With the release of the newest Urban Decay Naked palette, I've seen numerous posts with swatches and reviews. However, the first thing I thought when I got the Naked 3 in my hands was how it closely resembled one of my other favorite palettes, the Lorac Unzipped. So, I thought I could do a comparison of the two in case you already own one and are considering the other, or are trying to figure out what might be the best value for you personally based on shade selection and price point.
Let's start off with the Naked 3. The palette retails for $52 and contains 12 eyeshadows inside with a variety of finishes including matte, glitter, satin and frost. There's 0.05 oz of each eyeshadow (for a total of 0.6 oz), and the palette comes with a dual sided brush (flat shader, stiff blender) as well as generous sized samples of UD's four primer potions. The packaging is some sort of metal which snaps into place when closed, and includes a mirror inside as well as a slot for a brush or eyeliner.
As you can see from the picture, there's a good range of light and dark colors which means you can really do just about anything from super natural to super smokey. There are three matte colors which are Strange (cream/yellow highlight), Limit (light pinky taupe) and Nooner (darker mauve taupe) which are perfect for putting in the crease. There's 2 shades with glitter, the first of which is Dust (light pink with silver/gold micro glitter) which in my opinion is one of the weaker shades in the palette. There's a significant amount of fall out if you try to use this dry so I prefer to either put down a tacky cream eyeshadow as a base or spritz my brush with some Fix +. Blackheart is the other shade with glitter (light black with red micro glitter) and I find this one much easier to manage. My personal favorite shades include Limit, Nooner, Trick, Factory and Darkside. While the palette is overall rosy, I think that there's a good incorporation of gold and gray in some of these shades. The eyeshadows are easy to blend and last well over a primer.
Moving onto the Lorac Unzipped. This palette retails for $40 and includes 10 eyeshadows (total of 0.39 oz) as well as a deluxe sized sample of the Lorac Behind the Scenes eye primer. It is housed in a very slim cardboard packaging with a large mirror.
The finishes of the eyeshadow include matte, satin, frost and glitter. One key point is that the highlight shade, Undercover is not matte, but a very subtle satin with a lovely sheen. If you are strict about a matte highlight, this could potentially be a deal breaker. The matte shades in this palette are Unconditional (mauve taupe), Unbridled (rich cranberry burgundy) and Unspoken (medium brown). The only glitter shade in the palette is Untamed (frosty brown with red micro glitter) but it's really a subtle glitter and very easy to use. The rest of the colors vary between a satin and frost finish. My personal favorite shades are Undercover, Unbelievable, Unattainable, Unbridled and Uncensored.
So, the comparison. Price point wise, if you're afraid to splurge $52, the Lorac Unzipped at $40 may be more do-able. That being said, price per oz the Naked 3 is actually cheaper than the Lorac Unzipped. From the packaging point of view, I will not lie, I'm sort of afraid of what could happen to my Naked 3 if I put it in a suitcase. I think the metal could easily be crushed, and the hinge is a plastic material which I worry will wear out over time (in fact, many people have had the Naked 2 hinge break which has the same packaging design). The Lorac Unzipped is simple and lies flat well, making it ideal for packing. Texture wise, the Lorac shadows are definitely more buttery and creamy compared to the Urban Decay but both have good pigmentation and blend-ability. As for the color selection, let's take a look at the swatches:
Left: Lorac Unzipped (top row to bottom row) and Right: Naked 3 (light to dark)
When swatched I think there are a few shades which are VERY similar. While the Unzipped highlight has a satin finish, I dare say on the eye both highlight shades have a similar look. Additionally, the light pink taupe shades (Limit and Unconditional) are pretty much dead on. The pinky rose gold color in the Lorac Unzipped is very similar to the one in the Naked 3 but has much better pigmentation (Unbelievable and Trick). The unique options in the Lorac palette are that you get some lovely brown-y shades as well as a burgundy. The Naked 3 however gives you unique options of gray as well as a truly dark color (Blackheart).
Overall I would say that I love both of these palettes. However, depending on your personal preferences, you may want one over the other. But, the good news is you can't really go wrong either way! :)
