades that work very well for me and if this palette has the shades that work for you, then I would certainly recommend getting this.

What is your favorite matte eyeshadow palette?