Lorac Pro Palette 2 Look #3 - Galactic Mermaid

Okay so the story behind this look is that, when I first did it, I was wearing these awesome nail strips that had like fish scales on them. This look is hardly mermaid inspired, but the combination of the navy and the silver definitely remind me of a spacey kind of look! I also paired this eye look with two different lip colors, depending on what you're feeling. This is my last look of this series, and without a doubt my favorite!

I started out this look the same way as the first two looks in this series, using the Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer. Then with my Lorac Pro Palette 2, I took the color "Cool Gray" on a blending brush, and blended this through the crease. Then I took "Light Brown" and blending "Cool Gray" out, to make the transition even more seamless. For the lid, I used the color "Navy" on a flat stiff brush, and patted it on the outer third and the inner third of my lid. Be very, very careful with this color. It has a lot of fall out, so be sure to tap off the excess before applying it to the lid, otherwise you'll have color all over your under eye area, and a terrible time attempting to blend the shadow. Don't bother blending out the crease yet. We'll come back to that in a moment. 

To create that three-dimensional look, I took my Mac Fix+ and spritzed my brush before applying "Silver" to the center of the lid. This really helps the color apply vibrantly. Then, I took "Silver" again, dry, and blended in between the "Navy" and "Silver" shadows to create a gradient effect. From here, I took a clean blending brush, and began to buff out crease.

Honestly, the key to this look is patience. You will have to go back in with "Navy" a few times to keep it super intense, and just keep blending. If you seem to be having trouble, go back in with "Cool Gray" and really work it into the crease. This will help everything along. I also took "Light Brown" again when "Cool Gray" became more intense than I wanted, and blended that out as well. I probably spent a good ten minutes just blending and reapplying color till I got the right look! 

Once everything was blended to my liking, I took "Black" on a pencil brush and tapped it into the outer corner, just to add even more depth. I also feathered it into the crease, but made sure not to apply any more than what was already on the brush. 

On the lower lash line, I used "Navy," and stopped at the inner corner. To really brighten up the inner corner and keep the dark colors from closing everything up, I took "Snow" and highlighted the inner corner and blended it upward into the darker shadows. I also took my Milani Liquid Eye Pencil in "Black" and lined my upper and lower waterline, as well as lining my upper lashline before blending it out with a small pencil brush. To clean up the brow highlight, I took my Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in "Nude" and lined under my brows, blending downward so there wouldn't be a harsh line. I then set the nude pencil with the color "Buff."

For my lashes, I used my Ardell 110 Lashes, and since they were on their last legs anyways, I curled them in with my natural lashes and applied both my Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara and my Maybelline The Rocket Mascara, to really pump up the volume. I also added these two mascaras to my lower lashes.

For my face, I followed the same steps as my face routine post, skipping the cream blush step. I also applied "Banana" from the Anastasia Contour Kit under my eyes to help brighten things up, since the navy blue shadow can tend to enhance any blueness under the eyes.

For my lips, I chose two options: a nude for a more wearable look, and an oxblood color for when you're feeling a little more dangerous. The nude lip is my go to MAC "Shy Girl," and the oxblood color is Lime Crime's Velvetine in "Salem" with their Opaque Lipstick in "Poisonberry" on top. Another great option for a dark lip would be Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in "Black Cherry."

That's it for my Lorac Pro Palette 2 series! I hope this helped inspire you to use this "neutral" palette in more out-of-the-box ways. It is so versatile and can be used for just about anything!

What was your favorite look of the three in this series? 

- D. 

Lorac Pro Palette 2 Look #2 - Subtle Smokey Jade

Before I get started with this look, I want to apologize for the weird lighting in these photos. I usually prefer to take photos during the day in natural lighting, but I've never really had trouble taking photos at night! I'm not entirely sure what happened this time, but the lighting is just a bit weird and unfortunately does not really do this look justice. However, it does help get the point across, and you'll just have to try this look for yourself to see how gorgeous it really is!

This look is especially great for brown or hazel eyes, because the green really makes your eyes pop. It reminds me a little bit of the eyeshadow I had to wear in high school for colorguard, which I always got complimented on because it made the green flecks in my eyes stand out.

I first began with a base to really help the green shadow pop. I used my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk" and blended it all over the lid and up to the brow bone. Be sure to use a very thin layer of this product, because it can and will crease if you use too much! Then, I went straight in with "Jade" from my Lorac Pro Palette 2, and patted this all over the mobile lid, staying below the crease and out of the inner third of the lid. From here, I took a clean blending brush, and began blending out "Jade" to get rid of any harsh lines. 

To help blend even more, I took a mix of "Cool Gray" and "Light Brown" and blended these two shadows through the crease. I then took "Charcoal" on a pencil brush to further define the crease, as well as to deepen the outer corner. When "Charcoal" is blended with "Jade," you get this beautiful smokey green color! The key to this look is to blend blend blend. "Jade" is a bit of a tricky color to blend, because it can easily lose its opacity, so the trick is to keep going back in with the shadow and reintensifying the color. Once the shadows looked blended and opaque, I took "Snow" and filled in the inner corner that we left blank earlier. I went back and forth with "Snow" and "Jade" to create a seamless blend between the two shadows, creating almost a silvery green color

On the lower lashline, I took "Chrome" and smudged it along my lashes, stopping around the same place where "Snow" begins on the upper lid. I then took "Snow" and highlighted the inner corner to really make my eyes pop. 

For liner, I took "Black" on a push liner brush and wiggled this along the upper lashline, simply to thicken the appearance of the lashes without creating a harsh line. I lined my lower waterline with the NYX Slide On Pencil in "Pure White" to brighten things up even more. Then I curled my lashes and applied one coat of Maybelline The Mega Plush Waterproof Mascara, and one coat of Maybelline The Rocket Mascara. 

For the rest of my face, I kept things simple with my current go-to foundation routine, which I talked about here. The only difference between this look and that one is that I only used the NYX Rouge Cream Blush, without Milani's "Luminoso." On my lips, I decided to keep things neutral with MAC's "Shy Girl." I find that this really keeps the whole look a bit more wearable. 

That's it for the second look! I love that this look is a great way to wear a soft, subtle smokey eye without going for a cookie-cutter neutral look. It's perfect for an evening out if you aren't comfortable with really intense looks.

- D.

Lorac Pro Palette 2 Look #1 - Golden Plum

The thing I love the most about the Lorac Pro Palette 2 is just how insanely versatile it is! To show you just how versatile it is, I decided to do three completely different looks solely using the Lorac Pro Palette 2 on my eyes. The first look is a wearable, every day look that only takes a couple of minutes to do, and you could easily amp it up for nighttime!

To start this look, I primed my eyes with the Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer that comes with the palette. Then, to ensure everything blended beautifully, I mixed together "Light Brown" and "Nectar" on a fluffy blending brush, and took this through the crease. 

With a flat brush, I took "Beige" on the inner third of the mobile lid. I then decided to apply "Rose" wet on the center of the lid, to give a really pretty metallic finish. After this color dried, I went back in with "Rose" dry and patted it all where "Beige" and "Rose" met in order to make the colors blend seamlessly. 

At this point, I took a mix of "Light Brown" and "Cool Gray" on a slightly smaller blending brush than before, and deepened up the outer corner, pulling it through the crease. To make it more of a nighttime look, you can also run "Charcoal" through the outer corner and the crease to really smoke it out. Then, I went back in with the mix of "Light Brown" and "Nectar" and blended it through the crease to soften everything up. I also took a mix of "Buff" and "Snow" and used this as a brow highlight.

For the purple liner, I took a liner brush and spritzed it with my Mac Fix+. In order to avoid ruining the "Plum" shadow, I made sure to designate a small corner of the shadow for wet application. I used this shadow as a liner, and winged it out softly. I also ran this color, dry, along my lower lashline, stopping about two-thirds of the way in. To intensify the purple liner even more, I took NYX Studio Liquid Liner in "Extreme Purple" and drew a very thin line as close to the upper lashline as I could get. I even took this liner and dragged it along my lower lashes, to give my lashes that faux-purple mascara look! I also took "Rose" and brought this along the inner third of my lower lashline.  

From here, I took my Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in "Nude" and lined my lower waterline, to open up my eyes a bit. Then I curled my lashes and applied my go-to mascara, Maybelline Volum' Express The Mega Plush Mascara in the waterproof formula.

I have a full in-depth post about my face makeup, which you can read here. To finish everything off, I applied my Maybelline Color Elixir in "Mauve Mystique." 

That concludes Look #1 in my Lorac Pro Palette 2 series! As you can see, it's super quick and easy. This is probably going to be the only traditionally "neutral" look of the three, with each look getting more dramatic as we progress! 

- D. 

REVIEW: Lorac Pro Palette 2 + GIVEAWAY!!!

I feel like I've been spending a lot lately. Because I'm addicted to shopping and makeup. It's a serious problem. I swore off of spending after my big splurge at PHAMExpo, but when I saw the Lorac Pro Palette 2 in stock at Ulta, I couldn't resist. My gut was just screaming at me to get it!

For $42, you get 16 shadows - 8 matte and 8 shimmer - as well as a mini Behind the Scenes Eye Primer. I'm not a huge fan of this primer, but for those who are new to makeup, it is nice that this palette comes with a primer in case you don't have one yet! 

Let's go straight on to the packaging.

This palette comes in a sleek matte charcoal gray packaging. It's very minimal, making it absolutely ideal for travel! It is a cardboard packaging with a magnetic closure, and nearly identical to the original Lorac Pro Palette, aside from, of course, the color of the packaging itself. 

The shadows themselves are laid out very cleanly, and you can easily tell which shade is which. The upper row consists of creamy matte shades, and the bottom row consists of shimmery shades. 

I'm not a huge fan of the mirror on this palette. Because of the floppy cardboard design, it's pretty much useless. It doesn't stand on its own so you will have to hold the mirror up to your face, but if you're in a sticky situation and this is the only mirror you have, it'll do the job!

Buff: A creamy matte light nude shade, perfect for blending, or highlighting. On lighter skin tones like mine, it would be a great blending color. On more medium skin tones, it would be a nice matte highlight. This shade will probably be too chalky-looking for dark skin tones.

Snow: A white, shimmery color. It is definitely a true white, and would be great for an inner corner highlight. It is incredibly smooth and pigmented, with little fall out. Normally I have trouble getting white shadows to appear on my skin, as they usually turn translucent, but I didn't have trouble with this one at all.

Light Brown: A matte brown shade that would be perfect to define the crease on more natural days. It's definitely a necessity for every makeup collection. It is very smooth and long-wearing.

Beige: A go-to shimmery champagne color. This shade is so buttery and beautiful. It would be an amazing all-over lid color as well as a great inner corner highlight. 

Cool Gray: I would consider this more of a taupe than a gray, but it is very matte with little fall out. Another great color for defining the crease. It blends easily without blending away completely and is very pigmented.

Rose: Probably my favorite shade in this palette (go figure), this is a shimmery rose gold shade that is just so buttery and beautiful.You barely have to touch the shadow to get amazing color payoff. 

Nectar: A matte peachy cream color that would be a nice transition shade. Not my favorite in the palette, as it is a bit chalky compared to the other mattes, but it is still a great shade for blending.

Mocha: This shade is kind of similar to "Rose," but quite a bit deeper and a bit more coppery. Again, an absolute dream to use and super creamy to the touch. 

Plum: A beautiful matte purple, but a bit chalky. It does tend to blend away if you aren't careful, so you will have to layer it up in order to truly get its full opacity.

Chrome: Such a beautiful color. This is kind of similar to "Cool Gray," only shimmery. It's a bit of a neutral brown with a silver sheen, and it's so absolutely stunning!

Navy: One of the most coveted shades in this palette from the second I saw it! This color is very, very pigmented and very, very matte. Because of those two pros, you do get the con of some fallout. Be sure to tap off the excess and use a nice primer and you'll be fine. It blends out to a pretty deep teal color. 

Silver: Exactly how it sounds, this color is just a traditional metallic silver shade. It works best with a primer underneath, and blends nicely without blending away completely. I can only imagine how amazing this shade would look if used wet!

Charcoal: Super soft and buttery and pigmented. Charcoal is pretty much the same color as the palette's packaging. It does tend to have a little bit of fallout, but nothing that can't be avoided by tapping off the excess before applying it.

Jade: Another coveted shade. This is such a pretty shimmery olivey green with just a hint of gold shimmer! This would be amazing for an earthy green smokey eye.

Black: Not the blackest of blacks I've used, but it does the job. This shade would probably work well wet, or to help smoke out any ordinary look. It is a bit chalky so be careful! This is the only repeat shade from the Lorac Pro Palettes.

Cocoa: Probably the most pigmented shade in the entire palette. This color is a shimmery cool brown and it blends like a dream while still staying vibrant! 

Say your prayers, Chocolate Bar Palette. This may be my new go-to palette. This is an amazing addition to the Lorac Pro family, and, from what I've seen, it's better than the original! I love the range of colors in this palette. It's neutral without being boring or traditional (step aside, Naked Palettes). 

Final Thoughts? Yes. Yes yes yes. For $42, you can't go wrong. Each color in this palette is creamy and intense. The "duds" are hardly duds at all, and even the chalkier shades are still creamy and pigmented. You could create a huge range of looks with this palette, and in the end, you're paying less than $3 for each of these shadows! 

- D.

p.s. It's giveaway time! I was a bit unsure on whether or not I wanted to do a giveaway of this palette. However, yesterday when I was playing with it, I realized I just HAD to! I am so in love with this palette, and last night I did a fun galactic-inspired look with it that just shows how versatile this palette really is. It definitely isn't an ordinary neutrals palette! Of course, here's a bad webcam photo of the look I did last night. I plan to do a tutorial of it soon!

 

I promise I was wearing clothes, I was just very hot and humid in my room! ;)

If you win this giveaway, you will receive the Lorac Pro Palette 2 as well as the Behind the Scenes Eye Primer that comes with it!

So here are the rules:

1. This giveaway is international! I will be choosing one winner at random via Rafflecopter.
2. If you are under 18, please get your parent or guardian's permission before entering this giveaway.
3. This giveaway will end on July 30th, 2014, at 12 AM, PST.
4. If you win and have not contacted me back within one week of the end of the giveaway, you will forfeit your prize and it will be given to the next runner up.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to get your entries!

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