Urban Decay Naked Smoky First Impressions + Swatches

Are we excited?! This week saw the launch of the newest Naked palette here in the UK, and being the UD junkie that I am I was ALLOVER the pre-release. This palette arrived in my eager hands yesterday and after playing with it a little bit, I'm going to share my first impressions with you. Hold on to your hats folks, this is going to be a long one.

HIGH is the first shade we come to in the palette. It's a perfect shimmering champagne, ideal for inner corner highlights. This is reminiscent of Sin but with a more neutral undertone.

DIRTYSWEET is next, the name reminds me of T-Rex.. You're dirtysweet and you're my girl! Get it on! Bang a gong get it on! Okay enough of that. This is a light golden honey bronze shade with plenty of shimmer. Perfect for making blue eyes pop and a good every day shade. 

 

RADAR is a warm shimmering brown with what looks like tiny flecks of gold and silver running throughout. We first saw this shade in the Vice 2 palette. The formula has changed somewhat since then, as my Vice 2 Radar is chunky and full of glitter. 

ARMOR is a taupey silver grey with TONNES of glitter. I used this yesterday and holy fallout batman. I would suggest using this with a setting spray to ensure you don't end up with grey glittery cheeks. 

(Always one out of focus argh!)

Next is SLANTED, a blue steel shimmery grey. This seemed to be kinda sheer but I'm sure it can be built up nicely on the lid.

DAGGER is a deep blue toned grey with a satin finish. This shade looks so tasty I could eat it. Again this seemed kinda sheer, but that's nothing a little layering with a flat brush won't fix. 

Next is BLACK MARKET, a satin deep grey/black. This shade is Divine with a capital D. I can't wait to pack this allover my lid with a dash of Dagger in the crease.

Next is the shade people were most excited for, SMOULDER. A blackened aubergine purple with a satin finish, Smoulder really stands out within this palette and would look great allover the lid blended out with Whiskey. This isn't the vibrant purple you might be expecting though, it's definitely a black base with purple shimmer but beautiful non-the-less. 

Next is PASSWORD, a taupey grey matte. This shade looks quite light in the pan but swatched it becomes rather dark. 

WHISKEY is a medium warm-ish matte brown. I'm really excited to have this shade in the palette as I love playing around with warm and cool tones together. This is definitely going to be a go-to crease colour.

Next is COMBUST, a matte skin-toned dusty peach/pink. This would make an excellent transition colour or a good allover shade for a 'your lids but better' look. Lol.

And last but not least, we have THIRTEEN, a satiny off-white cream shade perfect for brow bones and inner corners everywhere. This shade disappears into nothing on my skin because I'm so ghostly pale, but would make an excellent highlight for anyone with skin darker than a sheet of A4.

Naked Smoky is priced at £38 and is available NOW from the Urban Decay UK website and arriving soon at Debenham's. 

Will you be picking up this palette? Have you fallen victim to the Naked appeal? I know I have. 

Leave me a comment, follow me on Instagram @littleever1 and thanks for stopping by! 

Eve xoxo

Perfect Palette Tag

I thought I'd do a tag seeing as I'm hoarding eyeshadow palettes like they're going out of fashion... 

The questions:

1. Best Packaging
2. Best Colour Payoff
3. Most Versatile
4. Best for Travelling
5. Biggest Regret
6. Best Colour Names
7. Least Used
8. Most Used
9. Most Loved
10. Desert Island

1. Best Packaging

This had to go to the beautiful Urban Decay Vice 3. Look at it! It's slim, shiny, has a magnetic closure and a giant mirror, what more do you need!?

2. Best Colour Payoff

Urban Decay again with the Electric Pressed Pigment Palette. Because these are pressed pigments they have the best payoff EVER.

3. Most Versatile

I chose the Sugarpill Burning Heart palette as my most versatile. I use it for crazy colourful looks or I mix the warm colours with neutrals to make something more "wearable".

4. Best for Travelling

You can tell this is an instagram photo, lul. 

This is the MAC Burgundy x 9 palette. I don't travel, but if I did this is what I would take. It's teeny so won't take up much space and you still have a decent range of colours.

5. Biggest Regret

This is the Illamasqua Multi Facet Palette in Aura. This retailed for £45!!!!!!!!! I got mine in the sale just after Christmas and paid about £12 ish. Although it was a bargain, it's the palette I regret because I just don't use it. I don't get along with the cream products and I think the eyeshadows are a bit of a strange selection. 

6. Best Colour Names

Urban Decay again, are we surprised?

Pulp Fiction is one of my favourite films. I know all of the "path of the righteous man" Samuel L Jackson speech off by heart, however sad that may be. I can't use these shadows without thinking of Samuel L Jackson, which automatically make them the best names ever.

7. Least Used

I was over the frigging moon when I found the elusive VICE LTD online from Selfridges. After hearing rumours this was super duper limited edition I snapped it up quicker than you can say 'Urban Decay'. I got it in about October/November last year and I've probably used it twice. It's now June. Again I think this is an odd combination of colours for a palette as large as this. They're all quite dull colours that you need to pair with something brighter to make anything exciting. I want to use and love this palette but the colours don't really inspire me.

8. Most Used

Onto a happier note now, featuring another Urban Decay product. This is the Naked 2 Basics. You can't really tell from the photo but this baby has seen some serious use. 

9. Most Loved

There will always be a place in my heart for the Urban Decay Vice 2. This was my first more expensive piece of makeup and I blame my palette obsession entirely on the Vice 2. I haven't used it for a while, and getting it out to photograph has reaffirmed my love. This guy will be coming out more in the future.

10. Desert Island

After the obvious concerns of food and water, who doesn't need perfect eyeshadow on a desert island? This is the Urban Decay Vice 3 again. This guy is so so so so so so so so beautiful. This palette pretty much does the work for you, the colours are laid out in little families so you don't even have to think before shoving them on your eyes. 80% of these shadows are shimmery so would look fab in a desert sun, although I won't be leaving the shade, what with my ginger skin.

And there we have it. Writing this post has helped me rediscover some little gems hiding in my makeup stash and I've already been delving back into my Vice 2 palette.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my picks, if you have any suggestions of other tags you'd like to see please leave me a comment and thank you for stopping by :D 

Eve xoxo