ShannonLeiMUA

Disclaimer: I don’t own either one yet, but I’m pretty familiar with both palettes enough already to give my opinion on them. I would not be comfortable with giving my own honest review/opinions on both if I hadn’t known enough facts about each individually yet, so..

Which one do I prefer? Definitely Naked 2.

Why?

1) Packaging

The packaging for Naked 2 was what caught my attention the most. I think we all know how important packaging can be when considering to buy a product. If the packaging sucks, the concept of the product as a whole is already given to be downgraded.

The original Naked is made of cardboard and is covered in velvet, which, although it feels nice, it can make it more of a dust collector and is more likely to get dirtier. The Naked 2 body is made of a plastic metal and unlike the original Naked which has a magnetic closing, you can actually snap it closed. It makes it a lot more travel safe as well. And lastly, I cannot forget to mention how BIG the mirror is compared to the original Naked. It’s basically the size of the whole cover of the palette. Definitely a HUGE plus!

So with that said, 50% of my favoring already goes to the Naked 2 in terms of packaging.

2) Color Selection

The color selection for this palette is perfect. Right off the bat, you can see that they added in a dramatic matte black shade, and a really nice matte nude, which the original Naked lacked and everyone complained about! It comes with three matte shades, as compared to the original which only has two! It is also more warm toned instead of cool, which I can’t complain about because I am warm toned. It may cause some concern to people with a cool skin tone, but then again, I would rather have a gunmetal gray in there (which is in Naked 2 and more versatile) than a dark blue (which is in the original, and is less likely to be worn anyway). Anyone agrees?

ALSO, I read that there are more permanent colors in the original Naked than new colors. In Naked 2, there are more new colors than permanent. I definitely think that should be acknowledged because wouldn’t you want a palette that is more unique to the brand, rather than a palette with the same shades you can always find in their permanent line, while all at the same time being very wearable and versatile? 

3) The Extras

It comes with a double ended  brush that has a blending brush and flat shader brush. Now, although I haven’t used or felt the brush yet, gurus who already have the palette have said that at first, they were worried that the blending brush would be too flimsy at first glance because of how long it is. But it turns out that it’s actually really firm and blends beautifully, so that’s good to hear. The flat shader brush is a perfect addition because it’s the most standard brush that any person needs to apply shadow to their lids or even brow bone and lower lash line. The brush handle is a metal, taupe gold color and from the looks of it, I am assuming it has a bit of weight to it. I always prefer my eye brushes (even mascara wands) have a bit of weight to them so it makes it easier for application.

It also comes with a mini lip gloss in a dark mauve shade that is of course perfect for everyone and everyday wear! (:

I’m kind of sad that they replaced the mini Primer Potion with that, but then again I’m not complaining because I’d rather have the Primer Potion in “Eden” than the original, anyway (which I have two tubes of, lol).

Overall grade: A+

Price: $50. Will be sold permanently at Sephora starting January. Next week they will be getting more shipments in for pre-sales, so make sure you sign up for their email list to get notified about it first!

Final thoughts: Although I’m kind of bummed that I don’t have the original Naked, it gives me all the more reasons to invest in the Naked 2 instead! ^__^ If you have the original, I’m not really jealous anymore now that I want this more LOL.