Rest in Peace: Urban Decay has Retired Its Best-Selling Eyeshadow Palette

By Taylor Colton

Photos courtesy of Urban Decay

Makeup lovers, grab your tissues. Waterproof mascara will be required. On August 23, 2018, Urban Decay announced it will be discontinuing its iconic Naked palette.

As a young teen in 2010, I purchased Naked, the one palette that ruled them all, as my first eyeshadow palette. Naked was the ultimate neutral palette, with its perfectly curated array of go-to shades; it was a staple in almost every collection. My love for and knowledge of simple eye looks started with and grew from this palette. The OG included unique lid and crease shades that revolutionized neutral eyeshadow forever. The 12 shadows were a blend of finishes, from matte to shimmer; the combinations were endless. Tutorials on creating perfect looks using the Urban Decay palette flooded YouTube and were discussed on every large influencer’s channel. I had the palette, my friends had the palette, our parents had the palette; it was everywhere.

Since learning about Urban Decay’s decision to discontinuation the palette, I’ve been wondering: why would a brand remove its most iconic palette from its collection and the market? Urban Decay has sold 20 million original Naked palettes, accounting for $1 billion in sales. Urban Decay founding partner Wende Zomnir explains that saying goodbye to the palette is “extremely bittersweet”, but feels it was a big moment in their history. “It’s a little painful to leave your past behind, but it’s also essential to always evolve,” he said in a statement provided to Insider. Fans will be waiting with bated breath to see what the brand launches to replace the OG icon.

Though the death was sudden, the company has given customers a silver lining to losing the irreplaceable palette. On their website, Urban Decay has cut the price of the palette in half, from $54 to $27.

The death of the palette has been commemorated across the internet and by Urban Decay itself. The company released a video in which Nicole Richie, Kandee Johnson, Christen Dominique, and other big beauty influencers paid their respects at a funeral for the palette. Other influencers have taken to social media to express their sadness over the palette’s discontinuation.

Just like the beauty community, I feel as though this is the end of an era. Although I don’t use the product as much as I used to, I still need time to mourn the revolutionary palette that changed the beauty industry.

To the Naked Palette: you may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.