Don't get me wrong -- I am a sucker for a fancy makeup product. It's not a great thing, per se, but I don't mind spending top dollar for something that's worth it. However, when I find an amazing dupe, it almost makes me even happier than when I find the original product it's knocking off!
Queue: The W7 Natural Nudes Eye Colour Palettes. I am obsessed. W7 Make Up is a branch of Warpaint Cosmetics from the UK, and I hadn't heard of it until recently. I picked up two of their palettes (via Amazon) called "In The Buff" (a dupe for Naked 2) and "In The Nude" (a dupe for Naked 3). Because I already own the original Urban Decay Naked Palette, I didn't end up buying "Lightly Toasted," which is W7's dupe for the original Naked.
Guys -- they're only $7.50 each. You can get "In The Buff" here and "In The Nude" here. I figured, even if they were shitty quality, they were only $8 each, so paying $16 for a mistake isn't the worst that could happen. They do ship from the UK, so definitely look at sellers who offer free shipping (or else it can be upwards of $10 just to get them to your doorstep).
For upfront comparison between some similar Urban Decay shades and some W7 shades:
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| Top Row: Urban Decay; Bottom Row: W7 |
Just as a disclaimer: I used Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer (a current obsession) for my base, and used a crease brush for shadow application. I decided to go against finger swatches, as the pressure of the swatch and density of the shadow used to apply with a finger is not very accurate and applicable to that of a brush application. [Also, apologies about my tattoo getting in the way! I couldn't fit them all onto my hand, so I had to use my forearm.]
Without further ado, here is my review:
(As always, click the photo for a larger view!)
In The Buff
At first glance, the packaging is an obvious dupe for the Naked palettes. Yes, of course they're going to be cheaper and less quality than Urban Decay -- you ARE only paying $8, after all. The tin is pretty cheap feeling in the hands, and as soon as you open it, you can tell that the plastic container the pots are sitting in is also pretty bad quality. The brush that comes with the palette is also horrendous (one side even has a sponge tip applicator!), and there is no mirror inside.. but never mind that. It's the shadows that count, right?
And they're beautiful! Just looking at them, you can tell how closely they match the Urban Decay shadows. When swatching them, I did notice that they are a SLIGHTLY more powdery and less buttery/velvety than the UD counterparts, especially over un-primed skin. (I, however, aaalways recommend using an eyeshadow primer before applying any type of eye makeup.) This is also not noticeable when finger swatching -- in fact, there were a few W7 shadows that felt even MORE creamy than their Urban Decay dupes (shocking but true, I swear). But since I won't be applying these shadows to my lids with my fingers 98% of the time, the brush application is what is more applicable in this review.
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| Top row over primer, bottom row on clean bare skin |
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| Top row over primer, bottom row on clean bare skin |
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| Top row over primer, bottom row on clean bare skin |
The color payoff in the lighter shades isn't nearly as quality as in the darker ones, and the matte shades are a little chalky. For example, can you even make out where I applied the color "Buff" in those swatches? Barely. And "Sand" is a little hard to see unless you're under a light, when the shimmer really comes through.
But shades like "Thunder" and "Topaz"? TO DIE FOR. And I'm also a huge fan of "Camel" because of it's warm, rich undertones. The shimmer shades are super pigmented and apply smoothly to the skin, with very minimal fall out. To be completely honest, I think this palette is worth much more than $8 -- I can see people paying at least $20 and being satisfied with the product! Considering the Naked palettes run for $54...
In The Nude
In The Nude
The packaging is the same type as the In The Buff palette, with the same cheaper feel, terrible brush, plastic interior, and no mirror. But again.. it's the shadow quality that truly counts. The feel of these shadows is identical to the shadows from the In The Nude palette, but just less pigmented -- however the UD Naked 3 palette is the same way, and would read pretty similar on my skin tone as this. Some of the colors sort of blend and melt into my skin, but that is to be expected of more flesh-colored shadows (as many of these are)!
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| Top row over primer, bottom row on clean bare skin |
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| Top row over primer, bottom row on clean bare skin |
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| Top row over primer, bottom row on clean bare skin |
I found myself a bit less satisfied with the color payoff from the In The Nude palette. I found this palette to be of somewhat lesser quality than the In The Buff palette, but not by much. I think this is also due to the fact that my skin is pretty tanned most of the time (and I'm even super pale for my standards in these photos), so a lot of the lighter shades just don't read very well on me. The color payoff from the shimmer shadows and the darker shades were, again, was much better and much more pigmented than the lighter ones. Even for being such light shades, they are still extremely beautiful on the skin, and are absolutely gorgeous when the light hits them -- super shimmery, shiny, and sparkly! This palette has even inspired me to do a pink-y eye look in the near future. Yes, you heard me.. pink.
It's amazing because for $8, you can hardly get some drugstore single pot eyeshadows, and you're getting a full 12-pot palette from W7!
The durability and length-of-wear of these shadows is also super impressive! I did a complete eye look with a few of the shades in the palettes, and it lasted from application (around 11:30AM) until I went to bed (around 2:00AM). It barely moved, and didn't smudge whatsoever. Here's the look after almost 15 hours of continuous wear:
Pretty impressive stuff coming from an $8 eyeshadow palette, if you ask me. Don't mind the greasiness of my face and lids -- I purposely didn't blot, powder, or touch up whatsoever throughout the day, so I could get an accurate read of the wearability of these shadows! All in all, this is an amazing value, and such a smart buy. If you want to invest in an Urban Decay Naked Palette but don't want to shell out the whopping $54 (plus shipping if you buy it online), give the W7 palettes a try. I promise you they're worth the (extremely small amount of) money!
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