Everybody's Naked! A Naked2 Palette review

Alllllllright, I admit it.  I broke the Banned Until Pan promise and ordered the Naked 2 Palette when it finally released on Urban Decay's website.  I've been experimenting with it for a couple of weeks now, and I'm pretty much in love.

Let me say this first.  The original Naked palette changed my life.  Well, not my entire life, but definitely my stance on makeup and my beauty routine.  In searching for hair tutorials for a Valentine's social event, I stumbled upon the beauty community on YouTube and was immediately absorbed into the world of Urban Decay, MAC, Smashbox, NYX, and so on.  The Naked Palette was still relatively new and highly in demand, so when it became available from Sephora, I jumped and ordered it just in time for our trip to Hawaii... where my boyfriend proposed.

The Naked palette has great packaging, with wonderful colors and great formula.  I never ever ever thought I could wear "brown colors" (I didn't think of them as "neutrals") and I had a lot of options with this palette.

Outer packaging, velvet finish with gold lettering.  Magnetized closure. 

The colors are warm, neutral, and very versatile.  This palette came with an eyeshadow brush. 

I was going to hold out (why replace something that works so well?) when the next generation came out, but once I saw that this palette is more on the cooler side (as opposed to warmer tones), I was immediately interested.

The packaging has been updated (as you can see in the pictures) and the colors, although similar - and Half Baked appears in both palettes - are much more on the taupe side of neutral.  For a girl whose favorite look involves MAC Shroom and MAC Satin Taupe, this palette is a great addition to her collection!

The packaging on the Naked 2 is different: a metal case with a snap closure.  It certainly feels more durable than the original! 

The inside looks strikingly similar, but with cooler tones and a full size mirror.  The included brush is dual-ended. 

Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, and Chopper. 

Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, and Pistol. 

Verve, YDK, Wasted, and Blackout.

I'm actually adoring this palette right now, and finding more and more versatile looks than I had discovered with the original.  Some colors in the original were difficult for me to wear because they tended to be too warm, so they made me look almost a little ill.  These colors are much more flattering and I find myself even able to wear the more dramatic and different colors with flair.  It's the first time I've worn darker colors with more drama and been really pleased with the result!

So, although a lot of YouTube beauty gurus claim this palette is useless if you already have the first one, I argue differently.  They're similar colors, but completely different tones... and the difference shows.  Also, this palette has more medium shades and fewer really dark shades, which helps with wearability.  I adore it!

Cheers!

Kelly