Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette – Review, Swatches and Photos

Released in December, the  Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette sold out the day it was released.  When I spotted the sneak peaks in early November, I wondered if this was a “have to have” palette for me, but decided later that it would be a part of my ever growing collection.  After waiting till Christmas to finally open my presents and my palette, I have to say – considering I was on the fence, I am pretty happy and glad I decided I wanted it.

Currently sold out online at Sephora.com but available for purchase through Urbandecay.com, Ulta.com and Sephora stores – Naked 3 is another addition to the Naked family.  Including 12 Rosy Neutrals for show stopping looks.  I currently own the Naked 1, Naked Basics and now Naked 3 (still not sure about Naked 2 – swatched it and was not quite impressed) and I have to say that I’m very impressed with the color range this palette offers.  Retailing for just $52.00 (the same cost as the other Nakeds), this palette offers a gorgeous collection of shades that I believe will offer great compliments to a wide variety of skin tones.

The palette sports a duo ended brush and includes 4 samples of the Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potions in Original, Eden, Sin and Anti-Aging.  I haven’t used any of the primer potions besides my regular (original) but I have heard many awesome things about the Anti-aging primer and Eden.  I will do a review on those separately once I have the opportunity to test out the samples.  Each sample should include enough product for you to get about a week’s worth of use – so once I find a way to store it while testing, I’ll be sure to have my ideas posted.

Now – packaging… ooh la la!  The Naked 3, like it’s Naked 2 counterpart comes in a metal tin, very different from the original Naked 1 palette.  The case is sturdy and sleek and has a gorgeous rose gold finish.  Since I love traveling with my Naked 1 Palette, I can imagine that this palette (Naked 3) would be equally travel friendly – offering support and protection to your eye shadows and your brush (included).  The palette sports a large full sized mirror and a little compartment for the included brush.  And, the palette itself – while it feels sturdy, is still pretty light weight.  What I love so much about this palette is how it’s labeled.  Just like the other Naked palettes (and UD palettes in general), there is no guessing – the names are all printed below each shadow which make it easy to use.

As mentioned, there are a total of 12 shades, all of which are brand new rose hued colors.  Each shade has 0.05 oz of product (the same amount as Naked 1 and 2).  The shadows come in a range of matte/satin and shimmer shades allowing you to create a complete eye look by just using one palette.

Swatches

All swatches are done dry without primer or base

Strange – a creamy pale pink shade (matte / satin finish)

Dust – a pale metallic pink with micro glitter (shimmer)

Burn out – a pinky peach (satin)

Limit – a dusty rose (matte)

Buzz – a metallic rose shimmer with micro glitters (shimmer)

Trick (my favorite shade) – a copper pink (rose gold) shimmer.  This shade is my favorite but did give me difficulty when I first started using it.  The first few uses it did not offer me the color pay off I had expected, but after wiping it a bit with a paper towel (dry) and removing the first layer, I realized that it truly  is pigmented and an awesome shade.

Nooner – pink brown (matte)

Liar – a metallic mauve shade.  This shade has grayish undertones so it can lend for an almost taupe color depending on what it is paired with.

Factory – Dark brown with rose hues and gold shimmer

Mugshot – Metallic taupe brown with a light pink shift

Darkside – Gray taupe with a satin sheen

Blackheart – smoky black with rose hued red micro glitters

In the look above I am using the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette – Buzz (all over the lid), Nooner (transition shade), Limit (transition into highlight), Strange (highlight), Blackheart (outer v), Factory (crease color) and Trick (pop of color applied on the middle of the lid and lower lash line).  I only used Urban Decay Naked 3 palette shadows to create this eye look and they were all put on over my Urban Decay Primer Potion.

I have always liked the brushes that Urban Decay includes in their palettes.  This particular duo sided brush was no exception.  The angled blending side worked well for applying color all over for a wash of shadow on the lid or to blend colors effortlessly and the domed shadow side worked well for packing color on the lid.  While I am not going to go out and buy similar brushes, this is a great brush to have with your palette – especially for travel.

Now I know you are asking me… “Is it Worth it?  What are my overall thoughts?”  Hmmm… considering I did spend the money on the palette (or the hubby did), I do think it is worth it.  The quality is much like what you would expect from Urban Decay, pigmented, buttery shadows in gorgeous hues that are meant for a showstopping eye look each and every time.  I was a bit worried that the shades would not work well with my skin tone, but I am very happy to say that it not only paired well for me but it also makes my brown eyes pop.  As mentioned previously, I did have a little difficulty with using Trick at first, but having had similar issues with shadows from other brands in the past, I found that I just needed to remove the top layer to find its greatness.  What I love so much about this palette is that it’s not just a “Pink” or “Rose shade” palette, it’s quite universal, allowing me to create a plethora of looks from smoky to neutral with just one palette.  $52 for 12 shades… is it worth the price and the hype?  Yes, I think so!  Makeup like any other object is an investment and this investment has enough product to allow you to create a ton of looks and the product will last.  Each shadow proved to me to be long lasting and over a base or primer, it was showstopping.  I definitely think this will be a great investment for anyone looking to pick up their first Urban Decay product or just adding to their makeup arsenal.

Check out my video below for a quick run down of what I thought. 😉

{Self Purchased}