Urban Decay Naked2 First Impressions

This arrived on my doormat this afternoon. I excitedly ordered this the moment I received the link because I thought it would sell out like Naked did. Thankfully it didn't and I think there are still plenty available from Debenhams online. As an added bonus I got 680 Beauty Card points (500 if you spend over £30 and 5 points per pound).

I just thought I'd write this post to give my first impressions of the palette. Naked2 seems to have divided make up lovers everywhere; some love it, some hate it and some are indifferent. I'm probably in the last category. I wasn't going to buy this when I first heard about it because I didn't think the shades were as suitable for my skintone as the shades in Naked. However, I was sucked in by the hype and convinced myself that a girl can never have too many neutral shadows.

Most people comment on the differences in the packaging and say they prefer Naked2's sturdier casing. I don't dislike the packaging on either Naked or Naked2. I've not had any problems with my Naked palette's packaging and I always take it with me when I travel.

The palette includes the following shades:

Foxy - this light matte shade is the most disappointing in the palette for me. It's pretty poorly pigmented and a little chalky.

Half Baked - this is in Naked and I do use it a bit. It's very warm toned though so cooler toned girls may not appreciate this shade. It is pigmented and very creamy.

Bootycall - again this isn't terribly pigmented when swatched but I've not tried it on my eyes yet. 

Chopper - I have been contemplating picking this up in single form so I'm pleased to see this in the palette. However, it is a bit disappointing pigmentation-wise as it's not as creamy as some of the other shades.

Tease - this is the best matte shade in the palette. It's pretty smooth and I can see myself wearing this. 

Snakebite - this is one of my favourite shades in the palette. It's creamy and very well pigmented. I can see this being a good all over lid shade for me if I'm in a hurry.

Suspect - this is another nicely pigmented shade and again, it's one I think I'll get a lot of use out of.

Pistol - I have no complaints about this one either!

Verve - I really like this shade too and can see myself using it a lot as an all over lid shade.

YDK - this one is a bit of a shimmer-fest but thankfully it has no glitter in it unlike some other UD shades (*cough* Naked's Sidecar)

Busted - this shade swatched a bit darker than it looks in the pan. It's probably one of the only shades I'd use as a crease colour in this palette.

Blackout - I'm not a fan of this at all but then I never use black shadows. I didn't find it to be very well pigmented and can't see myself using it very much.

Unlike my Naked palette which came with an eyeliner duo, this palette comes with a double ended brush. I heard people say that this brush was nice quality but I have to say, I really don't like it. I used it today (as you can see!) and the bristles are so hard that it's painful to use. I don't think it works well with the generally creamy/buttery texture of the shadows in the palette. 

Instead of a mini primer potion, Naked2 comes with a mini Lip Junkie in the 'shade' Naked. I say 'shade' because this has no pigmentation whatsoever on my lips. For me that's a good thing since I'm not a fan of the shimmery coral colour it looks in the tube. I quite like the gloss, surprisingly. I've been wearing it all day. It smells like peppermint and it's not overly sticky (I hate sticky gloss!). I prefer this to a Primer Potion as I'm a Shadow Insurance girl but I can see why some people won't appreciate a mini lip gloss. 

Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper

Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol

Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

I tried to swatch the shades on my arm but couldn't get the two lightest ones to show up at all on that paler skin so I did some (really rubbish) swatches on my hand as the skin is darker there. There are a million and one blog posts and videos on this palette so google is your friend if you're looking for pretty swatches!

Overall, I'd say it's an okay palette. I'm not amazed but I'm not disappointed either. I think this is the palette I'll be reaching for more when I'm in a rush.

Did you pick up this palette? Are you planning to?

Stace xx