The Balm Nude 'tude Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches

The Nude 'tude is a neutral eyeshadow palette with the greatest versatility in its class. There are both warm and cool shades, with more than just brown tones. I prefer it to the original Urban Decay Naked because there is more variety in colors that can create natural or smoky eye looks, though I do enjoy and use the Naked II palette most out of the three. Nude 'tude boasts phenomenal quality, and it is definitely worth the splurge if you can find it at a discounted rate on HauteLook, as I did. It retails for $36 USD. I cannot say I am a fan of the packaging, as I prefer plastic and metal to cardboard, but it is thin and lightweight yet durable with a sizable mirror on the lid panel. 

The eyeshadows are soft but pigmented, so they apply smoothly across the lids. Some are more buttery than others. Snobby and Stubborn are quite buttery, while Sultry is the most powdery of the 12 shades. Silly has the most glitter fall out, and the brown base is rather sheer, so I use this one sparingly. Sexy and Sleek two memorable matte shadows, the best of the deep shades, and Serious can be used to line the eyes. I find that using a MAC 239 or Shu Uemura Kolinsky 10f works best to build up the intensity of the shades when worn on the lids.

*PLEASE DO NOT USE MY PHOTOS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION*

Swatches and Shade Breakdown:

Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Sophisticated

Sexy, Serious, Snobby, Stand-offish

Sultry, Seductive, Silly, Sleek

I like to wear Sassy in the inner corner, as it is very bright. It is too noticeable on the brow as a highlight, but that is just my personal taste. Stubborn is a gorgeous pinky-peach, but I like to mix it with Stand-offish to add more sparkle. Snobby is a lovely warm gold, reminds me of a deeper version of the gold in Guerlain's Turnadot palette. Sultry is powdery, but it's a very useful matte nubuck. Selfish is a frosted taupe, and I generally wear this on the lower lashline. It is not a particularly memorable taupe, but I am a taupe collector. Sophisticated is a basic shimmery warm brown. Sexy is a phenomenal burgundy, one of the best that I own. Serious is a medium black, not as dark as the black liner shade from the Guerlain Liu palette, but I was quite impressed by how smoothly it applied. Seductive is a warm bronze that leans more of a golden brown when applied to my skin. I like to wear this one all over the lid and add Sleek to the crease for a quick smoky brown eye. Sleek is a deep, dark brown that blends easily with very little fall out (reminds me of LE Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown shades). Silly has the most fall out, requiring a bit of clean up. The shimmer drops onto the cheeks, so I avoid using this one.

Bottom Line: Versatile and wearable, worth owning even if you have both Naked palettes!

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