Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Review: Mizon All-In-One Snail Repair Cream

Disclaimer: This product was not bought directly from the brand/company.

Hey guys! Today I'm super excited to share about this product. *Drum roll here* Mizon Snail Cream!!


I can't remember when or how exactly I heard about snail extract being super beneficial for skin, but I do remember that I was very skeptical of it.  From previous posts as well as previous videos, you may very well know that I enjoy it when products smell pleasant, and I couldn't imagine anything relating to snails being well-fragranced.  However, I decided to do some research on it, and here are just a few things I learned about snail extract:
  • Helps erase acne scars
  • Tightens pores and firms skin
  • Helps clear complexion
  • Moisturizes
With these few nuggets of knowledge, I decided to splurge and try this cream.  The first thing I did when I got my mini-haul of skincare products in the mail was grab this cream, opened it up, and smelled it.  It hardly smells like anything, to be honest, but in a good way, if that makes any sense.  I actually made a few friends and family members smell this before I told them what it was and everyone of them said that it smelled very nice.  The texture is a bit more slimy than a normal moisturizer, due to the fact that it's 92% snail extract filtrate– the highest concentration of snail extract that I've seen in a skin care product so far.  

The cream absorbs amazingly into your skin and feels great.  There are some sites that have done reviews that say that you're supposed to dab the cream onto your skin, not rub, and others don't state what method is best.  It doesn't help that everything on the Mizon box, save the ingredients, are in Korean, but to be quite honest, I think either way is fine.  Dabbing takes up more of the cream, and it takes a bit longer to absorb, but it's really your prerogative.  I tend to gently rub it onto my skin in small circles, but for the days when I don't wear any makeup, I'll dab it on in the morning to make it last a bit longer.  I use it morning and nights, and sometimes throughout the day if, again, I'm not wearing makeup.  It makes my skin feel amazing and I've yet to find a moisturizer that has worked this well for me.  I have sensitive skin and a few dry spots, such as my T-zone, and before this cream, I would try several moisturizers as well as exfoliators to help, but this cream alone has already helped my T-zone tremendously in the two weeks that I've had it. 

This product definitely gets 5 out of 5 daisies, I recommend it for anyone and everyone.  I couldn't find a website for Mizon that was in English, but some places to buy it are from Urban Outfitters (from which I bought this product), Peach and Lily, and even Amazon or eBay.  This is a product I will definitely re-buy and suggest to anyone who's willing to give it a try!


That's it, thanks for reading my little rant about this gem of a product. Comment if you guys have tried anything with snail extract in it, and how you liked it!

Stay Resplendent!

-Regan

Friday, January 9, 2015

First Impressions: Kaia Juicy Bamboo All-Natural Facial Cleansing Cloths

Disclaimer: Product was not purchased from brand's own website.

Upon first getting these Kaia Juicy Bamboo All-Natural Facial Cleansing Cloths in the mail, I instantly gave the mental award of best packaging of the six products I purchased at the same time.  Shown below, it's packaging looks like a juice box, complete with cute bendy straw.  Not that it really effects the quality of the product itself, but it's a nice bonus.  I have yet to get rid of it's carton-shaped outer-shell, it's that cute.


The cloths smell clean and citrusy.  After looking at the ingredients list on their website (link here), I was impressed with their paraben-free list.  It's also infused with grapefruit, lime, and tangerine essential oils, which caused for the delicious smell.  The cloths themselves are super soft, which is great because my skin is and always has been sensitive.  Not just with chemicals, but sensitive to touch (for example, I used Pond's makeup-remover wipes for a bit but I had to stop after a few tries because the texture of the wipe was too rough).  These felt so nice on my skin, and although the cloth was smaller than I anticipated, it was plenty enough for my face and neck.  It's gentle around the eyes and helps remove excess makeup, though I would not claim this to be a makeup-remover.  Definitely remove as much makeup as you can, then use this wipe afterwards.

There's not much else to say about this product.  I've used it every night since I got it in the mail, and I would definitely buy these cloths again.  They can be purchased through the first link I posted, which is the brand's site, or through other ways, from Urban Outfitters, Amazon, drugstore.com, etc. (I purchased mine through Urban Outfitters)

On the daisy scale, I would have to give it 4.5/5! A half-daisy off because I do wish that they were just a bit wetter, though it's nothing to deter me from the product.


There you have it! I've been using these wipes once every night for the past two weeks and it's been nothing but beneficial for my skin.  Keep checking in for more reviews, they're coming along slowly but surely!

Stay Resplendent!

-Regan

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Tuesday Tunes

Another weekly post I'm going to give a try is "Tuesday Tunes", which is pretty self explanatory, but nevertheless, a quick synopsis: A few of my favorite tunes that I have had on repeat as of late. (See? Really quick!) Music is such a huge part of my life and my family's lives that I couldn't just not incorporate some music into this blog along with beauty, personal style, lifestyle, and all the other things that I have posted/will soon post on this blog! Disclaimer: None of the videos nor the images are mine. 

1. "This Is What It Feels Like" by Banks


I discovered Banks online through a YouTube playlist on Lorde's channel back in late June/early July of this year. The song that I first heard was "Drowning", which I will say that I listened to that on repeat for quite some time, and I still do, actually, though I want to only have one song from each artist in my Tuesday Tunes posts so as to share the wealth, so to speak. Or else this week's Tuesday Tunes would be all Banks' songs (but let's be real: it would certainly not be a bad thing). The moment I heard this song, however, I instantly fell in love. The background track alone is so well-produced, with the synths and unique beat, tied in with the backing vocals faint and distorted just slightly, but her voice in this song is so amazingly different. I keep finding myself humming the chorus throughout the day.

2. "Here With Me" by Susie Suh feat. Robot Koch


A few episodes into "The Blacklist" on Netflix and I had a deep-rooted respect for James S. Levine, who is credited for the music, along with everyone else who takes part in creating the very intriguing show. This song has a nice, slow feel to it, and for some reason it just makes me think of a chilled Autumn day, which is perfect seeing as though it is now actually Autumn and starting to cool down.

3. "She Way Out" by The 1975


I discovered The 1975 at my last job, actually. A different retail store that had mostly a loop of the same few songs, though occasionally I would hear one that stuck out to me. "Chocolate" by The 1975 was one of them, which lead into this small obsession for the almost-uncomprehendable British accent from the lead singer, Matt Healy. This song's definitely more energetic than the first two songs on this week's post, which I believe balances it out nicely.

4. "99 Problems" by Hugo


I remember first hearing this song during an episode of something on Netflix, though I can't seem to remember which show specifically (I made the horrible mistake of starting about three different series around the same time. I know, it was a dangerous move that I'm already paying for). The fact that Hugo made his own interpretation of Jay-Z's song of the same title with a bluegrass feel is just astounding and I honestly would love for him to do that with a lot more hip-hop/rap songs, to be quite honest. How crazy would it be to hear a bluegrass version of something like "Drunk In Love" or "All I Do Is Win"?

5. "Punch Drunk Recreation" by Jesse McCartney

Shout out to my momma who showed me this just within the past week. You go mom. Jesse McCartney was probably my first massive celebrity crush that I ever had, or at least it's the first one that I remember (est. 2004. Yeah. Ten years). I knew every single word to his album "Beautiful Song", and still do, probably. I wouldn't put it past myself. When she showed me this song I instantly had to have it on my playlist and it helps be become more awake in the mornings, which, with college classes, is very helpful.

There you have it! My five favorite songs of this week. Stay tuned (ba-dum tsss, music pun) for next week's list, and let me know if you've heard any of these and tell me what you think of them!

Stay Resplendent!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Byron Body Tea: FULL REVIEW

In case any of you didn't see my first impression vid on this, here's the link. Long story short, I found a TeaTox from Australia (aren't like, 85.13% of healthy skin/teatoxes from Australia? Four for you, Australia, you go Australia) called "Byron Body Tea". It's supposed to suppress your appetite, stop bloating, help the digestive system, give you energy when you need it and help you sleep at night. After reading about this magical tea, my mother and I decided to give it a shot, seeing as though we both are looking to eat healthier. We got the twenty-eight day package, which came in two fourteen-day packs. I also bought a Tea Infuser Man (also mentioned in the video. If you watched it you can probably just skip this paragraph, by the way. Or keep reading and see how many bad jokes I can shove into this). With a five percent coupon that you can get just by liking them on Facebook, my total was roughly $60, give or take. Now, I have seen Teatoxes that were for less, but this one has also been proclaimed as the "best-tasting Teatox" that people have tried, and I'm rather picky when it comes to teas, so I succumbed.

I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE MY TEA INFUSER MAN. 
I put this in caps and bolded because I am very upset with this fact. For one thing, it's super cute! It's a little man chilling in your mug while his pants infuse your tea, how adorable-sounding is that? And I say adorable-sounding because I have yet to actually see it with my own two eyes (four if you count the mornings when have to scramble for my glasses. Unimportant. Moving on). The very same day that I received my TeaTox package and found it 1 Tea Infuser Man less than expected, I went onto their website and emailed them (there's no phone number or else I would have called). Two days later, after I failed to receive a response, I tried again. Just in case it didn't go through, or something weird like that. It happens. A week after that, when I finally caved and bought two other tea infusers, I began the TeaTox and emailed them a third time. And I also commented on a picture they posted on their Instagram account. I didn't receive a reply via email, yet again. However, shortly after I posted the comment, they replied back in their comments, telling me that they get to all their emails during the business week, and that I should DM them so they know which email to look for. Which I did instantly, thinking that all my problems would be solved and I would FINALLY get the tea infuser I paid for. And still nothing. Needless to say I am not pleased with this. But that is all I will say about this matter because it's time to actually review the TeaTox itself, and not their below-par costumer service skills.

The flowers from the tea mix, after they've been used and dried
The instructions say to have it steep about 5-7 minutes. But when I steeped one cup of hot water with 1 1/2 tsp. of the tea, I ended up having to leave it in about 10-12 minutes for it to not taste like simply hot water with a few petals in it. Which is fine, I don't mind waiting a little extra for it, especially if that means the taste will be stronger. Plus, call me crazy, but when my beverage burns the top layer of my tongue, it pretty much ruins my day, so a few extra minutes of waiting is more than okay with me. The taste itself is not bad; very faint, but certainly not unpleasant. It's got African Mango seed, jasmine, Myosotis Sylvatica, Rosebud, Rosemary, etc. etc. There is an ingredient page on their site here explaining just about everything. It pretty much tastes exactly how you'd think this tea is supposed to taste based off of the ingredients. If you only let it steep for about 5-7 minutes, the taste will be even more faint, which is why you should definitely leave it in there longer. I am not putting any cream or sugar/sweetener into my tea, seeing as though I want to see if this actually helps me lose weight and I don't want to mess with that variable. Like I mentioned, I am very picky about tea tastes, and so if I can drink this regularly without any sort of enhancers in the tea, it's not bad at all. Just don't expect it to taste like English Breakfast Tea; you'll be sorely disappointed if you make that mistake. I will say that it is a very pretty tea mix; so pretty, in fact, that after I am done drinking the tea I empty out my infuser onto a paper towel to let the mix dry, and once they are I pick out all the flowers and put them in a mason jar, like in the picture above/to the left. It's really cute and I think once its full I'll put it on a shelf or something along those lines.

As far as the weight loss aspect of Byron Body Tea, I have come to the realization that there is a specific type of weight loss that this accomplishes. It relieves bloating, and stomach weight mostly. All the positive feedback I've been seeing/reading about have included pictures of stomachs looking smaller and flatter due to the tea. Which is great, I'm certainly not saying that it isn't. If you are working out and eating healthy(ish) and drinking this tea, and you have a stomach you would like to have less of, then yes, you will really like these results! Unfortunately for me, most of the losable-weight (is losable a word? It is for this) on my body is in my thighs. Which aren't bloated (duh), just not as toned as I would like them to be. So, I personally have not lost weight so far, and I am about nine days into my fourteen-day TeaTox (since my mother and I both took one of the fourteen-day packs in the twenty-eight-day package we bought). Which is a bummer, but I mean I haven't gained weight while on this, so that's a positive thing in and of itself! I am able to sleep well at night, which is always hard for me to do. I usually need Melatonin pills or ZQuil (or a really busy, hectic day) to help me fall asleep quickly, but since I've started this TeaTox, I've not taken any sleep aid medication, which I really like. As far as energy goes, it's not as drastic as having a double espresso shot in your coffee, but it's a nice gradual push to get you through your day. It's a nice, subtle amount, but not enough to keep me up when I take it at night.

Another thing I want to add, more of personal advice than a review on the product itself, is that I highly recommend that you do this TeaTox when you have the time to take this thirty minutes prior to each meal. The instructions tell you to take it three times a day, a half hour before you eat a big meal, to help suppress your appetite. Unfortunately, I do not always have the time to do this during the week, what with college classes and work schedule. I do it whenever I can, but sometimes it's only twice a day. Another reason why I don't always get the opportunity to have this tea thrice a day is because I've started this habit where I only eat when I'm hungry, rather than when I'm bored. It's a good habit for me, seeing as though I have long considered eating as a hobby and not a necessity. The problem here comes into play when I figure out I'm hungry and then have to wait an extra (alotted) forty minutes to actually eat due to making the tea and waiting a half hour to be able to eat, which doesn't really suppress my appetite, but instead merely prolongs it. This part is in no way a con to the Tea, because it's clearly not the tea's fault for my schedule and eating habits. Just a tip in case anyone has a similar schedule/regime as me. If you have a more lax schedule on a day-to-day basis, then a TeaTox you take three times a day is probably not an issue for you.

All in all, I would probably have to give the Byron Body Tea 3 out of 5 daisies (not using stars because why not mix it up a bit).

If I had gotten my Tea Infuser with my tea in the first place, or even a response to any of the multiple emails I sent to the company, then I'd have most likely given this TeaTox 4 out of 5 daisies. However, I did not, and they did not, hence a daisy was cut. It had to go. I'm not a fan of when companies don't respond or explain any errors in the system, but the product itself isn't half bad and helps me get through the day without a crash halfway through. The taste is in no way bad, but very faint. Personally, I enjoy the taste all by itself; it's a nice soft floral taste and it really helps me get ready in the mornings (I think that parts just the mental aspect of it but oh well). Price for the tea is towards the high side, but not too unreasonable, so long as you are serious about a TeaTox and prepared to be committed to it. However I would look for a less pricey TeaTox if you don't have much bloating/stomach weight to lose, because you will probably see the same amount of change.

So there you have it! My Byron Body Tea experience. I still have about four days left of the TeaTox, and I'll definitely keep using it until it's empty, and I will make a (much shorter) post here about my end results.

Stay Resplendent!


Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Frank Cacao Body Scrub

Okay, so ever since I started this blog (a whopping two months ago), I have had my eye on a few products that I really wanted to try. One of the first items that sparked my interest was an all-natural vegan body scrub made from coffee and other great-for-skin (and great smelling) stuff. So, once payday took its sweet time rolling around, I went and purchased my very first body scrub. And that, my precious readers, is how Frank entered my life.

Frank Cacao Scrub with nails and lip to match the purple and white label


Let me just say I think I've probably read through the entire website about four times. I wanted to make sure that I knew as much about this product and brand as possible. The website (here is a link to their site) is set up very nicely, which I always like when a site is not only easy to use, but unique and aesthetically pleasing. As you can see, Frank did a great job with both. The FAQ answered all of my inquiries about this, as well as the feedback account I saw on Instagram (there's one account solely for consumer's reviews/feedback pictures and WOW the results are good). After a lot of reading and rereading, I decided to see if it lived up to the hype. Frank did not disappoint.

There are three different types of Frank that you can buy. There's the original (orange label), which has sweet almond and orange. Then there's the coconut & grapeseed (mint label), and their newest one, the cacao scrub (purple label). I was torn between purchasing the coconut and and cacao scrub– the only reason I vetoed the original is because I, for some unknown reason, feel indifferent towards orange-flavored or orange-scented products. That's not to say I'm against trying it ever, but I wanted to pick a different one for my first Frank purchase.

Frank is supposed to do a lot of great things for your skin, besides just exfoliating and smoothing. He (yes, I will keep referring to an inanimate object as a person because the brand does and I adore it) also targets cellulite, stretch marks, psoriasis, varicose veins, eczema and acne. Now, I don't have anything majorly wrong with my skin, although I do have some 'shapely' thighs (as my mother says. "They're not big, they're shapely!" Love you, mom.) that could use a bit of improvement, skin-wise – as well as muscle-wise, but Frank is unfortunately not a workout routine/scrub combination. I'm solving that issue on my own. Anyways, I figured trying out a body scrub couldn't possibly hurt, seeing as though I'm not allergic to any of the ingredients. Frank is from Australia, so it took a bit longer to receive him in the mail, but it wasn't anything unbearable. Plus, shipping is free in the US, which is always music to my ears. I'd say I got my Frank about ten days after I purchased him, though mind you I ordered him towards the weekend so he probably wasn't shipped until the following Monday.

When I did receive Frank, I was elated. Finally I would get to try this bad boy (haha, get it? Because his name is Frank... sorry) out for myself. The steps are easy: "Get Naked", "Get Dirty", "Get Rough", and "Get Clean". They're rather self explanatory, so I'm not going to be redundant by repeating them. If you would like further explanation on the steps, go check the site linked above!

Back to my own Frank, though: I just tried my Cacao Frank scrub and WOW. My skin has not felt this smooth since I was a baby. Not that I remember, but I'm pretty certain this is the closest I've been to baby-smooth since I was an actual infant. And the smell of coffee is surrounding me without suffocating me. I know this scent won't last when I wake up tomorrow morning but at least I know that my dreams will be beautifully blissful and include LOTS of coffee. I'm not kidding you when I say that I just took a small break from typing this out so I could smell my shoulder and smile.

Because I have only tried Frank out once, and that one time was about an hour ago, I don't have any review or opinion on whether or not this product really works. I will say that my skin is super smooth and incredibly delicious-smelling, and I am already eager to hang out with Frank again in two days–Frank recommends that you use him 2 to 3 times a week, which I'm perfectly fine with. I will be sure to publish another post in about a week or two and give another review on the oh-so-charming Frank! Until then, cheek out this picture of me and Frank spending some quality time together on the right!



That's all for now! Stay Resplendent!

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Delicious Macaron Lippies form NYX!

I have always loved fun lip colors; however it wasn't until recently that I began to divulge in the idea of having bright and fun lip colors for myself. Being the incredibly fair-skinned redhead that I am, I often stuck myself in the box of only being able to use soft pinks and neutrals, telling myself "I could never pull that off." Well you know what? Screw that mindset. ANYONE can pull off ANYTHING they want if they do it right and wear it with confidence. (Side note: this theory can also be applied to dietary restrictions, fashion styles, Iron Man phone case purchases, you know- things that happen in your daily life)

I own several different bright reds, nude pinks, corals, berries, etc. now, and just a few weeks ago I decided to take it to the next step: blues, purples, oranges, anything and everything. Why not, right? So when I saw NYX released a line of "Macaron Lippies", twelve brightly-colored opaque lipsticks, I just had to try some.  My box just came in the mail yesterday form Ulta (my favorite makeup store at the moment!), and I have been dying to try these four out! The shades I decided to try first are shown below.
From left-right: Blue Velvet, Lavender, Coconut, Chambord

NYX Macaron Lippies swatched

First off, let me just say I really enjoy NYX cosmetics, and it was an amazing coincidence/miracle that their Macaron Lippies came out around the same time I wanted to try bright lipsticks, because it's better quality than drugstore makeup (in my opinion), but around the same price. It's a perfect brand to play around with if you're unsure of something. That way, at least if you don't like what you bought, you're not out an arm and a leg for it. These lipsticks are about $6 both in store and online, and Ulta sometimes has a BOGO 1/2 off deal for NYX cosmetics, so it makes it even better– and even harder to pass up! I started with these four because I know for a fact I have nothing else like these four colors, and before I splurged on a high-end lipstick in any of these hues I wanted to make sure I liked the color itself on my lips.

Blue Velvet
Blue Velvet
To be honest, shortly after I purchased this lot of lipsticks, I wished that I had bought NYX's "Earl Grey" in the stead of this one, because it's a lighter blue-grey and it appealed to me a bit more, but I wasn't rueful enough to cancel my purchase and do it all over again. So I did my best to keep an open mind. Putting it on was certainly shocking for me, but the more I looked at my lips the more Blue Velvet began to grow on me. Not my favorite of the four, but definitely a good thing to have if you enjoy doing crazy lip art.

Lavender
Lavender
I was super excited to get this one, because I have been dying to try a purple to clash with my ginger locks. This looks like the perfect pastel purple, as far as lip colors go; though I will admit, when I swatched in on the back of my palm, it seemed a bit more sheer than I had hoped, as you can see on the second picture to the top. However, once I tried it out on my lips, the color was as opaque as I originally thought! Really love the softness of the color; so much so that I could actually see myself wearing this one for a fun night out.


Coconut
Coconut
This one was a big risk for me. Seeing as though it's probably closer to my skin tone than a normal human being's nude lipstick (ba-dum tsss), I wasn't sure if I should go for it. Then I realized I was putting myself into that 'no fun' box once again, and so I shook my head, flipped my hair and added it to my cart. This one, although probably my least favorite of the pack for my own personal style, was still really good! I had to put on a few layers just so it looked completely opaque, but after that it was shockingly white and very interesting. Same thing for Blue Velvet: not a favorite, but definitely good for some crazy lip art down the road (I have some ideas in store that both this one and Blue Velvet will come in handy for).

Chambord
Chambord
Not going to lie, this and Lavender were the two main reasons I decided to go onto Ulta's website. Black is definitely back, and I think it's safe to say we've finally gotten past the whole "any black means goth" phase. I, for one, adore wearing black. Wearing all black is its own style, in my mind, and I love it, live it, encourage it, etc. So this was the first one in my shopping cart– actually, if we're being honest, it collected dust in my shopping cart while I deliberated on what other three to get. Lavender joined it in the cart not too long after, however. The moment I put this one on, my eyes widened with delight. I love it! It's the perfect black, it applies a lot better than I imagined, you don't need too much for it to look good, and frankly it's just really cool and intense. Against my pale skin and red hair, it's definitely a statement to wear such a color, and I adored it. Not something I would wear to a family event, if we're being honest, but I cannot wait to wear this one out for a night with the girls. I am wearing Chambord as I type this out, actually, because I want to see how long this will last before I need to blot, take off, redo, etc. So far I'm three hours in and we're good!

All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised with this line of brightly-colored lipsticks, all of which applied very smoothly and have a nice satin finish. My favorites are (clearly) Chambord and Lavender by a long shot, though I will be using Coconut and Blue Velvet for lip art sooner or later. I can't wait to get my hands on a few more from this line (the next on my list for the Macaron Lippes are 'Pistachio' and 'Earl Grey'!), as well as trying other brand's bright colors.

If you have any suggestions as to what beauty items I should try out next, feel free to comment below!

Stay Resplendent!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Naked 2 Palette vs. Lorac Pro Palette 1

Before I start things off, let me just put this disclaimer her for all to see: This post, as well as any and all future posts, are strictly my opinion, and I am not going to state one being better than the other. I love BOTH brands so much. This is merely for those who don't really know what they're getting into when it comes to these palettes.
And with that, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE (no? okay.)

IN THIS CORNER: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
Naked 2 Palette casing
Shades (from left-right): Foxy, Half Baked, Booty Call, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite,
Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout
WHAT I LOVE: To start off with the visuals, I love Naked's packaging for their second palette. The hard metal case with the snap-shut lid wins me over every time I need to throw it into an overnight bag and head out the door. I like knowing that there's hardly any chance it can come open and spill inside my Kate Spade, thus causing me to have a meltdown. Bonus points for their shadow names, too. There's a small smile that always shows up on my face every time I tell people I'm wearing "Bootycall" and "YDK" (two of my favorites in this palette). The colors themselves are very well-pigmented for shimmery colors. It was a pleasant surprise to not need a bunch of layers of each hue. Pretty sure that this palette will last me about two years at least, which is awesome– especially for the price! The black eye shadow in this palette, named very accurately "Blackout", is the best black shadow I've had in a long time. It's faintly shimmery, but not too much; I use it as a liner sometimes and always love the results. I also adore the "Good Karma" Shadow/Crease Brush that it came with, and I will admit that it's my go-to brush at the moment for any shadows, not just the Naked 2 Palette exclusively. It's super soft, which is so important for my tender skin and pickiness.

WHAT I NOT-SO-LOVE: I do wish there were more than just two matte colors, because Urban Decay does a great job at having well-pigmented shades that work any skin tone, so it'd be great to have more options. To add onto that, "Tease" which is a mauve brown and one of their two matte shades, can be a bit tricky to work with, which is a shame because it's a great color that I like to wear on my down days. It's worth it, in my opinion, to try and work with "Tease" and blend it a lot to get my desired look, but it had to be said.


AND IN THIS CORNER: Lorac Pro Palette 1
Lorac Pro Palette 1 casing
Shades (from left-right) Top- Matte Colors: White, Cream Taupe, Lt, Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black
Bottom- Shimmer Colors: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate
WHAT I LOVE: Again, I'll begin with how this palette looks. It's more than half the width of the Naked palette, which is a double-edged sword in my opinion. I'll stick to the positives on this portion and move to the not-so-positives in the next. I like that it's lightweight and the case is soft to touch– not that it really matters, but now it's out there so you can't un-know that. Shadow-wise, I love that there are so many options. Half matte, half shimmer is definitely something that I adored with this palette. I can do anything I want, achieve any sort of look, whether it be getting all dolled up for a night out or just a calm look for a relaxing day. The combinations are endless with the eighteen shadows, and there are even a few pops of color, which is a nice surprise. And, speaking of colors, I am head over heels for Champagne and Light Pink, both of which are exactly what you'd expect with their names. The Light Pink is actually what made me decide to get this one over a different palette while at the store. I don't have any other shade in that color that's as good a quality.

WHAT I NOT-SO-LOVE: Back to the casing of the Lorac Pro Palette. While on the one hand it's width makes it lighter and easier to pack, it also implies less of the shadows– although I totally understand that part of the reason why Naked 2 is so thick is due to it's metal casing. But still, it at least gives you the illusion that there's more for you; an illusion I am perfectly content with. Another thing that I don't love is how soft the magnetic flap (is that the right word? Is there a better term I could use? Whoops) is. This could be because I'm so used to the secure Naked palette case, and it's not that I've ever had any trouble with it staying shut. I'm just saying that there is no way that thing will be entering my Kate Spade unless in a ziplock baggy or a sturdy makeup pouch. It's a risk I am not willing to take.


So, there you have it! My personal pros & cons for two very good palettes. Like I said in the beginning, this is not about which one I favor more, but more of a review on two very popular products in one post. Hopefully, if you read all of my rambling, you now have a better idea on the two products for future reference, should you ever decide to splurge for them. Both were great purchases that I do not regret at all (hopefully I'll be getting Naked 3 palette and Lorac Pro Palette 2 soon!).

Stay Resplendent!