Review: Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

 

Call me a cynic, but although I often want to be surprised and delighted at how good products are, I'm frequently left disappointed. So it's really nice to feel for once like something you bought exceeded your expectations. 

Today, I'm talking about the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation. Now, its taken me a while to get around to purchasing this, and I know there will be plenty of other, more comprehensive reviews out there.

But I'm so darn impressed with this I couldn't help telling you all about it!

When this first launched, I was intriuged, I'll admit. Anything with the good name of the Naked line on always catches my eye. But then I just got the impression that this wasn't that good - although I'm not sure why. A swatch in store on my hand seemed watery and runny. I bought the Naked Skin BB cream and it wasn't as good as it claimed. Lots of things, I guess. And so I didn't give this another thought.

Then I found out that Kim Kardashian's make-up artist had used it on her for her wedding to Kanye West and I was instantly intruiged. After all, we all know what an uptight perfectionist the woman is, and if it was deemed good enough to hit her skin on the biggest day of her life, I was in. This is someone who spent four HOURS Photoshopping one wedding photo. You know its got to be serious stuff.

So when I found myself in Selfridges the day before my birthday with a bunch of other beauty bloggers, it seemed inevitable I would treat myself to this. But is it all that and a bag of chips?

 

Ooooh. Just look how pretty that packaging is. First the shiny, rose-gold colour of the box that draws you in, then the slim bottle with the iconic lettering and shiny pewter lid.

I'm so glad they decided to put it in a pump format. Its one of the things I'm a stickler for -  both because its much more hygenic and also because it keeps the active ingredients stable, which in a product as jam-packed with skin goodies as this is very important. This is something you'll be proud to keep front and centre on your dressing table. It also has a number of small ball bearings in the bottom that you can hear rattling around. These stop the formula from separating and help to mix up everything inside.

The Hype:

Described as a 'weightless ultra-definition liquid make-up' this sounds from the off like a seriously heavy-hitter. What are Urban Decay claiming about this wonder product?

• Its infused with peptides for an anti-aging hit
• Its light diffusing, making your face appear more radiant
• Its free of parabens (these are man-made compounds used to preserve a product. Unfortunately, they can mimic oestrogen molecules and lead to hormone imbalances if they build up in the body)
• Feels like wearing nothing at all -  no heavy, caked feeling
• Flawless, demi-matte finish makes you look 'professionally retouched'
• Formulated with Matrixyl 3000 (a powerful anti-wrinkle peptide), brightening and protective Litchiderm, antioxidant green tea and vitamins

Kim K knows photoshop like the back of her hand, so I figured if she endorsed this for its real-life blurring tool powers, I had to get in on the act.

At £27.00, it isn't the cheapest but a good foundation is worth that much -  and its still a few pounds cheaper than the famed YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation, which its been compared to.

The Verdict:

You've probably guessed by now, but I am totally in love with this product! I really could not believe how it made my skin look -  rested, glowing, like I'd had a spa break, basically. This picture is totally unretouched and unfiltered, and I can't get over how smooth and flawless my skin looks, when the truth is more like pigmentation spots and fine lines.

This comes in a massive range of shades, so finding a match is easy - I picked 3.5 after swatching several.

The product is stupidly liquid when it comes out of the pump, and I'd somehow let that convince me it wasn't going to be effective, without even trying it. For years, I've chosen powder, gel or mousse formulations - I guess I just thought it wouldn't be high enough coverage. The fact that the Naked Skin BB Cream is extremely light coverage didn't help that impression either.

But this is perfect. Exactly as they say, skin still looks natural, but perfected - and isn't that what we want foundation to do for us? I posted a pic of this on Twitter and someone commented that it didn't look like I was wearing foundation at all. And yet I do think it gives me enough coverage and evens out all those little imperfections without having to cake it on. If one layer is too sheer, two still looks fresh and makes it denser.

 

It gives skin such a beautiful, radiant glow without looking shiny, glittery or fake -  after three weekends of partying and a lot of hard work, believe me when I say I was very surprised my skin would look this rested and radiant!

My fine lines were defintiely less noticeable and my uneven pigmentation was gone. I was an extremely happy bunny. They suggest using their 'Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush' to apply, which sounds interesting...I used my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and that makes even cheap and nasty foundations go on a dream, so paired with this I was on a winning streak. 

This foundation gives beautiful, glowing 'uptown girl' skin, and I feel that its worth every penny.

I'm sure I'll continue to experiment with foundations, but this has become a firm favourite and I'd happily repurchase it. I feel like I've found a product for life!