Naked Basics 1 & 2 | Which One Is Best For You?

It is basically a fact in the beauty world that the Urban Decay Naked palettes are the gold standard for neutral eyeshadow palettes.  The basic run down is that the full size named palettes are a mix of shimmer and matte shadows with 1 being pretty much universally flattering, 2 best for cooler skin tones, and 3 best for those with rosy pink undertones.  But what about Naked Basics?  The Naked Basics palettes are smaller, holding 6 shadows compared to Naked's 12, and all of the shadows are matte.  While at first glance they may look similar, the palettes are in fact different.  Keep reading for a side by side analysis of these two palettes!

Both palettes are cased in a similar brown case with nearly identical writing,save for the colour.  The shadows are housed in a hard plastic with a matte finish. When opened each palette has a sturdy full size mirror.

Naked Basics vs. Naked Basics 2

As you can see, Naked Basics has a wider range of shades than Naked Basics 2.  Where Naked Basics is on the neutral/warm spectrum, Naked Basics 2 is clearly more cool toned.

Naked Basics has a great all over base colour (W.O.S), a highlighter with a slight shimmer (Venus), a lid shade (Naked 2), a crease shade (Faint) and a black that you can either line with or pop in the crease (Crave).  The only colour that I have not really ever touched is the ivory-yellow (Foxy).  Naked Basics is great if you want an easy to use all in one palette.  I have enjoyed taking this with me while travelling and is really is all you need for a look that can go from subtle to sexy like that.  This palette is great for pretty much all skin tones and undertones.  My favourite shadow in this set is Naked 2.

Naked Basics 2 is Naked Basics's cooler toned sister.  While similar, Naked Basics 2 has a much smaller range of tones.  This palette is taupe based and perfect for those who prefer cooler tones.  Other than Stark and Naked 2 (From Naked Basics) I would say that these shadows are significantly different enough to merit owning both palettes.  While some may use Skimp as a highlighter, I find this palette lacks a clear highlighter option.  Stark is great for the lid, and Frisk, Cover, or Primal would be great in the crease, with Undone as a liner.  For a palette of this size, Frisk, Cover and Primal are all too similar.  I would have preferred to see a better highlighter option and a better mid-tone shade as blending is a bit difficult here.  

Naked Basics: Venus, Foxy, W.O.S., Naked 2, Faint, Crave

Naked Basics 2: Skimp, Stark, Frisk, Cover, Primal, Undone

I was actually a bit disappointed by Naked 2.  Of course the shadow quality is all there, but I found the composition of the palette to be lacking.  I don't frequently reach for this palette for that very reason.  While I love the matte taupes in Naked 2, I find the palette as a whole rather hard to work with.  All things considered, while Naked 2 may be marginally better for cooler toned ladies, and those who prefer taupes, Naked 1 is clearly the superior option.  It has a greater shade range, a proper highlighter, and a good mid-tone shade for blending.  Naked Basics 1 could easily be the only palette you need whole travelling, and I simply can not say the same for Naked Basics 2.  While Naked Basics 2 can create a nice look, it simply doesn't feel complete.  While one could use a lighter hand and some other make-up tricks to make it work, for the average girl Naked Basics is simply easier to work with to create a great day or night look.

At the end of the day, I use Naked Basics pretty frequently, and I hardly touch Naked Basics 2, despite the fact that both occupy the same section of my vanity.  One is simply better composed, and easier to use than the other.

On a side note, I would love to see Urban Decay come out with Naked Basics 3 focused on plummy rose nudes.  

Which Naked Basics palette do you prefer?  Happy swatching! xoxo