Urban Decay Naked3 Palette - Review and Swatches

Sorry I have been such an absentee blogger lately. I have been working from home most evenings as well as going to work during the day. Just finishing up an annual project. It's got to be done. This has left little time for blogging as you can imagine. As promised, here is my review on the Naked3 palette by Urban Decay.

This is a tough review to do. I say that because while I find the quality of the eye shadows for the most part to be stellar, but for me, the usefulness of this palette is minimal. It's just such a sea of pink rose! I know what you are thinking and you are right. You are thinking, "Hello Alexis, it's obvious the palette is all pinks, roses and a couple of brownish mauves....what did you expect you dingledorf?" Point taken. While I can wear some pink eye shadows, if worn incorrectly or too much I can look bruised or sickly. Same holds true for many people I know.

I had to have this palette because I love Urban Decay eye shadows and I am a makeup collector. I own all of the Naked palettes. Before I get into the specifics of my review I will offer up my suggestion of whether or not to buy this palette to you upfront. If you love pink or rose eye shadows, buy this, you will love it! If you are a makeup collector and have to have the whole Naked collection, buy this!

If you want this palette for travel only, don't buy this. If you are on a budget, don't buy this. If you are new to makeup, don't buy this. If you like neutral colours on your eyes, and want to start experimenting, don't buy this. Finally, if you are looking for an all around great palette that will give you a variety of looks, don't buy this!!!

There, I said it. As mentioned, the quality of the eye shadows is fantastic for the most part. They are smooth, creamy, blend easily and most are well pigmented. The exceptions to being well pigmented are Dust, Burnout and Trick. They don't swatch well and fade very quickly. Dust is also very crumbly and causes a lot of fallout. Strange is well pigmented, but fades quickly and I just don't like it for some reason. My favourites shades in the palette are the ones on the right side, the darker ones. Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart are gorgeous. I don't have anything like those in my collection. Limit and Nooner are good crease blend out colours, especially if you are sick of using tan or beige for that purpose.

Here are the first four colours on the left. Strange (which is strange!), Dust, Burnout and Limit.

 

So from Limit going right is Buzz, Trick and Nooner.

Then Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart.

The palette comes in a metal snap case which I like. A dual end brush comes with the palette as well. The brush didn't impress me at first glance, but after I used it, I found that it really picks up the product well and can be handy to have in your brush collection.

My main beef with this palette is that no matter what look you put together with this palette, it looks pink or purple. I find you can get more of a variety of looks with the original Naked palette and the Naked2 palette. This, of course, brings me to the burning question. Of the 3 main Naked palettes, which one do I prefer? The answer for me is a no brainer. The original Naked palette is #1 followed by Naked2 and finally Naked3. I will give Urban Decay kudos for coming out with Naked3. To my knowledge there isn't another palette on the market like it, and for that, they have filled a niche. This was very creative on their part. Okay, enough babble, here are the swatches:

 

Left to right is Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz and Trick.

 

 

Left to right is Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart. 

 

Sorry I used different light in both shots, my bad. I think you get the jist of the colours though. I will definitely use this palette in conjunction with other palettes to put together looks. I just don't see me using this palette exclusively for one look very often. This palette is $64 Canadian or $54 U.S. Each shadow is 1.3g which is decent.

Packaging: 10/10  

Pigmentation: 8/10 (darker colours are better)
Easy to Work With: 8/10
Longevity: 7/10 (darker colours are better)
Colour Stays True: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 7/10 (you get a lot though for your money)
Ingredients: 7/10
Travel Worthy: 8/10
Attractiveness of Product: 6/10
Would I buy this again? Likely not
Overall Rating: 7.5/10