Showing posts with label lorac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lorac. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

November 2015 Favorites


As promised, my favorites for November are on time! I'm excited to share the products I was most fond of over the month. I have some new items, and some tried and true staples from my arsenal of products. I don't like using new items every month for my favorites, because I find a lot of times an item will be mentioned as a "favorite" and then will never be mentioned again...was it really your favorite? But I digress. Here are my choices!

  1. Lorac Unzipped palette - I am way late to the game on this palette. Tons of people rave about it, and I just didn't feel I needed it. To be fair, I just didn't want to spend money on another palette. I picked this up with Ulta points to circumvent feeling guilty. I am so, so glad I got my hands on this palette. The formula for these shadows is the same as the Lorac Pro palettes. The shadows are a little soft, but blend beautifully. If you're a fan of neutrals, rose golds, and rusts, this is the palette for you. It's a really great autumn palette, and I can see myself using it year round.
  2. Givenchy Mister Mat primer - I picked this up in my modest VIB Rouge sale haul in the beginning of November. This is hands down the best mattifying primer I've used, and I have tried many. This tops the list mainly due to how smooth the application is. A lot of others I've used need a bit of work to get them smooth on the face, and too much touching or product causes it to ball up or be patchy. This one glides on beautifully. It is pricy, however, so I'm not sure how often I'll be replacing it.
  3. YSL Black Opium perfume - I have been hoarding samples of this scent(I have three now, I think?) and using it nonstop. I've even added a mini spray vial to my Christmas list as well. (If you follow this blog at all, you'll realize more perfume is the last thing I really need...) This scent is light, slightly floral, slightly sweet, and feminine. I was shocked checking out the notes, as one is patchouli, but it doesn't smell like patchouli at all...and that's one of the notes I actively try to avoid. It's a sweet, strong scent, but doesn't lean towards that sickly sweet like Aquolina Pink Sugar. It's quite sophisticated, and I know a lot of people have started wearing it lately. Definitely check it out if you come across it!
  4. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack  - I picked up even more of these masks in my recent skincare haul. I turn to these masks when I have something brewing under the skin, or redness I can't handle any more. This mask helps take care of those right away, while leaving my skin lightly moisturized. The mask has a fresh scent, and even has little eye flaps in case you want to get you eyelids in on the sheet mask action. The best part is these are alcohol free, so if your skin is sensitive, you don't have to miss out. I also have the Snail Bee High Content Essence, which I apply right after! (After I drain the packet of serum and smear that all on my face, as well!)
  5. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence - This is my HG sunscreen. I was recently on a trip to the Caribbean and I came back the same shade that I left thanks to this. I even used it on the rest of my body after a breakout from another sunscreen. I still want to try other sunscreens, but I am glad I can fall back on this one should I need to. It's light, absorbs quickly, does not leave a white cast, and leaves a slightly matte finish to boot. If you're in the market for a chemical sunscreen, I highly recommend checking this one out!
Let me know what you were loving in November! Maybe I'll end up loving it, too.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Review - Lorac Vintage Vixen Palette

This palette was apart of the Ulta Black Friday sale this past year. I had a bit of trouble with getting this, as Ulta did not have enough stock for the amount of orders that were placed. However, they re-listed the palette for sale again at the beginning of January, and I was lucky enough to snag it!


Lorac Vintage Vixen palette
Lorac Vintage Vixen Palette

Vintage Vixen Palette swatches over bare skin

I must say, I love the packaging for the palette. It's cardboard, but it is compact, light, and the pattern is very cute. I like longer pans, since it allows you to easily just swipe your brush on it. I also like the inclusion of the mirror on even such a small palette, as this is a very good palette to just toss in your bag for touching up. 

The palette contains five unnamed matte eyeshadows:

  • creamy beige
  • pale taupe
  • warm light brown
  • warm burgundy
  • deep brown
The shadows themselves weren't as smooth as what I've come to expect from Lorac, they were a little on the powdery side. I'm guessing they were powdery due to the matte formula. As you can see from the swatches they are a little patchy. They did wear better over a primer. The Lorac formula, though a little powdery, was still very blendable.

I am a little disappointed that the burgundy shade looks great in the pan, but swatches and wears to be more brown. The burgundy was pretty much the main reason I picked up the palette (that, and the price!) so it's a little bit of a letdown. Since it comes out as more of a brown shade, it can easily be muddied with the darker brown shade of the palette if you are not careful with your blending. 

Overall, for $12, the palette certainly isn't a bad deal. I could definitely see it being a nice travel palette, or something to keep in your bag for an emergency look (don't laugh, you know there are days where you don't do an eye look and suddenly you need to look good.)

Pros:
  • Great price point
  • Shadows blend nicely
  • Compact packaging
Cons:
  • Burgundy shade not true to pan
  • Shadow formula is somewhat powdery
  • Limited edition! (but they have brought it back once! It could happen again!)
Lorac Vintage Vixen Matte Eyeshadow Palette (Limited Edition) - $12.00 for 0.058 oz x 5
Review - 3/5

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Review - Lorac Mega Pro Palette

I was one of the lucky few to snag a Lorac Mega Pro when their site hiccuped on October 1st, showing the palettes as in stock and for sale a week early. It arrived right after I finished doing my makeup the day I left for NY Comic-Con, so I didn't get a chance to use it til I returned. Now that I'm back, I've gone ahead and tried it out, swatched it out, and taken some pictures!

The following photos were taken with no sort of eyeshadow base, everything is over bare skin. I made these swatches with a Hakuhodo G5523 BkSL brush, and all swatches were done dry.