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I don't think a makeup product had ever dropped that gave me exactly what I wanted right at exactly the moment I wanted it... until the Urban Decay Naked Honey Eyeshadow Palette | £42 | came along... These sorts of very warm yellow-based browns have been just my sort of thing for the last couple of months and so when I saw this palette, I felt the universe was telling me it had to be mine!
As always; let's cover off the packaging first. I saw someone on Instagram say this palette was giving them 'Beyonce in Goldmember' vibes and I couldn't agree more! It's very 70s and I love the 'drip style' packaging because it's sturdy, practical, travel-friendly and still fits the theme of the palette. You get the usual brush in here too, which isn't bad quality, but I personally never use them! There's a mirror and - in usual Urban Decay Naked style - there are 12 vaguely-nude shades laid out in a rectangular configuration with the name of the colour under the pan.
I personally love this colour story of this palette and use every single shade in here. It's all about those mustard browns and golds with a yellow / green undertone. You definitely don't need to go towards orange when it comes to warm-toned shadows and it's cool that a mainstream brand like Urban Decay has gone down this route. I can only think of the Melt Gemini palette that gives me this sort of vibe, which is obviously an indie brand that's not that accessible for most people. Yes, this is a more toned-down version of the trend, but to me that's what the new Naked line is all about; taking these colour themes and making them wearable. If I have one critique, it would be that I don't think there's enough depth in this palette for people with a skin tone deeper than my own, for whom this palette kind of becomes a palette of transition colours.
Next, let's take a dive into the individual shades within the palette. First up there's Fly By - a sheeny white colour. Then we have two matte transition colours; Sweet has a very neutral light nude tone to it and Swarm is a sort of light-medium butterscotch colour. Amber is a warm orange-based gold shimmer. Keeper is a mid-toned orange-based matte. Then there's another shimmer - Golden - which is a truer gold shade than Amber with a lime undertone.
Onto the second half of the palette, there's a yellow-lime shimmer called Honey. Queen is a deeper green-bronze shimmer. Hive is a warm mid-toned matte brown and Drip is very similar but has a cooler, more mauve-y tone to it. HBIC is a warm, rosy copper-gold shimmer. Then - last but not least - the only dark matte in the palette; a charcoal purple-brown called Sting.
I've come to expect a certain standard from Urban Decay when it comes to their eyeshadow formula, and the Naked Honey didn't disappoint. Even the lightest matte shades in this palette have a smooth consistency and an opaque finish. The formula is very blend-able and beginner-friendly so it's very easy to get a look out of this palette. I have no complaints about the shimmers either; they're not super-foiled and metallic but they give a really pretty, soft look on the eyes. I can also trust this palette to last, which is obviously really important to me. I don't come home after work and think my eyeshadow looks a creased, faded mess, which is great because it means I can rely on this palette.
Overall; I love this palette and have been using it to death. If I have some slight criticisms, they'd be that some of the shades (such as Hive and Drip and Swarm and Sweet, to a lesser extent) are really similar and I'd rather have a bit more depth and variation in there. Why not swap out Drip for a dark green-brown matte? Or Sweet for a really deep mustard matte colour? I know we're trying to keep things wearable, but that doesn't mean 'same-y'. That gripe aside; this is a solid palette, so if these look like your colours, I don't think you'll be disappointed! It's a hit for me.
Have you picked up / will you be picking up the Naked Honey palette?