Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation & Brush

Are you ready for the longest review ever?

Optical Blurring Brush & Naked Skin Foundation

Urban Decay recently launched a new line of foundation called Naked Skin. It just so happened that the same day, I finally tested my new MUFE Mat Velvet foundation, and was very disappointed in it. So while I was a little upset about that (I thought it would be perfect for my breakout-prone, oily skin!) I ordered the Naked Skin Foundation in shade .05, which is what Urban Decay's website color matched me to. I also ordered the Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush, because I thought maybe finally buying a nice foundation brush would help my splotchy-faced woes!

Urban Decay's Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush

First up, this brush. Oh, this brush! It's amazing! It's very soft & dense. I put a few pumps of the Naked Skin Foundation on the back of my hand, and then dab it onto my face (with the brush), and then buff it out. I have not tried the brush yet with any other foundation, but it applied the Naked Skin foundation perfectly. I have seen the error of my ways, no more drugstore brushes for me!

I went ahead and tested the foundation. I used Cetaphil lotion, Hard Candy's face primer, and Hard Candy's Glamouflage concealer (my favorite!). This foundation is definitely not matte, so I used Urban Decay's Razor Sharp Finishing Powder to mattify it.

 These are natural light pictures. The closeup shows the "line" of the foundation along my jaw - it's not noticeable in real life, and if I'd applied it better and blended into my neck, it would be impossible to spot anyways.

Oh my god, ignore that derp face! I squint so badly. Anyways, this is with flash. You can see how well it's blended, how well it covers, and just how great it is. It really does look "Naked", you could say! Here are Urban Decay's claims about this foundation:

- Flawless ultra definition finish

- Natural radiance without shine

- Weightless buildable coverage

- Packed with nourishing ingredients

The only one I can't attest to is the nourishing ingredients; only time can tell. But everything else, agreed - except the "Natural radiance without shine" - I assume this refers to the fact that there are no sparkly bits in this; no glitter, shimmer, etc. But it does have "shine" technically, as it is not a matte foundation. So that's my only correction for Urban Decay :)

Now would you like to see some non-derpy full makeup photos wearing this foundation? OF COURSE YOU DO!

I added Benefit's Coralista blush; UD's Primer Potion, eyeshadows in Hijack, Buck, Snakebite, Creep, 24/7 eyeliner, and Supercurl Mascara; and UD Lip Junkie gloss in Midnight Cowboy. I guess I was in an Urban Decay kind of mood!

Comparisons

I decided to compare the Naked Skin Foundation to MUFE's HD and Mat Velvet, purely for color reference. Notice that the UD foundation is a tad darker, and more yellow toned. This is Urban Decay's Naked Skin Foundation in .05, MUFE HD Foundation in 110, and MUFE Mat Velvet Foundation in 15.

Despite the obvious color difference between the three, they are all perfect for me. I mean, you've seen the photos above - the Naked Skin matches my skintone perfectly; in fact, I think the neutral/yellow tones help tone down the redness I have in my face. 

I would also like to say that I find the Urban Decay foundation to be like the HD, but better. Both are weightless, and give you a flawless look in photos - but the UD has more coverage. It's almost like the perfect mix between Mat Velvet and HD. Medium coverage, easily blends, covers flaws, photographs great.

And last comparison: Price. The Urban Decay Naked Skin is perfectly situated between the other 2. Naked Skin is $38, while Mat Velvet is $36 and HD is $42.

Now to compare it against the only other Urban Decay foundation of any type I own:

Yep, the "vintage" Urban Defense I got on sale from Urban Decay's site. I got it in the lightest shade, Halo, which is way too yellow and dark for me. Here's some simple paper swatches:

 The funny part is, while Urban Defense is meant to be a tinted moisturizer, it's thicker than Naked Skin! But kudos to UD for making a foundation light enough for us pasty white folk!

Sorry for such a long post! But I am head over heels in love with this foundation after one day. I am so glad I bought it, even though other bloggers seemed to have problems applying it unless they used certain primers; I had no issues on my first try! I would recommend this foundation AND the brush. Thanks for reading!