I am a chronic over-packer and I just can't help it. Packing for a short weekend trip means that I feel the need to stuff my travel makeup bag to the absolute brim with dozens of different face products, 'cos you just never know, right? So needless to say, any sort of multi-purpose beauty product that do more than just one thing are my best bet. I got the Urban Decay Naked Flushed for my birthday a few months ago, and this seemed like the perfect three-in-one product for traveling - a bronzer, highlighter and blush all packed into one. Let's see if I'll be substituting all my face products with this one palette for my next vacation!
Urban Decay Naked Flushed
$34USD at Urban Decay, Sephora
6 shades (USA) | 3 shades (Hong Kong)
The packaging is right up my street - simple, sleek and sturdy, plus it comes with a huge mirror, which makes it perfect for travel and mid-day touch-ups. The bronzer, highlighter and blush are all full-sized, and Urban Decay claims that the formula has a "luxe, featherlight texture that feels amazing on your skin and provides a flawless finish", as well as light-diffusing particles to help enhance and perfect a fresh, glowy look. This is evident when you look closely in the pan, as you can definitely see subtle, reflective micro-shimmers in all three shades. I have the palette in the shade Naked, which is catered for medium skin tones.
Bronzer | "medium bronze satin"
This warm-toned bronzer is the least powdery formula of the three, and its stiffer consistency makes it harder to finger swatch but easy to pick up product with a brush. It has a satin-matte finish with tiny, micro shimmers that looks very natural on the skin. The warmer tone makes it perfect for adding some tan-like color to the face, but not for any intense contouring or sculpting. Out of all the bronzers I own, this is the most similar to Nars Laguna in both shade and finish, with Laguna being a bit more cool-toned, and therefore more versatile for bronzing up the face as well as contouring.
Highlighter | "soft pink champagne shimmer"
This frosty pink highlighter is a bit powdery, but very pretty when swatched and applied to the face and buildable in intensity. However, the shade is a bit too deep for me - I'm still suffering from pasty winter skin - and if applied too heavily, it shows up as a pigmented, pink stripe on the tops of my cheeks. Instead, this actually works fabulously on the apples of my cheeks as a subtle, glowy blush. Since this palette is catered to medium skin tones, this highlighter would work beautifully when I have a bit more color.
This frosty pink highlighter is a bit powdery, but very pretty when swatched and applied to the face and buildable in intensity. However, the shade is a bit too deep for me - I'm still suffering from pasty winter skin - and if applied too heavily, it shows up as a pigmented, pink stripe on the tops of my cheeks. Instead, this actually works fabulously on the apples of my cheeks as a subtle, glowy blush. Since this palette is catered to medium skin tones, this highlighter would work beautifully when I have a bit more color.
Blush | "dusty rose with hint of shimmer"
This is the most powdery and pigmented of the three shades, so I have to be very careful or risk looking like a clown - I barely dip my brush in and tap off all the excess before applying. The pigmentation is definitely there, but it's just too bright of a shade for my taste - I'm more of a nude, Tarte Exposed blush kinda gal. But if you are into bright rosy blushes, this actually performs very well.
This is the most powdery and pigmented of the three shades, so I have to be very careful or risk looking like a clown - I barely dip my brush in and tap off all the excess before applying. The pigmentation is definitely there, but it's just too bright of a shade for my taste - I'm more of a nude, Tarte Exposed blush kinda gal. But if you are into bright rosy blushes, this actually performs very well.
Although the formula of these shades aren't as buttery as I hoped for, I was pleasantly surprised with how well they performed. However, the colors just aren't my favorite, and despite the convenience of this compact, I don't see myself reaching for this over any of my other bronzers, highlighters or blushes, so I definitely won't be bringing this on my next vacation. Overpacking for the win!
But for those of you who like fuss-free, multi-purpose products, especially for mornings when you're in a rush and want to look put together in a pinch, this definitely deserves a gander the next time you pass by an Urban Decay counter. And for those of you who like the concept of this palette, make sure to look into the other available shades that may be better suited for your skin tone. I may revisit this palette in the summer months when I have more of a tan, but for now, this is sadly a miss for me.
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