Breaking down why the Urban Decay Naked Weightless Foundation just might be the most overrated foundation of all time. Get the scoop!
I’ve been a huge fan of Urban Decay for the last seven years or so. From their foundations to eyeshadows to cheek palettes and lipsticks, I have a long history of loving their makeup and have yet to be disappointed.
Until now.
Being such a big fan, I was naturally excited when the Urban Decay Naked Weightless foundation launched this summer. They’ve done a great job at consistently delivering long-lasting products that exceed my expectations through the years and I had no reason to believe this would be any different. And so it came as no surprise when I saw the foundation garnering rave review after rave review from the beauty community.
Given how obsessed I was this summer with Maybelline’s latest foundation, it took me a little longer than expected to give it a try. But, I finally purchased this in August with every intention of falling head over heals in love with the next best thing Urban Decay was bringing to to table.
Urban Decay Weightless Foundation
I picked up the Weightless foundation at the start of August and after several weeks of tasting am ready to give a full review! Before we dig into my (disappointed) thoughts, though, let’s examine the claims Urban Decay puts on this foundation.
The Claims:
- 24-Hour wear time
- Real-skin matte finish
- Buildable medium coverage
- Waterproof
- Breathable and flexible
- Minimizes the appearance of pores
Now, let’s get into the nitty details of where this foundation fails to deliver.
Lack of Coverage
The very first thing I noticed when applying the Urban Decay Naked Weightless foundation was just how minimal the coverage was. It shocked me so much, in fact, I found myself looking at the bottle again to confirm that this was in fact supposed to be a medium-coverage foundation. Ultimately, I’d say it gives light-to-medium coverage.
My freckles and even some redness shined through the product very easily, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you like lesser coverage the foundation definitely doesn’t live up to its claims there.
Minimal Wear Time – Definitely NOT 24 Hours
This is where I started to get especially confused. There’s no way someone could get 24-hours of great wear from the Urban Decay Naked Weightless foundation and so it boggles my mind why they would even say that.
In reality, you get about 2 to 3 hours of wear before the foundation takes a turn for the worse. It has ZERO oil-control ability and will start to breakdown and get patchy around your complexion.
In hopes of remedying the situation and finding a way to get more use from the product, I tested this with a variety of facial primers as well as multiple setting powders. In the end, even with touch ups, I couldn’t successfully make it through a workday without wanting to claw my face off. As the foundation breaks down, it’s also really uncomfortable.
Prepare for “Bad Makeup Days”
You know when you leave the house thinking things look okay on your face, only to look at the mirror a couple hours later and find yourself thinking: WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?
Well, that’s what every experience I had with this foundation turned into. Because I was such a fan of Urban Decay’s foundation in the past, I really was committed to making the foundation work. In the end, I found it turns my face into an oil spill and exaggerates the pores and fine lines I’m trying to hide.
The Weightless foundation gets increasingly heavy with wear throughout the day definitely won’t do anything to boost your confidence when you look in the mirror. Maybe I could live with an uncomfortable foundation if it happened to make my skin look great, but given that this one has the reverse affect I really don’t see the point in using it anymore.
If you do choose to go ahead and give the Urban Decay Naked Weightless foundation a try, I strongly caution you not to do so on days when you need to look presentable. It’s definitely not one I would turn to for an event or an otherwise long day.
Plastic Packaging
This might be somewhat of a petty point, but I honestly was really disappointed to discover the Urban Decay Naked Weightless foundation comes in a plastic – not glass – bottle. Shame on me for not looking into that further before purchasing, but it’s worth mentioning here as well in case you overlook that detail too.
As the world collectively looks at ways to eliminate plastic from our day-to-day lives, I really wish this was in a glass bottle. And with a price of $39, I’d say that was certainly possible.
Available in 50 Shades and Vegan
I do want to commend Urban Decay on making the Naked Weightless Foundation available in 50 shades with varying undertones. While I definitely do not enjoy this foundation, I do have to give them two big thumbs up for the color selection as well as making the product vegan.
Beware of Influenster Reviews
When looking the foundation up online via Ulta, Sephora, etc. – beware of the Influenster reviews. At first I just looked at the average rating, which reports this foundation to be very popular with almost a 5-star average. When you look more closely, though, you’ll see that the majority of reviews are made through Influenster. The website sends free product out to the public in exchange for online reviews and it’s clear that the free foundation definitely swayed public opinion on the foundation.
If you look at the lower rated reviews, you’ll find that those are from people who actually purchased the product as I did. So don’t make the same mistake I did and go off the average rating, because that is definitely skewed because of the influenced reviews. Had I read what people who actually purchased the foundation had to say, I think I would’ve skipped this one and saved myself $40.
Note: Not all Influenster reviews are bad. I’ve seen other reviews on products that turned out to be great — but in this case, the product is a dud and it’s clear these positive reviews are largely influenced.
A Note on Discontinued Products
Goodness I really hate when a product I love is discontinued – especially when they’re replaced by poor products.
First Urban Decay discontinued their Naked Skin foundation – an all-time favorite summer foundation of mine because of how well the liquid-to-powder formula stands up to heat and humidity. Now when I peruse the “Gone for Good” page on Urban Decay’s website, it would appear they’re eliminating Naked One & Done complexion perfecter that the beauty community as a whole fell in LOVE with in 2016…myself included. I’ve purchased several tubes through the years and am taking note that I better stock up before it’s fully gone.
It appears that Urban Decay is in the process of overhauling all of their base products — so if you’re a fan of the cult favorite All-Nighter foundation. Be warned! That could be next.
The Rundown:
- Priced at $39
- Available in 50 shades with mixed undertones
- Widely available at Sephora, Ulta, Urban Decay’s Website, Nordstrom and other department stores
- Light to Medium Coverage
Pros:
- Great color selection
- Vegan and cruelty-free
Cons:
- Poor wear-time
- Feels grimy on the skin
- Does not control oil and gets patchy throughout the day. Even when touching up with a powder you’ll have trouble.
- Poor coverage
- Settles into lines and exaggerates pours
- Plastic packaging
- Influenster reviews are misleading to the public
- Oxidizes
Overall Grade: C-
It actually pains me how disappointed I am in the Urban Decay Naked Weightless foundation. I’ve loved and believed in UD’s products for years and just cannot fathom how this one slipped through the cracks to be so awful. If you’ve ever tried one of their foundations before, you’ll know how long-lasting and comfortable they are to wear. So the fact that this one turns into a complete mess within a few short hours and feels icky on the skin is a total mystery to me.
Given just how many “rave” Influenster reviews that are out there skewing the average grade, I also don’t think it’s off-base to say this is the most overrated foundation of all time. Definitely of this year.
And to think, this is Urban Decay’s idea of a replacement for the Naked Skin foundation that truly WAS long-lasting and weightless. Crazy!
Save your pennies on this one. It’s not good!
*Edited 9.11.2019* Wanted to to share a little about a conversation I had with a lovely cashier at Ulta. She said she’s actually having a really positive experience with the foundation but has heard mixed feedback from customers. My best recommendation is to go to Sephora, Ulta, or any other retailer that stocks Urban Decay to get a sample to see how well it works for you before purchasing.
Shop the Post
Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Foundation ($39)
Nordstrom * Sephora * Ulta * Urban Decay Website
Interested in more beauty reads? Check out the Beauty Directory for makeup and skincare reviews!
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