With the enormous success of its “Naked” 1 and 2 eyeshadow palettes, it’s no surprise that Urban Decay decided to expand on its success!
After glimpsing the “Basics” palette on the ULTA shelf earlier this year, I first thought, “Why do we need yet another ‘Naked’ palette? These colors aren’t even interesting!”
Then I began to look more closely and – realized the rich possibilities offered by this palette.
The palette is sleek and thin, perfect for stashing away on a trip. It even boasts a mirror!
It holds 6 very basic colors, which appear (deceptively) simple and which I shall describe below:
1) “Venus” – Pearlescent shimmering white. Perfect to use as a browbone highlight or in the inner corner.
2) “Foxy” – Buttery warm-toned cream. Gorgeous as a base color over the entire eye! May also work as a matte highlight on the browbone.
3) “W.O.S.” – Very light peach-pink. Also flattering as a base color, as a matte browbone highlight, or even as a lid color.
4) “Naked 2” – Matte taupe. Exquisite as a subtle crease or lid color. Nicely mimics the natural shadow cast by the browbone.
5) “Faint” – Matte brown. Best able to deepen the crease, color the lid, or even as a brow color for brunettes.
6) “Crave” – Matte black. This color is able to infuse any look with smokey glamour! It can deepen the crease – and is excellent for lining the eye.
I have created a very basic (no pun intended!) daytime eye look below, using only shades from the “Naked Basics” palette:
For this look, I used “Foxy” as a base over the entire eye over my Urban Decay primer. Then, I used “W.O.S.” on the lid. “Naked 2,” “Faint,” and lastly “Crave” were used to emphasized the crease. “Venus” was applied as an inner corner and browbone highlight. I then used “Crave” to line the lashline.
All in all, this little palette is a gem. The quality of the eyeshadows is everything we’ve come to expect of Urban Decay — buttery smooth, well-pigmented, and long-lasting. It possesses that “all-in-one,” versatile quality that lends universal appeal. One can create multiple looks with this palette of only 6 shadows. It may not be as large or popular as the “Naked” 1 or 2 palettes, but, if I had to pick only one, I would grab the “Basics” palette — and so should you! π
Final Score: 5/5
Available at Sephora, ULTA, and urbandecay.com for $27