URBAN DECAY NAKED BASICS

Matte eyeshadows are an essential of every makeup collection (in our books) because they don't have shimmer, they are slightly more suited for the day time. We love the Urban Decay Basic palettes which come in two tones each with six shadows ranging from light to dark. Every shadow is beautifully pigmented and blendable making for easy application.

Urban Decay Basics – The Warm One

The palette has the classic neutral matte tones as well as a light shimmer: Venus a warm pale shimmer; Foxy a yellow-based cream; WOS a pink-based cream; Naked 2 a light brown-taupe; Faint a dark chocolate brown; Crave a true matte black.

Not only can you use these shades for creating a neutral eye but the two brown shadows are great as brow powders – they can be mixed to create your ideal colour.

Our Favourite Look: WOS across the entire lid with Naked 2 blended through the crease and Faint added to the outer corner for definition. For a highlight use Venus in the inner corner then sweep foxy across the brow bone.

Urban Decay Basics 2 – The Cool One

This palette is grey-taupe toned with more muted, dusty tones. The first shade Skimp has slight shimmer to it – like Venus in the original basics palette. The remaining five shades are all matte: Stark a peachy nude; Frisk a light grey taupe; Cover a red-toned medium brown; Primal a brown with grey tones; Undone a dusty gunmetal grey.

Our Favourite Look: Stark on the inner half of the eye lid, Frisk on the outer half, blend Primal into the crease and outer corner. Brighten the eyes by highlighting the inner corner with Skimp.

If you are looking for matte eyeshadows one of the biggest problems can be a chalky, powdery formula with no colour pay off. So steer clear of the cheaper brands and if possible choose something offered by high-end companies.