Review: Lorac Pro Palette 2 + Swatches!

The Cool Toned Palette!

I love when companies release palettes that are unexpected! Lorac did this when they came out with the Lorac Pro Palette 2. They slowly got us excited with sneak peaks and then BOOM! it was released at Ulta! The palette retails for $42 just like the first Lorac Pro Palette and comes with a mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer which is pretty good! This is a more cool toned palette with more jewel tones when compared to the first palette. I was pretty excited when I started playing with it and here are my thoughts:

The top row is all mattes and the bottom is all shimmer/metallics. The left half is more on the neutral side and then you have all the darker, jewel tones on the right side. I was so intrigued by the plum and navy shades, specially now that fall is sneaking up on us!

The left side is full of a bunch of beautiful neutral colors, perfect for everyday use. The light brown shade looks amazing in the crease, so does cool gray. Rose and Mocha looks really pretty all over the lid. I found myself using that side of the palette more than the right side because sadly... the darker mattes are very difficult to blend.

I've tried using plum to add dimension but it's really difficult to work with. Plus, when you try to blend it you just end up blending it away with all the work you have to do. The same goes for the navy shade. Those colors are suppose to be the stars of the palette, in my opinion, and they aren't as good as the rest. It's a bit disappointing because without those you just have a regular neutral palette which you can find elsewhere for less. Granted, the Lorac shadows are an amazing formula as far as pigmentation! So the colors are buttery smooth and gorgeous but... some colors work better than others. Here are the swatches:

This is just one swipe over primer so the color payoff is great! But as far as performance there's an inconsistency.

 Bottom line: If compared to the first Lorac Pro Palette I would prefer it over this one. I don't have any problems with the first one and all the colors are consistently good! I was really excited about the color selection is this one but it just didn't WOW me. I won't return it because the neutral colors are stunning and different from the first one. But the palette as a whole is just lacking a tiny bit. At the end of the day I don't feel inspired to use it because of the outcome. Do you have the Lorac Pro Palette 2? If so leave your thoughts down below! :-)



Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams!

Matte But Never Drying!

Ulta recently had an awesome sale on their NYX products, 40% off the entire line and I took advantage! I had my eye on these NYX Soft Mate Lip Creams for a while now so I picked up these two for an amazing price! These normally retail for $6 and come in 22 beautiful shades. The NYX site claims that these are neither a lipstick nor a gloss which is right on point. I couldn't come up with a way to describe them because its such a unique formula! Its truly a creamy consistency with great pigmentation that dries to a completely matte finish.

Application is super smooth and easy with the doe foot applicator. The formula seems to be on the thicker side at first glance but it's really a thin consistency once on. It's super comfortable and what really surprised me is that it doesn't dry out your lips one bit! Your lips stay moisturized and feeling amazing throughout the day. They do emphasize fine lines and such (not too much though!) but the formula doesn't make it worse like other lip products do. Another great thing about these is once they set they don't move! That makes them last a good 4 hours before you need to touch up.

These smell so yummy and sweet like... cheesecake! haha. It's definitely more noticeable than the NYX Butter Glosses so if you're sensitive to sweet scents you've been warned! Here are the lip swatches:

*Antwerp-  a midtone pink with a hint of coral, really pretty!

*Prague- a bright magenta/berry color, reminds me of a more wearable version of Mac's Rebel!

 

Bottom line: This is an amazing product! The formula is an A+ and the color range is gorgeous! For a night out this would be perfect because it stays on. I'm cant wait for another sale to pick up some other colors! The selling point for me is the fact that your lips stay moisturized throughout the day. So if you've been wanting to try out the matte look this product is the way to go! :-) 

Review: Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection Photo Focus Palette in "No Filter"!

My Favorite Drugstore Quad!

This palette you see right here is my favorite quad from the drugstore by far! Wet n Wild shadows are awesome but for some reason I haven't picked up too many of the trios from the original line. I've mostly tried these quads from the Fergie line and there's been hits & misses but this one is ah-may-zing! This was part of the Summer Collection which was limited edition a few months ago... I know I know, I wasn't going to post this because its been so long but I've seen them in the normal displays at my local drugstore so hopefully you can find it too! :-)

No Filter is the name of this quad and I've done so many looks with it! Make sure to follow me on instagram for looks and blog updates @reinibiris! It retails for about $4 which is super budget friendly. It has a total of 2 matte shades (brown-black in the center and the medium brown on the bottom left) a satin creamy shade on the top left and 2 gorgeous metallic shades on the right. The metallic shades is what made me purchase this quad because they are so beautiful! They both look amazing all over the lid and they are perfect everyday colors.

All the colors are really pigmented and blend easily, even the darkest color. Rose Gold is a really popular shade and the one in this palette is perfect! I love how all the colors pair together and you can definitely go from a day to night look in just seconds! Here are the swatches:

I love how all the right colors are mattes in this palette! Sometimes (typically drugstore makeup) you find amazing palettes but its either missing a great matte shade for blending or darkening your look. This one has everything you need to complete a look. For only $4?... C'mon!

 

Bottom line: I just can't stop raving about this product! I love all the colors in this quad and the price is great! They last all day over primer and for a more intense look I would recommend to use them over a colored base like the Maybelline Color Tattoos. Make sure to visit your local drugstore to see if they still have it... and if they do make sure to pick up a back up because you'll love it that much! :-)