Once in a great while there's this one thing that takes over the beauty world by storm. Everyone from the models on the runway to housewives to Hollywood stars talk about how how wonderful this thing is.
The most recent thing is Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette. A collection of neutrals that are supposed to look good on everybody and for all occasions. A one-stop eyeshadow palette, if you will. At $50, it isn't cheap but when compared to similar palettes it's fairly priced.
I skipped on the Naked 2 Palette for the longest time because I felt I already had most of the colors. However, I went though my makeup collection and realized that I didn't have as many neutrals as I thought I had. I had a Sephora gift card for $50 so I decided to take the plunge.
This was about two weeks ago, and it's the only eyeshadow I've been using. Here are my thoughts:
Let me say this: Smashbox's Photo Finish lid primer is a life-changing product. I've had lid primers in the past and have sort of pooh-poohed them. This one has proven itself to be a makeup necessity and I'd give up my normal face primer before I'd give my lid primer.
The Naked 2 palette is a huge disappointment for me. I wanted to love this eyeshadow something hard. I mean, just look at it. Even if you like more color in your shadows this is a seemingly amazing set of base shades. The initial love I had for Naked 2 was fleeting, when I discovered all the sparkle in the Chopper color (glittery copper shade) had migrated onto my cheeks. No problem, I thought, I'll just make sure to use my Smashbox lid primer.
Even using my primer and attempting different applicators (the included brush or a foam applicator) didn't make a difference. Within two hours of putting on any of the shimmery or glittery shades it was falling onto my cheeks. The colors were fading before I got home from work.
This palette isn't worth $50 nor does it meet Urban Decay's usual standards.
When I returned it to Sephora, the saleswoman said I was the first one to ever return it because I didn't like it. She tried to sell me another lid primer, but when the Smashbox works on all my other eyeshadow including the cheap stuff from Target, it's not the lid primer's fault.
Since I now have a $50 Sephora credit, here's some options I'm looking at:
Bobbi Brown's Navy & Nude eye palette if I want to stay with neutrals
Smashbox's Heat Wave palette for both some neutrals and some color
Smashbox's Heat Wave palette for both some neutrals and some color
