Product Review -- Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette

Usually at the holidays, Urban Decay puts out a new Vice Palette.

This year, they decided to do a variation on their matte Naked Basics Palettes with the Naked Ultimate Basics.

At this point, I'm nearly drowning in matte shadow palettes, but I still couldn't resist picking this one up too because the original Naked Basics Palette and the Naked Basics 2 Palette are some of my favorites.

Unlike those palettes, which contain six shadows each, the Naked Ultimate Basics features 12 shadows so if you don't own any matte shadow palettes, it's got all of your basics covered for sure.


The palette comes in a gold square plastic compact that features a kind of embossed starburst design. There is a large mirror on the inside that stays open by itself, so it would be a good palette to travel with.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette

You also get a double-ended brush, which features one end with short dense bristles that are good for smudging and a flat shader end that's good for packing on shadow.

The 12 all-new shadows in the palette are Blow, a light beige with a demi matte finish; Nudie, a matte pinky beige; Commando, a matte light taupe brown; Tempted, a matte light brown; Instinct, a matte medium pinky taupe; Lethal, a matte rich reddish brown; Pre-Game, a matte pale yellow; Extra Bitter, a matte burnt orange; Faith, a matte deep warm brown; Lockout, a matte deep brown; Magnet, a matte charcoal; and Blackjack, a matte black.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette

The formula for these matte shadows is the same as those in the other Naked Basics Palettes, so they're nicely pigmented, smooth, and creamy. They do seem to have a little more fallout than the shadows in the other palettes, though, but that's not a deal breaker for me.

I like the range of colors that are included in the palette because there are warm, cool, and neutral tones. Blow and Pre-Game are both good lid and highlight shades -- I love Blow on the lid, especially, because its slight satin finish has a pretty brightening effect -- and there are several good transition shades, such as Nudie, Commando, and Tempted, depending on your skin tone.

From l. to r.: Blow, Nudie, Commando, Tempted, Instinct, Lethal

From l. to r.: Blow, Nudie, Commando, Tempted, Instinct, Lethal

There are of course plenty of pretty crease colors to choose from too, but the real standout shade in the palette is Extra Bitter, which has such a pretty earthy warmth that it's ideal for fall and winter.

My favorite look that I've done with the palette is Blow all over the lid and up to to the brow bone, Faith through the crease, a little bit of Lethal in the outer corner, and a dusting of Extra Bitter over the edge of Faith with a duo fiber brush.

From l. to r.: Pre-Game, Extra Bitter, Faith, Lockout, Magnet, Blackjack

From l. to r.: Pre-Game, Extra Bitter, Faith, Lockout, Magnet, Blackjack

It may not seem exciting, but it's such a pretty look, especially on blue eyes.

As much as I'm enjoying the palette, though, I don't think this is a must-have for everyone.

If you don't have any matte palettes that you like, then I think this would be a good one to add to your collection. If you want a palette that has a combo of cool and warm mattes, then I think this is a good one too.

If you already have a bunch of matte palettes, you probably won't find anything particularly new in this one.

Honestly, though, part of me thinks the palette is worth it for Extra Bitter alone -- but then it's not a particularly unique color either so you may have something similar in your collection already.

The palette retails for $54, and is available at the Urban Decay website, Ulta, and Sephora.

Have you tried the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette? Are you a fan?