Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm and Naked Flushed: Review, Pics, Swatches

To call Urban Decay's Naked line popular would be like calling Bernard Brogan's torso 'slightly fit'. The palettes, the foundation and the most recent matte eyeshadow kit have all become serious lust-have's that keep topping the bestsellers lists, so it's no surprise that the brand are keen to expand the franchise. But can the latest additions live up to the hype?

Naked Skin Beauty Balm (with SPF 20) is in the same camp as the L'Oreal or Body Shop BB creams so if you like those, you'll probably get on well with this one too. My personal preference is for products that provide more coverage and help to even out my skintone, so despite really wanting to love it, this didn't blow me away.

It's a very thin formula that provides little to no coverage and makes only the slightest improvement to the appearance of my skin - although it does warm up my complexion and add a bit of a healthy glow. There is also a slightly peculiar scent which I noticed on application, though it didn't bother me after that. When you're wearing it, it's very lightweight and almost imperceptible on the skin - so it might work if you want to look and feel like you're not actually wearing any makeup. If you're at school, for example, this could be a good choice - although the €29 price tag might put you off.

I had a much more positive experience with Naked Flushed. This palette, with its powder bronzer, highlighter and blusher combo, really plays into my current obsession with contouring and I've been reaching for this daily over the past couple of weeks. Texture wise, I think I was expecting these to feel as silky and soft as the brand's exceptional eyeshadows, but that isn't the case. The highlighter comes close, but the bronzer and blush are drier in texture - though I still found them easy to work with.

The shades are intended to work with all skintones and they definitely work for me. While the bronzer looks a little orangey toned in the pan, it's quite sheer on the face and subtle enough to be used on a day-to-day basis. The deep rose blush and pink champagne highlighter are pretty shades and are quite pigmented, too - you need quite a light hand with both.  I like the combination, and think €26 is a decent price for all three. But that said, if Urban Decay were to release a version with a cooler toned bronzer and a coral blush, we'd be snatching their hands off I reckon.

Both products are on counter now. Thoughts?