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| Lorac Pro Palette |
You're probably wondering why I'm writing this post. Bought it way back in 2014 in this haul and if you've spent any amount of time here, you'll have figured out that this palette is my all time favorite eyeshadow palette, bar none. It is the only palette that pains me to leave at home when im right on space and will recommend this to everyone and their mother when asking my opinion when it comes to a palette that can truly do it all. When I realized that I've never dedicated an actual post to it, I immediately sought out to remedy that slight. Hopefully, you'll find my 2 cents helpful in convincing you that this is the only palette that I've come close to hitting pan on. This one is a long post so get a snack and some tea to get comfortable!
{THE BREAKDOWN}
Just looking at the exterior of the palette, it's quite simple and nondescript, nothing to catch the eye of a magpie like me. Opening the top and seeing what lies within didn't do much to increase my affection for this palette either. After starting off with elf shadows and eye primer, I didn't see the immediate benefits of Lorac. All I knew was using the elf shadows irritated my sensitive eyes but using high end shadows didn't seem to bother me.
In the great debate between getting a Naked Palette or this one, I chose Lorac because of the even split between matte shadows and shimmery shadows. The matte shadows were unlike any other that I had encountered: soft, pigmented, and easy to blend. And the best part? Those qualities weren't limited to just the mattes but extend to the shimmers too. The shimmer shadows are some of my favorite eyeshadows ever. They add a subtle glistening effect without large chunks of glitter falling into my eyes. Only one shade is inconsistent, Champagne, but it's hardly a disappointment when compared at large with other shadows. It is described as a Sparkle though. Due to the butteriness of the shadows, they adhere well to my lids, even without primer. With my oily eyelids, however, I always wear eye primer and that makes these shadows crease proof and vibrant throughout the day, no touch ups necessary. Ive never had a problem with the shadows developing an oily film from either my fingers or brushes, unlike my elf shadows. Shadows can be used wet or dry but I've never needed to intensify any if the shades (and besides, who has time to run off and wet their brush when they're hurriedly getting ready in the morning??). The range of colors provided made sure I had light, medium and dark colors to complete any look I desire. Instead of quirky monikers, shadows are aptly named by their hue, which falls in line with the no nonsense packaging (though I always believed Champagne to be a light goldish substance and Nude to be a skintone color).
Jumping back to my earlier statement about the packaging, I still don't think it's one of those that catch your eye amidst a sea of palettes. However, the thin but durable cardboard packaging has lasted through many a trip, none the worse for wear. As a precaution, I usually wrap it in a shirt or towel if I'm checking in my luggage. I've dropped the palette onto carpeted floor many times but despite the softness of the shadows, they have managed to stay intact unlike a Sephora palette I own. The mirror is large and decently sized for me to do my eye makeup with my nearsightedness. Magnetic closures are my favorite because I don't have to worry about chipping a nail. This one is strong enough to keep the palette closed but gentle to allow easy opening with just a thumb.
My only gripe aside from Champagne having a grittier texture than the other shimmers, is that due to the softness of the shadows, there is a sizeable amount of fallout/powderiness when I use a brush. I like my makeup to look pristine so seeing the powder all over the black packaging does drive me up a wall. Yet a wet wipe will easily clean that up, which I use every couple of weeks to sanitize my shadows.
{THE SWATCH}
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| Lorac Pro Palette swatches |
Swatches were done using fingers on my bare arm, no primer. Enjoy!
There are 8 mattes as follows: White, Cream, Taupe (my favorite crease color for everyday, warm looks), Lt. Pink, Mauve (love this paired with pink or purple shadows), Sable, Espresso (great eyebrow color for dark brown haired peeps!), and Black (buildable and easy to blend despite my horrible swatch).
The 8 shimmers are Nude, Champagne (a bit repetitive to include 2 pinkish white shades but Nude is slightly lighter, smoother and more pigmented than Champagne), Gold (can't get over the texture and pigmentation--literally, the gold standard), Lt. Bronze (my all-time favorite eyeshadow, hands down), Pewter, Garnet, Deep Plum and Slate.
{THE LOOK}
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| Inspiration came from Instagram but I've forgotten which user I got out from 😢 |
I've used this palette to create so many looks but here's an attempt to create a smokey eye using shades I rarely touched. If my memory serves me well, I used Cream as a base over primer, Garnet on the inner third, Deep Plum in the outer third and into the crease, Gold on the inner corner and lower lash line and Espresso blended into my outer lashline. For the rest of the face, I used Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush (forgot what color) and a combination of Maybelline Rebel Bloom Lipstick in Blushing Bud and Lioele L'Crete Miracle Magic Lipstick on the lips.
Here's another FOTD I've done using the LORAC Pro Palette. Typical me, another purple-based look.
{THE BOTTOM LINE}
I think it would be a great understatement to say that this palette is my holy grail. I didn't exactly go in this blind because I heard great reviews from YouTube but I'm so glad I followed along like a sheep. If you've read any of my eyeshadow reviews, I tend to compare them to LPP because it has set the bar quite high for its competitors.
Comparing LPP to the Nakeds, UDNP has a better price per ounce (LPP costs $44usd for 0.32oz and UDNP costs $54usd for 0.6oz) and comes with a dual ended brush. What makes the LPP more fitted to my needs is the color variety, 16 vs 12, AND that the shimmer shadows weren't glittery. Both do come with eye primer but you get slightly more with Lorac (0.19oz vs 0.13oz).
Now do I recommend this to everybody? Not exactly. At $131.25usd per oz, this palette costs a pretty penny. For those on a strict budget, this would be a strain. For a beginner, the powderiness might be tricky since the shadows do have fallout if I pick up too much at a time. However, if your budget permits and using the mantra, "Less is more," you'll get along fabulously with this palette, especially if you're not a fan of overly sparkly eyeshadows.
Whew, so glad to be back. I didn't mean to take that long of a break but it's been 24 days since my last post! I've been with my grandparents these past few weeks and there's no wifi here, causing me to rely on my slow phone Internet. I pre-edited some photos when I went back to my house for a break so posts will be coming shortly! If y'all missed me, it's much easier for me to communicate on my Instagram or Twitter (links below). I hope y'all are having a wonderful summer or winter wherever you are 💖
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