You may remember back when Kelly put together a massive xoVain gift guide that I wished really hard for Santa to bring me the Urban Decay Naked3 palette. And I guess I must have been especially good this year, because guess what…
That’s right. I got it. And I was way more excited about it than Oliver was.
Urban Decay
Naked3 Palette$52.00
If my Instagram and Facebook are any indications, you guys love Naked3 as much as I do. In fact, “Can you do a Naked3 tutorial?” has easily been the most popular question I’ve been asked in 2014 so far.
Because I am a hopeless overachiever, I looked at those questions and was like “ONE tutorial? Pfft! How about THREE?” And that is what I am going to do today: three awesome looks you can do with the Naked3 palette.
But first, an overview.
Urban Decay seems to have been listening to a lot of the constructive criticism that makeup fans have thrown their way, because Naked3 is set out waaaaaay more logically than Naked and Naked2. The shades are arranged from light to dark, which my brain finds much more pleasing than the higgledy-piggledy colour organisation of previous palettes.
As with all Urban Decay eyeshadows, the colours are really excellent quality. There’s enough of a variation to give you a lot of options, but they aren’t so far out that you’ll be limited to using them only on the weekends. It’s a great set of shadows for every day, as well as for special occasions.
The shadows can be split into roughly three groups by their finish: matte (no shine at all), satin (a tiny bit of shine) and shimmer (LOTS of shine). Blackheart--which is my favourite colour--is in a category by itself, being a matte black with super fine pink microglitter throughout.
I am also a really big fan of the brush that comes with it. The densely bristled end is perfect for applying shadow, and the fluffy end is perfect for blending it. I am fussy about my brushes, but this one is a definite keeper. I use it almost every day, and not just with my Naked shadows.
Let’s move on to the looks. For the sake of simplicity, I am keeping my face--BB cream, powder, concealer, blush and shimmer powder--the same in all of these. All that’s going to change is the eye makeup and the lipstick.
LOOK #1: Romantic shimmery angel.
For this look, which is perfect for daytime and would likely be described as “nude” and “glowing” on the red carpet, I am going to use the three most shimmery shades in the box: Dust, Buzz and Trick.
I began by applying Dust, a light shimmery pink with a hint of sparkle, all over my mobile eyelid, which as I am always saying, is the part that moves when you blink.
Now, we’re going to define (or create) the crease with Buzz, a darker shimmery rose-gold. Follow the curve of your eye socket with the shadow, then blend really well. Don’t join it to your lash line--it will be a free-floating arched line. The goal here is to be able to see a little of the colour when you have your eyes open.
Then I added Trick, a rosy bronze shimmer, to the outer corners, attaching the crease shadow to the lash line and blending inwards slightly. This shadow is so shiny that it shows up best if you slightly dampen your brush before applying it.
M.A.C.
Technakohl Liner$16.00
Under the eyes, I used a tiny bit of Trick on the outside corner, then gently lined my under-eyes with MAC Technakhol liner in Greyprint.
Finally, I highlighted under the arch of my brow and on the inner corners of my eyes with a shimmery white shadow. I defined my brows, applied some mascara, and my eyes were complete!
L'Oreal
Infallible 8HR Le Gloss$9.99
I decided to keep the shimmery pink theme going on my lips, so I used L’Oreal Infallible 8HR Le Gloss in Blush. It’s a pinkish nude that doesn’t make me look washed-out, and I like the sparkle.
The final look is simple but pretty, and a really easy way to wear a whole bunch of colours on your eyes without looking overdone!
LOOK #2: Retro vamp.
This is a look that would be described on the red carpet as “dramatic” and “retro,” but to me is just a fun way to get creative with matte (or mostly matte) colours. I’m going to be mainly using Strange, Nooner and Darkside here.
First, apply Strange, a matte off-white, about three-quarters of the way across your mobile lid, starting from the inner corner.
Next, apply Nooner, which is a matte pink-toned medium brown, to the outer corner and blend inward so that the two colours meet and mix a little, but don’t blend all that much.
Then, take a small amount of Darkside--a slightly satin grey--and apply in a curved diagonal line up from the very outside corner. Don’t follow the arch of your crease all the way around; just make a little rainbow on your outside corner. Blend really well.
Now we’re going to use Darkside again, but this time as eyeliner.
I mix a drop of contact lens solution in with my shadow, and using a thin brush (mine is a very fine paintbrush), trace the shape that I want my liner to be. Because this is me we’re talking about, it’s going to be a cat eye (OBVS). I find using a brush for liner kind of a challenge, so I draw the shape first, then fill it in. This way I can be sure it’s even on both sides.
I used Darkside as liner again on my lower lashline, drawing an almost-straight line from the outer wing of my cat eye to about the halfway point of my lower lashline. Blend this slightly with some dry shadow to soften the line afterwards. This will give you a defined but not harsh look, without going into full smoky-eye territory.
I used Strange again on my very inside corners, using the stiff-bristled end of the Naked brush to make sure that it applied really heavily and the matte finish was very apparent. I had 1990s RuPaul in my mind when I was thinking about this, for some reason.
A coat of mascara, defined brows, and the eyes are done!
L'Oreal
Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lacquer$9.99
For the lips, I decided to go full glamour and use L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lip Lacquer (phew!) in Berry Persistant. This is such a great gloss formula, and the colour is amazing. It wears fairly pink on me, because my lips are naturally quite pink, but in certain lights it looks far more purple, and occasionally even a deep red. Such is berry lipstick life!
And now, the finished look…
‘Cause I’m a camp, a scamp, and a bit of a tramp, I am a V-A-M-P...VAMP.
Look #3: Smoky eyes.
I’ve been doing a lot of smoky-eyed looks for you guys lately, and I don’t know why--like my shorter haircut, this just feels RIGHT. I probably would wear this on the red carpet because it photographs exceptionally well. It also lets me use some of my FAVOURITE colours in this palette, which was really excited about.
To start with, I applied Strange from my crease up to my eyebrow. I want to have the maximum contrast between my dark lids and the light rest of my eyes.
Next, I applied Mugshot, a medium brown with a rose-gold tint, all over my mobile lid. I found this shade to be slightly more powdery than some of the others, so you may need to use a primer first if you have especially oily skin. I also ran it about three-quarters of the way across my lower lash line.
Next I took Blackheart, most perfect of all UD shades, and applied it underneath my lower lash line, along my upper lash line, and following the natural crease of my eye.
I blended the Blackheart well with the fluffy end of the brush that came in the kit, adding a small amount of extra product where necessary as I went.
Here’s how it looked when I was done.
From here, it was a simple matter of applying a little black liquid eyeliner to fill in the gaps between my lashes where the dark shadow couldn’t get, and adding some highlight to the inner corners of my eyes and under the arch of my brows.
Some mascara and fix up my eyebrows--they tend to rub off when you’re putting on and taking off so much makeup--and I’m all done!
Lipstick Queen
Saint$20.00
For the lips, I decided to go with a light red that compliments, rather than competes with my eyes. Lipstick Queen’s Saint lipstick in Deep Red is freaking perfect for this.
And here is the finished product!
I vote more smoky eyes in 2014!
And now I turn the floor over to you guys: Which of these looks do you like the best? Which one would you most like to try? Did you get the Naked3 palette this year--I know a lot of you did--and if so, how are you liking it?