Lorac Pro Palette

Let me start this review by saying that I love Lorac palettes. I mean, LOVE THEM. When I worked at Sephora, I was notorious for trying to convert my co-workers to the wonder that is the Lorac palette - buttery-dense textures, great pigmentation, gorgeous neutrals. I've come to expect a lot from Lorac.

So how does the Pro Palette fare in comparison to the top-notch Snake Charmer and Croc palettes?

Comes with Behind the Scenes eye primer.

For the most part, the Pro Palette comes close to my expectations. I do think it has more in common with the holiday-release palettes rather than the the regular versions, though.

The palette has eight matte shades and eight shimmer shades, with a fair balance of highlight, medium and crease/liner appropriate colours. I think the tones are slightly more warm than cool, though very few that skew heavily in either direction. I think this is generally a very wearable palette that should suit a large number of complexions, and is actually more versatile than the Urban Decay Naked palettes - at least in theory. In practice, a couple of the shades are troublesome enough that they detract a bit from the versatility.

With flash.

Left side of palette.

Right side of palette.

The matte shades are a bit on the thin side, though still soft and pigmented. They actually apply very nicely and easily to the eyelid, but because of that thin texture they can sweep away easily so a light blending hand is advised. The lighter shades (White, Cream, Light Pink) are the ones that are problematic for me, as they come across powdery and need to be blended in order to lose that dry quality. Unfortunately, because of that thin texture, blending tends to sheer them out rather dramatically, making them useless for anything other than an eyebrow highlight.

The shimmer shades have a smoother, denser feel and generally great pigmentation. They have a similar tendency to overblend, so the same care is required. The only problematic shade for me was Champagne, which has glitter that tends to fall down. Gold, Pewter, Garnet and Deep Purple are my favourite shades, with intense payoff.

The wear time was really good. I had no problem with fading or creasing when I wore them over a primer, going through a full 10 hours before removing my makeup. Without primer, I got 7-8 hours before I noticed fading.

Top row, matte shades: White, Cream, Taupe, Lt. Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black. Mix of indirect natural and artificial light.

Top row, matte shades: White, Cream, Taupe, Lt. Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black. Mix of sunlight and artificial light.

Bottom row, shimmer shades: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate. Mix of indirect natural and artificial light.

Bottom row, shimmer shades: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate. Mix of sunlight and artificial light.

Availability: Online from Sephora, for 55$ CAD, and from Beauty.com for 42$ USD.

Pros: Really great range of colours, overall solid pigmentation, long-wearing, super-blendable. Works as either a starter set or as a base neutral palette.

Cons: Thin texture tends toward over-blending, which can both sheer the colour out and create an indistinct, muddied look - best to pat the pigment on and gently blend the edges. A couple of the lighter shades have a powdery texture, and will sheer out a lot.

(I purchased this from Beauty.com.)