Blush | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Feb 26, 2013

LORAC Mint Edition Swatches and Review

February 26, 2013 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

The LORAC Mint Edition Palette offers a retro vintage look and feel. With 8 shadow shades, 4 matte and 4 shimmer, in soft feminine hues, a highlighter, and a blush, it delivers a nice package for spring. Also included is a rose pink gloss in the shade Retro. This Mint Edition palette is an online exclusive at Sephora and there is a smaller LORAc Mint palette, with six shadow shades, the blush, and a different lip shade available here at Ulta.

This is Sephora’s photo of the LORAC Mint set:

Here are my photos and swatches.

The matte shades are very pretty, although I felt that they were a bit chalky.

The shimmers are good utilitarian shades.

The highlighter and blush are quite pretty. The blush in particular is a nice coral shades that reminds me a bit of Nars Orgasm.

Here are swatches of the matte shades from the LORAC Mint Edition Palette. I love these shades, but unfortunately, they are a bit on the chalky side for my tastes. I really was looking forward to the light blue, but it just came out too chalky for me. I might try doing a look layering it with a shimmer and see how it fares with that.

The shimmer shades in the LORAC Mint palette fared better for me. Here are swatches:

Below are swatches of the blush and highlighter.

The gloss also disappointed me. The color and wear are great, but the applicator brush is small, hard, and sharp (seriously hard and sharp!). I won’t use it simply because it is a bit uncomfortable to apply. Here is a look at the brush on the LORAC Retro gloss. That tiny little tip is all there is for an applicator.

Here is a swatch of the LORAC retro gloss.

Overall, I love the look of the LORAC Mint Edition set, but the matte shades left me a bit disappointed, as did the frankly terrible brush on the gloss. If I was buying again, I would probably go for the smaller Ulta set over the Sephora one. Or, if you want some real quality LORAC items, go for the LORAC Pro and LORAC Unzipped palettes, which are some of the best shadow sets out there that you can buy.

Shop for LORAC at Sephora

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Filed Under: Blush, Collections and Looks, Eyeshadow, Lip Products, Makeup, Palettes and Collections Tagged With: Blush, Collections, Eyeshadow, Lip Gloss, Lorac, Palettes, Swatches

Feb 4, 2013

Makeup Wars Valentines Day Look

February 4, 2013 By Carleenp 12 Comments

Valentine’s day is upon us! Do you have your plan ready? My husband and I are headed to Two Brother’s Brewing for their annual beer and food pairings. It is a 7 course gourmet meal, paired with Two Brothers beers, and they always break out some special brews for the event.

For Makeup Wars this time around, the group decided to do a Valentine’s Day makeup look. Since I had just gotten my Urban Decay Glinda palette (see review and swatches here), I was itching to put it into action, and it seemed perfect for a romantic feminine look.

The Eyes

The Glinda palette came with a “get the look” card and I decided to give that a try. I applied some Urban Decay primer potion and then followed the card. The look used Aura (top middle pan) on the brow bone, Illusion (bottom left pan) from the crease up to the brow bone, South (bottom right pan) on the lid, and Tornado (top left pan) at the outer corner of the lid and a bit under the lower lashes. The eyes were lined with the purple 24/7 liner from the set, and Aura and was swept over it. Aura and Magic (upper right pan) are also used in the inside corner and under the lower lashes. I tend to go easy with the inside corner though since I wear contacts. I used Clinique high impact mascara on my eyes.

The Face

For my foundation, I used Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm as a primer. I have yet to write my review of this, but I’m not a big fan of it in the true BB cream sense. However, as a tinted primer for other makeup, it is fine. I then applied the new Make Up For Ever Pro Finish powder foundation, yet another item that I still need to write up the review on. This is an awesome product! It can be applied wet or dry, and I love it dry for really nice coverage. Unfortunately, I have quite a bit of pigmentation, acne, and redness to cover, and the MUFE product worked great.

On my Cheeks are a Purely Pro Hi Lite in Flirty worn as a blush with a bit of Guerlain Meteorites swiped over it to set it (I forgot to add that to the photo).

The Lips

The lips have a Fuchsia Dara Z liner that I have come to love. Over that is the Super Saturated Lip Color from the Urban Decay Glinda set.

Here is the look.

Here is a bit of a better look at the shadow.

After putting this all together on a Friday afternoon, I used it as an excuse to go out for dinner! We went to Chapins in Morris, Illinois, which I highly recommend. It is a gem of a restaurant in an unexpected place for that.

To see more Valentine’s Day looks, click on through the links below! You can also see past Makeup Wars here.

Filed Under: Blush, Collections and Looks, Eye Liner, Eyeshadow, Face Products, Foundation, Holiday Items, Lip Products, Makeup, Makeup Wars, Palettes and Collections, Powder Tagged With: Clinique, Collections, Dara Z, Looks, Makeup Forever, Makeup Wars, Palettes, Purely Pro, Swatches, Urban Decay

Jan 11, 2013

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush Review

January 11, 2013 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

This review of Urban Decay Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint In Crush comes from Callie Oliver, thanks Callie for the post!

Cream blushes can be a hassle. Some are too pigmented, and you can make a huge mess if you don't know how to apply them properly. Some are sticky. They accentuate your pores or facial flaws. The Urban Decay Afterglow in Crush is completely different in texture and application.

Texture
The Afterglow texture is silky and smooth. It feels weightless going on, and it feels like a second skin after application. Compared to overly creamy blushes, this one is a bit drier.

Pigment
This product is an extremely pigmented blush. Application should be gentle and light. You can easily apply too much. A small amount of product will go a long way. Crush is bright and punchy, but it doesn't look gaudy or artificial.

Application
Application is a little more complicated. This product dries quickly. I take a few swirls on the tips of my fingers first. I apply it just below my cheekbones in a swiping motion. Having warm and slightly damp fingers will help you blend it better. If I apply too much, I use my foundation brush to blend it out a little. A patting motion can also help you apply it evenly.

Ingredients
This blush is formulated with Vitamins A, C and E. It doesn't use beeswax, and the ingredients are safe and effective.

Overall Opinion
The Urban Decay Afterglow is easy to apply, natural looking and pigmented. It's a product that will last you a long time. Be sure to use it before it dries up. Keeping it for too long will result in a dry and cracked product. You can use as little or as much as you want. The product can be built up to look bolder. It's an excellent cream blush that beats the competitor products on the market in every area.

Buy Urban Decay Afterglow