Urban Decay Stay Naked Foundation & Concealer

We are kicking off the week with a 2-in-1 review of the new Urban Decay Stay Naked foundation and concealer. These products created some hype when they first launched last August. Of course it took ages to come stores in The Netherlands which meant I wasn’t able to try it properly until early September. I have been wearing both products in conjunction for the past two weeks. I wore it to work, on days off, to dance events and more! Meaning I really was able to put both of them through the wringer. These are my thoughts.

Urban Decay Stay Naked Foundation & Concealer // Review, Swatch, Look // Dry, Dehydrated, Fair Skin 20 NN

I decided to review both products in one blog post. I bought these together, they were launched together and both products are replacing some of my favorite products by Urban Decay: their Naked Skin foundation and concealer. Especially the concealer has been a firm favorite as it was a very lightweight, natural looking product. The same went for the foundation. But those have now been discontinued and have been replaced by the new Stay Naked line. This is definitely not the same product, so I was curious to see if I liked them as much. The foundation retails for €39, while the concealer costs €28.

Urban Decay Stay Naked Foundation

One thing that is new to the Urban Decay Stay Naked line is the shade selection. This foundation comes in a whopping 50 different shades. The undertones have been split into two categories: your ‘master tone’ and your undertone. I have both the foundation and concealer in 20NN. This means it is a neutral master tone and a neutral undertone. There is for instance also 20CP: 20 cool pink. The line even features shades with a green undertone for those of you with olive skin tones. So I feel this line definitely has something new to offer. If you can’t find your shade in this, then nothing else will be able to cater to you.

The Packaging

The foundation comes in your standard pump style packaging. It contains 30 mls and the bottle is plastic. The bottle looks far more luxurious than it feels. I definitely feel Urban Decay skimped on the packaging as their other foundations did come in a glass bottle and this is plastic. I like how it is clear so you can easily see the shade and how much product is left. The pump is easy to use and I fine just one pump is all I need for a full face application.

The Foundation

So what does this foundation have to offer? According to Urban Decay this foundation is nearly as good as fairy dust. The claims on this are amazing: flexible, breathable, matte finish, medium coverage that is buildable to full, transfer proof, waterproof, pore minimizing, no oxidation and its vegan. I mean if this foundation delivers on all of it, then it is quite possible as valuable as unicorn blood.

And this also explains why this is NOT simply a replacement of the Naked Skin foundation. That was a very light coverage, hydrating foundation, whereas this is medium and matte. On my dry, dehydrated skin that usually means a challenge. But since it is Urban Decay and the promise is a natural feeling foundation, I was definitely intrigued.

The Swatch

As you can see the foundation is quite liquidy and runny. It is definitely a very thin formula that spreads easily and is easy to blend out. And a little goes a long way: I only need one pump for a full face application. The good thing about this foundation: the claims it makes are true! It is matte, but also natural look. It has medium coverage, but the thin formula prevents it from looking cakey. I was pleasantly surprised when I first felt and saw this in person.

The Shade Match

Shade 20NN is spot on. It was between this and 20CP for me and that one was a touch too pink. I definitely have a neutral undertone, but I would recommend going into store to get your shade matched. I was able to discern based on other UD products I own what shade I might be, but still, nothing beats checking it in a mirror. This blends nicely into my neck and you can barely see a difference between my jaw and my neck.

The Application

Have you ever heard of a natural matte foundation? I hadn’t, until I tried this. In terms of formula, coverage and application, I truly think the Urban Decay Stay Naked foundation has something new to offer to the market. It has a medium coverage, but still looks natural. It is matte, but doesn’t adhere to dry patches. It is longwear, but never looks cakey. This foundation stays looking great all day and even survives a sweaty dance evening and a late night concert without touch ups.

Urban Decay Stay Naked Concealer

On to the concealer! The concealer has fewer shades than the foundation. Still, this comes in 30 different shades, which is a lot for a concealer. I have the same shade as in the foundation: 20NN. This is not the exact same shade as the foundation I would say though. It is a touch lighter, so it nicely taps into my wish of my concealer being a bit more brightening than my foundation.

The Packaging

Like the foundation, this concealer comes in a plastic container that matches perfectly. I really like the gold cap and the overall design. Where the true innovation is in this concealer is the applicator, so we’ll zoom into that below. This is your bog standard doe foot applicator concealer otherwise though. So nothing much special going on here in terms of packaging.

The Concealer

The claims on this concealer are just as great as on the foundation. This is a buildable to full coverage concealer, also flexible and breathable, matte finish, transfer proof, waterproof and vegan. It should cover any imperfections you may wish to cover. Again, a very big difference between this and the Naked Skin concealer it is replacing. That was a much more lightweight, hydrating concealer than this, so these do not compare.

The Applicator

With concealer I always like to discuss the doe foot applicator in some detail. And this applicator definitely warrants a bit of a moment. The applicator isn’t a standard doe foot: no, it has a curve to it. This allows the wand to carefully hug your features for a super precise applicator. And that is not a line from a sales pitch. That is exactly how I have experienced this applicator. I do find that it holds a bit too much product to start off with. So I like to go in with the applicator, dot the product around my face and then use the applicator without any product on it to spread out the concealer.

The Swatch

Didn’t believe me what I said this was nothing like Naked Skin did you? Well this swatch should push you over the threshold. That one little stripe was able to cover all of the back of my hand. This concealer is very matte, which isn’t usually my favorite, but like the foundation I found this worked well. the texture is very thin, like the foundation. It just has supreme pigmentation, meaning a little goes a long way. Literally, just a few dots here and there is enough. This is not the kind of concealer I would recommend going in with a huge triangle under your eye as that would just be too much.

The Application

20NN in the concealer is a touch lighter than the foundation. It blends into the skin flawlessly with a sponge and I would recommend that. Since this concealer is so high coverage I feel it needs something to diffuse it just a little bit. I didn’t know it was possible, but this concealer makes my under eye area look airbrushed. The wear time on it is excellent as well: this doesn’t crease, draw into fine lines, nor does it emphasize any texture and makes you look 50 years older than you actually are.

The only downside I can think of is that it may just be a bit heavy duty for a day to day look. It still looks pretty and it works well with the concealer, but I personally don’t have a need for such a full coverage concealer on the day to day. I don’t mind a bit of my under eye bags to shine true. But if you want your concealer to cancel out anything, then this is a great one.

My Final Thoughts

Both the Urban Decay Stay Naked foundation and concealer are two excellent new launches. They wear well, look natural and are good for everyday, despite this being a matte, medium to full coverage look in the end. Because of the thin texture, I feel this is still wearable and office/ school appropriate. Moreover, I feel both product have something new to offer in terms of formula on the makeup market. Just as I felt like I was getting tired of brands coming out with the same thing, Urban Decay has done it and come out with some truly unique products.

Have you tried the Urban Decay Stay Naked foundation or concealer?