Urban Decay Naked 1 & 3 Review

Hey lovelies! I received the original Urban Decay palette in February last year as a birthday present and it has become a staple part of my make-up collection and I use it almost daily. Unfortunately when the Naked 2 palette came out I wasn't particularly excited by it as I was already content with the neutrals I had in the Naked 1. From photos and swatches online I didn't feel that I could justify spending £37 on an almost identical palette and so I decided to let that one pass. 

However, Urban Decay recently released their third installment of the collection, the Naked 3 and as soon as I saw the press release photos I knew I had to have it. Unlike the Naked 2, there is no doubt about the fact that these colours are completely different to the original and unlike the previous two palettes all of the shades in this third palette are all brand new and exclusive to the palette.

  Colours

Naked 1- Urban decay describes this palette as a collection of “bronze-hued neutrals”. It contains a couple of matte browns (Naked and Buck), which are great bases for eye looks and also good for adding definition to the crease, whilst Half Baked and Smog are lovely for creating a bronzy look. The lightest shade in the palette, Virgin, is a shimmery champagne colour and works perfectly as a brow bone or inner corner highlight.

Naked 3- This palette is “rose-hued” and is extremely feminine and girly. It’s not as warm and bronzy as the original (with the exception of Trick which is a lovely shimmer copper) and instead contains a range of shimmery pinks (Dust, Burnout), mauves (Buzz, Liar), pinky browns (Nooner) and even a beautiful shimmery black infused with specks of red glitter (Blackheart). The highlight colour in this palette is Strange, which is an extremely pale pink/champagne colour (almost white) and I love that it is a matte shadow. Unfortunately I’ve found that the matte Urban Decay shadows tend to have quite poor pigmentation but this is absolutely not the case for this shade. 

Temptalia has some amazing swatches if you'd like to see these colours up close.

Packaging

Naked 1- I love the chocolate brown velvet case of this palette, but unfortunately it does get dirty extremely easily and it’s a bit irritating that the letters have started wearing off. I do like the magnet closure however and I’ve taken it on various trips and it’s always been very secure and none of the shadows have been damaged. I really dislike the brush that comes with this palette though as it's quite stiff and is only really useful for packing on colour.

Naked 3- Urban Decay have clearly acknowledged the obsession girls have developed lately with rose gold and there’s no denying that the packaging of this palette is lovely. The metal casing does make it feel slightly more high end and durable. Also, the fact that the mirror inside is so much bigger is definitely a major plus as it makes it perfect for travelling and on the go touch ups. The brush supplied with this palette is double ended and much softer and it's great for blending so i'm really happy with it.

   The Naked 1 came with a mini tube of the original primer potion. The Naked 3 came with 

   this collection of samples of the different types of primer potion that have since been released and i'm excited to try them out, but to be honest I love the original formula so I think I would preferred to have another tube of that one.

Which do I prefer?

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore the Naked 3 and can't wait to start experimenting with all of the colours . However if you don't yet own any of the Naked palettes or are on the hunt for the perfect palette of everyday neutrals I would definitely say go for the original Naked palette, as it really is worth the hype and can create endless different looks.

Both palettes retail for £37 in the UK and can be purchased from Debenhams and House of Fraser.
Which palette do you prefer?

Sales Shopping!

Hey lovelies, this year I managed to get some really good deals in the Christmas Eve/Boxing Day sales and I thought i'd show you what I bought.

Knitted Jumper- £25 from Topshop

I don't usually tend to look at anything other than make-up in House of Fraser, but I actually bought this in their Topshop concession. I love wearing big chunky knitted jumpers, particularly with shirts underneath as I think it looks really cute when the collar pokes out! I don't often buy knitwear from Topshop as I think it's really overpriced but this was a great deal (it was originally £46) and I loved the peach colour.

Playsuit- £25 from Topshop

I didn't see that much in the Topshop sale that I liked but I saw this in store in the petite section and thought it looked really pretty. It's a nude/cream colour and is made of a chiffon type material and I think it will look great with a statement necklace and a pair of heels on a night out. Also, i'm pretty sure it's the one Tanya Burr is wearing in her twitter icon photo!

Skort- £19.99 from Zara

I already have a black skort from Zara and I love it, so when I saw this tartan one in the sale I knew I had to have it! This one looks more skirt-like from the front which I like and the material feels really high quality. I think this could be good for everyday wear but i'm also excited to see how I can style this for a night out.

Necklace- £2 from New Look
I don't tend to wear much jewellery on a daily basis, but i've wanted a new statement necklace for a while. I like that the spikes on this necklace are only at the front as it means it'll go well with a collared shirt. I think this will compliment a lot of outfits and for £2 you can't really go wrong!

Shoes- £4 from Primark

These weren't strictly in a sale as such as Primark always have offers on their shoes, but I wanted a nice pair of brown pumps for everyday wear and I liked the style of these ones. They're a ballet pump/moccasin hybrid and I know i'll get a lot of use out of them.

Riding Boots- £20 from New Look 

I'd wanted some riding boots for a while as I think they are a great winter staple and I saw this pair online in the New Look sale for just £20 reduced from £69.99, which I thought was great considering they're real leather! They're quite a slim fit which I like as it means they look great with skinny jeans but the elastic back means they do have a little stretch room. I wore these for the first time on a day trip to London which probably wasn't the greatest idea as I ended up having to pop to Boots for some Compeed plasters but hopefully once i've worn them in a bit more they'll be okay! 

I also bought some new underwear from Gilly Hicks, but i'm still waiting for it to come. They have some great deals on at the moment though so i'd definitely recommend checking them out!
I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I got in the sales, did you manage to grab any good deals?