I recently bought this off another BR beauty, I've always wanted to buy a naked palette but was unsure which to go for 1,2 or 3!! Decisions decisions! I have the UD ammo palette and LOVE it the creaminess and pigmentation of the colours is insane and was hoping this palette would be the same.
The sturdy metal tin in rose gold looks gorgeous and definitely stands out In my collection. I prise open the lid (it is a rather tight and a wee bit of persuasion to open it is required) inside is a decent mirror that stretches from one side of the lid to the other, which I love easy to touch up on the go or, if like me you like to wear a full face when you go camping! It also has double ended application brush yes an actual brush!! One end has the perfect end for applying lots of colour and the other is best for blending with more bristles and a bit fluffier. Also I love how all the eyeshadow names are written underneath each colour.
The colours are simply stunning. Mostly pinks and nudes with the exception being darkside (browny/green) blackheart (purply/black) and factory (brown/grey) my favourites and most used are the lighter, nude/pink shades being Dust, buzz and trick.
These shadows are creamy and so easy to blend they really are a dream. The only issue I have with these shadows is the fallout.. Holy moly I seem to get bits of eyeshadow EVERYWHERE it really is a pain and kind of puts me off reaching for this palette when I am in a rush.
I can get a full day out of these shadows though which I love and don't notice much fading during the day. I have been switching between a LORAC eyeshadow primer and smashbox one and have good results with both.
I am kind of tempted to buy naked 1 & 2 just to compare and because I really love the majority of the colours.
Firstly the packaging for this palette is the best I have ever had from an eyeshadow collection. It comes in a metal tin with a firm closure and hinges, the top has a ripped/ridge effect added to the lid in a pink gold ton, with the words embossed in gold of Naked 3. Feels luxurious and expensive from sight and touch alone let alone the quality of the shadows inside. Once opened up the inside is arranged with each shadow neatly inserted with it's name wrote underneath. I nice large heavy mirror adorns the inside of the lid and there is even a well designed high quality double ended brush for you to use with the shadows instead of those horrible nasty shadow puff applicators you sometimes get in palettes, they usually hit the bin the second I open them. The brush is itself a good tell of how well these shadows are going to be, soft bristled with a larger more fluffy pointed at one end to apply transistion colours and blending, then a more finer shorter bristle at the other end that is perfect for cut ins and highlighting/accent colour application. The barrel of the brush feels plastic but is coloured to match the rest of the packaging so it all ties nicely together. I haven't actually washed this brush yet because I forget it is inside the case but will make a point of doing so.
The range of shades provided in this palette include mattes, shimmers and sheen finishes so you can create both everyday looks as well as stunning evening looks. Including tones from black to pink-browns, to pinks and gold colours the possibilities are endless in creating different looks. Shadow quality itself though is not what I expected, it didn't blow my socks off but that is not to say the shadows are poor quality they just seem to create a lot more debris/excess fall out than I had hoped. I think I was expecting them to be more creamy based pressed colours but they are just pressed powders. Pigmentation however is spot on with the smallest amount needed on the brush to get an even bold coverage of powder. Blending of the colours is easy and the shimmers are sparkly even after prolonged wear. I found that with out without eyelid primer these shadows stay on all day, staying where I put them at the same vibrancy that they were when applied to when I remove them. With this palette in the cardboard exterior packaging I was provided a trial pack of their eyeshadow primers that I have not yet used so can't comment on them as I have had no need to use the specific effects that they claim to do, but this is a nice touch and the packs are quite large sized so you should get at least 4-5 applications out of each, if not more so you can truly gauge if they work for you before you part with your money on purchasing a full sized version.
I have no desire from using this palette to purchase either Naked 1 or 2 as I feel that the market is awash with similar palettes of which I own a few.