Urban Decay claims, "The most anticipated sequel of the decade. Naked 2 has twelve pigment-rich, taupe and greige neutral eyeshadows. Our palette proves once again, neutral is anything but boring (and is downright sexy when worn Naked). Feast your eyes on our shades ranging from pale to deep, matte to sparkly. This collection lets you achieve lots of neutral looks, smoky dramatic eyes, and everything in between. Let's just say there's a whole new way to get Naked!"
I agree with what Urban Decay says completely. The Naked 2 Palette is full of taupey, cool toned colors that are very subtle on the eyes, but none of them are boring. But the whole "most anticipated sequel of the decade" thing I do not agree with. I'm pretty sure that award goes to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2... am I right?
Focusing back onto the review, this palette also comes with one of their dual ended karma brushes, one side being the Good Karma Crease Brush, the other being the Good Karma Multi-Tasker. Like the original palette's brush, it's not that great. They don't pick up shadow that well, and whatever they do pick up is applied in patches. Not what I look for in a brush.
As for the packaging, I have many things to say, both positive and negative.
The positive said is that it's just plain pretty. I like looking at it. It's very sleek and structured, yet small and compact. Basically, it's just appealing aesthetically.
With that said, it isn't practical. The original Naked Palette had a velvety feeling material on the outside and cardboard on the inside, which I know isn't 'glamorous', but it's smart and practical. The cardboard is a good insulator of heat, therefore your eyeshadows are less likely to be ruined by heat damage. It also is better at absorbing the shock from a nasty fall. The Naked 2 is made of tin and a small amount of plastic. Tin not only is a bad insulator, it is actually somewhat of a conductor, as it is a metal. This makes it more likely to absorb the heat it may come in contact with. It also provides little to no shock absorption. Therefore, it is not functional for traveling, no matter how small it is.
Anyway, onto individual reviews.
The first four shades are Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, and Chopper.
Foxy is a matte yellowy beige color. It's basically the color of my fair skin, only more yellow. I don't use this one much, but if you're doing a smoky eye, I would recommend putting this all over the lid and up to the brow bone. That'll just ensure the colors blend easier. Also, if you have a medium or dark complexion, this would be great as a brow bone highlight. The quality is very pigmented, and almost creamy, with no powdery feel.
Half Baked is a bright gold, slightly bronzy color. This particular shade is in the original Naked Palette, so I'm not sure why they put it in this one, but the pigmentation and color payoff is awesome.
Bootycall is a light cream color with peachy-golden undertones. It is one of the most used colors in this palette for me because it's great as an inner corner highlight or all over the lid. The formulation is smooth and pigmented, as usual.
Chopper is a really glowy, shimmery coppery color. It has very noticeable glitter, almost, almost chunky glitter. It's pigmented, but not as smooth or as easy to work with as most of the other shades. There is also noticeable, glittery fall out.
(In order from L to R: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, and Chopper)
The next four shades are Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, and Pistol.
Tease is a matte, plummy brown shade. It looks amazing in the crease to deepen the eyes, and I like this on my green eyes because the plumy color looks quite striking on them. This is one of the more sheerer shades, but I don't mind because it is still pigmented enough on my eyes, but I can see how it would annoy some.
Snakebite is a dark cool bronze color. It is super pigmented and almost buttery, and I like smudging this under the eye to add a little definition and make the eyes seem bigger.
Suspect is a really pretty golden taupey color that looks amazing all over the lid. It has a really pretty sheen to it and the formulation is impeccable.
Pistol, again, is a shade I don't use very much. With my green eyes, silvers don't tend to look as good as golden colors. But if you love silvery, taupey shades, this has amazing quality.
(In order from L to R: Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, and Pistol)
The last four eyeshadows are Verve, YDK, Busted, and Blackout.
Verve is a very cool, almost white shimmery color with silver undertones. Since it is slightly silver, I don't use it that often, but whenever I do use it, it works as an amazing inner corner highlight. The formulation is great, you only need a little tiny bit when using it.
YDK is a cool, slightly mauvey, caramel color. It is one of the prettiest colors in this palette, but the quality is slightly more lacking than the others, which is a shame. I don't want to label it as chunky, but it isn't smooth and it is more difficult to work with. Despite that, I still love the color, so I smudge it under the eye or lightly blend it into the outer corner whenever I use it.
Busted is a cool, dark brown. I like using this to line the eye, or I feel like it would be really nice for a smokey eye. It is super pigmented and blendable as well.
Blackout is a super dark, matte black. It is absolutely perfect for a more natural eyeliner look if you feel gel, liquid, or coal is too harsh. The formulation, like most of the others, is amazing.
(In order from L to R: Verve, YDK, Busted, and Blackout)
As usual, this is sold wherever you can find Urban Decay. It cost $52, but, as I said in my original Naked Palette review, it is worth it when you do the math.
Whether it's worth having both is a different story. If you don't like cool colors, obviously, this palette is not a good investment for you. However, if you like options or experimenting, I thoroughly recommend both.
Grade: 92.5% (A-)
Pigmentation: 5/5
Wear Time: 5/5
Ease Of Use: 4/5
Overall Quality: 4.5/5
Score: 18.5/20
Be Confident,
Molly
And there is something else added to my long Christmas wishlist. Thanks, Molly! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so very welcome! :P
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