Lorac Pro Palette

Celebrity make-up artist Carol Shaw's impressive work has spanned over four decades and is overwhelmingly inspirational. Not only is Carol known for making up the faces of Johnny Depp (Vanity Fair), Claudia Schiffer (Allure) and Winona Ryder (Vogue), she also created Molly Ringwald's look in the 80s cult classic, Pretty In Pink, as well as the iconic bronzed looks on 90s supermodel Cindy Crawford. Carol's most acclaimed work is from her red carpet looks on Nicole Kidman, Scarlet Johansson and Debra Messing. Carol is in such high demand that Academy Award attendees have to book with her a year in advance.

Celebrity make-up artist and creator of Lorac, Carol Shaw.

Carol's beauty expertise on L.A style led her to develop Lorac, a brand that produces cosmetics which are used on celebrities by Carol and her team. Lorac strictly focuses on red carpet looks that are contemporary, feminine and charming, rather than the couture looks of a New York catwalk. The ideology behind Lorac is to show every woman that she can attain the stylish look of a timeless Hollywood starlet. One way to obtain the wearable red carpet glamour is from the Lorac Pro Palette. 

Lorac Pro Palette.

Released in summer 2013, this palette went viral amongst the online beauty community and it is obvious why. With 16 shades of neutral eyeshadows, this palette is divided into two rows of matte and shimmer. It seems Lorac read the reviews on the Urban Decay Naked palettes which stated the limited amount of mattes and rectified it with by making matte shadows exactly half the focus on their own product. Lorac noted the demand and supplied. 

Inside the Lorac Pro Palette.

The understated modesty of this palette boasts simplistic features which include a strict division of texture, calming nude shadows, sleek & slimline black packaging and a large mirror. It is easy to travel with, making it the perfect go to palette when on the move. I particularly like how the names of the shadows are unpretentious and directly describe the colour of the eyeshadow. The names include White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black, Nude, Champagne, Gold, Light Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, and Slate.

Top row: Mattes - White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black. 
Bottom row: Shimmers - Nude,Champagne, Gold, Light Bronze, Light Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple and Slate. 

Top Row: Mattes

White - cool white, matte finish. 

Cream - creamy beige, matte finish. 

Taupe - mid-tone brownish grey, matte finish. 

Light Pink - pale pink, matte finish. 

Mauve - pink-toned pale greyish purple, matte finish.

Sable - mid-tone brown, matte finish. 

Espresso - dark brown, matte finish.

Black - charcoal black, matte finish.

Swatches of White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black. 

Bottom Row: Shimmers

Nude - light beige, shimmer finish. 

Champagne - pink-toned champagne, shimmer finish. 

Gold - mid-tone brassy gold, shimmer finish. 

Light Bronze - pale bronze, shimmer finish. 

Pewter - mid-tone greyish brown, shimmer finish. 

Garnet - mid-tone copper, shimmer finish. 

Deep Purple - dark purple, shimmer finish. 

Slate - mid-tone blue toned grey, shimmer finish. 

Swatches of Nude,Champagne, Gold, Light Bronze, Light Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple and Slate. 

The eyeshadows themselves are soft and smooth in texture which makes blending effortless. They are also richly pigmented and they become extremely intense when applied with a damp brush. The Lorac Pro palette comes with a miniature Behind the Scenes Eye Primer which helps with the longevity of wearing the shadows. Without the primer, these shadows last almost just as long so when you run out there is no need to re-purchase (unless you have particularly oily eyelids). This palette is a winner for those who struggle to find flattering matte nudes as a myriad of multi-textured warm and cool toned neutrals are contained within one palette, eliminating the need to reach for multiple products. Suitable for professionals and amateurs alike.  

RRP £25.99/ $42

Net weight: 8.8g making each shadow 0.55g each. 

Availability: Amazon and eBay. For US customers go to Lorac and Ulta.

Oh please, Lorac, please become readily available here in the UK and Ireland so that I can admire you from an accessible distance. Please. 

Smoky Bridal Make-Up Using Urban Decay Naked 3

In exactly four weeks I will be married to the most handsome man in my world, my best friend Colm. Unusually for brides-to-be, I have adopted a calm attitude towards every aspect of this intimate day, leaving the organising and decisions up to my beautiful mum. One area where I cannot decide on is want to do with my make-up. I fluctuate between wanting a romantic and soft vintage face and wanting a vibrant summer drag queen face. A make-up must for the day is glitter eye make-up and honey pink lips. A while ago I created this look, an understated look for me as I think it needs an eyeliner flick and even more glitter. 

As usual, it took a mountain of products in order to create this look. Read on to the end of this post for a full list of products. 

I created a multi-textured effect using the darker matte shades from the Naked 3 on the lid and crease. As an eyebrow highlight I mixed Vanilla pigment with Strange eyeshadow. I added definition to the lash line with a matte brown gel liner. In the centre of the lid I applied a pinky bronze glitter. For my inner corner highlight I applied a silver pink glitter. To prevent the eyes from looking tired I applied a flesh toned pencil to the waterline before adding false lashes. 

I kept the lips relatively simple and started off with a pale pink lip liner. I deepened the colour with a matte pink lipstick before topping off with a pink nude gloss. 

For complexion I used some of my favourite products in order to create a sheer foundation base, sculpted cheekbones and a peach cheek colour. 

My ambivalence also stretches to what I want for my nails on our wedding day - pink or rainbow? Rainbow or pink? For this particular look, I teamed the make-up with a high shine pink polish. 

Product breakdown:

Eyes

Maybelline 'Tough As Taupe' / 'Permanent Taupe'colour tattoo. £4.99

Urban Decay 'Naked 3' palette

Inglot '89' AMC matte gel eyeliner. £10

MAC 'NW25/NC30' chromographic pencil. £14

W7 'Pink'space debris. £4.95

Lit Cosmetics 'Oprah' S2 glitter. $13

Lit Cosmetics 'Clearly Liquid' glitter base. $23

Lumiere eyelashes. £3.99 for pack of 5.

Duo 'Clear' adhesive. £3.45

Eyebrows

Sleek 'Dark' brow kit. £8.49

Maybelline 'Tough As Taupe' / 'Permanent Taupe' colour tattoo. £4.99

Maybelline 'Medium Brown' brow drama. £4.99

Lips

Sleek 'Red Sky Night' eau la la liner. £4.99

Make-Up Academy 'Pouty Pink' matte lipstick. £1

Collection 2000 lip gloss (discontinued). 

Complexion

Chanel 'Beige Pastel' vitalumiere aqua £33

Sleek 'Lace' blush by 3 palette. £9.99

Illamasqua 'Rude' cream blush. £21.50

Bourjois 'Fair/Medium' delice de soleil bronzing powder. £8.99

MeMeMe 'Pearl Pink' beat the blues highlighter. £5.50

MAC 'Vanilla' pigment. £17

Brushes

Selection of brushes from Real Techniques and Crown Brush. 

Nails

Barry M 'Dragon Fruit' Gelly Shine nail paint. £3.99

The Perfect Ombre Lip

Ombré has been a huge trend for a few years now. The graduation of colour throughout the hair is reminiscent of childhood when hair was innately lighter from the sun during the summer months, making the roots look darker in winter giving a subtle gradual appearance to the hair. This has been popular with celebrities in order to give them a more youthful appearance and when done correctly, can look natural and beautiful. I also find it makes women look softer and more feminine.  My hair is naturally ash brown and after three years of resisting bleaching agents, I asked my mum to scatter a few honey highlights throughout my hair during a summer holiday in Florida in 2010.

The beginnings of my love of all things ombré .

I let it grow out for just over a year, leaving me with with an ombré effect without knowing what ombré hair was at the time. 

Accidental ombré hair.

After seeing Drew Barrymore's balayage hair and the younger appearance it gave her, I decided to have a few extra slices of blonde put through the ends and so I was immersed in the ombré trend.

Subtle balayage effect.

I loved the dip-dye effect so much that I kept it with baby pink ends when I dyed my hair completely blonde...

Honey blonde with a pale ping ombré.

...And then re-hashed it with white blonde hair and silver tips...

White blonde with silver blonde ombré ends.

...Then added hot pink and violet to the ends in addition to the the sliver blonde...

White blonde with silver, pink and purple ombré tips.

...Before doing a total 360° and trying out a rich brown colour with copper and dark blonde tips. 

Brown ,blonde and copper ombré hair.

Now I'm trying to get my hair to a healthier condition and as close to my natural hair colour as possible before getting a professional to do the balayage technique on me once it is a bit longer. But I love the ombré look so much that I want to hang on to it for as long as possible. I may not be able to do it with my hair just yet, but can do it with my nails and make-up, specifically with lip art. 

 Ombré lip created using a matte fuchsia lipstick and a royal blue pigment making shades of blurple .

Ombré hair may make you look younger and more girly but an ombré effect with your lipstick can make your lips look fuller and plumper without the need for surgical intervention. Favoured by drag queens and make-up artists globally today, this was a trick that vintage Hollywood artist Allen 'Whitey' Snyder  favoured when making up Marilyn Monroe. 

Whitey creating that distinct and iconic ombré lip on Marilyn.

Whether Marilyn wore red, pink, peach or nude lips, Whitey used the same ombré technique to make her lips look fuller. Whitey did not use pencils, rather he applied lipstick with a brush in order to achieve precision and a smooth application. He did this outside Marilyn's natural lip line and extended the corners of her upper lip past the corners of the lower lip to make the upper appear fuller than the lower. Whitey used a few shade variations of the same colour family and placed the deepest colour on the outer edges of Marilyn's lips, slightly past where her lips naturally ended. Whitey continued with the lighter shades, going from darkest to lightest as he went towards the centre of the mouth. He left the very lightest colour in the middle of the lip so that when Marilyn opened her mouth the fullness was more prominent in this area. For added volume, Whitey placed a white eyeshadow or shimmering highlight powder to catch the light.

Marilyn Monroe, the  queen of the ombré lip.

Whitey's technique is essentially, the steps to take when creating an ombré lip. Whether done subtly or more vividly noticeable, this technique makes the mouth more full, round and pouty.  

Matte red ombré lip with iridescent gold powder.

The graduated lip is a fun way to incorporate more colour and texture to the lips and can be as subtle or as  dramatic as you want. 

Green glitter ombré lip.

Ombré lips can be achieved with lip paints and glosses as well as lipsticks and pencils. 

Pink ombré lip.

While more flattering to contain the darker colours on the outer portion and the lighter shades at the centre, ombré lips can also be achieved by applying the colours vertically...

Vertical ombré lip.

Or horizontally.

Horizontal ombré lip.

My quick guide to achieving an effortless ombré lip is listed below with this season's most popular shades of orange, peach and coral. 

1. Choose your products. I prefer matte products but for this picture tutorial I used a glossy paint in addition to matte lipsticks. I used:

• MAC 'Entertain Me' lip pencil. £12
• Illamasqua 'Over' matte lipstick. £18.50
• Revlon 'Mischievous' colorburst matte balm. £7.99
• Sleek 'Cloud 9' pout paint. £4.99
• MAC 'Vanilla' pigment. £17

Step 1: Choose your products. 

2. Use a pencil to outline your lips, drawing outside the natural curves of your mouth. 

Step 2: Sketch your shape.

3. Fill in the outer portion of your mouth with your darker lip colour, concentrating on the corner, extending towards the Cupid's bow and slightly towards the centre on the bottom lip.

Step 3: Fill in outer portion of mouth with the deepest colour. 

4. Use a lighter colour and fill in the remaining portion, blending in to the darker tone. 

Step 4: Apply the mid-tone colour to the centre, blending in to the darker corners. 

5. Blending the colour with the pencil and add a touch of either a pale colour or a white product to give the appearance of a gradient effect.

Step 5: Add a pale r colour or a white lip product in order to create more of a gradient effect. 

6. Finish with a shimmering powder or gloss to the very middle of the bottom lip. I prefer an iridescent powder as it gives more dimension and texture to the lip. 

Step 6: Finish with a shimmering powder for added dimension and texture.

Urban Decay Electric Palette Alternatives/Dupes

The Urban Decay Electric Palette has been a long-awaited prism of acid bights since UD's Naked takeover. As always with Urban Decay, the pigment and longevity means you receive great quality and pay-off for the price you pay, but understandably Urban Decay products can stretch the purse-strings. It can also be quite a significant commitment for those who may only want to dip their toe in the rainbow shadow family, and buying this palette may be a risk for some who may end up not liking it. Below are some examples of cheaper alternatives to the Electric palette. 

Urban Decay Electric palette surrounded by Sleek 'i-Candy' palette, Sleek 'Acid' palette, and Sleek 'Lagoon' palette. 

Sleek are renowned for catering to darker skinned women but have since expanded to suit paler tones. Adding to their line of skin revive foundations and richly pigmented blushers, they have a multitude of vibrant i-divine eyeshadow palettes to choose from. Sleek is perhaps one of my favourite brands for eyes and complexion and after digging through my collection, I found three i-divine palettes that can be considered as alternatives to the Electric palette. These are:

• Sleek i-divine 'i-Candy' palette.
• Sleek i-divine 'Acid' palette.
• Sleek i-divine 'Lagoon' palette. 

Urban Decay Electric palette surrounded by Sleek 'i-Candy' palette, Sleek 'Acid' palette, and Sleek 'Lagoon' palette opened. 

Before going into detail about the Sleek substitutes, I will start with this Spring's most anticipated vivid eyeshadow palette, the Urban Decay 'Electric' palette. There are ten shades in the palette, eight of which are brand new to Urban Decay. With the exception of Revolt, all of these shadows are either matte or satin, with a velvety smooth consistency and extremely high voltage pigmentation. Read a full review here. 

Top Row:

• Revolt - bright silver with silver glitter, frost finish. 
• Gonzo - bright turquoise, matte finish. 
• Slowburn - vibrant orange-red, matte finish. 
• Savage - vivid hot pink, matte finish.
• Fringe - bright metallic teal, shimmer finish. 

Bottom Row:

• Chaos - bright cobalt blue, matte finish. 
• Jilted - bright fuchsia with metallic blue duochrome, shimmer finish. 
• Urban - vibrant metallic purple, shimmer finish. 
• Freak - vibrant green with pale golden duochrome, shimmer finish. 
• Thrash - bright chartreuse yellow-green, shimmer finish. 

This palette contains a net weight of 11g making each shadow just over 1g. It also comes with a dual ended brush, a standard edition to Urban Decay palettes over recent years.

RRP £38/$49. 

Available from Debenhams, House of Fraser, Urban Decay and Sephora. 

Top image: Urban Decay 'Electric' palette.
Bottom image: Top row. from left to right: Revolt, Gonzo, Slowburn, Savage, Fringe. Bottom row, from left to right: Chaos, Jilted, Urban, Freak, Thrash.

Sleek 'i-Candy' Palette

Sleek 'i-Candy' palette contains 12 shades inspired by summer ice-creams and candied treats you would see in jars from old sweet shops. The eyeshadow finishes range between shimmer and matte. 

Top Row:

• Strawberry Sherbet - light to mid-tone pink, matte finish (a paler version of UD Savage).
• BonBon - pale mauve, shimmer finish (UD Jilted is deeper with more blue iridescence). 
• Parma Violet - deep purple, matte finish.
• Apple Sour - mint green, shimmer finish (UD Freak is more yellow). 
• Pear Drop - chartreuse green, shimmer finish (a greener version of UD Thrash). 
• Flump - violet, matte finish. 

Bottom Row:

• Liquorice - black, matte finish. 
• Blue Fizzle - denim blue, shimmer finish. 
• Aniseed - rose gold, shimmer finish. 
• Bubble Gum - sky blue, matte finish (similar to UD Gonzo).
• Mint Cream - teal green, matte finish (UD Fringe is darker and more blue-based).
• Cream Soda - white, shimmer finish. 

The net weight of this palette is 13g making each shadow 1.1g

RRP £7.99/$11.99.

Available from Sleek, Superdrug, Amazon and eBay.

Top image: Sleek 'i-Candy' palette.
Bottom image: Top row, from left to right: Strawberry Sherbet, BonBon, Parma Violet, Apple Sour, Pear Drop, Flump. Bottom row - Liquorice, Blue Fizzle, Aniseed, Bubble Gum, Mint Cream, Cream Soda. 

Sleek 'Acid' Palette

Sleek 'Acid' palette contains 12 acid bright shades which appear to be truer neons when compared to the Electric palette. Similarly to the Electric palette, this palette contains neon pigments are not approved by the FDA so please check with Sleek and your own country's regulatory body for any concerns. The eyeshadow finishes range between shimmer, pearl and matte. Whereas the majority of these colours are intensely pigmented, the white shadow and the five neon highlighter shades are substantially less intense, making them quite sheer and chalky. This is a daring palette shades which do not have names so I will give them number based on their position in the palette.

Top Row:

• Acid Colour 1 - blue based magenta, pearl finish (darker version of UD Jilted).
• Acid Colour 2 - white, matte finish. 
• Acid Colour 3 - neon yellow, matte finish.
• Acid Colour 4 - neon orange, matte finish (UD Slowburn has more red).
• Acid Colour 5 - mid-tone blue, shimmer finish. 
• Acid Colour 6 - sky blue, shimmer finish (shimmer version of UD Gonzo). 

Bottom Row:

• Acid Colour 7 - neon orchid purple, matte finish (lighter, matte version of UD Jilted). 
• Acid Colour 8 - mid-tone yellow green, pearl finish (deeper than UD Thrash). 
• Acid Colour 9 - neon pink, neon finish. 
• Acid Colour 10 - neon green, matte finish. 
• Acid Colour 11 - greyish silver, shimmer finish (darker version of UD Revolt). 
• Acid Colour 12 - black, matte finish. 

The net weight of this palette is 13g making each shadow 1.1g

RRP £7.99/$11.99.

Available from Sleek, Amazon and eBay.

Top image: Sleek 'Acid' palette.
Bottom image: Top row, from left to right: Acid Colour 1, Acid Colour 2,  Acid Colour 3, Acid Colour 4, Acid Colour 5,  Acid Colour 6. Bottom row - Acid Colour 7, Acid Colour 8,  Acid Colour 9, Acid Colour 10, Acid Colour 11,  Acid Colour 12. 

Sleek 'Lagoon' Palette

Sleek 'Lagoon' palette contains 12 shades inspired by mythical tales of mermaids and sea creatures. The eyeshadow finishes range between shimmer and matte. 

Top Row:

• Sassea - teal with gold duochrome, shimmer finish (UD Fringe is deeper). 
• Deep Water - indigo, matte finish (UD Urban has more of a metallic sheen).
• Reflection - mauvey lilac, shimmer finish. 
• Emerald - emerald green with blue iridescence, shimmer finish. 
• Oyster -white with silver iridescence, shimmer finish. 
• Black Pearl - glossy black, shimmer finish. 

Bottom Row:

• Pink Jewel - pink gold, shimmer finish. 
• Sand Dollar - yellow gold, shimmer finish. 
• Underworld - sky blue, shimmer finish. 
• Sea Shell - bronze, shimmer finish. 
• Night Sky - mid-tone periwinkle blue, matte finish. 
• Ariel - like the name suggests it is similar to the hair of Disney's princess Ariel and so is coral red, matte finish (Similar to UD Slowburn).

The net weight of this palette is 14g making each shadow 1.1g.

RRP £7.99/$11.99.

Available from Sleek, Amazon and eBay. 

Top image: Sleek 'Lagoon' palette.
Bottom image: Top row, from left to right: Sassea, Deep Water, Reflection, Emerald, Oyster, Black Pearl. Bottom row - Pink Jewel, Sand Dollar, Underworld, Sea Shell, Night Sky, Ariel. 

Other alternatives may include:

• Sleek i-divine 'Ultra Matte Brights Volume 1' Palette - 12 vivid and matte shadows. RRP £7.99/$11.99. The net weight of this palette is 13g making each shadow just over 1g. Available from Sleek and Supedrug. 
• Sleek i-divine 'Del Mar Volume 1' Palette - 12 limited edition shades inspired by the tranquillity of Ibiza's chilled out atmosphere. RRP £7.99/$11.99. The net weight of this palette is 13g making each shadow just over 1g. Available from Sleek. 
• Sleek i-divine 'Snapshot' Palette - 12 rainbow matte and shimmer shades ideal for the summer months. RRP £7.99/$8.99. The net weight of this palette is 8.5g making each shadow just over 1g. Available from Sleek and Supedrug. 
• Make-Up Revolution Redemption 'Acid Brights' Palette - A mix of 12 pearl, matte and shimmer acid bright shades. RRP £4/$6.60. Available from Make-Up Revolution and Supedrug. 
• Make-Up Revolution Redemption 'Matte Brights' Palette - 12 vivid and matte shadows. RRP £4/$6.60. Available from Make-Up Revolution and Supedrug. 
• EyesLipsFace '144 Colour' Palette - 144 shades of colour in a mixture of finishes including matte and shimmer. RRP £20/$30. The net weight of this palette is 86.4g making each shadow 0.6g. Available from EyesLipsFace USA. 
• EyesLipsFace '100 Piece Endless Eyes Pro' Palette - 1oo limited edition shades of colour in a mixture of finishes including matte and shimmer. RRP £15/$20. The net weight of this palette is 90g making each shadow just 0.9g. Available from EyesLipsFace UK and EyesLipsFace USA. 
• Sugarpill Addicted to Pretty 'Burning Heart' Palette - Quad palette of insanle pigmented and vibrantly matte colours including Flamepoint (orange), Buttercupcake (yellow), Love+ (red), and Poison Plum (violet purple). RRP £24.95/$34. The net weight of this palette is 3.5g making each shadow just under 0.9g. Available from Cocktail Cosmetics, Love Make-Up and Sugarpill.
• Sugarpill Addicted to Pretty 'Sweet Heart' Palette - Quad palette of insanely pigmented and vibrantly matte colours including Dollipop (hot pink), Afterparty (mid-tone blue), Midori (mid-tone green), and Tako (white). RRP £24.95/$34. The net weight of this palette is 3.5g making each shadow just under 0.9g. Available from Cocktail Cosmetics,  Love Make-Up and Sugarpill.
• Sugarpill Addicted to Pretty 'Heart Breaker' Palette - Quad palette of insanely pigmented and vibrantly matte colours including Mochi (seafoam blue), 2AM (purple), Acidberry (chartreuse green), and Velocity (cobalt blue). RRP £24.95/$34. The net weight of this palette is 3.5g making each shadow just under 0.9g. Available from Cocktail Cosmetics, Love Make-Up and Sugarpill.