I’ve been itching to tell you about this cute little “mini Naked” palette from Urban Decay! It’s not actually a “mini” version of the Naked palette at all, though it is much, much smaller; it’s actually something of a matte version. If you have either of the original Naked palettes then you’ll know that they’re chock-full of shimmery, high-sheen shadows – brilliant for creating a dramatic, glimmering eye. Not so brilliant, though, if you’re after a low-key daytime look or if you have crinkly eyelids that look ten times worse with shimmer piled on top of them! The Naked Basics palette provides five completely matte shades and one very pale shimmer – perfect for a completely natural-looking, slightly emphasised eye.

Three of the shades (Foxy, Walk of Shame and Naked) are great neutrals that really help to brighten the lid and fade out discolouration. “Faint” (second darkest) is handy for blending into the eye crease and creating depth or washing all over the lid for an easy daytime look. The very darkest shadow, “Crave” is very nearly black. You can blend it with “Faint” or use it alone as a smoky, soft line around the eye – it’s really pigmented so you just need to dab your brush to achieve a deep, strong colour. I actually find all Urban Decay shadows to be highly pigmented, long-lasting and incredibly easy to apply – they are right up there with the very best, for me, when it comes to eye makeup!

Have a look at the video and see what you think for yourself – I’ve done a little demo just to show off the darkest shades. I think that the Naked Basics is a really nice addition to the Urban Decay range – feedback on previous videos tells me that a lot of people had been waiting for matte neutrals. One of the main attractions for me, with this, is that it’s a “mini” of something, at least in terms of packaging, and I love anything that’s been scaled down like this.

Launch date for the Naked Basics palette in the US is tomorrow (29th November) but UK fans will have to wait until the end of December. It’s going to be $28 and £20.

If you can’t see the video, you can click here!