Huda Beauty New Nude Palette Review + 3 Looks Demo | Huda Beauty Review, Huda Beauty
Hey, pretty people!
The New Nude palette is the latest addition in the Huda Beauty family, and probably their most ambitious as of yet.
This selection varies from the previous warm and purple-hued ones to embrace a somewhat more ‘toned-down’ trend.
This palette is all about a ‘new concept’ of nude eyeshadow, developed in a completely different and unique fashion starting from the actual formulas. We all know how the Huda Beauty team is always on the look for innovations, and this palette is no different. Just know it features 5 different formulations!
So, shall we see if this bad boy is actually worth its price and hype?
Let’s get started!
GENERAL SPECIFICS
- 65$ | 56£ | 64.90€
- 18 shades
- 1 concealer base + 1 Pressed Pearl shade + 2 glitters + 4 Reflective shades + 10 mattes
- Net Weight: 0.69 Oz. (19.7g)
- Cruelty-free
- Full-size mirror
- No brush equipped – you can buy this line’s brushes separately
- Berries, coppers, pinks and golden taupes
PACKAGING
There is a running theme in Huda’s eyeshadow palettes, which happens to be her showcasing an eye look done with said palette. Of course, that’s what we are facing now.
The palette comes in a clean and elegant looking lilac cardboard with the company’s and product’s name in holographic writings. On the back, we can find the general infos and ingredients printed in white.
THE INSIDE
Taking the palette out, the first thing I noticed was its nice weight. It doesn’t feel particularly heavy, so it is still practical to carry around, but feels ‘legit’ nonetheless.
The holographic writings are mimicked on the actual palette as well, and this time we also have the eye look mentioned before. Also, we find the general specifics on the back of it again.
THE INSIDE OF THE PALETTE
Opening up the palette, we finally meet the color selection. The first thing we can say right away is how much cranberry/pink-toned hues are present here. We can also see warmer tones, but the pinks are definitely the stars here.
One thing I definitely appreciate is the fact that the shades’ names are printed directly on the palette; another crucial detail is the presence of a full-size mirror. I was away for a week, and used it to complete my full-face. It’s not the biggest mirror I have ever seen in a palette, but is functional nonetheless.
OVERALL
The overall size of the palette is also an element worth inspecting. I have smaller palettes in my collection, however I find this one to be fairly easy to carry around and also quite compact. I would recommend it for travelling, if you’re wondering!
SHADES’ SELECTION + BREAKDOWN
18 shades are quite a few to play around with, even if in this case they do look pretty similar. Moreover, New Nude wants to give us more formulas to play around with, which is why we will be breaking down every shade even more carefully than usual. Before jumping in, I would like to point out a thing or two about the colors and placement.
As we mentioned before, the palette features more cranberries and pinks with a bit of warmth to them, but the placement of said shades allows you to almost divide the palette in two halves – much like with the Life On The Dance Floor VIP palette from Revolution (check the review here!).
The general color selection reminds me a lot of the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay, only with more glitter and warmth. In my opinion, the biggest missing factor about the shadows is the lack of a matte black. I am a fervent believer that every single palette should dispose of a matte black shade that works on every skintone and can deepen up every look. It’s not the end of the world by any means, just something I would like to point out.
ROW #1
Bare. I find this shade to be a perfect matte highlighter for fair to light skintones. It does create a little bit of build-up in the pan, but I find it to be one of the most pigmented shadows of the palette. It does blend out very well, too.
Crave. This first Reflective shade is a classic gold, one of the most recurrent colors when it comes to nude palettes. Once I swirled my finger into it, I immediately saw that the hue turns a bit darker than what it looks untouched. It’s not that overwhealming, but you can notice a difference.
Play. A matte peach shade that would make a perfect soft (very soft) transition for fair to light skintones. The only problem I encountered working with this shade is the fact that it is a very light shadow, and once it is blended out it loses a lot of its pigmentation.
Fantasy. A couple of shades of the palette give me strong Urban Decay ‘Naked 3’ vibes, and this Reflective is most definitely one of them. There are more pink shimmers, but this one is of a darker hue and gives off lighter pink reflexes. It is undoubtedly very pigmented, but also quite crumbly.
Love Bite. I don’t really know what is it about sort of burnt purple shades, but they are a perfect choice for me to put on my outer corner and turn up the smoke. Truthfully, I find myself gravitating towards this color on the daily. It’s fairly pigmented, blends out really well and does not make a mess in the pan!
Spanked. Who doesn’t love a little bit of burgundy to spice things up? This shade is very pigmented and blends out quite well, but I found it to turn a little bit more pink once blended. A little bit of packing up and blending will solve the issue in a heartbeat, but is also a little bit annoying.
ROW #2
Lace. Much like ‘Spanked‘, this matte lilac loses a lot of its potential once you start blending it out. It is safe to say that it is a much more flattering and graceful fading compared to the burgundy hue. However, it’s also fair to say that it is a common characteristic of the mattes of the New Nude palette.
Daydream. Definitely one of my favorite Reflectives (but also a favorite among all the colors of the palette), this light pink shimmer is my go-to choice to highlight my inner corner or to put at the center of a halo eye. It is a little sensitive, so I would advise to approach with caution.
Tickle. A soft outer corner for light to medium complexions, but also a nice transition for deeper skintones. I feel like this is the tone I would want ‘Spanked‘ to blend into once I’m done swirling my fluffy brush around: not too strong, yet somewhat impactful. It’s pigmented and blends out really well!
Excite. This is the first of two pressed glitter shades, and one of the most iconic of the palette. On the website, the formula is described as enriched with silicones to boost adherence and pigment dispersion. I can definitely say that this shade is the case, since you can easily pick up enough product in just a swipe!
Infatuated. If the red glitter was pigmented and smooth, this copper-y hue needs a little bit more love and support. I find it to be a lot less pigmented compared to the same formula right next to it, and also needs a little bit more work to stick properly on the lid.
Kinky. The only Pressed Pearl shade of the palette is a beautiful burgundy shimmer that is an authentic pleasure to work with. It is not only very pigmented, but also butter-y like and basically glides on the lid. Placing it on the eye with your finger will guarantee maximum payoff, but a brush will work just fine.
ROW #3
Concealed. A lot of people (including me) were kind of thrown off by the choice of including a concealer into the palette, and I still am to be honest. I have always used a primer to prep my lids properly, and this one doesn’t really stand out to me.
Secret. I personally see a lot of ‘Tickle‘ in this shade, but also a deeper, maybe even ashier undertone. It would make a good soft outer corner shade for light to medium skintones, but also a nice base for deeper complexions. It’s nicely pigmented and blends out without much effort.
Tease. Following the ‘this shade, but different’ route, here we have a more toned down version of ‘Love Bite‘. Pigment is there and blendability is impeccable, and would make a nice outer corner shade for many skintones.
Raw. A more brown, redd-ish version of ‘Spanked‘, this shade is a lot easier to work with mainly because it doesn’t turn into a much lighter color once it’s blended out. It has a good pigmentation and blendability, and picks up really nicely on any brush.
Charmed. Gold shimmers are a must in any nude palette, and I particularly like this one because I believe it to be pretty functional and adapt to multiple skintones without much fuss. The pigmentation is outstanding, but I find it to be one of the most crumbly amongst the Reflective shadows.
Teddy. Soft outer corner and transition for light to medium skintones, a nice base color for deeper complexion; this shade does it all. It actually reminds me of ‘Teddy’ from the NYX Lingerie liquid lipstick series! It has a nice pigment and nice blendability.
DEMO #1
After I prepped and set my eye lids with “Concealed“, I buffed “Secret” into the crease. Once I had the transition down, I packed “Love Bite” on the outermost part of the eye, immediately followed by “Spanked” right next to it. On the lid, I used my fingers to apply “Daydream” in the center and “Fantasy” on the inner part. I used “Charmed” as my inner corner highlight and buffed the crease colors on my lower lash line.
DEMO #2
On a set base, I started packing “Raw” and “Tease” on my outer and inner part of the lid. Then I blended them out and into the crease using “Play“. Using a wet brush (to give the shade a more foiled effect) I applied “Kinky” on the center of the lid, and “Crave” on the very center of that. I also used it as my inner corner highlight. Lastly, I popped some liner on and swiped the crease colors on my lower lash line.
DEMO #3
On a set base, I started the look out by buffing “Lace” into the crease and blending it out with “Bare“. Then, I packed “Tease” on the outer and inner part and blended it into the crease with “Lace“. Before popping on some liner, I placed “Charmed” on the center of the lid and as my inner corner highlighter. Also, I swiped the matte shades on the lower lash line.
FINAL THOUGHTS
And here we are! All in all, would I recommend the New Nude palette from Huda Beauty? Most definitely!
I know that the price point might not exactly be appealing, but that’s a personal detail I usually brush off. I am in no position to judge your finances, so I am just going to talk about the quality and performance of the product.
The first thing I noticed while playing around with the palette is the little build-up in the pan of the mattes and Reflective shades. I don’t particularly find it annoying, but is also something worth knowing.
THE REFLECTIVE + GLITTER SHADES
Another aspect I believe is very important to note is the fact that the Reflective shades don’t need a brush to work; Huda did disclose this in her launch video (check it out here!), but I wanted to give a flat definer brush a go anyway. Using your fingers will guarantee you the best payoff on the eyes. However, it will generate a little build-up and fallout on the face.
I believe this to be a consequence of this innovative formula that mixes the shimmers together every time you swirl your finger in the pan. This guarantees an amazing payoff, but will also cause the shadow to turn a bit crumbly.
The glitter shadows are frankly a nice addition to the product. I find them to give the palette that little bit of spice that enriches a quite similar selection. You will need a glitter glue/primer for sure, but the texture of these two shades are quite buttery and almost oily. They’re very easy to work with and glide on the lid effortelessly.
THE MATTES
Moving on to the mattes, we find a formula that I personally find to be a hit and a miss at the same time. Ok, let me explain. The pigmentation is sensational, both with a set or wet base. I did detect build-up in the pan and a little fallout on the face, but it’s honestly not that deep.
What really surprised me positively is how easy it is to blend them out – almost too easy. It only takes a couple of seconds to blend the shadows perfectly, however the pigmentation fades immediately.
You definitely need more ‘coats’ to make the colors pop, but with how easy it is to work with these eyeshadows I can’t possibly mind.
LAST CONSIDERATIONS
Lastly, I would like to share a few thoughts on the concealer. I have to admit this element kind of threw me off when I first saw the palette. A concealer base in a palette is innovative, that goes without saying, but was it really necessary? No, not in my opinion.
In all honesty, I would have much preferred a matte black shade in place of the concealer; I don’t find it better (or worse, for that matter) than any primer/concealer I have in my collection (‘Conceal & Define‘ from Revolution, specifically). On the other hand, I find it a nice addition for people who prefer some sort of an ‘all-in-one’ solution. That being primer + shadows. My advice would be to use it to cut the crease and prime the lids. This way, you’ll get rid of it quicker!
I find this palette to be a nice and somewhat refreshing alternative to classic nude selections. Also, it’s full of different formulations that allow you to play around with it with amazing results!