Naked Basics.. all you need to know

Today I want to talk about the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. I've mentioned before how much I love this palette, and I do, but I want to be clear that I don't think this palette is for everyone. 

But first, lets talk about matte shadows. 

In case you were wondering, the word 'matte' means dull and flat with no shine. So a matte eye shadow is a shade that has no shimmer, glitter, shine, or sheen to it at all. Its a plain, flat color. Doesn't sound too pretty, huh? But it can be.

I really like matte shadows. There was a time when I didn't like them because I thought it looked flat and boring, but I did some research, and some learnin', and realized that if done properly it can look really neat and different. I love to play around with matte looks, and I think its a great way to make your eyes look really natural and pretty and stand out and be a little different at the same time. The first time I fell in love with a matte look was in this leighannsays video. (Go check her out.. she's one of my favorite YouTubers!)

A photo of the matte look she created.
See? Sort of dramatic and natural, all at the same time.. if that's even possible.

Okay, so now that we know how pretty matte looks can be.. Let me be real: ITS HARD! It took me a long time to realize just how much you need to blend these types of shadows. They can be very hard to apply if you don't know what you're doing (and I'll be honest, I don't claim to 'know what I'm doing' at all). After I bought my first matte eyeshadow quad and tried to use it, I put it away and decided it wasn't for me. I just couldn't get it to look seamless or blended at all, so I gave up for a bit. But after a while I picked it back up and kept trying, and I eventually mastered the art, sort of. I learned some important tips and tricks to creating looks with matte shadows, and I'll share them with you. 

1. Get a good brush.

If you don't have a good, soft, blending brush, it isn't going to work. I prefer the big blending end of the double-ended brush that came with my Naked 2 Palette. (If you don't have a Naked 2 palette, this brush can be purchased in-store at Ulta, but not online). The softer and fluffier the better, stay away from dense brushes, they don't blend as well. 

2. Use a primer.

Its really important to prime your eyes first so that the shadows go on smooth. My biggest complaint with matte shadows at first was how they went on blotchy and just weird. Once I started priming my eyes, I saw a huge difference in the way the shadow went on and in the overall appearance and opacity of the shadow.

3. Create a base with a skin tone shadow.

I like to take a creamy color similar to the color of my skin or a setting powder and apply it all over the lid. When you do this, it allows all the other colors to glide onto the skin without looking choppy or uneven. 

4. Use a shade that is similar to your skin tone to blend.

I take a light, flesh toned matte color and put a little on my blush to blend. Don't go too far into the color you're trying to blend, just add the light color to the edges and work in wind-shield wiper motions back and forth until it creates a seamless look. 

Okay.. so now that I've gone off on a tangent about matte shades, I'll get onto my main point. 

5/6 of the shadows in the Naked Basics Palette are matte. So no, I don't think this palette is for everyone. I think people look at the Naked Basics palette and think that its just a more affordable ($27), smaller Urban Decay Naked palette, but that isn't true at all. Urban Decay released this palette because so many people requested a matte version of the Naked palettes. Naked 1, 2, and 3 only have 1 or 2 matte shades per palette. So Naked Basics was created to have an entire array of mattes, ranging from light to dark. Venus is, however, a shimmery white shade, and the only shimmer in the palette. 

Venus: shimmery creamy white. not too glittery at all, just a slight sheen.
Foxy: a yellowy cream color with a matte finish, goes on very smooth and creamy.
W.O.S.: (Walk of Shame) a more cool-toned matte pink. perfect for an all-over lid color.
Naked 2: a light soft brown, with a matte finish.
Faint: this color is surprisingly darker than you'd think. a matte medium brown.
Crave: just your basic matte black. great to use as a liner. very soft and smooth.

I think this palette is great for people who like matte shades in general and know what to do with them. I also think this its great if you want to mix and match with other shadows from other palettes. Like I said here, matte shades are the only thing I put in my crease, as a rule. So I think this palette would be work if you had some shimmery eye shadows to create a look with, and use the matte shades of the basics palette to use in your crease. 

As a whole, though, this palette may not be for you, especially if you aren't experienced with matte colors and don't want to mix and match with other palettes. I wanted to write a post on this so everyone would be more informed about what they're purchasing, and so you don't go out and buy this palette because you see "Urban Decay Naked" and $27 (as opposed to $52) and think you're getting a deal. Honestly, I think it would be a great move for UD if they would come out with a similar palette, with more user-friendly shades. Sort of like Lorac's Pro to Go palette which has some of the best shades from the Lorac Pro Palette + blushes, in a more travel-friendly palette. Urban Decay, GET ON THAT! I hope I didn't totally confuse anyone or ramble too much, but felt the need to get it off my chest! Have a great day everyone :)