Urban Decay Naked Vault for Holiday 2014 (Limited Edition, Online only)

Urban Decay just announced on its blog that the Urban Decay Naked Vault will launch on their website on October 30th, 2014 for a limited time (presumably until stock runs out) for the US release. This set will be released in the UK at Selfridges on November 1st. The Urban Decay Naked Vault will retail for $280

But you're probably wondering what all of the goodies in the Vault are, it includes 12 products from the Urban Decay Naked line-up.

• UD Naked 1 Palette
• UD Naked 2 Palette
• UD Naked 3 Palette
• 3 matching 24/7 Glide-On Double Ended Eye Pencils (including colors: Zero/Whiskey, Perversion/Pistol, Black Heart/Darkside)
• UD Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• UD Native Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• UD Streak Naked Flushed Cheek Palette
• 3 UD Nourishin Lipgloses (including colors: Nooner, Rule34, and Streak)

I'm not really sure why Urban Decay decided to include the Naked Flushed Palettes over the Naked Basics palettes, but I have heard many complaints on forums from UD fans not being pleased about this since the Naked Flushed Palettes are meant to be for different skin-tones. It doesn't make sense that one person, who isn't a makeup artist, would want all 3, does it? 

I haven't heard any rave reviews about the Urban Decay Naked Lipglosses, so I think this is one of their least popular items - the inclusion of the Revolution Lipsticks would have made this set far more valuable, in my opinion. This set doesn't seem as lust-worthy as the Urban Decay Pencil Vault from last year or the Mother Lode Eyeshadow Vault which included every shade in their permanent range (oh my god that one was glorious)!

Will you be purchasing this set and do you think it's worth $280?

Urban Decay Holiday 2014 Sets (Vice 3, Vice LTD, 24/7 Eye-Liner Pencils, Revolution Lipsticks and more!)

Urban Decay - Vice 3 Palette - Holiday 2014 (Limited Edition)

Urban Decay - Vice LTD Palette - Holiday 2014 Sephora Exclusive (Very Limited Edition)

VICE 3 versus VICE LTD

Can we just start off this post with the massive controversy about the two *separate* versions of the Vice palette which were released for Holiday 2014? One was the regular Vice 3 and the other was a Sephora VIB Rouge-only special called the Vice LTD - now this latter one must have sold out in 30 minutes and bloggers/forums have been up-in-arms about it ever since.

Now you can see from the above photos that there are similar colors in these palettes, but all of them are supposedly brand new shades from Urban Decay. While I don't think you would need *both* of these palettes, if you're a collector you might want to try to get your hands on both (good luck!). Personally, the purples and pinks in the Vice LTD appeal to me, so I would rather have that one, so I hope that it gets re-released in a larger quantity closer to the holidays. Both palettes seem to have satin mattes and shimmer shades, but they are predominantly shimmer palettes. Both palettes retail for $60 at Sephora. You also receive a free matching bag with this purchase.

Urban Decay Full Frontal Lipstick Stash Set (Limited Edition)

Full Frontal Lipstick Stash Set

This is a cute mini lipstick set with 6 shades of Revolution Lipstick and it includes a full-sized 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Ozone (Clear), this set retails for $39. I love the idea of this set because you can experiment with various shades of lipstick rather than having to commit to one. The amount in each mini lipstick is 1g compared to the 2.8g of each full-sized Revolution lipstick, so you're getting about 36% or roughly one-third of a full lipstick with each sample. I'm also really impressed that they included a 24/7 lip liner which is full sized, regular retail price is $20, and in a clear shade. You may be wondering why they included a clear shade, but the reasoning is very intelligent and practical: you can use this under any color of lipstick and since you are receiving a variety of nudes, pinks and reds, you can use it underneath to prevent feathering since they are very intensely pigmented and can tend to bleed since they are very smooth.

I have to admit that this set is probably my favorite unique concept Urban Decay has come out with in a while.

Urban Decay - TEN 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set - Holiday 2014 (Limited Edition)

TEN 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set

This set boasts a variety of 10 different-colored 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencils (for which Urban Decay is famous for since they have beautiful pigmentation and glide on smoothly without tugging at your eyes) for $52 and a Grindhouse dual-pencil sharpener. This set is a steal since each eye-liner from Urban Decay retails for $20!

You receive one full-sized Perversion Eye Pencil (this is an intense black matte which is great for the waterline) and 9 travel sized pencils in various shades ranging from pink, teal, neutrals, gold and purple. The travel sized pencils are exactly two-thirds the size of a full-sized product so they will last you a long time. This is my favorite eyeliner set Urban Decay has released in the past few years for the Holidays.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Double-Ended Eye Pencil Set - Holiday 2014 (Limited Edition)

BLACK MAGIC 24/7 Glide-On Double-Ended Eye Pencil Set

Now you may be asking yourself "Wait, Didn't I just see an eye pencil set from Urban Decay for the holidays???" and the answer is: Yes, they decided to release 2 options. I think this is because the first set featured was a more adventurous color selection and the Black Magic Set is a lower-priced, darker and more conventional set. So naturally, I'm not so much of a fan of this one because I can easily dupe these colors in my collection.

It's worth noting that this set does NOT come with a Grindhouse Dual-Ended Pencil Sharpener, and there are no full (1.2g)or travel-sized liners (0.8g), but they are less than half of a full size (0.5g) or 42% of the size exactly. You receive 8 colors in this set and the black featured is the 24/7 Black Velvet pencil (this is a smoky black that definitely smudges off the waterline and is best used as a base for a smoky eye since it has to be "set" with a powder to stay put). The greatest range of color you will receive is a darker charcoal, a glittery teal and a metallic purple with more blacks and browns sprinkled in. I'm really not jazzed about the value of this set or the variety you're receiving.

Naked Illuminated in Aura

NAKED ILLUMINATED in Aura Shimmering Powder For Face and Body

This is a finely milled, baked powder highlighter in a soft peachy pink shade which was just released but is not listed as being Limited Edition, so this is probably part of their permanent collection. This retails for $29 but can be used for your face or body and could add a nice touch of shimmer for the holiday season.

All Nigter Makeup Setting Spray Duo

ALL NIGHTER Makeup Setting Spray Duo

Urban Decay also released a $39 duo bundle of their Makeup Setting Spray, which is a fantastic deal if you love their setting spray because a single All Nighter will set you back $30, so for another $9, you receive 2! This doesn't seem like a holiday-specific deal as I can't find "Limited Edition" on it anywhere on the Urban Decay website.

Ipsy Glam Bag Unboxing - April 2014

Here's what I received in my April 2014 Ipsy Bag.

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil - Travel Size - Value $15
dr. brandt Microdermabrasion - Deluxe Sample Size - Value $9.75
Elizabeth Mott Pop! goes the shadow (Champagne) - Full Size - Value $12.99
Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lip Gloss (Teddy Bare) - Full Size - Value $10
Sexy Hair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse - Travel Size - Value $6

Total Value of this my Ipsy April 2014 bag - $53.74

Sign up to Ipsy for only $10/month

I definitely received my money's worth and then some, I just wasn't extremely thrilled about the products - it all seemed a little... basic for my taste. I like to experiment with makeup and I have so much that a neutral eyesahdow (although I love the quality, a nude lip gloss, an exfoliator, a black eye pencil and a hair mousse really isn't very thrilling. I can't say I loved the bag but I also didn't dislike it. I'm using it in my purse currently because it's the perfect size for me to store coupons.

I received this Teddy Bare shade of the Mary Kay at Play Jelly Lip Gloss. I am happy this is a full size product but extremely bummed that this nude is a color that completely washes me out. I also didn't like that this product stuck to any dry patches on my lips and really accentuated them, it was also very sticky and thick in consistency. I would not repurchase this lip gloss, especially at the high price of $10!

I was happy to receive an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in their new Velvet line (color: Black Velvet).  This is a similar size to the travel pencils that they sometimes include in their Book of Shadows (various editions) and other palettes. I have quite a collection of these and was happy to see this one smudged well, clearly being intended for a smokey eye. It's more of a charcoal black rather than a pure dark black due to its intended use. The value of this product was $15.

This was my surprise favorite item in this bag. I have received a couple of other Elizabeth Mott products in the past and also enjoyed them thoroughly (through Ipsy, Glossybox and Birchbox). I'm a fan that I'm always receiving something different from this brand, rather than just the same product sent out in all my subscriptions! Also, this eyeshadow reminds me of Stila's Kitten (which is an amazing compliment). I absolutely love this shade, it's very universal and wearable, super glowy and extremely buttery. This product is worth the $12.99 price tag, I would purchase it and I'm glad that it came in my bag. 

The last 2 products are my absolute duds for this month. I have plenty of exfoliators and although I've heard great reviews of dr. Brandt's products, I just can't seem to get myself hyped about cleansers. It retails for a fortune so even this extremely small sample is valued at $9.75. I also received the BigSexyHair Root Pump Mousse (valued at $6) and this will be an okay product that I can put in my purse if it's very humid out and I really want to control my hair. These two products are the reason why I unsubscribed from Birchbox, I want a purely makeup subscription and not really cleansers and hair products. With that being said, Ipsy usually does the best job of the affordable makeup subscriptions of sending primarily makeup products.

Subscribe to Ipsy for only $10/month

Urban Decay NAKED 2 Palette Review

If you know me, you may know that I am a huge fan of the original Urban Decay Naked palette. Such a huge fan, I've been using it since it first came out and love it so much that I try to use a bare minimum of the colors so I don't run out (I realize it's now back in stock, but it wasn't for a really long time at one point!). So imagine my excitement when there was an announcement on Urban Decay's website about something new arriving to do with the Naked line. I instantly rushed to the conclusion that they were going to have another palette, as did many of my fellow makeup junkies. However, many called up the company and were repeatedly told that it would not be another Naked eyeshadow palette. They were lied to. Behold, the new Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay:

Extras that come with the Naked 2 palette

Let's start with the main differences: The Naked 2 palette comes with a dual-sided brush, one side is a shader and contour brush, while the other side is a regular (but very well made) eyeshadow brush. These brushes are of the highest quality and they are from the Urban Decay Good Karma brush line, consisting of the Crease brush and Eyeshadow brush, I have provided links if you are interested in purchasing them separately. This is a nice touch over the dual-sided liner that you got with the original Naked palette, just because people are likely to purchase both and you don't really want to double-up on liners, especially since almost all of their palettes come with the 24/7 pencil eye liner. You also receive a travel-sized lipgloss from their Lip Junkie line in the color 'Naked', this is a really cute added bonus and fits perfectly in your purse for on-the-go touchups. Online, I received a free sample with the order and it was a mini 24/7 glide-on eye pencil in ElDorado. I'm happy about this eye liner because it's a shade I've never tried and am excited to experiment with! However, you won't be getting this necessarily, you may get other samples or colors if you order the Naked 2 online (Sephora won't be giving out free samples with purchase when it hits stores).

If you're looking for a giant change in this palette, you won't find it. The colors are not astonishingly different, they are in the same line of products for a reason. There is an overall neutral theme, but Urban Decay claims that there are more taupe and greige shades in the new palette. I wouldn't say that this is true, however, because the most prominent color is probably bronze (as 5 of the colors learn more towards bronze). There is most definitely a movement away from the overwhelming bronze overtone of the original Naked palette. I will go over every new color and tell you what the comparison is between the new and old one. Foxy is a new and unique shade and is not duplicated whatsoever. Half Baked, unfortunately, is exactly the same in both palettes (this was kind of a cop-out in my opinion, they could have attempted to make a new color here). Booty Call is very similar to Virgin from Naked 1 but it might be a tad more on the peach side. Chopper is orangey and does not appear to be similar to anything other than a lighter cross between Half Baked and Suspect. Tease is a brand new taupe and is matte, but it would be very similar to Sin (Naked 1) if it was shimmery. Snakebite appears to be a shade in between Half Baked (Naked 1) and Smog (Naked 1). Suspect appears unique like a slightly less glittery version of Sidecar (Naked 1). Verve and Pistol appear to be unique colors, they are lighter and are more along the greige spectrum Urban Decay was looking for. YDK is like a mixture between Sidecar (Naked 1) and Toasted (Naked 1). Busted is really just very similar to Hustle (Naked 1) but slightly more maroon. Blackout is unique because it is a matte black eyeshadow and Creep (Naked 1) was sparkly.

Naked Palette (Original)

Naked Palette 2

 I hope you found this review helpful when considering if you would like to purchase this palette or not. It retails for $50 and it really is a great deal because you're getting 12 full-sized eyeshadows (which normally retail for $17/each from Urban Decay), two eyeshadow brushes (which each retails around $26), a free lip gloss, and a free sample from their website. The deal on this is phenomenal and it would make a great Christmas or Hanukkah present for that special girl in your life. I promise you nobody would be disappointed if they received this as a gift. I am ecstatic, my husband purchased this for me as a birthday gift and I couldn't be any more over the moon. I'm a long-time fan of their original and I love this one too. These shades are really practical and you will use this palette every day because it is so versatile.

Side by side comparison of Naked 2 palette (top) vs. original Naked palette (bottom)