REVIEW/ LOOK: LORAC PRO PALETTE 2 Im a what youd call a noob to Carol Shaws line, but a recurring and overarching theme I tend to siphon from all her products is Neo-Hollywood Glamour (which makes all too much sense; the woman herself made her given, not inverted, name getting celebrities into their makeup for red carpet events). Because of this, theres more emphasis on timelessness than trends, but I can confidently assure anyone interested that this is not a stuffy makeup collection, at all. My personal style is more rock n roll than red carpet, scruff over polish, so Im drawn to any kind of edge, even those that arent as serrated as I usually prefer. So believe me, its here, whispering, but audible. On to the star of the show, its the latest of three deluxe-sized eyeshadow palettes in LORACs permanent collection, and the first I was moved to buy. The shade range is far more varied and eclectic than it is in either the original LORAC Pro or the Unzipped palette, and while its marketed as a cool collection, Id say the ratio of cool to warm shades is generous on both sides. Probably the best selling point of Pro 1 and Pro 2 is each one offering a matte for every shimmer, and if youve been a makeup nerd as long as I have, youve heard this argument so many times you can recite it in the exact cadence and sentence structure of at least three different YouTube beauty vloggers. The shadows themselves are flying first class: smooth, pigmented, good cling (Id still suggest a primer), and know what to do when your blending brush enters the fray. Im especially satisfied with the matte shades Nectar, Plum, and Navy, because while matte neutrals are a staple in any competing collection, pastels and jewel tones in the same texture are harder to come by (my mind is currently clockworking over how to pair Jade with Navy, because its a colour combo that happens a lot in my imagination...not so much in reality). Now, if youll allow me to be real for a moment, I am of the opinion that Urban Decays shimmer finishes do tip the scales a bit in their favour over the shimmers in the LORAC palette, however, UD is notorious for having fallout like batshit, and I noticed that was barely even a thing with the Pro2. If theres one thing I categorically dislike about the Pro2 palette, its the cardboard packaging. Its cheap, its wussy, its nerve-strumming, and its bad enough having to babysit makeup when its on your face...no-one I know wants to stand by and prevent the products from coming apart in their vessels. For this look, the last thing I wanted to do was cheat by slathering a bunch of base products under the shadows, so Im getting no help from anything, enclosed primer excepted. Its like the When Doves Cry of eyeshadow looks...the base track has been removed. Regarding the look itself, Id describe it as part Kevyn Aucoin, part Marie Antoinette, a vague hint of Gia Carangi...lotta dead people got all up in the inspiration sector of my brain, here. EYES: I started with Nectar, the pastel peachy-mauve, and sort of freehanded my crease with that, coming back with Buff on a fresh blending brush to really ghost out the edges. (I was tempted to use Walk of Shame, from UDs Naked Basics palette--the only shade in there with which I bother on a regular basis--but, again, that would have felt like a cheat.) Then I pressed Chrome, the pewtery-mushroom colour, over my entire lid, and--in what Im going to write off right here and now as a nosedive in my sanity--gathered up some plum on a small shading brush, and attempted a halfass (very blended and blown out) cut crease. After this, I stuck the palette aside long enough to frame my upper lashline with a black gel liner (Napoleon Perdis China Doll/ Equinox), widening it out into an angle or wedge shape, but not a true wing, and fill in my lower waterline with a silver NYX waterproof pencil. Once that was done, I set and smoked out the black liner with Black, from the palette, and defined my lower lashline with a blend of Plum and Cool Gray. The final eyeshadow step was swirling a touch of Snow round my tear ducts. This technique has been around since my youth, but the first place I saw it (PERSONAL TRIVIA ALERT) was in a Harpers Bazaar article, wherein Kevyn Aucoin demonstrated its effect on Winona Ryder. A global craze was born. Last, of course, I situated my lashes with my La Metier de Beaute curler and added two coats of Maybellines The Rocket mascara (Blackest Black--dont even come near me with that brown business). CHEEKS: Inspired by the upswept wings of blush in Kelly Osbournes recent MAC campaign, I chose Milanis Bella Rosa, a majorly amped-up raspberry pink, and LIGHTLY buffed it over the backs of my cheekbones, gradually building the intensity until we were cool with each other. I then dunked the same brush into a bit of Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Dim Light, taking the result around the perimeter of my face. I also used Incandescent Light, from the same Hourglass palette, to highlight the tops of my cheekbones and the tip of my nose. I never highlight my nose bridge, just the tip; I have a scar on my nose, right round the area where the highlighters usually land, and any shimmer or glimmer in that area just makes the raised tissue stand out like a bloody stump. So I took a cue from drag queens and started relocating the highlighter to the very tip of my nose to add a flattering glow without putting an exclamation point on any personal defects. LIPS: I was in the mood for a subtle, bitten sort of ombre effect, which entailed a light coat of NYX soft matte lip cream in Istanbul (NOT Constantinople, just to put the controversy to rest) all over my mouth, with a layer of Ibiza just where my lips meet. I mushed this concoction together and used my finger to merge them until they harmonized. So feast your eyes, while I feast my stomach. You never know when hangers gonna strike.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 22:19:57 +0000
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