Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutrals Palette Review (Alternative to Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette!)

Hey everybody! The latest hype concerning Urban Decay is centered around the new Naked Basics Palette. It's priced at 27 bucks for a palette with six neutral, and in my humblest opinion, unexciting shades. They are all matte with the exception of one shade, which is the lightest of the bunch. I've heard mixed reviews on this palette. Some say they love it and use it every day, some say it's nothing special. I personally I am not a huge fan of matte shades. Although I think they are beautiful on others, I have trouble working with them. I think it takes a lot of precision to have an all-matte-eye look good. But matte shades certainly come in handy when you're doing something neutral, or you want a matte shade to pop in the crease so your eye isn't resembling a disco ball.

Here is what the UD Naked Basics palette looks like, if you haven't seen it. I don't own it personally, so I do not have my own photo of it.

I mean, I kind of get it. It's small and convenient to have all those matte shades in one place. But I am the proud owner of a drugstore option that I think is very comparable to the Naked Basics Palette. Perhaps not in the exact shades, but in the concept.

The Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutrals Palette (I think they recently renamed it the Eye Couture Palette) is sold at Target and the Sonia Kashuk website for $19.99. Okay, yes, it's only $7 cheaper. But you get 12 shades. That's right people, double the amount of shades. And not only do you get twice as many shades, they are super soft, highly pigmented (all except one), and easy to use. It comes in a really nice palette that's sturdy and travel friendly. Check it out:

Sorry my palette is such a dirty mess, you guys. It's well loved. I tried to clean it up but it wasn't working out.

Anyways, as you can see, the palette has twelve neutral, all-matte shades. I have used this palette for neutral eye looks and all-matte dramatic looks. It also has a little pull out thing on the side, which reveals three eye looks with specific instructions. It has a "softly contoured eye," a "wash of neutral," and a "smokey eye."

This is a nice touch, I think. Good for beginners or if you just want something easy.

I have swatches for the whole palette. The swatches go from left to right, top to bottom.

Look at that black, you guys!

The only color I think is a dud is the second one. It just lacks that same level of pigmentation that the rest of the shades have. Other than that one shade, this palette is wonderful. Highly pigmented shades, an excellent selection of browns, peaches, matte highlight colors, and a freakin' fab black shade. They are also super soft. The only thing I think it needs its a matte plum shade. But hey, the Naked Basics palette doesn't have that either.

My advice: go with the Sonia Kashuk palette. You get more shades for cheaper. Remember that you can mix the shades to get an even better selection of colors.

That's all I've got for today, everybody.

Much much love as always!

Gianna