How to apply almost every single shade from Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette. Almost.

The palette in question

The palette in question

Urban Dacay's Naked 3 palette happens to be my most-loved and used eyeshadow palette ever and I have no qualms about recommending it to others. But what do you do whence confronted by all twelve shades; some might tuck it away, curl up in a ball and call it a day. Others, like myself, will rise to the challenge and find a way to use them all.

Mersaedes, this one's for you.

Let's get started.

Tools of the trade

Tools of the trade

Here's what you need:

  • Primer, preferably one without shimmer
    • NARS Smudge Proof Primer - appears white, dries clear
    • Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original) - beige in colour
    • Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer - beige in colour
  • A foundation brush and Q-tips for post-application clean up
  • Spooly brush to rid your lashes of any mascara clumps
  • Eyelash curler
  • Mascara
  • Brown Eyeliner - I'm in love with Marc Jacob's Highliner Gel in Ro(Cocoa)
  • A blending brush or you can use the double-ended brush that comes with the Naked 3 Palette. I used UD's brush to prove that it's possible to execute these looks with a mediocre brush.

Steps 1 & 2:

  • Grab your brown liner to tightline. I can't evenly apply eyeliner to save my soul, so I prefer to do this method as a cheat for fuller lashes.
  • Apply Limit on your eyelid and blend out any harsh edges just above your crease.

Steps 3 & 4:

  • Highlight your brow bone with Strange.
  • Next, apply Burnout to the outer corners.

Steps 5, 6 & 7:

  • Highlight the inner corners of your eyes with Dust
  • Apply Mascara
  • Clean up any fallout

Now, you can stop here or skip steps 6 and 7 to take this look a bit further.

Step 8:

  • Contour your outer crease with Factory to add a bit of dimension
    • Be sure to blend like it's your job

Steps 9 & 10:

  • Lightly dab Trick on the centre of your eyelid for a pop shimmer.
  • Starting from the outside and working your way in, line your lower lash line with Darkside and blend into Dust. 

Steps 11 & 12:

  • Load the smaller end of the brush with Blackheart to define the outer v.
  • Smoke things out some more by layering Mugshot over Blackheart and Trick

Steps 13 & 14:

  • Build up the shimmer factor at the centre of the eye lid by layering Buzz over Trick.
  • Finally, paint on a healthy helping of mascara and be sure to clean up eyeshadow spillage from the under eye area.
Close up of the final look

Close up of the final look

Jush your hair, pucker your pout and grab your dancing shoes because it's a three day weekend.

What sort of eye looks have you put together with UD's Naked 3?

Like a Ballroom Blitz? Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, is an Indian tradition celebrated at the start of every Spring. When I saw Urban Decay's teaser video on Instagram a few months ago I knew almost immediately where they could've pulled their inspiration from.

The mighty ten

The mighty ten

Nine pressed pigment shades were paired with its muse, Chaos, to tantalise the rainbow lovers. Personally, I'm a colour admirer -- I know what I like, but I've never been too bold in the makeup realm. Urban Decay's newest palette has given me a chance to taste that rainbow.

Revolt

Revolt

Revolt is a shimmery silver. I wouldn't necessarily say its super pigmented, yet it does make for a great colour for highlighting the inner corners of your eyes.

Gonzo (the not so great)

Gonzo (the not so great)

Gonzo is described as a "bright turquoise matte with floating tonal pearl." 'Tis bright, but chalky and patchy. 

Slowburn

Slowburn

Slowburn is as orange as the setting summer sun. Matte and pearl collide in the finish.

Savage

Savage

Savage is the apple of Barbie's eye. It's a matte fuchsia pink that'd make Ken jealous.

Fringe

Fringe

Fringe is a metallic teal; just think of a peacock's feather.

Chaos

Chaos

Chaos (not the kind in Britney's life) is a vibrant, matte cerulean blue and is probably just as patchy as Gonzo. This is a buildable blue that requires a bit of patience during the application process.

Jilted

Jilted

Jilted is a cranberry pink with hints of plum. This shade happens to be one of my personal favourites.

Urban

Urban

Urban is a punk-y regal purple that Queen Elizabeth could even get behind.

Freak

Freak

Freak is a moss green with golden undertones. Kermit knows full well it's not easy being green.

Thrash 

Thrash 

Chartreuse is the baby of lemon and lime. Urban Decay classifies Thrash as a matte, but I beg to differ.

Swatches from left to right: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage and Fringe

Swatches from left to right: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage and Fringe

Swatches from left to right: Gonzo, Jilted, Urban, Freak and Thrash

Swatches from left to right: Gonzo, Jilted, Urban, Freak and Thrash

Swatches of all ten shades

Swatches of all ten shades

I have no real tricks up my sleeve in the makeup skills department, so I watched a tutorial filmed by Leesha of xSparkage for advice -- for me, she is a master at whipping up wearable looks with extraordinary colour palettes.

Just like Leesha I kept things in the family and paired several colours (Gonzo, Jilted, Urban and Revolt) from the Electric Pressed Pigment Palette with the a few colours from the Naked 3 Palette.

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Prior to applying the six or seven shades seen above, I first applied NARS Smudge Proof Primer, which was followed by NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk in order to have a proper canvas. This duo (primer and white eyeliner) helped to make the eyeshadow stay put, so much that I didn't fret about colour fallout.

This palette made me super giddy, I felt like a kid in a candy store as I wrangled up my brushes before trotting off to create this look. I can't wait to see how the other six shades perform.

Overall, I'm impressed by this leap of faith purchase. Thanks to Tacita for helping to make this possible!

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment Palette:

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 9 out of 10 bags — There were more hits than misses.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

  • Tacita also picked up a couple of tubes of UD's Naked Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss I just so happen to be wearing Naked in these very pictures :)

Currently testing: Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment Palette

Parental Advisory: Explicit Content

Parental Advisory: Explicit Content

Swatches of all 10 shades from left to right: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage, Fringe, Chaos, Jilted, Urban, Freak and Thrash

Swatches of all 10 shades from left to right: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage, Fringe, Chaos, Jilted, Urban, Freak and Thrash

Wearing Chaos, Jilted and Urban along with several paler shades from the Naked 3 palette

Wearing Chaos, Jilted and Urban along with several paler shades from the Naked 3 palette

Here is a preview of the look I created with Urban Decay's newest release, The Electric Pressed Pigment Palette. Currently testing longevity and wearability. 

In the look above I was gunning for Jessica Alba's recent blue eyeliner look with a twist.

Strip off your inhibitions with Urban Decay's Naked 3

Urban Decay's Naked 3

Urban Decay's Naked 3

Naked gave us 12 Bronze Neutral eyeshadows, albeit enclosed in a velour-ish compact -- my OCD tendencies go into overdrive at the sight of dust sprinkled atop the case, thereby making it [the case] appear less than appetising and a pain to keep dust-free. 

Then came Naked 2, which features 12 Taupe Neutral eyeshadows tucked away in a metallic compact. I don't own Naked 2, so I can't attest to its taupe-abilities.

Finally, in late November Urban Decay released Naked 3, 12 new rose hued eyeshadows to drool over. Everything looks better through rose coloured glasses, am I right?

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Naked 3 swatches from left to right: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart

Naked 3 swatches from left to right: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart

I know the interwebs are overflowing with reviews of Naked 3, so I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet.

My thoughts in general:

  • I love the spectrum of colours and formulas -- mattes, satins and glitters, oh my!
  • Strange, while subdued, makes for the perfect base.
  • Some of the textured shades have a tendency to ball up. Just be sure to tap off excess shadow before applying in order to prevent fallout.
  • This particular collection is comparable to several different Burberry palettes. Making UD's Naked 3 a better bang for your buck.
  • Your options are endless.
  • The dual ended brush is a miss. Chuck it in the bin.
Wearing Naked 3 on my eyes

Wearing Naked 3 on my eyes

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To answer the question of the week. Yes, I did get my haircut and coloured. Let's just say my ends were looking pretty ratty and tired.

Emma and Brent of Xiang salon transformed my locks last Saturday. Thanks for all the compliments you sent via Instagram:)

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Urban Decay's Naked 3:

  • $52.00 USD. If you do the math, that's less than $4.50 per shade.

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 9 out of 10 bags — I had to take off a point, because a couple of the colours have a powdery finish.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?: