Loreal

Does $20 L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1 Give $54 Urban Decay Naked a Run for Its Money?

May 22nd, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

loreal la palette nude 1 — Wearing L’Oréal’s $20 La Palette Nude 1

Knowing that L’Oréal owns Urban Decay, I wondered just how closely L’Oréal’s much less expensive $19.99 10-pan La Palette Nude 1 palette of neutral powder shadows would imitate its $54 Naked superstar cousin. Would La Palette’s three mattes be as easy to blend as UD Naked’s matte shadows, and what about pigment, shimmer and fallout? How would they compare? And what would I miss with only 10, instead of 12 shades?

I decided to find out.

The $19.99 L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1 vs. the $54 Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette

Briefly, what’s the idea behind L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1?
Well, it’s basically the Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette with 10 neutral powder shadows instead of 12. Seven of them are shimmers — a warm beige, a peach, gold, bronze, chocolate brown, silvery taupe and a cool-toned white — and three are matte browns — a medium taupe-brown, medium tan brown and a dark neutral brown. La Palette Nude 1 is one of two eyeshadow palettes that were added to the L’Oréal permanent line this spring, and it comes with a dual-ended brush with a sponge-tip applicator on one end and a small flat eyeshadow brush on the other. There are also four simple how-to tutorials for four different eye looks on the bottom/back. It’s available now online and at drugstores and Ulta.

What makes it interesting?
First, for me, the price. It’s $34 less than Urban Decay Naked.

The 10 shadows work out to $2 each, versus Naked with its 12 shadows, which work out to $4.50 each. So it’s less than half the price.

Yes, I can see your big saucer eyes from across the keyboard, ’cause that’s tempting stuff. 🙂 Seriously, I’m the last person in the world who needs another neutral palette of brown and beige shades, but when I saw La Palette Nude 1 at Ulta last week, I had to go there. I couldn’t stop myself.

What is this compulsion I have to try all of the brown eyeshadows…? It must come from the same place that makes me want all of teh kittehs. The struggle is real, my friend.

So, is La Palette Nude 1 as good as Urban Decay Naked?
In some ways, yes, I think it is. Like Naked, it has a good variety of matte transition shades (which are also highly pigmented! *thumbs up*), and a perfect balance between warm and cool color-temp shades.

The shadows also feel silky and soft like Urban Decay’s, which I guess isn’t a big surprise, considering that L’Oréal owns Urban Decay. Maybe there’s some crossover between the formulas, or maybe not and it just worked out that way. La Palette’s shadows also last seven to eight hours for me.

But there a couple of ways in which I think UD Naked trumps L’Oréal La Palette Nude 1…

Nude 1’s mattes, while fabulously pigmented, take longer to blend.
This first time I wore the Nude 1 palette, I used my trusty NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. I layered the shadows on top of it, and I felt like I had to work pretty hard to buff out the edges and transition shades into each other. The overall look turned out a little choppy. Then I tried the mattes on top of a creamier base (MAC’s Paint Pot in Soft Ochre), which I hoped would give the shadows a more slippery surface. It seemed to help a bit, but things were still a tad choppy. It required more passes with my fluffy blending brush to get my gradients worked out than I could count, so if you’re going to invest in this palette and plan to give these mattes a daily workout, I highly recommend also having a cream shadow on hand to use as a base, along with a healthy dose of patience.

Nude 1’s shimmers aren’t all that shiny.
Compared to the shimmery shadows in UD Naked, Nude 1’s pearlescent shadows don’t shimmer as brightly, so I get more of a soft shine than a mirror. The shimmer also doesn’t seem anywhere near as pigmented or refined. In fact, I feel like it looks pretty chunky on my lids. It reminds me of the shimmers in the Maybelline Blushed Nudes palette.

I don’t know if it’s something that companies do on purpose to cater to the drugstore makeup crowd, or if it’s just a consequence of a lower price, but it is still possible to reach the point where Nude 1’s shimmery eyeshadows shine bright like diamonds. You may just have to wet your brush first and do a lot of layering.

It’ll take some effort, not gonna lie.
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Ulta Haul! Products From L’Oreal, Bliss and Rita Hazan

May 15th, 2015 by Karen 28 Comments

“Girlfriend, good luck getting out of there with just one thing.”

I say this to myself all the time when I visit Ulta…because I’m usually going to get just one thing.

On my last trip it was Rita Hazan’s Root Concealer in Dark Brown/Black, because I desperately need to get my roots done, and I wanted to try something new/less expensive than this stuff.

Thirty minutes later I’m walking out with this…

L’Oreal La Palette Nude 1, $19.99
Rita Hazan Root Concealer in Dark Brown/Black, $25
L’Oreal Infallible Makeup Extender Setting Spray, $16.99
Bliss Fuzz Off Facial Hair Removal Cream, $24
Ulta Premium Square Cotton Pads, $3.49

Lots more products to test. I hope there’s at least one gem among ’em. It would be great if the L’Oreal palette works out to be a near-dupe for the UD Naked Palette. It looks like it has that potential.

Have you picked up anything good lately from Ulta or elsewhere?

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These $8.99 L’Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliners Are Like Getting Two of UD’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils for the Price of One

October 1st, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

“YOU DON’T NEED ANY MORE EYELINER,” yelled my friend Cindy over email yesterday as we discussed what to do on our next meetup (this was right after I proposed lunch and a trip to Ulta).

Oh, really, Cindy? L’Oreal’s new Infallible Silkissime Eyeliners ($8.99) would beg to differ. 🙂

L'Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner shades from the purple to the silver: Pure Purple, Cobalt Blue, True Teal, Gold and Silver — Left to right, from the purple pencil to the silver one, those are Pure Purple, Cobalt Blue, True Teal, Gold and Silver

When I hold one of these pigmented, long-lasting, silky smooth liners up to my ear, I hear one of my favorite sounds in the world… The sound of spare change jingling into my Hello Kitty coin bank. 🙂 Because they’re less than 10 bucks! And they’re more or less the same as Urban Decay’s $20 24/7 Glide-On Pencils, which means they’re pretty awesome.

Don’t dawdle after you apply them, because once they set (it takes about a minute), they don’t budge. I like using them, especially Pure Purple and Cobalt Blue, for pops of bold color along my lower lash lines and inner corners.

L'Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner swatches from the left: Pure Purple, Cobalt Blue, True Teal, Gold and Silver — Swatches from the left: Pure Purple, Cobalt Blue, True Teal, Gold and Silver

The only thing I’m not crazy about is their reluctance to hang out on my water lines. On my lash lines? Not a problem. They’ll stick around for eight hours between touchups, but on my water lines, they’re gone within two.

L'Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner in Pure Purple — Pure Purple (lipstick is Lipstick Queen Play It)

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L’Oreal Visible Lift Blur Blush Is a Tad Too Short-Lived to Be a Minor Makeup Miracle

September 30th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur Blush Review — The new L’Oreal Visible Lift Blur Blushes, $12.99 each

One day you may find yourself half-jokingly agreeing to run a half marathon.

Then, later, as the illustrious day approaches, you may find yourself hoping that the people who invited you to run the race with them, forget (oh please, oh please, oh please!).

Chances are, they won’t.

So you start training.

During your first 10-mile training run on the treadmill, maybe you develop a wicked case of chafing, and maybe it’s directly under the middle strap of your sports bra, right there on your solar plexus.

Maybe it hurts (it does, a lot).

And maybe the only painkillers that seem to work at all are happy thoughts.

Happy thoughts about happy things, like blush. 🙂 Like the new L’Oreal Visible Lift Blur Blushes ($12.99 each, and available in three shades).

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur Blushes from the left: Soft Pink, Soft Berry and Soft Peach — From the left: Soft Pink, Soft Berry and Soft Peach

Hello, genius! That’s what these new blurring blushes are, especially if you’re a dame of a certain age (if you catch my drift).

Imagine the slick, slippery, silicone-like feel of a Smashbox primer, but in more natural-looking colors, like light peach, medium pink and medium berry.

Introducing the L’Oreal Visible Lift Blur Blushes.

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur Blushes with a MAC Lipglass for scale — With a MAC Lipglass for scale

They feel kind of like a mousse…and I think they definitely make the skin tone and texture of my cheeks look more even and smoother.

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur in Soft Peach — Soft Peach

These are really great disciplinarians when it comes to those pores that are constantly trying to out-diva each other. I have some on the apples of my cheeks that are like Christina, Mariah, Beyonce and Celine, and these blushes make everyone play nice. 🙂

Whenever I wear one of them, my pores look mellower and smaller (but aren’t completely gone, of course), and I swear my skin looks smoother.

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur in Soft Pink — Soft Pink

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Unforgettable, That’s What You Are, L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Ombre Quad in Unforgettable Lilac

September 29th, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Ombre Quad in Unforgettable Lilac

Mondays are for making plans, dreaming big and playing with purple eyeshadow. 🙂

This beauty is the Colour Riche Ombre Quad in Unforgettable Lilac by L’Oreal, and it’s only $9.99. Available now at drugstores, Ulta stores and also online.

Man, I just love that name… Unforgettable Lilac.

L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Ombre Quad in Incredible Grey

September 26th, 2014 by Karen 8 Comments

L’Oreal Paris Riche Eyeshadow in Incredible Grey (1)

So…sometimes I want to wear a smokey eye look, but I want it to just magically appear on my face, like POOF! All done. Instant smokey eye.

Basically, I want the smokey payoff part without all of the work, the blending.

That’s where palettes like the Colour Riche Ombre Quad in Incredible Grey ($9.99) by L’Oreal Paris are great. I’ll line my lash lines with a dark gray or gunmetal liner, smudge out the edges, and blend a deep gray shadow directly on top of the liner. Then I’ll line my water lines with a black kohl for a subtle gradient from black to gray.

I’ll keep it kind of messy on purpose…kind of rock ‘n’ roll.

By the way, these Colour Riche Ombre Quads are fab. The shadows are super pigmented, and the formula couldn’t be a whole lot easier to blend. Plus, they’re only $9.99 each.

Next time you swing by a drugstore, take a look. Incredible Grey and the other Colour Riche Ombre Quads are available now at drugstores, Ulta and online.

P.S. Whew! What a long week. Anyone else in the mood for Chinese food? I’m really craving walnut shrimp…

When Lips Are Thirsty, Pop Hits the Spot: L’Oreal Balm Pop Lip Balm

September 24th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

L'Oreal Balm Pops — The new Balm Pop line by L’Oreal

L’Oreal’s been dropping balms, baby!

They recently unleashed three new lines of lip balms, each offering a different level of coverage. There are the Balm Nudes for sheer color, the high coverage Glossy Balm Crayons — your tickets to full-on pigment paradise — and the Balm Pops (four of the six available shades shown here) for medium coverage.

Four of the six L'Oreal Balms Pops, $7.99 each — Four of the six L’Oreal Balm Pop lip balms, $7.99 each

First, that’s a lot of lip balm…

Unless you spice them up with lip liner, lipstick or gloss, at some point, some of the shades start to look the same.

At least they do on my pigmented lips, but since my frequently dry, flaky pout can use all the moisture it can get, I can’t help but make crazy Jan Brady eyes whenever I spot a new lip balm on a store shelf.

L’Oreal’s new Balm Pops ($7.99) are pretty cool… Smooth and non-sticky, with a faint brown sugar flavor and scent, they feel a lot like Benefit’s $18 Tinted Lip Balms.

L'Oreal Balms Pop from the left to the right: Wild Lily, Bold Blush, Fiery Red and Electric Pink — From left to right: Wild Lily, Bold Blush, Fiery Red and Electric Pink

L'Oreal Balm Pop in 410 Wild Lily — Wild Lily

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$9.99 L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Eyeshadow in Emerald Conquest Could Make an Army of Neutral Eyeshadows Surrender

September 22nd, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Sometimes I feel like I’m being held hostage by practical neutral eyeshadows. I fall into these long-term relationships with wearable browns, beiges and golds and don’t even realize when I’ve been wearing them on the daily for weeks until something, or someone, like my favorite checker at Target who always notices my makeup as she rings up my bottles of Vitamin Water Zero (Glow is my favorite!), points it out.

Life is way too short to wear beige 24×7, so my makeup goal for the week is to wear at least one look with L’Oreal’s Paris Riche Eyeshadow in Emerald Conquest ($9.99), a quad of super creamy, super pigmented powder eyeshadows.

So pretty, right?! I can’t wait to get that teal, deep blue and glitter up in my mix, perhaps with something like this glittery teal eye makeup look on makeup artist Troy Jensen’s Instagram.

Then I’ll go to Target to buy candy corn because, based on the decorations I’ve already seen in the store, Halloween apparently starts in September now (that’s crazypants).

Emerald Conquest and the other Colour Riche Eyeshadow Palettes (there are eight of them in all) are available now at drugstores, Ulta stores and online for $9.99 each.