Doop-da-doo, there I was, happily skippin’ down the street, Tabs’ leash in one hand, ice cream truck money in the other (one Drumstick please…actually two, ’cause I’m PMS-ing!), when I stumbled upon a tree bearing the most unusual fruit.
The branches hung low, weighed down not with plump, juicy apples or ripe peaches, but with bushels of new LORAC Pro Palettes.
For real!
I stood there with my mouth agape, staring up in awe, as more and more neighborhood beauty addicts gathered ’round, and women, men, young and old alike, all marveled at the miracle makeup tree.
Each of the $42 palettes (a $110 value), which hung beside a tiny tube of Behind the Scenes Eye Shadow, housed 16 powder eyeshadows in neutral shades, eight of them matte shades and eight of them shimmers.
I could have stood there all day if it hadn’t been for Tabs…
He ran toward the tree, claws poised and ready to climb the trunk!
“Stop!” I called out to him. I wasn’t about to watch my 20-pound tabby get stuck in a makeup tree, so I skittered over and scooped him up.
That’s when I heard someone near me ask if anyone had tried the palette.
“I have,” I said, slinging Tabs over my shoulder. Tabs grumbled, of course, in response. “I think it’s pretty good. I like that it comes with an even mix of mattes and shimmers and that most of the colors are cool toned.”
I plucked one of the palettes from a branch and handed it to a woman standing next to me with a red stroller.
“Makes it a little different from the other neutral eyeshadow palettes that are out there,” I said. “Here, swatch the eyeshadows. They’re super soft, easy to blend, too, and most are packed with pigment.”
I felt a little tickle on the back of my head. Hmm… It was Tabs, chomping on my hair — his way of letting me know that he was hungry and ready to go home.
Just then a perky teenager wearing glittery golden eyeliner asked me a question about fallout.
“There is some,” I replied, “so you may want to do your eye makeup first, and then follow with foundation and powder. Or, tap-tap-tap your brush against something to remove some of the excess powder before applying.”
The LORAC Pro Palette
- The two-piece set includes one 0.17-oz Mini Behind the Scenes Eye Shadow Primer and one palette filled with 16 0.32-ounce pans of powder PRO Eye Shadow.
- The matte shades are White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso and Black; the shimmers include Nude, Champagne, Gold, Light Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple and Slate.
- LORAC Founder Carol Shaw designed the shadows to be worn wet or dry.
- One item of note regarding the shimmers: when worn dry, the shine slowly mellows out over time, turning into more of a sheen by midday.
- I like how the finish of the shimmers changes over time, going from a high-shine to a sheen, but if you’d rather keep the mirror-shine throughout the day, try applying them with a wet brush.
PRICE: $42 each
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Sephora stores and sephora.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+/A-
At the miracle makeup tree, I said goodbye to my new friends and took my cranky tabby home.
It’s like I always say, “makeup brings people together!”
Later that afternoon, I went back to the tree with my camera in hand, but wouldn’t ya know it? — the tree was gone.
Was it all a dream? I wondered. I guess I’ll never know…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Just so you know, you’re doing a great job this week. We’re almost over the hump! 🙂
I don’t know what you’re doing lately Karen, but you look fantastic!! Just gorgeous all the time! I would love to know your secret!
A palette full of cool-toned neutrals? Finally! *grabby hands* 😀
I’ve been hearing really good things about this one–the colors are beautiful! I am in love with the Mauve shade! *sigh* another palette to lust after…
I love your hair! :O I agree with Erin. You’re looking even more fantastic lately!
Which shades have fall out?
Hmm, I actually think there are too many shimmers in the palette.
I’m not blown away by the colors. I prefer palettes with a bit of variety, and eventhough there are plenty of shades in this one, a lot of them look too much alike.
I like the fact that it contains as many matte shades as shimmery ones, though I wouldn’t really reach out for a palette that contains only cool-toned neutrals. I do think a lot of people will be really happy about it though!
I bought this last week and id have to say im mightily impressed! Its an awesome palette and I love how the mattes and the shimmers are on separate rows!
Yay! Did you have the chance to see any of the blushes?
You make everything look good but, and I know this isn’t fair, I can’t forgive LORAC for the fallout from the Private Affair palette. It was my first “real” palette purchase and I was so disappointed. 🙁
I shouldn’t hold a makeup grudge, I know. HAHA!
Aww. I feel like we need to find you a palette you absolutely love. I think we can do it…
You know I’m always open to your suggestions! 🙂
Lorac’s Pewter eyeshadow is my favorite day-to-night shade ever. I received a sample of it at Sephora years ago and got the sample pan clean! I don’t need to load my eyeshadow brush for color and there’s no fallout. During the day Pewter’s a cool toned shimmer. At night the shadow has more depth in color and the shimmer mellows out to a faint glow. Basically it’s perfect for smokey eyes. It was the first full pot of eyeshadow I ever purchased. Pewter gets constant (ab)use and I thankfully haven’t reached bottom yet.
Look at me gushing over one shade! This looks like the perfect travel palette for work or for more subdued events. Or maybe I can whip this out when I want to go crazy with my lip color.
I LOVE that color, Tennyoceres! Are there any specific products that you like to wear with it?
Pewter is so neutral it seems to go with everything, even warm toned eye shadows. Here was my eye shadow set for a recent fancy dinner:
LORAC Pewter – all over the eyelid
MUFE Peacock Green 80 – on the edge of the eyelids and creases
Benefit High Brow Glow – under the eyebrows (after much blending) and dots on the tear ducts
Too Faced Perfect Eyes Black Orchid – just a simple line.
MUFE Aqua Smoky Lash – I have tiny eyelashes so anything to make them present helps. Not my favorite waterproof mascara. Clumpy and gets fussy if you do more than 2 coats. I want to use up the tube before I go to the next of my ‘To Try’ mascara stash.
I don’t use primer for my lids and color still popped under dim lights. I’m a late bloomer to this makeup thing but oh man am I making up for lost time!
If you had to chose between this and the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette which would you pick? I’m looking to add a great new palette to my arsenal this season.
Hi Leah,
Both are great for different reasons. Um…maybe this one because of the mattes. It’s nice to have a good number of them all in one place.
Great question Leah. I’ve been eyeing the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette for a loooong time.
Karen, thanks for the review. Gotta agree with all of the readers – you are looking more and more fabulous these days!
I’m a sucker for mattes, but for some reason I don’t have many. I think that’s what’s drawing me to this palette. I don’t think I’ll get it though, as I have similar shimmery eyeshadows.
Hi Karen,
What lippy are you wearing here? Love the whole look!
Hey Karen! 🙂 I loved reading your story – it was a creative way to present your review. 🙂 Haha, my mom’s cat also sometimes tries to nibble on my hair sometimes. Too bad he isn’t some kind of haircutting prodigy or something. Then I could save money and not go to salons. 😉
Have you seen that Ulta will have LORAC Front of the Line Pro for $10 on Sept 20th?!? Just in time for a new one. Will need to check out this palette as I like sheen more than shimmer for work days.
This is fabulous looking! I love combining shimmers and mattes in my eye makeup.