Urban Decay Naked Mini Eyeshadow Palettes Review

Urban Decay Naked palettes have dominated the makeup palette industry since 2010, which was the year that the first Naked palette was born. If you’re an ‘80s or ’90s baby that really knew about makeup, then like us, you likely owned at least one of your own Naked palettes. At the time, it was seen as a right of passage, a beauty staple. Something that symbolised maturity and glamour. Over the years the collection grew, with a mix-match of neutral hues for all, each pigmented enough for varying complexions and offering a healthy selection of shimmers and mattes.

After years of watching which shades hit best and working out the ultimate line-up for our dream palette, Urban Decay has answered our beauty prayers. They’ve created three mini Naked palettes inspired by the top three best-selling Naked eyeshadow shades: Half Baked, Foxy and Sin. The silky formulas have been given an all-vegan upgrade and the shades promise a long-lasting and multi-dimensional finish.

Obviously we had to put it to the test and give you the low down. Here are five GLAMOUR staffers with five different complexions giving you their honest thoughts on the new Mini Naked palettes.

Urban Decay Naked Mini Palette, £27, Urban Decay

Shei Mamona, GLAMOUR’s Beauty Writer

Palette: Half Baked

Naked palettes have a soft spot in my heart. My very first Naked bought me so much joy and although a lot of the shades looked very similar to each other on my dark complexion, I still couldn’t help but swatch them one by one when given the chance. I was excited to try the mini palettes as they're portable, and as woman on-the-go, I’m a sucker for a mini. The packaging really got me since it’s so fun. I went for ‘Half Bake’, and on first impressions I wished it included one or two warmer hues as they’re all rather cool tones.

I applied the matte shade Buck Off as the base and played around with Edible in the outer corners and the crease of my eye sockets. As for the shimmer I used Half Baked and for the inner corner of the eye and using a small eyeshadow brush then dotted Rollin over it, which is mostly matte but with a very gentle sparkle. Considering how many compliments I received after finishing the look I think we’re onto a winner. Chuck in a burnt orange shade and this palette might have me in a severe chokehold.

Rating: 8/10

Denise Primbet, GLAMOUR’s Commerce Writer

Palette: Sin

When it comes to eyeshadow, I love wearable shades and I love it, even more, when they come in a compact form, which is exactly what the Urban Decay Naked Sin Eyeshadow palette delivers. As soon as I got my hands on this palette, I couldn't wait to dig in and play around with it, creating all types of looks: from soft everyday glam to a bolder smokey eye and a "siren-eye" type of look. 

There are six shades in total – all neutral and on a mauve-y side – making it a great choice for everyday wear. In my opinion, Boring is a great shade to blend in your crease, while Twisted (the darkest brown shade) can act as a cute, soft eyeliner. TBH is an easy way to add a lil' pop of colour and tie the whole look together, resulting in a Rose Gold-like finish. 

Spoiler alert, that is exactly the kind of look I went for, and oh, it did not disappoint. There was barely any fallout and the pigment of the TBH shade really paid off. Full-sized Naked Urban Decay palettes are what got me through my senior year at high school and this compact palette, in particular, reminds me of the iconic Naked 3 palette, which is still a firm favourite in my book. 

Rating: 10/10

Georgia Trodd, GLAMOUR’s Commerce Writer

Palette: Foxy

I love, love, love Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palettes – so much so that I almost always buy the new releases when they drop. Complete with six easy-to-wear-shades, Naked Foxy caught my eye immediately and I’m so glad it’s now part of my collection. I used Sly to give my eyelid crease some definition, then applied Funky Town to the outer corner of my eye and blended the two together for a soft-but-smokey effect (my go-to). 

Hot Stuff is the perfect inner-corner highlighter and pops, even more, when you apply it with your finger if you’re seeking a more glamorous look. Overall I was really impressed by the colour pay-off and, although there was some fallout when I first dipped my brush into the palette, I found it applied to my eyelids smoothly and didn’t even need much blending. I’ll definitely be reaching for it again.

Rating: 9/10

Elle Turner, GLAMOUR’s Beauty Editor

Palette: Half Baked 

There’s a special place in my heart for Urban Decay’s shimmery bronze Half Baked eyeshadow shade. Blended with Smog from the original palette to create a bronze smokey eye, it was my go-to for practically every uni night out. Reapplying it now just makes me remember getting ready with my mates. I ran out and moved on, but I’d forgotten how much I love it. This new mini cohesive line-up of six complementary shades, centred around Half Baked, is my actual #goals #dream palette. 

It’s warm, bronzy and sultry with mattes, shimmers, and a seriously autumn-appropriate copper (Breadwinner) that I was very excited to get stuck into and Buck Off, a matte terracotta to wear soft and diffused or strong and layered up. It also has shades like Rocky (a warm gold) that are mellow enough to wear every day, too. And the pigment, as always, is buttery soft and worthy of the hype.

Rating: 10/10

Luca Wetherby-Mathews, GLAMOUR’s Social Media Manager

Palette: Sin

When I saw this palette was called Sin I was expecting fiery oranges, burnt umbers, and sultry sparkly shimmers, so I was a little disappointed that the colours were pretty muted inside. It comes with three matte eyeshadows and three shimmer ones, which do give you range to create day-to-night looks with ease. I used Boring all over my lid, Twisted on my upper and lower lash lines and a mix of Sin and Unlucky in my inner corner. The end result was a very simple everyday eyeshadow look, which I did actually enjoy, but felt that the colours could've packed a little more punch. If you're after a day-to-day staple, though, this is for you.

Rating: 7/10

For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona

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