Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Nudey Tuesday: Too Faced's New "Naked" Palette (Review & Swatches)

Repurchase: No
Price: $35
Product: 8.5/10
Packaging: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Overall Grade: B
So I've been wanting the Too Faced Naked Eye Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection (what's with the long name??) since it came out. The reason why I didn't get it right away was because I wanted to see reviews first but I haven't been able to locate reviews or swatches anywhere. I decided to just take the plunge and get it -I do wish I'd waited for some reviews. The palette is designed like the other Too Faced palettes (the Natural Eye and Smoky Eye Palettes.) Just a little complaint but the other 2 palettes are only $34. Why did this one get jacked up to $35?
The Packaging: I assumed the palette would be much bigger -like he size of an Urban Decay Book of Shadows palette but it's actually a small, convenient size. I also like that the palette contains little "tutorial cards" to show you 3 different ways to apply the shades. My only gripe about the size is that it's a bit bulky when it doesn't need to be. There's this waste of space "half drawer" under the eyeshadows and all it contains is a dinky little "brush" -the kind that comes with drugstore palettes.
Another thing that I really didn't like is when I opened up the palette for the first time, some of the eyeshadow trays stuck out. I had to push them back down so that they'd lay correctly and "flat." This really hasn't ever happened to me before so I was surprised by this. Also, because the palette is made of a non-shiny cardboard material, it dents easily (if you pushed your nail into it) and stains. I noticed some very minor eyeshadow stains which will likely worsen over time.
My worse complaint is that while the eyeshadows on the left column were fairly large, the middle and right column contained tiny eyeshadow pans. The width of my entire brush head was almost as big as the entire pan.
Other than that, I think the size of the palette is overall convenient and the design is very girly and cute. The tutorial cards add a nice touch too and will be helpful to a beginner and maybe give a pro some fresh ideas.
Here's the palette compared to a MAC eyeshadow single.
Drawer that holds the brush.
The brush has a sponge applicator on one size and a slanted brush on the other.
Here's how some of the eyeshadow pans stuck out.
Ingredients!
The product: The palette contains matte and shimmery shades which is nice because we usually see palettes that contain all shimmery eyeshadows. The eyeshadows are good quality -they're smooth and pigmented (even the mattes have good color payoff.) I would say they're better quality than most eyeshadows but aren't as good as say Urban Decay or LORAC. I have no problem applying and blending most of the shades. I also had some fun with the tutorial cards and tried out 2 of the looks last night. Here's what the cards look like..
The Color: I was surprised to see that the palette contained many taupes and greyish shades. When I think "naked", I think more nude-like colors like tan and beige. As I said before, the colors are nice and pigmented. However, there are a few shades that have trouble showing up on my skin -not because they're not pigmented but because they're just so light. In The Buff, Birthday Suit, Pink Cheeks, and Pillow Talk have the most trouble showing up on my medium skin. I was really surprised because I'm not even that dark! I had to really pack on these particular shades because they would just blend in with my skin tone.
1. In The Buff (matte)- Ivory
2. Birthday Suit (shimmer)- Medium beige tan
3. Pink Cheeks (shimmer)- Very pale pink
4. Pillow Talk (shimmer)- Light-medium taupe
5. Satin Sheets (shimmer)- Golden champagne -almost has a rose gold because there's a hint of pink look but way lighter.
6. Lap Dance (shimmer)- Silvery taupe
7. Like A Virgin (matte)- Medium taupe
8. Unmentionables (shimmer)- Greyish taupe
9. Stiletto (matte)- Black

Swatches..
 Too Faced "Naked Palette" (no flash) from left: In The Buff, Birthday Suit, Pink Cheeks, Pillow Talk, Satin Sheets.
 Too Faced "Naked Palette" (no flash) from left: Satin Sheets, Lap Dance, Like A Virgin, Unmentionables, Stiletto.
Too Faced "Naked Palette" (no flash) from left: In The Buff, Birthday Suit, Pink Cheeks, Pillow Talk, Satin Sheets, Lap Dance, Like A Virgin, Unmentionables, Stiletto.

Overall: I think this is a good palette with some really nice neutral shades consisting mainly of different variations of taupe. The quality is good and I'd say go for it if you don't already have neutral shades or taupes. If you already own shades like this, then this is something to skip. The colors are nothing you haven't seen before so save your money for something else. The palette is a bit bulky and the pans have a tendency to "fall out" of their compartments so I'm not sure if this is ideal for travel. However, this is overall a decent palette that would be a nice addition to anyone's collection but only if they don't already have these types of eyeshadow shades.
(Also, darker beauties might want to swatch the eyeshadows before buying because they're really light and had a difficult time showing up on my medium "lightly-tan" skin.)
Where to Buy: Sephora, Too Faced

4 comments:

  1. Ohh, too bad the shadows aren't super pigmented. I'm sure you've heard already but Urban Decay just released their Naked Palette; 12 neutral shadows with two of those being mattes, so maybe better luck with that one?

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  2. Thanks for the suggestion dear. =) I saw a few reviews of the NAKED palette a few days ago and it does look super gorgeous. I'm sort of inbetween about it though because I never use any Urban Decay palettes I buy -I find the eyeshadows are too shimmery for me! I have to swatch it in person though to be sure.

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  3. Hii just discovered your blog from this post.. great pictures! The best review on this so far. Just wanted to thank you for taking them time to make good swatches and have quality lighting for your pictures. I want this but I'm pretty sure I have dupes of most of the colors, I'm so glad I can compare now so I won't waste my money. :)

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