Urban Decay Naked Palette Vs Urban Decay Naked Palette 2

I've had the Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 for a couple months, and after playing round with the palette and exploring the different eyeshadows I now feel confident in comparing and contrasting it to the original.

First Impressions

Urban Decay have certainly improved on their presentation for this palette. I love the nicely housed tin-case styled container (which reminds me of old pencil cases that I can imagine my parents using at school!). 

The case itself definitely seems sturdier than the velvet-type material used for the original and the solid tin framing also has the advantage of being far more practical at wiping away stains and staying clear from any dust like substances that were attracted to the velvet. 

I like that UD have changed the way the case is fastened. I found the original, magnetic fastener to be, at times, unsecure. That being said Naked 2 is definitely heavier, slightly bulkier in width and longer in length. 

I also like that they have raised the "Naked 2" lettering on the case, as some of the wording on the original palette has started to scratch off. Although, this is most likely "wear and tear" thats to be expected when travelling around.

Naked 2 comes with a sample of the Lip Junkie Lipgloss, In the colour "Naked". I personally would have preferred another sample of their primer potion. For me, I think it makes a huge difference on the stay power of the eyeshadows, but I can see why some people might appreciate the variation.

Inside the Palette

Once opened, the palettes are similar in terms of layout and the arrangement of eyeshadows (highlight/lighter colours on the left and crease/darker colours on the right). This is something that I was very happy to see repeated on Naked 2 as it makes choosing colours that complement each other that little bit easier.

One big difference I noticed were the sizes of mirrors. The Naked 2 mirror runs the full length of the top of the palette case, this makes applying the shadows so much easier to do, I didn't use the mirror on the original as I found it far too small.

Naked 2 also comes with a duel-ended synthetic brush; one end having a flat brush (similar to the original) and the other side having a blending brush. I think including a two-in-one brush was a great idea, as combined with the large mirror makes this palette definitely more travel friendly, but I don't think it was their best execution of it.

I found the flat shader brush hard to work with, and like the brush in the original palette, challenging to apply eyeshadow with - It took me ages to get a solid amount of product coverage on my eye, particularly if I was wanting to use it for an all-over lid colour.

 Naked 2's flat brush has the same synthetic hair but narrower in width and smaller in size. 

The blending brush is fantastic, It's soft, flexible and has just the right amount of density to fit nicely in the crease and blend multiple colours.

Eyeshadow Colours

The original Naked palette is far warmer in tone compared to the cooler more metallic shades in Naked 2. I find Naked 2 to have more choice in converting from day to night looks with a wider variety of greys and taupe colours to choose from. Not to mention the colour blackout (a pure, matt black) being included.

This palette features five new eyeshadow colours; Bootycall, Tease, Snakebite, Pistol and Busted.

I was a little bit disappointed that Half Baked was repeated, although, It was a colour I reached for often with the original, so can see why it has been re included - perhaps changing from a shimmer to a satin finish would have been interesting.

Naked Colours:

Naked 2 Colours:

Foxy - Cream / Pale Yellow Beige: Matt Finish

Half Baked - Metallic Coppery Brown with a Golden Glitter Sheen: Shimmer Finish(featured in original Naked Palette)

Bootycall - White Beige tinted with Peach/Champagne: Satin Finish

Chopper - Rose Gold toned Brown with Silver Glitter : Shimmer Finish

Tease - Mauve Brown : Matt Finish

Snakebite- Dark Bronze/Brown with Golden Glitter Sheen: Shimmer Finish

Suspect- Light Taupe with Metallic Glitter Sheen: Frosted Finish

Pistol - Medium Steel Grey with Slight Brown Undertone: Frosted Finish

Verve - Pale Metallic Grey with Pink Undertone: Shimmer Finish (Featured in The Roller Girl Palette)

YDK - Taupe/Medium Brown with a Coppery Glitter Sheen: Shimmer Finish

Busted - Plum/Burgundy Brown with a Golden Undertone Sheen: Frosted Finish

Blackout - Intense, True Black:Matt Finish

Being two neutral colour palettes, obviously both are going to bare some similarities to each other. (This is going to be the same for every palette; two smoky eyeshadow palettes are going to have some similar colours.)

Both palettes have the same formulas and are both extremely pigmented with an excellent staying power (once primer potion is applied!)

What would I change?

I would have loved to see the repeat of the primer potion in Naked 2, or at least have had the ability to choose this rather than the Lipgloss.

I would also liked to have seen more matt colours, as only three of the twelve shadows provided are completely without any form of shimmer.

I also noticed that some original Naked palettes contained the 24/7 eyeliner and I was disappointed that they changed this to a brush, perhaps this is something that Urban Decay can bare in mind when producing the Naked trilogy!

Is it Worth Buying Both Palettes?

This all depends on whether you are a lover of neutral shades or a collector.

If you prefer brighter colours and already have the original Naked palette its probably not worth the investment, but if you don't have either and are looking at purchasing one or other then I would advise you to think whether you prefer warmer or cooler shades. If you favour more golden brown tones then I would recommend the original, likewise if taupe silver colours are more your style then the Naked 2 is probably best.

Have you tried Naked 2?
♥