LORAC

The Long-Lasting LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains Lay Down Loads of Color

August 23rd, 2012 by Karen 25 Comments

lorac pro powder cheek stain rosy glow
LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain in Rosy Glow

I call ’em “The One Swipers,” the five new, awesomely pigmented LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stains I mentioned yesterday but didn’t really describe, because they rarely have to be swiped twice. One swipe with one of these on my blush brush delivers natural-looking, flushed cheeks.

The $20 powder blushes, which just landed on LORAC counters, are also surprisingly easy to blend, considering how much pigment they pack, and last a whopping eight hours on me.

The only thing I’d add? Dilute, dilute, dilute — since these blushes lay down so much color. Wipe or tap your brush to remove the excess powder before applying.

With these, if you feel like your cheeks still look a little too bright even after diluting, try applying them with a fan brush instead. Fan brushes aren’t afraid of high pigment products and excel at laying down sheer layers of color.

LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain open
All five of the new LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains clockwise from the lower left: Coral Crush, Petal Pink, Plum Passion, Rosy Glow and Ruby Rouge

lorac pro powder cheek stain petal pink
LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain in Petal Pink

lorac pro powder cheek stain plum passion
LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain in Plum Passion
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No Brush? No Problem! Introducing the Long-Lasting LORAC PRO Cream Eyeliner + Brush

August 22nd, 2012 by Karen 13 Comments

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush

The culmination of a new LORAC/NASA collaboration, the brush attached to the cap of LORAC’s new Pro Cream Eyeliner + Brush will be sending Earth’s next unmanned spacecraft to Mars!

Just kidding. NASA had nothing to do with this product…but I still think the brush is pretty dope. 🙂

Unscrewing the end of the cap reveals the tiny brush tucked away inside. Hello, convenience.

I usually reach for gels or pencils to line my eyes, but I’ve been enjoying these long-wearing cream liners lately, which come in Dark Brown, Plum, Navy and Black ($19 each). Pretty great for softly lined eye looks and/or smudgy eyes.

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush product shot

lorac pro cream eyeliner brush
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The New LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains and Wednesday Greetings

August 22nd, 2012 by Karen 87 Comments

LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain closed
The new LORAC Pro Blushes, $20 each; available now at Sephora

I sat down this morning intending to dish about the new LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains (5-second overview: fan-frickin’-tastic! Super pigmented, and yet easy to blend and surprisingly natural looking for something with an 8-hour wear time), but I just haven’t been able to concentrate…

LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain open
All five of the new LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains clockwise from the lower left: Coral Crush, Petal Pink, Plum Passion, Rosy Glow and Ruby Rouge

LORAC PRO Powder Cheek Stain swatches
Coral Crush, Petal Pink, Plum Passion, Rosy Glow and Ruby Rouge

My mind keeps wandering thousands of miles away…to my mom. She and my dad are visiting family in the Philippines right now, and I haven’t seen them in more than two months.

I’ve always lived within driving distance of them, so it’s weird being this far away for so long.

Me and my mom on Mother’s Day last May

Late last night Mom emailed to tell me that her mom, my grandmother, passed away over the weekend…

I posted a picture of her earlier this year. She was one of my glam grannies, the one who went to fashion school.

I didn’t know her very well because I was still a baby when my parents and I left the Philippines.

There were some letters and cards over the years, but my only clear memory of her was from the one time we met as adults. It was on a trip that my mom and I took to the Philippines in 2000.

Wow…I can’t believe that was 12 years ago.

I remember us driving out to the countryside, or “the province,” as my mom would say, and spending the afternoon with her family.

They prepared a huge lunch for us, and while we ate and chatted as best we could, with me not understanding the dialect spoken by my mom’s side of the family very well, my grandmother told us stories about my mom as a kid.

My granny was a tiny woman, small but tough, with a smile that lit up the room. When I met her, even though her face was lined with wrinkles, she was such a beauty.

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A Safari of Shimmer Awaits Cheeks, Lips and Eyes Wearing the LORAC Wild for TANtalizer Collection

May 29th, 2012 by Karen 39 Comments

lorac wild for tantalizer collection

Good news, you gorgeous golden jungle cat. You won’t have to prowl much further for a meow-worthy makeup collection (or a purse, for that matter) to go with that post-Memorial Day tan.

Part-time shimmery seductress, full-time toasty temptress, LORAC’s Wild for TANtalizer Collection ($39) roars on to cheeks, lips and eyes with shimmery eyeshadows, bronzer and lipstick in warm shades of bronze, beige, brown, gold and peach.

And after a successful hunt, the pieces in this pride of LORAC lionesses retreat to the safety of their very own canvas-like carrying case. The purse comes with the collection and holds everything a big cat needs — makeup, iPhone, perfume, hand/paw lotion. Ya know, the usual. 🙂

lorac wild for tantalizer

lorac wild for tantalizer
In case you’re wondering, the striped pattern on the pan of Wild for TANtalizer Bronzing Powder is an overspray…

lorac wild for tantalizer
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LORAC Wild For Tantalizer Collection Bronzer Eye Shadow Palette

April 29th, 2012 by Karen 2 Comments

LORAC Wild For Tantalizer Collection Eye Shadow Palette from the new Wild For Tantalizer Collection, $39. Available now at Sephora and online.

Unexpected Encounters and the LORAC Unzipped Palette

January 30th, 2012 by Karen 42 Comments

lorac unzipped palette (5)

It must’ve been my second or third year in college. I was studying at the library one afternoon and went to take a bathroom break.

When I walked into the ladies’ room, I saw a girl crying at the sink. And these weren’t dainty little sniffles, either. They were primal, hit-you-in-the-gut kind of sobs that happen when your future has taken an unexpectedly sh*tty detour.

She looked at me, and I remembered that I had some tissue in my purse, so I took them out and offered them to her.

And then we hugged.

She clutched me tightly and cried in my arms for 10 minutes, barely saying a word. I just held onto her, and over and over again told her that she was going to be okay.

When she finished crying, I wet some paper towels with cold water to make an improv compress for her eyes, which was something my mom used to do when I was little.

As she began to regain her composure, we hugged again, and even though I didn’t know her name or what had happened, I tried to comfort her, to reassure her that she was strong enough, and she was going to get through it. And then I left to give her some privacy.

I never saw her after that, and to this day I wonder what happened to her, and if things turned out alright.

That was many years ago, but something about the LORAC Unzipped palette ($40) brought the memory back.

Some people will probably see this palette of 10 powder shadows and think of Urban Decay Naked, Naked 2 and the many spinoffs they inspired.

I can certainly see why, but — maybe it’s because of shade names like Unconditional, Uncensored and Unspoken — this palette also reminds me of that day, and days like it, when strangers unexpectedly walk in to find us emotionally stripped, unzipped and raw.

If I should ever find myself sobbing at the sink in a public restroom, I wonder if anyone out there would offer me a shoulder to cry on and maybe a few comforting words.

I hope so…

lorac unzipped palette (4)

lorac unzipped palette (2)
Swatches from the left: Undercover, Unbelievable, Unattainable, Unconditional and Unbridled
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LORAC’s New Lipgloss Combines the Benefits of a Lipstick and Gloss: LORAC Lips With Benefits

January 27th, 2012 by Karen 28 Comments

lorac lips with benefits (1)
Wearing LORAC Lips With Benefits in Josh

How’s about a creamy hybrid lipstick/gloss with the texture of a $27 Dior CrÃ¨me de Gloss and a price like a MAC Cremesheen Glass ($18.50)?

And then, what if we take 50 cents off the price and make it an even $18?

Tada! Say hello to LORAC’s new Lips With Benefits, a line of shiny, non-sticky lipglosses that feel like heaven on my lips. They combine the medium-coverage lipstick look of a Dior CrÃ¨me De Gloss with the feel of a non-stick gloss, all wrapped up in zebra stripes (so cute!).

LORAC even infused them with antioxidants, namely aÃ§aÃ berry, pomegranate extract, and vitamins C and E, and added a strong brown sugar scent that I like. Officially, it’s described as a sweet crÃ¨me brÃ»lÃ©e. Not too sweet or artificial, the scent lingers on my lips for a good 20 minutes.

So far I’ve played with two of the colors from the line, fresh pink Josh and rosy brown Chuck, and this is kinda weird: earlier tonight I saw that Sephora.com only lists four colors total — Josh, Nick (a light pink shimmer), Alex (a berry) and Mark (a neutral peach). Chuck is not one of them.

Hmm… I’m not sure why, but I’m hoping that Chuck makes an appearance soon because I think he’s a fabulous “your lips but better” shade.

lorac lips with benefits (2)
LORAC Lips With Benefits in Chuck (top) and Josh (bottom)