Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Palette Review: Worth the Splurge?
Urban Decay just released their newest addition to the Naked palette family: Naked Ultraviolet.
While the Naked palettes are typically rooted in neutral colors, the Ultraviolet palette features twelve shades with a heavy purple lean. This is the first since Naked Heat that I was actually excited about, since the last three (Cherry, Reloaded & Honey) were a bit of a snoozefest (Naked Heat came out before every other brand put out warm orange/neutral palettes… I feel like the other three followed trends that were already popular.)
Side note: has anyone noticed the difference in prices between the Naked palettes? They range from $45-$54… I wonder how they decide that and why they’re not all the same. Hmm.
Naked Ultraviolet still has a good selection of lighter neutrals to keep it wearable for everyday, but the glitters and vibrant purples are what really make this palette unique. I’m actually really glad they didn’t let the neutrals overpower the overall theme for the sake of “safe” shades.
I do have a couple specific complaints about the shade range, though. It leans very light and mid-toned with only a couple deeper shades to add definition. Even some of the purple shades that seem dark in the pan translate more medium on my skin tone. I also really wish there was even one deep matte in here?! Why is Digital (which is described as a smokey black with red micro-shimmer but definitely translates as a satin brown) not matte?! I’m not alone in preferring dark mattes for the outer corner, right?? In fact, we actually only get three mattes total out of this palette which makes me feel slightly limited.
Regardless, have some damn gorgeous shades in here. My favorites are V.R. (raspberry sparkle with iridescent shimmer), Optimized (lavender matte) and Purple Dust (ultraviolet with iridescent shimmer). I did notice that the glitter shades apply more smoothly and with more pigment when using your finger, or in a packing motion, versus sweeping on with a brush. In fact, most of these shades feel stiffer than the typical Urban Decay shadow and needed building up to look as vibrant as they do in the pan.
If you love purples, I don’t doubt you will love this palette. However, because of the predominately shimmery shades, most of your looks will be just that: either full of sparkle, or pretty subtle if you stick to the neutral shades only. I’m excited to continue to play with it and discover its possibilities, but I do feel backed into a corner a bit.
Is the Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet palette worth the splurge? This is a palette that I would probably wait to purchase either during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty or Sephora VIB sale, especially if you’re not wearing purple shadow— or shimmer shadow, for that matter— regularly. I think they did a good job at making it wearable, but I wish it didn’t take as much work to build up the color and that we had more range of tones and finishes.
I am totally in love with the look I created above, though. Here are the shades I used:
- Purple Dust in the inner & outer corner
- Warning as a transition shade
- Cyber Punk toward the inner portion of the lid and lower lash line
- Optimized topped with V.R. in the center of the lid and lower lash line
The Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet palette is now available at Ulta Beauty for $49.
How do you feel about the Naked Ultraviolet palette? Love it? Hate it?
