The Stats
Brand: NYX Cosmetics
Name: Butt "Naked" Turn the Other Cheek
Contents: 15 Powder Shadows: 7 Sparkle and 8 Satin Finish. 4 Blushes: 2 Matte, 2 Shimmer. 3 Illuminators.
Purchased from: Target
Price: AUD$39
I picked this sweet little palette up a few months ago when it was first released to Target in Australia. I tried to resist buying it for a while because I mean, how many nudes can a girl really need? A question that we may never know the answer to. I like the packaging of this palette; it's compact, sleek and economical with its space usage, plus I think the little slide out drawer and flip top is pretty neat. It manages to fit fifteen full size shadows, four blushes and three highlighters in a pretty small amount of space, which is always good AND makes this palette practical for travel.
The Breakdown
These shadows vary in quality and feel, I'll go through each one individually below. One thing I will say is that I don't like it when colours don't have names because a) I'm a sucker for a funny/punny name and b) it makes it really difficult to talk about individual colours within the palette. For this reason I've numbered the shadows one through fifteen for the purpose of this post. All the below swatches are over NYX's Jumbo Shadow Stick in Milk (of course).
1 The palette starts on a low note of sorts with one of the few light shades within this palette. Many eyeshadows that are this light struggle with pigmentation and this palette is no exception, the light shades are barely visible both when swatched and on the eyelid.
2 This colour and the one next to it look incredibly similar within the palette however in the swatch you can see that this colour is much warmer-toned despite its cool appearance in the pan. I'd say this is one of the better shades in the palette.
3 This colour is a reasonable dupe for Urban Decay's Naked from the first Naked Palette, a cool, grey-toned light brown. It is versatile, working both as an eye shadow and for brow filling.
4 Black and gold always go well together and this shade is no exception. A black satin eyeshadow with obvious gold glitters, this one is surprisingly buttery for a glitter shadow which I usually find to be quite chalky and coarse. A well executed shadow for sure.
5 This rose gold hue is gorgeous in the pan and though it does look quite orange in this full-sun swatch, in a slightly more shadowed environment the pink does shine through. This shadow is smooth and buttery, a definite standout within the palette however it is a colour that when worn on the lids can be almost too subtle. Perfect for a nude eye look with some sparkle.
6 This shade is the warmest within the palette, but it's coming off a lot more orange in this swatch than it is in real life. I've also experimented using this one as a contour and I'm a pale, pink-toned skin colour so I wouldn't say it's orange at all.
7 This is your standard 'dark brown that is almost black' colour, a matte version of colour 10. I want to have more of a play around with this shadow as I think it has great potential within a brown smoky eye.
8 This is another light shadow but this one swatches about ten thousand times better than the first. This is a creamy light pink, soft and smooth, excellent for a highlight or very subtle lid colour.
9 Gold shadows are all usually pretty similar but this one is more subtle than other golds I have loved before, it's almost a hybrid of a gold and a champagne colour. I like the way it would be warn quite neutral because of the nude undertones in the colour.
10 This warm chocolate brown colour is really gorgeous, especially with the shimmer in it, which is gold toned. I really love how it's a perfect balance between warm and cool tones and the way the shimmer spreads through the brown is so pretty. On the downside, like many glitter shadows the pigmentation of the base colour is not as good as it could be, but this lets the glitter shine through.
11 A matte black with very subtle shimmer, like almost invisible. Pretty much every palette has some variation of this colour, it's a staple. I have to say though, because I have so many palettes containing this colour, I wish that they wouldn't waste the space with it anymore. I'd much rather a more interesting or unique colour because I'm never going to struggle to find this sort of shade within my collection. That being said, the formula of this isn't bad.
12 This colour leans on the cream side, where #1 leant towards more of a white tone. I know this is a nude palette, but again this seems like wasted space, is it really necessary to have cream and white in the palette? If they were different finishes it would be more understandable, but they're both matte.
13 This one is more of a true champagne with warm undertones. It's a pretty colour however when blended you lose all sense of colour and are just left with a shimmery finish. It would make a good highlighter if you were looking for super glowy cheek bones.
14 This is a very orange-y, bronzed gold, super warm toned. It's pretty but I'm not sure how wearable a colour like this is, it's not bright enough to be a bold, obvious statement, so potentially you could just end up looking like you have pink eye, not a look likely to come into fashion any time soon.
15 This shadow reminds me of snow, it's perfectly white and shimmery, but as you can see (or rather not see) the swatch is pretty much invisible, this colour doesn't transfer well from pan to skin. With a good base and by patting the shadow on, you could perhaps achieve its full potential, but within a 'nudes' palette, you ideally want all the colours to be quick and easy to work with.
Moving on to the blushes and highlighters, there's a variety of finishes in the blush, both matte and shimmery and with the highlighters you essentially get 3 full-size products which is generous.
Blush 1 This is a perfect Barbie pink. From a matte finish blush I would expect the pigmentation to be a little better than it is, but because it's such a bright pink this works in its favour because it's buildable rather than being overwhelming upon first application.
Blush 2 Such a pretty coral colour! This is my favourite blush within the palette because colours like this tend to work well with my pale complexion. This one gives you a super pretty glow.
Blush 3 This colour is a lighter version of blush #1, like it's literally the same colour which makes me question why they felt the need to include it twice. It's a little more pigmented than its darker counterpart which is nice.
Blush 4 A shimmery version of Blush 3. The pigmentation is very good, so a light-hand is a must when applying this blush. It's very pretty in the pan, but again, it's so similar to the others.
From bottom to top:
Highlight 1 I would almost call this one a blush because the warm orange within the highlight is quite prominent. This is very shimmery, combined with its warmth it's perfect for a glowy look.
Highlight 2 This is a light pink highlight, the colour actually reminds me of Benefit's High Beam. This is a more subtle, and in my opinion, prettier version of highlight 1.
Highlight 3 Colour-wise this is very similar to The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer, a golden-yellow highlight. In my opinion this is the best highlight in the palette but I steer away from pink undertones in highlighter because my cheeks are very pink naturally, they don't need any help.
This look is super subtle and shimmery. I used #13 all over my lid with #3 in the crease. I used NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk as a base to allow these shadows to show their full potential. I used Maybelline's One by One Mascara for subtle lashes.
As you can see, there isn't a lot of colour within this look, with the glittery shades in this palette, they're very glittery with little to no pigmentation which is disappointing. Layered with a matte shade in the crease you get a little more pigmentation which looks nice, but overall the look is overwhelmingly glittery.
Night Time Look
I used NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk as a base and then put #9 all over my lid and blended #4 into my outer 'v' and onto my lower lash line. Maybelline's The Falsies Flared Mascara gives my eyelashes lots of volume and length for a night-appropriate look.
I love this eye look and I would happily wear it on a night out. I think the gold and black look really classy and flawless together. They also blend really well because of the gold glitter in the #4 shadow. I do with that #9 was a tiny bit more gold-pigmented though, just to balance out the glitter.
2 This colour and the one next to it look incredibly similar within the palette however in the swatch you can see that this colour is much warmer-toned despite its cool appearance in the pan. I'd say this is one of the better shades in the palette.
3 This colour is a reasonable dupe for Urban Decay's Naked from the first Naked Palette, a cool, grey-toned light brown. It is versatile, working both as an eye shadow and for brow filling.
4 Black and gold always go well together and this shade is no exception. A black satin eyeshadow with obvious gold glitters, this one is surprisingly buttery for a glitter shadow which I usually find to be quite chalky and coarse. A well executed shadow for sure.
5 This rose gold hue is gorgeous in the pan and though it does look quite orange in this full-sun swatch, in a slightly more shadowed environment the pink does shine through. This shadow is smooth and buttery, a definite standout within the palette however it is a colour that when worn on the lids can be almost too subtle. Perfect for a nude eye look with some sparkle.
6 This shade is the warmest within the palette, but it's coming off a lot more orange in this swatch than it is in real life. I've also experimented using this one as a contour and I'm a pale, pink-toned skin colour so I wouldn't say it's orange at all.
7 This is your standard 'dark brown that is almost black' colour, a matte version of colour 10. I want to have more of a play around with this shadow as I think it has great potential within a brown smoky eye.
8 This is another light shadow but this one swatches about ten thousand times better than the first. This is a creamy light pink, soft and smooth, excellent for a highlight or very subtle lid colour.
9 Gold shadows are all usually pretty similar but this one is more subtle than other golds I have loved before, it's almost a hybrid of a gold and a champagne colour. I like the way it would be warn quite neutral because of the nude undertones in the colour.
10 This warm chocolate brown colour is really gorgeous, especially with the shimmer in it, which is gold toned. I really love how it's a perfect balance between warm and cool tones and the way the shimmer spreads through the brown is so pretty. On the downside, like many glitter shadows the pigmentation of the base colour is not as good as it could be, but this lets the glitter shine through.
11 A matte black with very subtle shimmer, like almost invisible. Pretty much every palette has some variation of this colour, it's a staple. I have to say though, because I have so many palettes containing this colour, I wish that they wouldn't waste the space with it anymore. I'd much rather a more interesting or unique colour because I'm never going to struggle to find this sort of shade within my collection. That being said, the formula of this isn't bad.
12 This colour leans on the cream side, where #1 leant towards more of a white tone. I know this is a nude palette, but again this seems like wasted space, is it really necessary to have cream and white in the palette? If they were different finishes it would be more understandable, but they're both matte.
13 This one is more of a true champagne with warm undertones. It's a pretty colour however when blended you lose all sense of colour and are just left with a shimmery finish. It would make a good highlighter if you were looking for super glowy cheek bones.
14 This is a very orange-y, bronzed gold, super warm toned. It's pretty but I'm not sure how wearable a colour like this is, it's not bright enough to be a bold, obvious statement, so potentially you could just end up looking like you have pink eye, not a look likely to come into fashion any time soon.
15 This shadow reminds me of snow, it's perfectly white and shimmery, but as you can see (or rather not see) the swatch is pretty much invisible, this colour doesn't transfer well from pan to skin. With a good base and by patting the shadow on, you could perhaps achieve its full potential, but within a 'nudes' palette, you ideally want all the colours to be quick and easy to work with.
Moving on to the blushes and highlighters, there's a variety of finishes in the blush, both matte and shimmery and with the highlighters you essentially get 3 full-size products which is generous.
Blush 1 This is a perfect Barbie pink. From a matte finish blush I would expect the pigmentation to be a little better than it is, but because it's such a bright pink this works in its favour because it's buildable rather than being overwhelming upon first application.
Blush 2 Such a pretty coral colour! This is my favourite blush within the palette because colours like this tend to work well with my pale complexion. This one gives you a super pretty glow.
Blush 3 This colour is a lighter version of blush #1, like it's literally the same colour which makes me question why they felt the need to include it twice. It's a little more pigmented than its darker counterpart which is nice.
Blush 4 A shimmery version of Blush 3. The pigmentation is very good, so a light-hand is a must when applying this blush. It's very pretty in the pan, but again, it's so similar to the others.
Highlight 1 I would almost call this one a blush because the warm orange within the highlight is quite prominent. This is very shimmery, combined with its warmth it's perfect for a glowy look.
Highlight 2 This is a light pink highlight, the colour actually reminds me of Benefit's High Beam. This is a more subtle, and in my opinion, prettier version of highlight 1.
Highlight 3 Colour-wise this is very similar to The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer, a golden-yellow highlight. In my opinion this is the best highlight in the palette but I steer away from pink undertones in highlighter because my cheeks are very pink naturally, they don't need any help.
Looks Created Using This Palette
Daytime Look
As you can see, there isn't a lot of colour within this look, with the glittery shades in this palette, they're very glittery with little to no pigmentation which is disappointing. Layered with a matte shade in the crease you get a little more pigmentation which looks nice, but overall the look is overwhelmingly glittery.
Night Time Look
I used NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk as a base and then put #9 all over my lid and blended #4 into my outer 'v' and onto my lower lash line. Maybelline's The Falsies Flared Mascara gives my eyelashes lots of volume and length for a night-appropriate look.
I love this eye look and I would happily wear it on a night out. I think the gold and black look really classy and flawless together. They also blend really well because of the gold glitter in the #4 shadow. I do with that #9 was a tiny bit more gold-pigmented though, just to balance out the glitter.
The Verdict
In theory I think this palette is great - a nude palette with shadows in a variety of finishes plus blush and highlighter for a full look. In practice though, I feel that there are little changes that could have been made that would vastly improve this palette. Firstly, a little more variety within the shadows would be great, rather than having four matte browns that look very similar, we could have seen a variety of finishes and more difference in tones, same goes for the light shades. Secondly, pigmentation is a slight issue with both the glittery shades and some of the matte ones, but for the most part this is easily remedied by using a good base. Also, the shimmer shades could be slightly less glitter bomb-y. This is super petty, but I feel that the colour order of the shadows isn't very cohesive, the palette doesn't have very good flow colour-wise. It could have benefitted from a different layout.
Onto the second part of the palette, the face section, this is where I think the most vast improvement could occur. Out of four blushes, three are really similar. They only needed one of the super pink shades and could have included perhaps a red-toned shade and a mauve-pink similar to their powder blush in Dusty Rose. Who needs three jumbo size highlighters in one palette?! One of these spaces could have easily been filled with a bronzer which would then make this palette a true all-rounder, and in my opinion, better value. Plus, you just don't need a highlight this large, it's unnecessary. It would have made more sense to put the blush in the big spots, or to make all the sections equal rather than having illuminators that are literally double the size of the blushes.
For the price (AUD$39) you do get a decent amount of product but I'd feel better about this frankly quite high price tag if there was a little more variety in the palette, I understand it's a nude palette, but nude doesn't need to mean boring, or exactly the same. On the plus side this palette is cruelty free which is something I'm becoming increasingly conscious of lately. Check out this website to view a list of companies that test on animals. All in all, I'd say this product is a good starting point for make up beginners, although the price makes it a little bit of a splurge for a beginner, despite the fact is comes with a lot of product. Definitely not a must-have but a nice little addition for travel because it is quite compact and sturdy.
Finally, apologies that this post was delayed, our internet has been very temperamental lately!
xx
talk soon
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