Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review

There's nothing I can really say about Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette that hasn't already been said, so I'll just cut right to the chase: I returned mine.

More on why after the jump!

Not that it isn't a good palette, but it's not a great palette.  I liked the updated packaging, and I really did like some of the colors.  Well, two: Verve and Pistol.  They were the cooler grey/taupe that I had hoped for, and I'd buy them if they were available individually.  There were a couple of others I liked too, but Verve and Pistol were the stars for me.

The thing is, I have the original Naked palette and it has served me well.  I have taken it with me on vacation for two weeks at a time, and I can get away with wearing it day and evening every single day without feeling like I am in a rut.

I played around with Naked 2 for a while, and I really felt at a loss for good day looks.  I can make it happen, but I wasn't wowed.  There is so much shimmer and some glitter, even though there is one more matte shade in this one than in the original.  I think it's that the shades are either light or dark; not much in between.  And the ones that might be in between are kind of glittery (I'm not a big glitter fan) or just more shimmery than I would prefer to use all at once.  While I like the tone of Naked 2 and prefer the idea of Naked 2 (taupes, greiges) over original Naked, I just felt that overall, I liked the options available in my original Naked palette better.  It felt more novel, and I prefer the inclusion of the eyeliner over the brush.

Some examples of my disappointment with Naked 2:

Tease, the mid-tone matte, is a bit of a joke.  It was difficult to get on my brush.  I had to dig at it to get the right amount.  Even then, it really went on as a sheer, light color even on my pale skin.  I prefer RBR's Solstice Halcyon, or any number of mid-tone taupes really, to this shade.

Foxy wouldn't show up on my lid; the yellow canceled out any redness I had, which was a positive, but I would have preferred something with color.

The third matte is a deep black, which doesn't work as a daytime color for me.  I would only use this as a liner during the day, so I would need to bring a liner brush with me to use it.

Half-baked and Busted are identical to colors in the original Naked, Half-baked (they didn't even try with that one) and Hustle (it's difficult to tell them apart).  I found some of the other colors to be more similar to colors in original Naked than I would have liked.

I had really hoped this palette would be a collection of cool-toned shades that complemented the warmer original Naked.  The overall impression of Naked 2 is cooler, but there are some shades that just as warm, and maybe warmer, than original Naked. I  also would rather have received an eyeliner than a brush.  I have some of Urban Decay's brushes, and the one included with Naked 2 is inferior to them.  I want to be able to travel with my palettes, especially with one as large as this palette.  If I were to take Naked 2 with me, I would feel compelled to take some supplemental shades/items with me.  What is the point, then?

Overall I do not feel like Naked 2 lives up to the hype.  I am especially disappointed with Urban Decay, because they over-hyped this palette in the days leading up to the release.  UD communicated via Facebook and Twitter that this was a cool-toned palette with taupes and greiges, when really only a couple or so shades MIGHT have fallen into those categories.  Then, knowing how sought-after Naked 2 would be, they teased and teased and then acted surprised as their site crashed within an hour of announcing that Naked 2 was available for purchase. Eager customers tried and tried to check out, but the site kept freezing on them.  Urban Decay, meanwhile, was pretty unapologetic.

This whole experience wasn't what you might call egregious, but it has left a unpleasant taste in my mouth.  It doesn't seem like Urban Decay put enough effort into this palette.  I think I am done with them for a while.

EDIT: I want to be clear, this is my opinion based on the fact that I already own the original Naked.  If I didn't own the original, then I might actually opt for the Naked 2 because I like the overall tone of it.  I feel that, with the exception of a few colors, the original Naked is too warm for me to wear in the cooler months so I tend to shelve it during that time.  Naked 2 would be helpful in that respect.  Owning both of these seems redundant though, as one doesn't do too much more than the other.  I hope that makes sense.  That, together with what I feel is misleading advertising and a lack of effort by Urban Decay, made it difficult for me to keep this palette.