Comparison: N1 vs. N2.
In my opinion, this one is better than the first! There is more variety in this palette than the first. The first had more dark shades than anything else, and this one has light, medium, and dark shades that allow for naked eyes or more dramatic.There is more of a color range in this one, too. In addition, the first only had two mattes, which were both crease colors more than anything. I prefer the fact that this palette has matte highlight, crease, and darker matte option.The packaging, I think, is an improvement. I don't understand how people say this one looks cheap when the first one is made out of *CARDBOARD*. This case is sleek and clean looking, and is easier to keep clean. In addition, this is a more secure closure since it snaps shut. The mirror is larger, which is nice if you are on the go with the palette. The size is similar to the first, but it is slightly heavier, but it's not like you're lifting weights with a makeup palette.The addition goodies weren't what I purchased the palette for at all. $50 for 12 full sized shadows is a good deal already. The gloss didn't show up on my lips as anything more than a bit of shimmer and gloss. The scent is mint with a hint of vanilla. It smells like a Cert, honestly. It's not a bad scent for those who don't mind that type of scent/flavor. It's on the thicker side, and isn't too sticky, but as it wears off it starts to feel tackier than when first applied. As for the brush, I find it doesn't do anything for me. The colors don't show up as well with this brush, and it flicks around a lot of product. I use non-synthetic brushes, and I pat the product on, which produces the best result.Shades:Foxy - Extremely light yellow-tinged cream color. Matte. This is on the sheerer side and almost blends into my skin color (light to light-medium yellow tone) when swatched. I actually really like this because it brightens/lightens my brow bone, but doesn't look so harsh. No similar shade in N1.Half Baked - A repeated from the original, and appears in many other UD palettes. Some may be disappointed by the repeat, but this is one of my favorites! It's super smooth and pigmented. It's a gorgeous, shimmering bronzed-gold. Exact repeat of N1.Booty Call - This is a pale-light, shimmering peach. This is super smooth and quite pigmented, which at first swatch I thought it wasn't. This is a great brightening shade for the inner corner, brow, or lid. Most similar to Virgin in N1, but Virgin is cooler, ashy, and lighter with less pigment.Chopper - Shimmering fawn/coppered brown with silver micro-glitter. GORGEOUS. Super pigmented. I use this wet, and it looks great with Booty Call and Snake Bite. No dupe in N1. Sidecar is significantly more bronzed-beige with silverish sheen.Tease - A light brown with a greyish-purple cast. Matte. This is another sheerer one that needs to be worked with a bit to build up. I use this mostly as a crease or outer corner color, but doesn't work with all the shades in the palette like Chopper, Half Baked, etc. Looks a little weird with the warmer shades of the palette. No N1 dupe, but would look great with Sin, Toasted, and Hustle from N1 due to its undertone. A more pigmented version of this shade would be MAC Quarry.Snake Bite - One of my favorite shades! Pigmented and smooth. The shade is a shimmering metallic bronze. This has been compared to Smog and Dark Horse from N1, but to me those are more gold where this has more of a bronze-orange tone. It has a richer look and dimension, IMO.Suspect - A very light, shimmering golden-beige. Very smooth. This shade makes a great lid color for a very neutral/naked look. For those with darker skin, might even work as an inner corner or browbone shade. No N1 dupe. Sin is more pink champagne and Sidecar is darker and bronzed.Pistol - Light-medium, shimmering grey-brown. This does look brown more than grey, but the grey tone is definitely apparent. Smooth, but felt I needed to build a bit to get an even color. Love using this to create a smoky eye with Tease, Verve, and Blackout. No N1 dupe. Gunmetal is cooler, glittered, and has a blue tone. Pistol has much more brown.Verve - Pigmented, shimmering oyster, which is essentially a light, silverish/grey brown. No N1 dupe.YDK - Hands down favorite of the palette! Pigment rich, shimmering metallic! The shadow is a little chunky looking, but applies smoothly. I pat it down rather than sweep. This is a gorgeous bronze color with much more of a purple base. Most similar to Toasted from N1, but WAY more gorgeous and dimensional.Busted - A darkened brown with purple tones. This is a shimmer, but it's not as sparkly as some of the others. Great pigment. Almost identical to Hustle from N1, but Busted is darker and a little less purple. This is what I was hoping Hustle would be.Blackout - Matte, pigmented black. Can be used as a liner, mixed with other colors to deepen, or to create more depth, etc.While some of the colors require more work than others, that's no different than what I found with N1. Overall, I find this palette has more of a range. The colors ARE pigmented if used correctly. They are soft texture, so too much blending will blend them away. Using a brush that grabs the product without absorbing is the best option for getting pigment without fallout. Using too much primer actually inhibits wear. And no, N1 and N2 are not dupes. They do complement each other very well. Both aren't essential, but are nice. My personal preference is the sequel! « less
i also use this if i’m looking for more reds