Review | Lorac Pro 2 Eyeshadow Palette

YASSSSS
I had been curious about Lorac ever since the first Pro palette was released and it was buzzed up on every blog and vlog in the biz. I refrained from purchasing because I was going for the Naked palette collection first and then Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palette in Dolce Vita caught my eye (and wallet). When the Lorac Pro 2 came out, I did about four months of researching blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, Google and YouTube before deciding I had a lot of shadows similar to the original Lorac Pro so I definitely needed this one. I bought mine for nearly half the price ($23!!!!) because I had a $20 Cash Back coupon at Kohl's so I picked up the palette two weeks ago and I haven't even looked at my other palettes since.

First thing's first - the packaging. It's super slim and slick, resembling the original Urban Decay Naked palette in that it just has a cardboard flap with a mirror, which I actually prefer because it's quicker to open/close. I think choosing grey was such a smart move because all of the shades really pop against the coolness of it, even the other greys! It's also really satisfying having 16 small squares evenly placed along two rows, the top one being all mattes and the bottom all shimmers. I also feel like this one has way more variety than the first Lorac Pro because when I look at that one, it is very white/nude and brown. This one has pinks, greys and browns but also throws in a plum, navy and mossy green.

Everyone raves about how buttery the shadows are and they ain't lying. I didn't even know what buttery eyeshadows meant until I dipped my brush into Nectar for the first time and got more product than I knew how to handle. Yes, a lot of product gets kicked up if you are heavy-handed and yes, there's a learning curve, but after a few plays with the palette, you'll see that you literally need like, half a dip to complete an eye, no matter what you're doing or which shade you're using. The shadows are all so pigmented and transfer to the lid exactly as they appear in the pan, which is AMAZING. I will say Buff is definitely a shadow that kind of just evens out the eyelid rather than adds anything to it, but it's great with Lt. Brown for my current fave natural eye look. I've tried about half of the shadows, but I can genuinely see myself using all of the shades. My favorites are Nectar, Rosé, Mocha and Cocoa, but that's not to say I haven't loved every one I've tried. I really like how neutral this palette can be, but it can also incorporate pops of color or a full on smokey eye. The shadows are so easy to blend and it's quite fun to experiment with different looks.

The only real downside to the Lorac Pro 2 is the eye lid primer it comes with. I feel like it actually makes my shadows melt off because after a few hours, they've all creased and blended together in a very weird way. When I wore the shadows alone or with my L'Oreal De-Crease eyeshadow primer, they lasted so much longer. I'm wondering if maybe I have to leave the primer on longer to let it settle before applying the shadow, but that's annoying because who actually has time for that?

Are you eyeing up any of the Lorac Pro palettes? Do you already own it? Is using the word "buttery" to describe an eyeshadow something that needs rethinking?? Let me know below! Xx S.

Review | Victoria, Victoria Beckham x Nails inc, VVB in Bamboo White

Transitions | Winter to Spring Handbag Lip Products

Not one to abide by pale lip shades during warm months, darker shades in the winter, I do get the itch to change up my go-to lip products around March and August, adding more pinks in the spring and more reds in the fall. However, these seasonal transitions also leave me desperate to hold on to some of the products I've been loving over the past few months, and that's where my handbag comes in, holding a beautiful mashup of the cold winter months I love and the promise of a spring with a break from school on the horizon. Along with working as transition lip products, I also require longevity, minimal effort in terms of application and a formulation that means I'm not constantly checking my lips in a mirror or the selfie-cam of my phone.

Sabrina's February Ipsy Bag | 2015

It's only fitting that my FINAL Ipsy bag post is coming five days later than it was meant to go up (soz, midterms and applying for my second study abroad - more on that in a later post - took priority this week). So yes, this is my last Ipsy bag, at least for a good while. I started out with Ipsy and Birchbox last March and cancelled Birchbox before summer ended (post about that here). Most of the products I received from Ipsy made it into my daily routine and I was introduced to a lot of things that pleasantly surprised me. While I had very few disappointments, things I didn't feel like I needed or really loved were given away to better homes and others were thrown out (one such product is in this very post). While I wish this subscription were 100% makeup, I did enjoy a few of the hair products and maybe one or two items of skincare. Anyway, I have way too many samples at the moment, which is the ultimate reason I cancelled my sub, but my bags also weren't totally hitting the right mark for me recently and I feel like I don't need to be paying $10 a month right now for things I don't need. This month's bag was a little on the pink side, but again, Ipsy surprised me and I'm glad my last bag turned out as good as it did.