Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches

Naked Ultraviolet

Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Eyeshadow Palette includes a mix of warmer, peachy neutrals with lavender to purple hues. The palette contained two true mattes, one semi-matte, one satin, and the remaining eight shades were some form of pearl to frost. I was surprised that all of the mattes were quite light; there’s no mid-tone or dark matte shade at all, which limits the versatility of looks in the palette–given that there are 12 shades, there should have been room for at least one!

The more matte shades were soft, somewhat dry and powdery but decently pigmented and really more in need of primer than a lot of work. The majority of the shimmers were firmly-pressed into the pans, thin, dry, and papery to the touch (where they were noisy!), which made them difficult to pick up, to apply (they turned patchy), and to build up. They typically needed to be applied over a primer and with a wet brush or fingertips (the latter sometimes absorbed more product than it could transfer onto the lid).

I know some might feel like because it is a “Naked” palette, it shouldn’t be pigmented, except that’s not how the Naked palettes have been marketed–and that includes this one. This palette is described as “hyperpigmented, velvety” that are “ultra-blendable.” They describe the purples as “vivid.” The tag line on the banner on the homepage reads “12 vivid neutrals with a purple pop.”

There’s very little that’s vivid about this palette; it’s the definition of a lackluster release from a mainstream brand that can and has done better. The purples in the palette are shades we’ve seen over the years from Urban Decay, but I have eyeshadows from as long as 10 years ago from Urban Decay that feel better and apply better. Even their core range has singles that are far better in performance in every way, like Tonic instead of Euphoric, Vice instead of Cyber Punk, 1985 instead of Warning, Rockstar instead of Digital, and X instead of Dazed.

Urban Decay Trippin’ Eyeshadow

Trippin’

Trippin’ is a light peach with warm, orange undertones and a satin sheen. It had a moderately powdery, thinner consistency that sheered out when applied to bare skin (you’ll want a primer to see the real finish and get coverage). It had good pigmentation initially, though. There was fading present after six hours of wear.

Urban Decay Mind Slip Eyeshadow

Mind Slip

Mind Slip is a light, peachy orange with moderate, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had good pigmentation that could be built up to full coverage when applied over a primer, but it had enough powderiness that it sheered out when applied over bare skin. The consistency was soft, moderately powdery, and a touch dry but not papery like some of the shimmers were. This shade lasted decently for seven hours before fading visibly.

Dazed

Dazed is a brighter, light-medium coral with strong, warm orange undertones and a lighter, peachy gold shimmer that gave it a frosted finish. It had medium pigmentation in a single layer, which built up to semi-opaque coverage with a second layer but required an eyeshadow primer and wet application (or fingertip application) to get full coverage that went on smoothly and reflected the intensity of sheen/shimmer as seen in the pan.

The consistency was drier, thin, and slightly papery to the touch, which made it “noisy” to work with compared to most eyeshadows–including many past eyeshadows by the brand. It showed signs of fading after six and a half hours before fading noticeably.

Urban Decay Hacked Eyeshadow

Hacked

Hacked is a muted, medium mauve with strong, warm undertones and a matte finish. It had semi-opaque color coverage in a single layer, which was more prone to sheering out than it was building up unless applied over a primer.

The texture was blendable, soft with light powderiness but didn’t seem to have issues with fallout during application. The color stayed on decently for seven hours before fading visibly.

VR

VR had a reddish-copper base with warm undertones and iridescent aqua-green sparkle. The texture was incredibly firmly-pressed in the pan, stiff to work with, and so dry and thin that it felt and sounded papery. I had to jab at the surface to get sheer coverage for a swatch, and in practice, I had to really push and jab at the surface and then apply it with a fingertip to get decent coverage on my skin but it was never opaque (even over primer). It applied fairly evenly, which was a surprise, with a fingertip, at least! It started to fade after six hours of wear on me.

Lucid

Lucid seemed to have a paler white base with minty green to aqua shifting pearl. The texture was drier and more loosely-pressed, so there was some fallout during application. I’d recommend applying this with a fingertip or a lightly dampened brush to maximize the smoothness of the powder once applied and to minimize fallout. It had good pigmentation that could be built up, and it had a very brightening effect that the remaining translucency likely wouldn’t be a deal-breaker. It wore well for seven and a half hours before fading visibly.

Urban Decay Optimized Eyeshadow

Optimized

Optimized is a light-medium lavender with subtle, cool undertones and a satin finish. There was almost a a bluish-aqua pearl to it that made it look slightly cooler-toned. It was fairly powdery in the pan, and there was fallout during application along with sheering out of the coverage (which seemed mostly opaque). The drier texture seemed to accentuate my natural skin texture and made it appear chalky to my eye. The eyeshadow stayed on decently for six hours before fading noticeably.

Warning (Ultraviolet)

Warning (Ultraviolet) is a medium, pinky-purple with warm undertones and satin sheen with shifted blue-to-violet. The texture was drier, thin, and slightly firm in the pan, though not to the point where it was unworkable. It was, unfortunately, difficult to get to lay down evenly and with true-to-pan vibrancy and sheen without a primer. I’d recommend using it with a primer but also applying it with a dampened brush. The color wore decently for six and a half hours before fading noticeably.

Urban Decay Cyber Punk Eyeshadow

Cyber Punk

Cyber Punk is a medium purple with subtle, warmer pink undertones and a barely-there, more frosted finish. The shimmer was more noticeable, but the texture was very thin and dry, so I didn’t feel like the shimmer translated well when applied, and felt almost papery to me. It had semi-opaque coverage but wasn’t buildable. When I tried to work with it on my lid, I had to apply it with my fingertip to get a more even lay down of color. There was noticeable fading after six hours of wear.

Euphoric

Euphoric is a brighter, medium lavender with a subtle, warmer-toned base and cooler, blue-to-violet shifting pearl. It had semi-opaque pigmentation in a single layer, which was buildable to full coverage with a second layer. This was one of the few shimmer shades that actually applied decently without having to use a primer or wet application, but it needed to be pressed and packed on.

The texture was on the thinner, drier side but softer and “creamier” in comparison to other shades in the palette. There were signs of fading present after seven hours of wear.

Purple Dust

Purple Dust is a blackened purple with lighter iridescent micro-sparkle. It looked more sparkling and shimmery in the pan, but it translated into a very dry, patchy, lightly frosted finish when applied. The texture was very dry, thin, and firmly pressed in the pan, which made it feel almost papery to the touch and was stiff to work with. The product didn’t apply well to bare skin at all, and it had to be applied over a primer and with a dampened brush to get an even layer of semi-opaque coverage. There was visible fading after six hours of wear.

Urban Decay Digital Eyeshadow

Digital

Digital is a blackened-brown with subtle, cool undertones and a pearl finish. It had opaque color coverage with a firmer, slightly thinner texture, though it didn’t feel as dry as the other shades to the touch. It was noticeably drier when I started to apply an blend out the color on my lid, and it tended to push other eyeshadows around a bit, which created patchiness. It stayed on decently for seven hours before fading visibly.