Urban Decay Naked Cyber Eyeshadow Palette Review

Vegan, cruelty-free, and packed with neutral shades. Here’s the review on Urban Decay’s Naked Cyber eyeshadow palette.

If I love one makeup product (besides mascaras), it would be an eyeshadow. Not only is this the most common makeup item on my collection, but the one that I feel excited about the most when it comes to new launches.

While Urban Decay’s eyeshadows have had a special place in the market for quite some time now, especially the ones from the Naked segment, this was the first that caught my attention and that I would like to own.

Why? Besides the pastel and neutral color scheme, this eyeshadow palette is vegan and cruelty-free with a few duochromes. 

Urban Decay’s Naked eyeshadow palettes are widely known for the quality of their formulas. These are often praised for being buildable and long-lasting. These eyeshadow palettes aren’t exactly cheap, as each one of these palettes usually costs between 40 to 60 euros. 

No matter how much I liked what I saw online, it wasn’t until I had the chance to do some primary swatches at Sephora that I decided that I wanted this eyeshadow palette in my life. So I was thrilled when I received it for my birthday.

What does the brand say about the Naked Cyber Eyeshadow Palette?

The Naked Cyber Eyeshadow Palette is presented on Urban Decay’s website as the new vegan lineup of the Naked Eyeshadow Palette family. Inspired by future tech, cyberspace, and virtual reality, this eyeshadow will help us level up our eye looks. Thanks to its buildable neutrals in satin, matte, shimmer, metallic, glitter, and duochrome finishes - all featuring the velvety, ultra-blendable Naked eyeshadow formula.

According to Urban Decay, we can use our fingers with the soft shimmer and duochrome shades for more color payoff. The duochrome shadows contain two contrasting, reflective pigments for a shade-shifting effect in the light. So we can feel like we’re getting two shades in one and create super-wearable and versatile eye looks.

Besides the twelve eyeshadows with a vegan and cruelty-free formula, the double-ended brush in this eyeshadow palette is vegan and cruelty-free.

What were my expectations with this eyeshadow palette?

Given Urban Decay’s reputation regarding eyeshadows, especially the ones within the Naked segment, and after doing some primarily swatches at my local Sephora, my expectations were high.

I was looking for a reliable palette with long-lasting formulas that were also easy to blend and that allowed me to pull off everyday looks without giving it much thought.

I also love to add a bit of shimmer whenever I create a makeup look. As most of the unique eyeshadows I own are either shimmery formulas or pressed glitters, having an excellent selection of matte and duochrome shades on the same palette was a plus for me.

My experience using the Naked Cyber Eyeshadow Palette

I’ve been using the Naked Cyber eyeshadow palette for a few months to write a thorough review instead of something based on my first impressions.

I was sometimes applying its formulas straight from the pan or with some concealer underneath, even with glitter glue. Although Urban Decay mentions that you can use the eyeshadows straight from the pan (dry) or with a bit of setting spray (wet), I've always applied these formulas dry.

I don’t have Urban Decay’s renowned All Nighter setting spray. I had it in the past, and even though it sets your makeup correctly for hours, I am not a fan of its scent. I know that many people are ok with it; otherwise, it wouldn't be a bestseller in its segment, but it's a no-no for me. Also, I don’t have any other setting spray, and I was unwilling to spend money on one.

Whenever I use this eyeshadow palette, I find myself pulling a combination of the following shades: Virtual (for the crease), Gadget (for a pop of color in the outer eye), Call I.T. (on the second half), Electrode (on the first half), and Meta Data or A.I. (to highlight the inner corner).

Applying the formula straight from the pan

When getting the formula from the pan, I’ve noticed it was a bit powdery (especially the matte ones). So, I was excepting some fallout when I applied it on my eyelid, but it didn’t happen.

I chose to apply the matte shades with the brush that comes with the palette and the unique hues with the tip of my index finger.

But formulas were easy to apply and blend out, and my makeup looked great after using it. However, I could tell that the duochrome formulas nearly disappeared after just a couple of hours (the Cyberspace one, in particular).

The first time I used this eyeshadow palette, I went to an evening event (theatre and dinner). So, I’ve created my makeup look around 7.30 pm, and by 11 pm, the Cyberspace eyeshadow was practically gone. 

This left me thinking that I had to do some eye prep the next time I used it.

Applying the formula with concealer underneath

This is the way I’ve been using this eyeshadow palette more often. I have used a concealer from Kiko makeup lying around the house, so nothing special or fancy.

Prepping my eyelids with a thin layer of concealer and now having access to an even-toned surface made it easy to bring out the colors more easily without using many layers of product.

Besides making it easier to apply and blend out the eyeshadows, I’ve noticed that the colors were more vivid, and the duochrome shades lasted longer.

However, unfortunately, the Cyberspace shade still faced out throughout the hours.

Applying the formula with some glitter glue

After the previous experiments, I decided to add a bit of glitter glue (from NYX’s Cosmetics) to the equation.

So, I would prep my eyelid with the concealer, then apply the matte shades, a tiny bit of glitter glue, and then the Duochrome shades.

This was the only way to get the Cyberspace duochrome shade last the entire day. I’ve also noticed that the Call I.T. shade looked more vivid when applied on top of the glitter glue.

The problem with using glitter glue is that you'll end up with creases if you move your eyelids right after applying the product. Something you don't want, especially after all the work you've been through.

Would I recommend it?

The Naked Cyber eyeshadow palette from Urban Decay is pretty good. The matte tones have good pigmentation, and the duochrome shades are unique. The formulas are super easy to blend, and the brush that comes with it is a quality one.

You won’t have a problem with the matte shades in terms of durability. Unfortunately, I can’t tell the same about the duochrome ones.

But, would I recommend it? Well, it depends. This is an excellent option if you’re looking for a neutral and pastel-colored eyeshadow palette. It is not only because of the shades but of how effortless it is to create a look. The only con would be the duochrome shades that don’t last that long, but I would recommend it if you don’t see it as a significant problem.

However, if you’re looking for a reliable eyeshadow palette with long durability, this isn’t the right eyeshadow palette for you. And you’ll end up very frustrated if you spend your money on it.

Even though I got this one as a birthday gift, I know I would purchase it anyway. Despite some of my favorite tones not being as durable as I’d like these to be, I always have a good time playing with this eyeshadow palette, and the pastel tones are right up my alley. 

7/10