FIRST IMPRESSIONS ┊Holiday 2014: ♕ LORAC The Royal Eyeshadow Palette Set ♕

LORAC the Royal Eyeshadow Palette Set in Silver Silk, Gold Satin, and Plum Velvet

The holidays are right around the corner so if you haven't gotten all your gifts together yet, don't fret--I have two more gift ideas for the beauty-obsessed in your life!The LORAC The Royal Eye Shadow Palette Set contains a trio of quads featuring plums, golds, and silvers. Keep on reading for more info!

⇥ AT A GLANCE ⇤

Taken from Kohl's website:

"These ultra-rich, color coordinated eyeshadow quads by LORAC create three royal looks to define your eyes, no matter the occasion. The lavish trios are individually packaged so each one makes the perfect gift this holiday season."

⇥ THE BREAKDOWN ⇤

There are a total of three quads. Retail price is $35 usd but they are currently on sale for $27.99 usd. Each quad contains 0.28oz of product ($41.67 usd per oz at full price) for a total of 0.84 oz of product ($41.67 usd per oz).

The names of the palettes are Plum Velvet, Gold Satin, and Silver Silk.

⇥ PACKAGING ⇤

There's the outer packaging holding it all together if you wanted to give it as one gift, but each palette is individually packaged in a clear plastic box if you wanted to break it up into separate gifts instead.

Each palette is made with a sturdy cardboard (though I haven't tried to sit on it or run it over with a car or anything...). Compact and square, these don't take up much space or have excess packaging. These palettes are slightly thicker than the LORAC Pro Palettes but the eyeshadows are considerably larger. The maroon packaging with gold print is slightly tacky (except for Gold Satin) but what really matters is the functionality. The eyeshadows seem firmly glued in the palette and are aligned properly. As a slight OCD, when things don't line up perfectly, I'll sit there carefully arranging everything until it does. The mirror is large enough for me to see my entire face--helpful when I'm doing my makeup on the go, including foundation. Magnetic closure seems a bit weak but the strength is enough to keep the palette closed.

⇥ INGREDIENTS ⇤

⇥ PLUM VELVET ⇤

From left to right: a shimmery pale pink, shimmery rose-y taupe, shimmery warm taupe, and matte plum

 Plum Velvet performed the best out of the three palettes. The shimmer shades are opaque in one layer. The matte purple was a bit sheerer than the others but I personally don't mind as much because I wouldn't want a pigmented shade to be so dark. The other three shades are smooth and velvety, lending good pigmentation and blendability to the shadows. Color scheme is right up my alley--I can totally see this becoming my favorite palette. How the perform on my eyes is the true test, and Plum Velvet passes with flying colors. Purple is also the color of royalty and associated with regalness so the inclusion of this palette is quite fitting.

I used the top left color (satin cream) in the inner corners, top right (shimmery pale pink) all over the lid, bottom left (satin taupe) in the crease, and bottom right (matte dark purple) in the outer corners and lower lash line  to create more contrast

⇥ GOLD SATIN ⇤

From left to right: shimmery ivory, shimmery gold, shimmery copper, matte black with gold shimmers

Gold Satin also did quite well. Each shade was satiny to the touch and pigmentation was on par with the LORAC Pro Palettes. The shimmery ivory shade is a bit sheerer than the shimmery gold and copper. The eyeshadow in the bottom right quadrant is a black base with gold shimmer but the gold shimmer hardly shows up in my swatch and isn't visible once on my eye, rendering it a matte in performance. I'm not a fan of yellow gold or coppery colors but the color scheme fits right in with the holiday glamour. 

 the gold shade all over the lid, the bronze shade in the crease, the white in the inner corners, and the black with gold shimmer in the outer corners

⇥ SILVER SILK ⇤

Silver Silk had two duds: the black and the silver. Both were a bit dry to the touch and the silver was so sheer--a silver base would help this color pop more. I tried my best to work with it but after 3 layers, I could still see skin peeking through. This would be better as an overcoat or for an ethereal angel "wet" looking eye. The black being a bit patchy when swatched redeemed itself when applied to my eyes. The white was also quite sheer but still considerably more pigmented than the silver--about two layers gave me full opacity. While not the blackest black I've ever encountered, I rarely want that level of intensity in my makeup (unless it's a liquid eyeliner!) I was most disappointed in this palette since the only silky shade is the reddish brown shade but I can see this being used for a traditional smokey eye (which I attempted but failed so there is no EOTD for it...)

from left to right: shimmery white, shimmery silver, shimmery reddish brown, matte black

⇥ OTHER THOUGHTS ⇤

 The shadows coordinate well with one another within the quad but also have color variety to create contrast for dramatic looks if needed. There is at least 1 matte in each shade, which is important for creating texture and dimension. I like that the dark shades are matte because I can use them as eyeliner if needed. Most shades have decent pigmentation but can be blended well if you go overboard (hard to do, to be honest).Another bonus is that these don't irritate my sensitive eyes. These are by no means representative of LORAC eyeshadows I've tried before (Pro Palette, Pro Palette 2, Unzipped). I'm slightly disappointed in Silver Silk--the burgundy and silver shade got me really excited but the silver was a letdown. This set is exclusive to Kohl's and its currently on sale for $27.99 usd! That comes out to about $9.33 usd per palette, which is on par with drugstore options here in the US.

If you were looking into trying LORAC eyeshadows, I highly recommend the LORAC Pro Palette if you like Gold Satin,  LORAC Pro Palette 2 if you like Silver Silk (now that's how you do a silver!) and Plum Velvet. Swatches below are done with the same number of layers so pigmentation variation is due to the product themselves. Some of the colors aren't exact dupes (which is why I'm calling it a "comparison") but I hope this helps you decide if it's worth picking up if you already have the other palettes. :D

⇥ BOTTOM LINE ⇤

I wouldn't really recommend this unless you like the color schemes of these shadows. They work well enough, especially Plum Velvet and Gold Satin but a little bit of work is necessary for Silver Silk. I think these would be good stocking stuffers if you break them up but these aren't essential IMO. Colors are relatively dupeable and to be honest, not that exciting (except for Plum Velvet--one can never have enough taupes and purples!). 

Will you be getting this? Let me know down below!

⇥ WHERE TO BUY ⇤

KOHL'S | Buy 

XOXO,

MWAH ♥

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Disclosure Statement: All products mentioned were purchased with my own money. I am not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned above and was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. Links are not affiliate links and are provided for the readers' convenience. I cannot guarantee that the product(s) will work for you. I do not approve or endorse the products or information available on these sites. Proceed at your own risk.