lorac

Longer, Thicker Lashes With the New LORAC Pro Mascara, and a Conversation With My Inner Drag Queen

September 7th, 2012 by Karen 11 Comments

lorac pro mascara review

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Time to do it to it, Miss Thang. Get up! I am not about to spend all day and night watching Animal Planet on the couch.

Karen: Okay, but —

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Wash your face! Brush your teeth! Remove that hideous scrunchie from your hair! And swipe some makeup on before I start going through glitter withdrawals!

Karen: Dude, seriously — chill! You really need to be nice to me right now because I feel like a drum exploded in my head!

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: I’m sorry, baby girl, but you know what they say — sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind. 🙂

And since I’m founder and CEO of our fabulousness, I’m taking the reins. I am not about to let this migraine bring us down. You and I are way too sexy for this crap!

Karen: Okay, okay… I know better than to get in your way.

You’re the boss. What do you want me to do first? Please bear in mind that whatever we do I intend to continue wearing these sweats. That’s non-negotiable.

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Wha?!

Karen: Look into my eyes…

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Alright, fair enough.

Let’s start with the basics then. Fill in those caterpillar brows first, and then please do something about that whole thing goin’ on over there…

Karen: Where? Over here? Under my eyes?

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Mmm-hmm.

…

Karen: All done. Next?

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Good. Now give those lashes some love.

Here, use my new LORAC Pro Mascara ($23)…

Karen: Ooh! Cool tube. And it’s huge!

What a cute brush, too. It’s shaped like a tear, aww. And the tip is so pointy! I bet it really grabs lashes in the inner and outer corners.

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Oh, yeah. It’s good for black, glossy lashes, way long and thick, and you’re gonna love how easy it is to build up in layers. I’m talkin’ drama! It kinda reminds me of YSL’s Faux Cils like that.

The only thing, though, and you’ll notice this I’m sure, is that you have to dilute the wand first — like, you know, swipe it on something to get rid of the excess; otherwise, it gets hella clumpy!

Karen: Okay, but is it flaky (like you know who)? And what about smears?

Karen’s Inner Drag Queen: Naw, at least not for me. And the separation and curl hold are pretty fab.

Karen: Alright. Let’s do three layers…

lorac pro mascara swatch
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This Is the Story of a Miracle Makeup Tree and the LORAC Pro Palette’s Cool-Toned Neutral Shades

September 5th, 2012 by Karen 24 Comments

LORAC Pro Palette

Doop-da-doo, there I was, happily skippin’ down the street, Tabs’ leash in one hand, ice cream truck money in the other (one Drumstick please…actually two, ’cause I’m PMS-ing!), when I stumbled upon a tree bearing the most unusual fruit.

The branches hung low, weighed down not with plump, juicy apples or ripe peaches, but with bushels of new LORAC Pro Palettes.

For real!

A magical makeup tree

I stood there with my mouth agape, staring up in awe, as more and more neighborhood beauty addicts gathered ’round, and women, men, young and old alike, all marveled at the miracle makeup tree.

Each of the $42 palettes (a $110 value), which hung beside a tiny tube of Behind the Scenes Eye Shadow, housed 16 powder eyeshadows in neutral shades, eight of them matte shades and eight of them shimmers.

I could have stood there all day if it hadn’t been for Tabs…

He ran toward the tree, claws poised and ready to climb the trunk!

“Stop!” I called out to him. I wasn’t about to watch my 20-pound tabby get stuck in a makeup tree, so I skittered over and scooped him up.

That’s when I heard someone near me ask if anyone had tried the palette.

“I have,” I said, slinging Tabs over my shoulder. Tabs grumbled, of course, in response. “I think it’s pretty good. I like that it comes with an even mix of mattes and shimmers and that most of the colors are cool toned.”

I plucked one of the palettes from a branch and handed it to a woman standing next to me with a red stroller.

“Makes it a little different from the other neutral eyeshadow palettes that are out there,” I said. “Here, swatch the eyeshadows. They’re super soft, easy to blend, too, and most are packed with pigment.”

I felt a little tickle on the back of my head. Hmm… It was Tabs, chomping on my hair — his way of letting me know that he was hungry and ready to go home.

Just then a perky teenager wearing glittery golden eyeliner asked me a question about fallout.

“There is some,” I replied, “so you may want to do your eye makeup first, and then follow with foundation and powder. Or, tap-tap-tap your brush against something to remove some of the excess powder before applying.”

LORAC Pro Palette

LORAC Pro Palette swatches

LORAC Pro Palette
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BLL Cases Rising, Authorities Suspect LORAC Couture Shine in Sheer Luxe to Blame

August 24th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

lorac sheer luxe couture shine

There’s no known cure. That’s what we know so far.

The CDC confirms that the rate of infection has climbed recently, as it usually does this time of year.

The clinical term is labium lignum unum labium adjectio, but it’s commonly known as BLL, or Bold Lip Lust, and it’s spreading like wildfire, especially among members of the makeup community.

People at highest risk of infection often 1) spend too much time at Sephora under the guise of “research” or 2) have been exposed to LORAC’s Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick in Sheer Luxe ($22, and part of LORAC’s permanent line).

Spreadable without a lip liner or lip brush, symptoms of this moisturizing burgundy wine include…

A glossy finish
Hydrated, full lips (due to the presence of hyaluronic acid)
Smooth, nourished lips (due to the presence of jojoba and sweet almond oils)

Authorities advise people to risk exposure. 🙂

lorac sheer luxe couture shine swatch

lorac sheer luxe couture shine
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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