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Urban Decay is really milking this Naked concept, amirite? I hate to give in but fundamentally, I like rosy tones on my eyes. I haz opinions so… LEHGO!

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks
(click to view a bigger picture)

Swatches with a sponge-tip applicator below, no primer used. Where applicable, I will note which shades requires more than one swipe to achieve above pigmentation.

Strange – A satin-matte vanilla that leans pink. Moderate pigmentation.
Dust – 3+ swipes. A light, neutral pink with larger silver glitters. It has a gritty texture and the pigmentation isn’t great so it’s best used wet.
Burnout – 2 swipes. A light, peachy pink with warm pearl. The shimmer in Burnout is more refined than Dust but I still tend to use it wet to pack a greater punch.
Limit – A light, neutral dusty rose. It has a decent matte formulation but the shade is pale so requires significant building.
Buzz – A purpled, medium pink with silver glitters and a copper sheen. It has a metallic finish and is prone to fallout so I like to foil/use it wet (sensing a trend?).
Trick – A warm, peachy copper with gold sparkles. Similar metallic finish to Buzz and hence, I prefer to apply it with MAC Fix+.
Nooner – A medium, dusty rose that leans warm. Identical matte formulation to Limit, it is smooth but requires building to attain a pronounced colour.
Liar – A medium, warm brown with a frosted mauve overlay.
Factory – A medium to deep warm brown that is less frosty than most shades in the palette. Factory sometimes leans a tad eggplant; complex by Urban Decay standards.
Mugshot – A medium to deep taupe base with a high frost, champagne overlay.
Darkside – Deep base of equal parts mushroom and eggplant with a pearl finish.
Blackheart – A blackened purple base with sparse and course red shimmers (which are pretty unimpressive, if I’m frank).

The Final Verdict

I’m not going to bore you with a novel, let’s keep it short and sweet: the textures and quality of the Naked 3 shadows are very much aligned with the Naked 1 and 2 – if you liked those, you will likely be pleased with the performance of this palette. It really comes down to two factors: Do you like rosy shades on yourself? And how do you feel about frosts and shimmers? Because that is Urban Decay’s THANG.

Critiques

The workhorses of this palette are Strange, Limit and Nooner – the only three mattes in the palette. You’ll need to incorporate a matte somewhere in that eye look or it will result in a frosty, puffy looking eye (kinda dated, don’t do that). Limit and Nooner act as fabulous transition shades but are on the lighter side of the spectrum; I’m pretty fair at NC20 and both shades required a lot of building to become at all pronounced.

Then I arrive at a conundrum – what do I use to contour my crease? Limit and Nooner don’t fulfill my depth requirement, Darkside is shimmery f’real and Blackheart also scatters sparkle (albeit few and far in between). Better depiction of Blackheart’s said sparkle below.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

Naked 3 is missing a deeper matte shade and invariably, I find myself digging through my other palettes. I resisted that urge for the purpose of the looks below, as that wouldn’t be a accurate depiction of the palette, but it was a struggle at times.

Look 1: Warm

At first glance, Naked 3 appears to be a cool toned palette but it’s all a facade; most shades are neutral leaning warm. Trick is a flat out warm, peachy copper with larger gold sparkles. Totally within my comfort zone, I used it all over the lid with Nooner tight in the crease, Limit to blend out and Darkside in the outer crease (shimmery contours grrrrr). Finally, Factory blended on the lower lashline. Overall, a very warm take on the Naked 3.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

Look 2: Elongated & Top Heavy

A cooler and low-level shimmer take on the Naked 3, I used a black kohl pencil to map out a soft, elongated wing. I blended out the kohl with Blackheart, added Nooner all over the lid and in the crease with Limit blended towards the brow bone. Shimmer tends to aid in blending so I dusted Factory over the lid and left the lower lashline bare of shading or mascara. I think I liked this one best; kinda soft but clean and graphic at the same time?

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

Edited to add: You can find a tutorial of the above look rightttt here…

Look 3: Central Lid Highlight/Tulip Placement

Well out of my comfort zone, I used Limit and Nooner in the crease, Darkside in the inner and outer third, Buzz + Dust as a central lid highlight and a touch of Blackheart at the outer corner.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

Omergerd. My. Hair.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

That clearer? Tulip Placements don’t really suit me (sleepy meets drug addict?) nor does lining my lower waterline with black pencil, so I added a stripe of white pencil to mirror the upper central-lid highlight; it also helps to break up the overwhelming darkness (far more tolerable, to me).

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: Review, Swatches and Looks

My overall thoughts are conflicted; it’s a pretty combination of shades and I’m pleased to see rosy eyeshadows back in the spotlight (thanks, Urban Decay). However, I feel like an additional deeper matte would have made this palette far more versatile. Urban Decay Naked 4 = an all matte palette? Anyone willing to sign the petition?

xxkarima

Complete list of products mentioned

Naked 3 Palette
Naked 3 Palette
* Denotes products sent for consideration. Iā€™m always honest with my reviews :)

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  1. Great review & swatches! I agree that a darker matte would really tie this palette together and make a complete look more achievable. An all matte naked 4 palette would be awesome! But that’s probably what naked basics is for, right? I don’t have itbut i’m starting to think I need it. I really love the looks you have done, I did A similar look with the placement in the last one & I really like how it looks on you. Xx

    1. Hey Ashii šŸ™‚ I think Urban Decay makes great, smooth pearl formulas but they really neglect mattes :-/ Naked Basics is just so…basic! I feel like they could offer much more. x

  2. I agree with you, Naked 3 lacks another matte. Yet, I’m really enjoying it since I tend to love rosy shades as a wash of color with a winged eyeliner.

    A completely matte Naked palette? That would be a good idea, and AFAIR, Paula’s Choice is coming out with something like that, but a UD one would be nice -with more available shades than Naked Basics.

    1. I’ve actually had a lot of fun with Urban Decay Naked 3, it’s quite versatile šŸ™‚ I saw that Paula’s Choice Palette, jury is still out and I’m waiting for swatches to flood the internet! Naked Basics is very limited, I’d like to see a full on matte palette with both cool and warm options but that may be a bit optimistic of me šŸ˜‰ x

  3. Thank you sooooo much for your review and sharing your suggestions and looks. I just got the palette and was a little disappointed in the a few shades for being dusty and lacking pigmentation. I will totally try out the suggestion to foil them. šŸ™‚

    By the way your looks are so gorgeous and stunning. May I ask what lippie and blush you are wearing?

    1. Hey April! Yes, any Fix+ or even water will really help to amp up the tricky shades (especially Dust). I’m glad you like the looks šŸ™‚ I’m not wearing any blush in the shots because I’m flushed naturally (which irritatingly, doesn’t pick up on camera). The first lip is a mix (in attempt to conceal my very dry lips that day), the second lip is By Terry Terrybly Nude and the third lip is Givenchy Le Rouge in Beige Plume (with a touch of white in the centre).
      Hope this helps šŸ™‚ x

  4. Another fun to read post and definitely the best review of the palette I have seen so far. I got Naked 1 (which was just Naked at the time) and I was rather disappointed with the texture of the shadows making my eye lids look 20 years older (hey I am just in my 30s!). Somehow nothing really worked, wet, dry, different brush. I am not the biggest fan of frosts but some of my much loved eye shadow shades are frosts (Armani ETKs). Naked (1) ended up at the bottom of my drawer, never to be seen again since years. I skipped Naked 2 without hesitation but now those rosy golds, agghh, they are calling me! I am trying to resist. At least I decided I won’t get it until I try my Naked 1 once more (and maybe see how bad those perform on me and change my mind?). After reading the reviews, I was kinda tempted, between all those raves, I thought they reformulated these but after reading yours, I know the formula is the same. Thanks very much for the review.

    1. Hey Sara!
      All I’ve heard is raves about this palette, apparently nobody has any critiques? lol. I think you’re probably not a fan of Urban Decay frosts because there is very little complexity, Armani Eyes to Kill have a myriad of nuances and that is what Urban Decay lacks.
      Rosy tones look stunning on you (your Tom Ford post had me rushing out to purchase Escapade and Pink Haze) but if the textures/finishes of Urban Decay 1 disappointed you, I think this may yield the same response, sadly!
      Saved you some moolah šŸ˜‰ x

  5. Question: When you say use it wet, do you mean with water or Fix +. I thought those were synonymous but you describe them seperately.
    I kept scrolling down saying OMG, this one is my favorite look! Then, the next look I was like NO this one is. Needless to say, I loved em all!

    1. Hey Debbie, I use plain rose water and Fix+ interchangeably- both work well. I’m so pleased you like the looks, I really challenged myself to do something a bit different with the palette. xx

  6. Thank you so much for posting this! I can’t believe how many times I’ve heard people say that this palette is cool toned. It’s obviously pretty warm. My favourite shades are definitely the matte ones, but I am a sucker for mattes. I do wish UD would include more mattes in their palettes. You did a really good job on the looks and this has been the most helpful one on naked 3 that I’ve seen.

    1. My pleasure, Sarah!
      It’s a pretty darn warm palette but I DO like warm shades so I’m pleased; I would have liked to see Urban Decay extend their horizons a bit more and add some cooler shades but I’m just being critical šŸ™‚ I used the mattes in abundance, I wish there was one (or maybeeee two?) more. So glad you found it helpful šŸ™‚ x

  7. I love the second one, is there any chance of a tutorial? It’s beautifully graphic: the design and colours you use compliment each other beautifully. May I ask what you’re wearing on your skin? The ‘Luminous but not-greasy’ is perfect!

    1. Hey Clara,
      Great news, there is a tutorial on the second look coming šŸ™‚ In each of the pictures, I’m wearing a mixture of Armani Lasting Silk #4.5 and Chanel Le Blanc de Chanel (equal parts). Luminous and not-greasy is the perfect way to describe it- I’m loving the combo at the moment! x

  8. Long waited post!
    Karima, I think all 3 looks that you’ve done are amazing and you look great in any of those three style!
    I’ve got NAKED 1 but rarely use them as I tends to use my matte shadows a lot more (esp if I do eye makeup to work…not often but at times I do) as it is more work-appropriate for a matte nude look than a shimmer/frosty look …I guess I’m debating if the RBR and Suqqu ones will be enough for me to play on my payoff lol
    Oh and what lippies did you used with the above looks??

    1. I’m glad you liked the looks šŸ™‚ If you tend to veer towards matte shadows, this is NOT your palette lol. The first lip is a mix (in attempt to conceal my very dry lips that day), the second lip is By Terry Terrybly Nude and the third lip is Givenchy Le Rouge in Beige Plume (with a touch of white in the centre). x

  9. I just can’t get down with Urban Decay eyeshadows, as they are a hit or miss with quality.

    However I do think the color concept of Rose Golds is nice. I’m curious to know how they layer with Laura Mercier Rose Gold cream eyeshadow (the one in the silver tube), to see if the sparkle comes out more in some of the shades.

    1. as for my favorite look (it seemed to get cut off) is look #2! It’s a departure from lining the lower part of the eye.

      You make everything look fantastic Karima. Seriously you can make dirty chalk look magical with your skill xoxo

      1. Hey bebbiii šŸ™‚
        Yeah some shades are awesome but as you said: hit and miss. I was actually trying to tone down the shimmer in a lot of the shades so I’m not sure how I’ll feel about laying them over something like LM Rose Gold but I’ll definitely give it a try šŸ™‚ Doing a tutorial on the second look, I really enjoyed that one. Thank you darling <3 <3 x

    1. *gasp* not a fan of eyeshadow at all? It’s my favourite part of makeup!
      The first lip is a mix (in attempt to conceal my very dry lips that day), the second lip is By Terry Terrybly Nude and the third lip is Givenchy Le Rouge in Beige Plume (with a touch of white in the centre). x

  10. I have the first Naked palette, and I barely use it, so I certainly wasn’t going to go out and invest in this…but your amazing looks almost make me want to! I love the second, but honestly, I think the third also looks pretty damn sexy for a night out.

    Shani x
    She Dreams in Perfect French

    1. Can you swatch them in store, Shani? I think more refined tastes may find the palette a bit too shimmery but it comes down to preference; Urban Decay does have a great pearl formula. I did like the third look more than I expected, it’s always fun to try new things šŸ™‚ x

  11. My sister was just gifted this and I was perplexed as to what shades to play with for the same reason you said, where is the darker, mid toned brown? I actually like the third look best you did here!

  12. Woah, those pics! I am bored with those naked palettes, don’t own them, I was looking at the naked three and as soon as I saw swatches I knew that this palette wasn’t for me either. Now, I think the colours look very nice on you though! do more of those pictures, so fun to read and look šŸ˜€

    1. Claire, my fellow lipstick lover! I’m doing a showcase on the By Terry Rouge Terrybly line soon (will be a HUGE post…) so many more photos to come.
      Sounds like you know your tastes well, trust the gut! x

    2. I am rediscovering the by T lippies I already have and can’t wait for your swatches. I am really impressed by how amazing, nice and wonderful your blog has changed into a source full of amazing pics and looks to look at. love <3

  13. These are the most amazingly beautiful looks! wow – they are really wonderful! I love some UD shadows (mushroom, midnight cowgirl) but others can look heavy on me (sin) so i’m in two minds!

  14. Sometimes (who am I kidding, all the time) I like to pretend I’m a delicate ballerina. Of course this equates to wearing light pinks, and not, you know, dancing. Naked 3 shamelessly markets to my longing to be graceful and feminine and swan-like. But! I have resisted successfully so far because of the price tag, and I think I can finally put my cravings to rest thanks to your review. Wearing eyeshadow wet? That sounds like it would take actual effort, so no thanks.

    Of course, then you post pictures of your gorgeous self wearing it and looking all ballerina-y and suddenly I want it again. Are you at least getting a commission for wearing UD’s products so beautifully?

    (Also, what lipstick are you wearing in the third look please and thank you?)

    1. Hannah!
      Fellow ballerina-wannabe here! That dream died when I tore a ligament in my ankle, though šŸ™
      Yeah, quite a few shades require a bit of work. The final lip is Givenchy Le Rouge in Beige Plume (dabbed a bit of white in the centre- too much work? lol).
      I wish I was on the Urban Decay payroll, they’re making a killing on this Naked series. Get onto it, UD! x

  15. My favorite is the 2nd look (the matte one). can’t wait for the tutorial!! you look absolutely beautiful in all three looks. Although the first and third are a beautiful-like-Jennifer-Lawrence-in-American-Hustle beautiful vs a -Karima-in-2014-beautiful.

    I am also chiming in to ask about the lipstick you are wearing. Lovely!

    (response from earlier post – my ByTerry Love Me Tender is shimmer. I wish it weren’t because shimmer irritates my lips too. But the color is sooooooooooo beautiful. seriously beautiful.)

    x’s & o’s SJ

    1. That tutorial will be up tomorrow, SJ šŸ™‚ Too kind, seriously <3
      Hmm I don't normally like shimmer in my lip products but the sheer number of O's in that Soooooo make me very interested. Will swatch this asap! xx

    1. Some pink/red tones are much easier to pull off on the eyes, I think if they’re speckled with gold (which these are) they are a bit more versatile šŸ™‚ Glad you liked the photos! xx

  16. Hi, I’ve just got the Naked 3 and have just started using it. I’m glad it’s not just me who finds that Dust needs a little more work. It’s a shame as it’d be a great shade for me to highlight with but I find it just falls off the brush down my face! I’ll have to try it wet next time!

  17. You look absolutely STUNNING with the tulip placement! I watched the tutorial you linked on here, but I was wondering if you extended the “T” all the way up to your eyebrow? It doesn’t look like you did in the pics and I love the way you did yours!

    1. Hey Mackenzie!
      For the tulip placement, I keep that placement for the lid only. I still do some deeper shading through the contour of the crease because my socket isn’t very defined. Hope this helps šŸ™‚ xx

  18. Hi Karima, I love the makeup looks you created. I find them different from what is usually posted on beauty blogs. Number 2 is my fave šŸ™‚ but I find really interesting the black and white combo of your waterline in the third look! Xo, Alexandra

      1. Hello Karima…I am Karina :-)…I love your tutorials so much…I always follow your advice….That is all just saying thanks for being SO awesome!!!
        BTW I must insist, I think you look so so pretty with tulip or without. šŸ™‚
        Much love from the US!!

  19. should I buy the Naked 3 if i have very light skin with bluish greenish eyes? i want a lighter look not a dark, smokey eyed type.