If you’re anything like me, Urban Decay’s Naked eye shadow palettes are something of teenager-hood defining. The essentials list for any of our school leavers parties was defined by the original Naked 1 or 2 palettes; it was the first eye shadow palette for many of us when we graduated from the school of Barry M, just after we left our Dream Matte Mousse in our school buses rear view mirror.
We would spend hours getting ready, perfecting our toned-down neutrals and light pink looks before we would burst into tears over our wonky cat eye flicks. While a staple of these younger make up days, the recent evolution of the Naked Palette, with the launch of Naked Heat (and its smaller sister the Heat Petite Palette) last year, brought a distinct darkening in the colour spectrum.
The Naked Heat palette boasts unbeatable pigmentation of 12 dreamy burgundy coppery shades and quite literally set the internet alight with the glowing reviews following its release. The shades range from the ideal base, with Chaser, Sauced and Low Blow, to the shimmering pinks of , with Dirty Talk and Scorched, meeting with the flawless Lumbre in the middle, my most championed shade of all. It is most definitely the make-up item I never stop recommending; it was the first gift I ever bought for my uni wife/best friend and the holy grail palette for all activities as my role as our uni houses very amateur MUA.
Since last autumn, I’ve been ready to accept the Naked Heat as my one and only. But since it’s announcement almost a year later, the Cherry palette has made me reconsider this choice for monogamy. In a bid for its own range of fruit themed products given the success of Too Faced’s Peach collection, the palette comes alongside a whole host of other crimson themed products. The palette itself is complete with a whole host of new aptly named shades, proving once again that whoever gets to name eye shadows has the greatest job in the world; my standout favourites being Feelz and Juicy, who look exactly as they are named. For the hefty price of these palettes, retailing at around £42, the payoff is truly in the detail and the aesthetics of the palette certainly match up to its predecessor, my palette came in it’s own cherry decorated sleeve with the pun “You’re the cherry best” (and who can resist a fruity pun?).
In the battle of the two palettes, which are similarly toned, I don’t think there can be a definitive winner. Both palettes could be used for both day and night looks and I feel like the whole set of 24 could be used interchangeably. Now that Urban Decay have announced that they will no longer produce the first Naked palette, it is clear to see that palettes with braver colours and more pigment will keep on coming. Which means I’ve definitely got designs upon their new Backtalk palette…
