Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette: Review and Swatches

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Matte eyeshadow lovers can once again rejoice with the release of Urban Decay's Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette ($68 CAD). With twelve brand new and exclusive matte nudes, the Naked Ultimate Basics promises a buttery and rich pigmentation. To see some swatches, click.......

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Packaging:
The Naked Ultimate Basics palette comes in a large and beautiful rose gold compact. The lid is etched with the most exquisite pattern made of fine lines radiating from the center of the palette. Inside are a large mirror and a short, duo-ended eyeshadow brush.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette

The palette includes twelve never-before-seen matte eyeshadows weighing at 1.2 grams each. There is a nice mix of warm and cool nudes so I can see the palette working with a lot of skin tones.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Formulation:
I've never been a huge fan of matte shadows due to their chalky and sheer formulation but many makeup brands have been making some great formulation improvements in the past couple of years. A few of my favorite matte neutral palettes include the Too Faced Natural Matte Eye Palette and the Lise Watier Spring 2016 palette. With that said, the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics definitely has the largest selection of matte colors in one compact. All twelve shades in this palette are brand new with no repeats of the previous Naked Basics or Naked Basics 2 palettes.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Overall, the formulation of the palette is a bit of a mixed-bag. A few of the light creamy mattes are rich and pigmented but the medium to dark shades are disappointingly dry and chalky. Shades like Tempted, Instinct, Faith, Lockout, and Magnet were just too dry and sheer. Even when I tried to swatch them on my arm, the application was skippy and chalky; in the swatches below, I actually had to apply quite a few swipes to attain a decent coverage that shows off the color. To see a breakdown of all the shades, read on below.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Blow: Pigmented soft cream
Nudie: Semi-sheer pink beige nude
Commando: Pigmented taupe cream
Tempted: Pale brown cream; this one is quite sheer and dry
Instinct: Mauve brown; this one is also very sheer and chalky
Lethal: Chocolate brown; again, this one is surprisingly sheer

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Eyeshadow Palette

Pre-Game: Pigmented pale yellow cream

Extra Bitter: Very rich and pigmented terra cotta brown; the formulation is really superb on this one, making me wish that all the shades in the palette were like this

Faith: Sheer warm medium brown

Lockout: Neutral brown with a very sheer and chalky pigmentation

Magnet: Soft gray; also slightly sheer

Blackjack: Reasonable pigmented carbon black

My verdict on this palette is that if you are looking for a whole lot of matte nudes, especially shades appropriate for blending in the creases, then this one is a great choice. However, if you are looking for some pigmented and creamy mattes that can be used on their own for a complete look, I would actually recommend something like the Too Faced Natural Matte Eye Palette, which provides a better value and a superior overall formulation.

Availability:
Urban Decay is available in stores and online at Sephora and UrbanDecay.ca.