The Urban Decay Naked Palette Is Back, Here’s How To Use The Eyeshadow Shades If You’re Over 40

It’s baaack! That’s right, the best-selling and beloved Urban Decay Naked Palette that first launched in 2010 and was retired six years ago in 2018 is hitting store shelves once again. The relaunch is just for a limited time and the palette is exclusively available at the brand’s website and Ulta starting on August 4. So get your alerts set and shopping cart ready as the cult classic is very likely to sell out. But since it’s been quite a long time, 14 years to be exact, since the go-to neutral palette made its debut, how you used the shades back in the day might not meet your needs now. To help, we turned to makeup artists and TikTok for how to create sultry eyeshadow looks that put your best features forward. Plus, if you still have your original Naked palette on-hand, should you still be using it? Learn the answer to that and more by reading on. 

Why the Urban Decay Naked Palette was so popular

The 12-pan eyeshadow palette was a neutral shadow lover’s dream come true featuring a mix of matte, satin, metallic and shimmery finishes in a range of shades from cream to gunmetal grey (raise your hand if you hit pan on Sin!). This made the palette very versatile, working for all skin tones and undertones — and the amount of different eyeshadow looks you could create with this palette was endless. 

“Urban Decay’s Naked palette was such a phenomenon when it launched because it was the perfect day to night palette and covered everyday looks as well as smokey going out looks, and everything in between, says celebrity makeup artist Natalie Dresher. “Everyone could use it no matter their personal style. It also was one of the only neutral palettes with solid pigmentation and consistency throughout all the finishes (matte and shimmer). I definitely had this in my kit when I first started makeup professionally ten years ago.”

Besides the neutral shade range, another thing that stood out about this palette was its luxe velvet dark brown packaging. It was unlike any other eyeshadow palette out at the time and displaying it on your vanity was like owning a trophy if you were a makeup enthusiast or collector. 

Additionally, after the original palette came out, many variations of ‘Naked’ palettes from the brand followed. Each had a different colorway of shades in the same color family and many of them are still available for purchase today.

What's different between the original and re-released Urban Decay Naked Palette?

“The fact that this palette is coming back is so exciting,” says Dresher. “OG beauty enthusiasts are so excited about it!” She adds that the new version of the palette features reformulated shadows “to align with 2024 expectations when it comes to eyeshadows and pigmentation.” 

“I personally don’t think the original palette was as pigmented as other eyeshadow palettes that have since come out, so I am very much excited about the reformulation,” she adds. But besides a new formula for the shadows, all of the original shades have remained.   

The best ways to apply the Urban Decay Naked Palette if you're over 40

“Focusing more on the matte shadows and using the shimmers as a topper or toward the inner corner will definitely be more flattering,” says Dresher. And she adds that “eyeshadow trends have also changed, so putting more emphasis on neutral eye looks vs the really smokey looks that were on trend in the early 2000s will be less dated.”

TikToker and makeup artist Erica Taylor shows a comparison of how the palette was commonly applied to lids 14 years ago and what to do for application now in her video below. She explains that sweeping shadow into and above the crease will lift eyes and counteract any sagging or creepiness.

And over-40 beauty influencer and TikToker @marileedoesmakeup shows another simple shadow look using the palette in her video below. She focused on using matte shadows in the crease and outer corner. Then, she applied a gradient of a few of the shimmery shades over the lid to create dimension and make the whites of eyes pop.

And if you have hooded eyes...

Taylor shows in her video below that the two keys with applying shadow to hooded eyes is to keep eyes relaxed, which ensure shadow will be visible, and contour the “hood” or skin that folds over the natural crease of eyes. You’ll also want to make sure the shadow placement goes up closer to the brow bone, which creates an eye lift effect that offsets hooded lids.

Do I need to throw away my old Urban Decay Naked Palette?

If you still have the OG palette in your makeup collection, you may want to consider pitching or retiring it. That’s because powder eyeshadows typically have a shelf life of one to two year (and three at the very most). Dresher agrees saying, “throw it in the trash. Or keep it as part of your collection of relics, but do not use it on the eye!” Why? The eye area is super delicate and sensitive and while powders and eyeshadows don’t necessarily expire within the 12-24 month expiration period (always check the expiration date), I like to toss my eyeshadows that are any older than 2 years old.” 

And it’s also likely that you haven’t been sanitizing your palette after every use like makeup artists do — they typically spritz a disinfectant onto their products. This can lead to the powders harboring harmful bacteria, that as Dresher mentioned above, you especially don’t want around your eyes.

Also, if you do buy a new version of the palette and want to make it last, Dresher recommends “Keeping it closed when not using the eyeshadow palette will preserve it, and using clean brushes when applying the eye makeup. I still encourage everyone to toss their eyeshadows within the expiration period, and definitely within 2 years.”

Can’t bear the thought of parting with your old and original palette? There are ways to up-cycle it like using the pigment to create nail polish as the @livekindly TikTok account shows below. Or you can even make watercolor paints like @visilyaharis on TikTok did in their video below. The possibilities are endless! 

See more of our favorite makeup products:

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