.. looking skinny like a model, with your eyes all painted black.

Hi lovelies, today I'm reviewing my Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay. This isn't a new product but it is a classic and I wanted to share it for those that might be interested. I've already posted a little about why I picked the Naked 2 over the original Naked palette here, but today I wanted to talk more about the shades specifically, and what I like about this palette.

The main difference between the Naked 2 palette and the Naked palette is that the original has generally warmer tones, whereas the Naked 2 has more 'greige' and taupe shades. The original palette is also lacking a matte black which is a real essential for me. I was originally a little disappointed that the Naked 2 came with a lipgloss rather than a mini primer potion like the original as I'm not normally a lip gloss fan at all, but it's nice on a nude lip (something I've been trying to get back into, as I'm too in the habit of applying a red lip every day!) Still, the lipgloss is lovely, very long lasting, and has a lovely minty taste, so I don't mind too much. I've not found a need for a primer potion anyway, as the shades last well as they are. I prefer to apply them on top of a nude coloured eye crayon which helps them stick a little more, but this isn't essential.

This is how my palette looks currently. Bear in mind that I bought this in September, it has survived aeroplane travel, many bumpy journeys back and forth from uni, and has been used almost every single day. I think the fact that the palette appears so minimally used shows how much of an investment it is. The main 'damage' to the shadows is from when I first used the palette and was used to being quite heavy handed with the brush to pick up eyeshadow, as is needed with some cheaper eyeshadows to get a colour payoff. I didn't realise quite how pigmented they were going to be - a little goes a long way with these. I'll talk you through the shades and what I like to use them for...

Foxy: This is a great matte base colour that is my go-to for my everyday makeup - a nude eye and liner.

Half Baked: This is a really gorgeous gold that makes the blue in my eyes stand out, but a gold is beautiful on any colour eye. Sometimes I'll rub a little of it onto the inner corners of my lids which really brightens them and gives a subtle but pretty effect. I wore this a lot over Christmas with Fantasy liner by Lush.

Bootycall: Really pale, really shimmery - a highlighting shade that's great under the brow bone or in the inner corners of the eye.

Chopper: A coppery shimmer that makes blue eyes really stand out, I wouldn't have been drawn to this originally but now I love it and it's a real go-to shade for me.

Tease: A matte, medium brown and the perfect contour shade.

Snakebite: A warm, medium-dark brown - makes a really good smokey eye, something I'd never previously have considered in brown, but the warmer tone helps my eye colour stand out.

Suspect: A similar colour to Tease but shimmery - good for the base of a brown smokey eye.

Pistol: One of my favourite shades, a dark grey-brown that I use for contouring, the outer half and under the eye.

Verve: Similar to Suspect but more grey - a good base for a grey smokey eye.

YDK: A darker, less saturated copper colour, good for the outer half of the eyelid.

Busted: A dark brown shimmery shade, great as a contour and a liner.

Blackout: An essential matte black that is great for a liner on it's own, or as I prefer to use it, setting liquid liner.

What I like about these shades is that I get use out of all of them depending on what look I want that day. Here is how I use the shades:

For a retro feline flick: Use Foxy all over the lid, Tease as a contour, Bootycall as a highlighter, Blackout as a liner.
For a copper/gold eye: Use Half Baked all over the lid, Chopper on the outer half of the eye, YDK as a contour and under the eye.
For a dark brown smokey eye: Use Suspect all over the lid, Snakebite on the outer half, Busted as a contour and under the eye.
For a grey-toned smokey eye: Use Verve all over the eye, Pistol on the outer half and under the eye, with a touch of Blackout as a liner and in the crease.

The shades I've used most in this palette are Blackout to set liner and Bootycall as a highlighter, but if your skin is darker Foxy would work really well as a matte highlighter too. As I'm so pale I use it all over the lid most days - it's slightly yellow toned which is good for counteracting redness. Overall, the shades have great lasting power and pigmentation, the only criticism I have of the shadows is that fallout is noticeable on the darker shades, so I'd suggest that you either apply foundation after eyeshadow or don't use powder until you've finished your eyes makeup so you can clean up under the eye.

Do you use Urban Decay products? Would you consider buying this palette or do you have it already? I recently bought the Naked Basics palette which I'll be posting about soon, so let me know if you enjoy these type of reviews and anything you'd like me to include in the Basics Palette review - I'm quite new to beauty blogging but I do love sharing my favourite products here!