Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation review

Since the launch of the new Urban Decay Fall products I've been most excited about the new Naked Skin foundation out of them all; when I worked for Urban Decay I found their foundation range lacking something as their cream to powder didn't suit every skin type and their tinted moisturisers oxidised (so even the lightest shade was too dark for the palest of skins). The only foundation I really liked best on everyone was the Surreal Skin Mineral foundation but even so, Urban Decay had to bring out a liquid foundation as their range was lacking in that department.


Urban Decay did used to do liquid foundations a couple years ago (Surreal Skin liquid foundation, below) in genie-shaped bottles however they were quite thick/cakey, smelled a bit bad and if I remember correctly, they oxidised too.. so a bit of a flop.

Fast forward to 2012 and Urban Decay have come back from the labs and created something ten times better than they ever probably imagined back then, especially with all the new technology and ingredients available in cosmetic science these days.

I love how they've picked up on the whole "Naked" popularity and ran with it in many ways; this Fall collection features a new "Naked" Super Saturated Lip Color and a "Naked2" Lip Junkie as one of the new shades. Not to mention of course the Naked Skin which is proving very popular, particularly with samples being handed out for the public to try for themselves.

After getting tested at the Urban Decay counter in Oxford Street, I was handed a number 6.0 which looked fine on my jawline in store, however at home and on the whole face I felt it was too light.
I decided to check the Urban Decay website which has two handy features to find your perfect shade: the first one (here) similar to Illamasqua, where you can look at pictures of models of different skintones and determine which shade you are and the second one (here) helps you translate a brand (e.g. MAC, Lancome or Clinique) into an UD Naked shade. 
I usually use an NC35 concealer and used that shade as a go to point on the list of Urban Decay MAC shades. The foundation switcher feature matched me to number 7.0 (as expected). I'd say the 6.0 is for NC30s.

swatch with flash

without flash

The Naked Skin foundations work for peachy tones and yellow tones too; any shade ending in .5 are the peachy (or neutral/cool) toned foundations and any ending in .0 are yellow (or warm/golden) toned, which obviously is the right type for me. If you do go to colour match in store, I'd advise to rather try the foundation on the jawline to see how it looks rather than use their tool (a clear plastic shade finder that is put against the skin to determine shade). I say this because a friend of mine who is around the same skintone as me was given a shade 4.5 sample based on this plastic shade finder card, which is obviously the wrong shade altogether!

On to the review then:

Packaging: The packaging reminds me of the new YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat, but the Urban version with the gunmetal colour lids. You have to give the product a little shake so that the shaker balls mix the formula before applying.
I like that it has a hygienic pump too, great for MUAs and as with all UD products, the handy colour-coordinated labels are on the bottom.

  

Coverage: Naked Skin has medium to full coverage, however I found it to be more light to medium coverage; it is definitely buildable. You can see from the before and after below that my freckles and uneven skintone are definitely less visible and this is with just one application of the foundation.
Finish: After it has been buffed into the skin and allowed to settle, it has a demi-matte finish. You can see in the pictures below (before and after) there's a slight glow to the skin. I've not worn any additional powder on top of the foundation either; for a non-humid/sunny day or for dry skin types, I'd say no powder is needed.

bare skin.. eek!

with Naked Skin

Texture: Uber lightweight texture in my opinion, great for wearing everyday and evens skintone and texture.
Longevity: Usually with liquid foundations I like to set the makeup with UD Razorsharp powder or the All Nighter Setting spray; I'd recommend using these products with any foundation to keep the makeup looking its best for longer.
Key Ingredients/Pointers: The key ingredients in this foundation are Matrixyl 3000 (improving elasticity), Green Tea (antioxidants to calm and soothe the skin), Vitamin E and Sodium Hyaluronate (for hydrating the skin) and Litchiderm (from Lychees to brighten and hydrate the skin).
The foundation is oil free too (perfect for oily skin types), fragrance free and paraben free, so no supposed nasties in this product.
Price: At £27 it's slightly pricier than other foundations on the market, however if you're an Urban fan girl like me and don't want something too heavy for everyday, you'll know you'll be getting a quality product and one to definitely suit your shade!

FrootiFactor: I'd say this foundation, particularly with its ingredients is mainly for normal to combination/dry skin, however it doesn't contain oils in it which is perfect for oily skin types too. Honestly speaking, I think for oily skin types it's best to try a sample first and see how it goes, but this foundation is supposed to be for all skin types and so far I'm loving it, so I give it a 5!

Urban Decay Naked Skin is available to buy from Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis.

Have you tried the Naked Skin foundation yet? What are your thoughts on this product?