Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette Vs Freedom Makeup Pro Audacious 3 Palette

A good dupe of an expensive product is something that you simply can't turn down, so when I found out that Freedom Makeup had their own version of the infamous Naked 3 palette, I knew that I had to try it. The shades included are practically identical and I'd also heard promising words about the Freedom palette in terms of formulation and durability, so I was eager to compare the two palettes and see how they measured up to one another. In this post, I'll be comparing many different aspects, from the pigmentation to the packaging and everything in between.

Packaging

Upon appearance, it's clear that one of these palettes is luxurious and expensive, whereas the other is a budget alternative. The rose-gold metal casing of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette gives an initial vibe of being lavish, as well as being sturdy and providing protection for the eyeshadows. The huge mirror is also a nice addition and is perfect for on-the-go application. The double-ended brush is surprisingly of a high quality, which is something that you don't often find with these type of products. I'm absolutely in love with the packaging of the palette, and so I simply had to include a photo of it.

The Freedom Makeup palette, on the other hand, is made of black plastic, which isn't incredibly sturdy yet still protects the eyeshadows inside. The large transparent rectangle in the front means that there's no space for a mirror, yet I like how it allows you to preview the eyeshadows without opening the palette, so this could either be positive or negative. One thing that I did find with this palette, along with other products from the brand, is that they can be quite difficult to open and I've been close to breaking my nails on various occasions, so this is something to watch out for.

Eyeshadow Colours and Pigmentation

The most important part of an eyeshadow is the colour of it and its pigmentation, so whether it shows up well on the eyes or is sheerer. I found that the easiest thing to do was to compare the palettes eyeshadow by eyeshadow for this category, to give you a thorough view of which one performs the best. Below I have listed each eyeshadow from the Naked 3 Palette and compared the qualities of these to the Freedom palette. For the swatches which you can see below, this is how the eyeshadow looks when my finger was swiped in them twice. I kept this the same for each eyeshadow in both palettes so you can get the most accurate view of how they compare.

The Freedom Makeup Pro Audacious 3 swatches are on the left and the Urban Decay Naked 3 swatches are on the right.

Strange - This is a pale peach eyeshadow that is verging on white, looking lovely as an inner corner and brow bone highlight. It's really pigmented for a pale colour and it shows up very well on my skin. The Freedom palette counterpart is almost identical, if not slightly more peachy. This one definitely isn't as pigmented and needs a considerable amount of product to reach the same shade, but it's still impressive for a drugstore eyeshadow to be this packed with colour.

Dust - This is a pale pink eyeshadow that contains iridescent micro-glitter. It's probably the least pigmented in the palette, but still shows up really well and has a decent amount of pigmentation. The Freedom equivalent to this eyeshadow is mostly shimmer, opposed to a base eyeshadow as well, meaning it's less pigmented but also has more shimmer to show up on the eye.

Burnout – This is a rosy pink satin that looks absolutely gorgeous on the lids and is very complimentary, especially for blue and green eyes. It has a smooth and even texture, but I honestly feel as though the Freedom version won in terms of pigmentation, as it’s much more visible on the skin.

Limit – This is a neutral, dusky rose that is matte. It’s perfect for warming up the crease and I often reach for this as my transitional shade. It appears to be even and not patchy on the skin, but yet again I found that the Freedom palette had the more pigmented version, although the Urban Decay palette did win in terms of having a creamy formulation.

Buzz – I’m in love with this rose gold pink shade, as it’s almost like a richer, more intense version of Burnout that looks beautiful on the eyes. It has a soft and buttery texture with little-to-no fallout. However, the pigmentation isn’t comparable to the vivid shade that the Freedom palette produces, which is definitely clear by the swatches.

Trick – This eyeshadow is very similar to Buzz except it has more of a burnt copper appearance, with the addition of gold micro-glitter. Yet again, it’s very soft and creamy to touch, applying like a dream on the eyelids. The Freedom version has a more vivid orange tone and is also much more pigmented in comparison.

Nooner – This is the final matte eyeshadow in the palette, being a medium rosy plum colour that I love to work into the crease. It’s pigmented and blendable, applying in a thick and even layer. The Audacious 3 version of this eyeshadow is almost identical in colour and may contain a bit more pigment, but I do find it to look a bit patchier at times and not as even as the Naked 3 eyeshadow.

Liar – This is a medium-toned brown with warm undertones and a metallic finish. I find it to be quite powdery in both palettes, but the finish is definitely more even from the Naked 3. The pigmentation is an equal playing field, although I feel as though the warm tones are more evident in the high-end palette. Either way, this is a beautiful eyeshadow from both palettes.

Factory – This darker brown also has warm undertones, being a more intensified version of the previous shade. Both eyeshadows are incredibly pigmented, with the Naked 3 version being slightly more concentrated. However, I feel as though the Freedom version had a more even application, whereas the Urban Decay one looked heavy in some places and lacking in others.

Mugshot – This is a silvery taupe that has warm undertones and a metallic finish. I definitely find that the Urban Decay eyeshadow is more on the taupe side, whereas the Freedom eyeshadow seems to be slightly browner, so the shades don’t exactly match up. However, the pigmentation of both is amazing, and neither are patchy or powdery in formula.

Darkside – This rich, purpled taupe is definitely bold, but from both palettes it is also extremely blendable. I was quite let down by the Urban Decay version of this, and you can see from the swatches that it fails to match up to the intensity that the Audacious 3 eyeshadow provides. This one has much more intense pigmentation, whilst still boasting a lovely formula.

Blackheart – This eyeshadow is a deep burgundy that appears to be almost black, lit up with the addition of vibrant red micro-glitter. It’s truly a unique shade and I feel as though both Urban Decay and Freedom’s eyeshadows looked identical in colour and pigmentation. Both felt quite powdery, but it’s visible in the swatches that the Naked 3 alternative had a more even finish.

Formulation

Despite the appearance of the eyeshadows in each palette being virtually the same, there are a few minor differences in the formulation. I find that the Naked 3 eyeshadows are all really creamy in texture, feeling smooth and buttery to apply. The Audacious 3 eyeshadows are by no means rough or separated, but you can definitely tell that they aren't from a high-end palette based on the texture. However, this could just be due to the patterns embossed on the eyeshadows making them less soft to touch. Also, the glitter is chunkier and less finely-milled in Freedom palette.

Durability and Appearance on the Eye

To make it a fair test, I decided to test out both eyeshadow palettes with the use of a primer to gain an insight on the lasting power. A lot of eyeshadows tend to crease and fade on me after wearing them for a few hours, so I was eager to see how these two palettes would measure up. As you can see below, I tested out both eyeshadow palettes by creating an eye look. The eyeshadows that I used are listed below, with them being called by their Naked 3 names since the Freedom palette doesn't name the eyeshadows.

• Strange on the brow bone and inner corners of the eye
• Dust across the centre of the lid
• Limit as a transitional shade through the crease
• Buzz from the centre of the eye towards the outer corners
• Nooner lower down in the crease
• Darkside and Blackheart in the outer corners

You can see the eyeshadow look that I created below. On the left is the eyeshadow look created by the Audacious 3 palette, and on the right is the identical look that I creating using the Naked 3 palette.

        

I found that both eyeshadows lasted on my eyes really well with a primer, which is definitely better than I expected considering that eyeshadows don't last the best on me. They stayed intact throughout the rest of the day, except with the shimmer faded slightly. I was amazed by this, especially for the Freedom palette, as I was never expecting such an affordable palette to stay in place for so long.

Amount of Product

In the Freedom Audacious 3 Palette, you get 12 eyeshadows, all of which contain 1g of product. Therefore, the total amount of product in this affordable palette is 12g, which is great value for money. The Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette also has 12 eyeshadows, yet each one contains slightly more product at 1.3g each, with 15.6g of eyeshadow in total in the palette. Despite the high-end palette having more product, there isn't a considerable difference.

Price

Although the price of the Naked 3 palette may vary depending on where you buy it from, it tends to retail at around £38.50 in the UK, which is definitely expensive but expected from a high-end palette. It tends to be sold in any store that carries the brand, such as Debenhams, House of Fraser or a freestanding Urban Decay store just to name a few places. The Freedom palette, on the other hand, costs a mere £4, which is hardly breaking the bank and is therefore much more appealing to buy. Their brand is predominantly sold in Superdrug, meaning it's also easy to get your hands on this palette.

Overall, I'd say that both palettes are incredibly similar and you'll have a tough decision to make if you're choosing between them. The Naked 3 definitely has a luxury feel to it and you can't deny that the quality is amazing, but on the other hand the Audacious 3 has amazing pigmentation and is only £4! I guess I'll have to let you decide which one is the best since I think I'd take forever to make my mind up! If you'd like to buy the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette then you can do so from the Debenhams website. The Freedom Makeup Pro Audacious 3 Palette is sold in Superdrug.

Thank you very much for reading this post and for all of the continual support, as I honestly appreciate it very much. I'll see you next Sunday as usual with a new blog post, so bye for now!

Love from Daisy x