End of an Icon

*Sniff* As you may have heard (or perhaps have not), Urban Decay has made the tragic decision to discontinue their ultra popular and original version of their Naked palette. The protests, the anger, the disappointment, and the questions on Urban Decay’s social media account has been swift and has taken center stage on my timeline, and with good reason.

Way back in 2010, Urban Decay shook the beauty world when they released the Nakedpalette. Beauty lovers of all ages rushed to get the palette and I actually witnessed two women arguing over the last palette in stock at an Ulta store I was shopping at. You may ask why people were going crazy. After all, “it was just a palette.”

Somewhere I can hear an Urban Decay fan scoffing…

Here’s the deal. Urban Decay sold over thirty million original Nakedpalettes in eight years and has since gone on to add to the Naked palette collection with Naked 2, Naked 3, Naked Basics (two versions), and Naked Heat. Urban Decay became a household name and highly sought-out brand after the OG Naked palette was launched.

The reason Naked became so popular is because it was perfect for beginners and professionals alike. For some teenagers it was the first palette they ever bought/received. Makeup artists mentioned the versatility of the palette being their reason for purchasing it. Naked provided both day and night looks. People of any age and makeup ability used it and lauded the palette with praise.

Original Naked palette

My thoughts? I feel sorry for the fans of Urban Decay and the palette. Their love for both the brand and the product is palpable; I could feel it as I read the comments. If I am to be honest (which I always strive to do), I never had the money to buy the OG Naked palette but a some of the girls I went to high school with rushed to buy it and loudly brag about the purchase. I understood the appeal but there were several factors that played into not being able to buy the palette. My mom would not let me wear makeup, I was in a private school which cost my mother a lot of money, and I was not one of those girls that had to buy things simply because it was the “trend.”

As an adult, I have tried the Naked palette but still never bought it. The price tag of $54 seemed unreasonable to me, considering you only got twelve shades. Another reason I did not buy Naked is because I am not a big fan of neutral palettes but the shades were gorgeous. Though the palette is now half of its original price at $27 I still don’t plan to buy it. I am not judging anyone who chooses to buy from Urban Decay because it is their money and their preference. Personally I’d rather spend $27/$54 on a haul of products instead of one item.

There you have it. This truly is the end of an icon because so many people were impacted by the release of a single eyeshadow palette. Naked revolutionized the way every beauty addict perceived eyeshadow palettes and began the eyeshadow collection craze. It demonstrated that neutral shades were just as useful as colorful shades.

Urban Decay fans will be upset, angry, etc for awhile but as the beauty industry continues to expand and become more innovative, there will be another Naked-esque palette for everyone to fawn over.

I know you will have an opinion and I would love to hear it in the comment section. Special thanks to Charyl Nocerino for requesting this article! If you liked the article, subscribe for more great content from The Trendy Wallet. You can also follow via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Thanks for reading!

*Photo from Urban Decay’s website*

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