Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette Review & Swatches

I've been dying to get my hands on the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette ($54) ever since the launch was announced over the summer...but waiting until September 18th was so hard! Thanks so much to my pal Annie (@drugstoredreamer on Instagram), who let me know that she found it early at her local Macy's store a few weeks ago. So I headed over to the mall and was able to find it in the little Impulse kiosk that's in the beauty department. I was really excited because I still had a $42 merchandise credit from a return I made over the summer and I was able to get this for $12!

So definitely check your local Macy's first...you might get lucky because I've talked to quite a few people from different areas of the country saying that they were able to find it. But if not, the official release dates are as follows:

• UrbanDecay.com on September 18th
• Sephora.com/Ulta.com/Macys.com September 20
• In Sephora, Ulta, Macy's stores September 22

Before we even get into the shadows themselves, can we just talk about how beautiful the packaging is for a minute?! It's gold and shiny and has an ethereal starburst pattern that's raised to give it some texture. It's also a square, which is different from the rectangular packaging Urban Decay has become known for (with the exception of the Naked on the Run palette...remember that one?). 

Inside, there's a really nice, large, high-quality mirror that you can easily do your makeup in. Also included is a double-ended brush which I'm not really too impressed with. The smaller end is great...it's an awesome smudger brush that you can get right up to your lashline with, but the larger end is kind of stiff and is a weird shape. It's on the longer side like a blending brush, but the flat shape doesn't really allow you to blend with it. It's shaped sort of like a lid brush, but those are usually a little shorter. I don't know...I'm just not a fan.

Also, in case you're wondering, the palette is made in the USA and the brush is made in China.

Inside are twelve matte shades...well almost, because there is one shade, Blow (light nude demi-matte) that has a slight sheen to it.

There is a nice mix of both warm and cool-toned neutrals in here with the top row being on the cooler side with pinky nudes, gray, and purples and the bottom row leaning more warm with pale yellow, burnt orange, warm browns, charcoal, and black.

Swatching this palette, I found all of the shades to be creamy and soft. They are densely packed so there isn't a lot of fallout, and I find that they blend really nicely on my eyes when using a brush. My only complaint with the top row is that the shades aren't as rich as I thought they would be...especially Commando, Tempted, and Instinct (I had to swatch them a few times as opposed to the other shades that were swatched once. They appear more muted on my skin and although they do show up on me because I'm fair skinned, they might disappear on medium to deeper skin tones.

• Blow- Light nude demi matte
• Nudie- Soft pink-nude matte
• Commando- Light taupe brown matte
• Tempted- Pale brown matte 
• Instinct- Medium pink taupe matte
• Lethal- Reddish brown matte

The shades in the bottom row are rich, pigmented and beautiful. They all show up easily with one swipe (and no primer underneath). I was especially impressed with Extra Bitter, the burnt orange shade...it's super intense, just as I was hoping it would be. 

• Pre-Game- Pale yellow matte
• Extra Bitter- Burnt orange matte
• Faith- Medium warm brown matte
• Lockout- Rich neutral brown matte
• Magnet- Smoky gray matte
• Blackjack- Warm black matte

Overall, this is a solid offering from Urban Decay, and matte eyeshadow lovers will most likely love it from the beautiful packaging to the creamy, pigmented formula! If you have a medium to deep skin tone, you might be disappointed with the color payoff a few of the shadows in the top row, but the bottom row definitely makes up for that a bit.

Grab yours on September 18th at Urbandecay.com and on September 20th at Ulta.com, Sephora.com.


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