Urban Decay vs. Lorac Eye Primer

I have been a big fan of Urban Decay's Primer Potions for quite awhile. I have both the original version in nude that dries "invisibly" (you can generally see the nude color even after it dries down) and their sin color which is a champagne shimmer and makes your eyeshadows metallicy. I have loved these two for awhile, however, they don't seem to make my shadow hold up as long as I would like. I now work all day and have class all night and my eyeshadow just has not been lasting through my day. I started using sin more and more as I think it makes my shadow last longer than the original, but I hated that I was forced to wear a metallic every day. If anyone is interested this also comes in Greed, which is a gold, and Eden, which is a matte and turns all of your shadows matte. I started looking for an alternative eye primer and found the Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer.

The Lorac product is described as a "gentle, lightweight eyeshadow primer that is oil free, fragrance free, and paraben free." This product is actually invisible after application and, although my eyeshadow still doesn't make it through the day (I don't think there's any product that can perform that feat of magic) it does last much, much longer. Although I still like Urban Decay's sin from time to time, the Lorac primer has absolutely taken the place as my everyday eye primer. It makes my shadows pop, stay crease free, and last and last. It does everything I loved about the Urban Decay Primer Potion, plus the added benefit of lasting longer (and actually being invisible). I highly recommend this to women who don't have time to be touching up their eyeshadow mid day.

The Urban Decay products can be purchased from Ulta or Sephora or online at http://www.urbandecay.com. The Lorac product can also be bought at Ulta or Sephora or online at either of these retailers or http://www.loraccosmetics.com.

Lorac: Eye Candy Full Face Collection

Please note this post is going to be VERY picture heavy. Enjoy! =)

For Hanukkah this year my parents bought me this wonderful little kit. It contains 4 different eyeshadow quads, an eyeliner quad, and a lipstick/cheek stain quad. Not only does it contain quite a bit of wonderful products, but it also comes in this cute little chocolate box. Each of the quads are meant to look like chocolate bars and they are even named after chocolates. How cute? This collection is described as "a deluxe assortment of sweet, tempting treats that contains a luxurious selection of fresh colors for eyes, cheeks, and lips that you simply can't resist. The eye shadow palettes, cream eye liner palette, and cheek and lip tint palette are all infused with ultra rich color and velvety smooth texture for a variety of eye-enticing looks."I have to say I am absolutely thrilled with this collection. The eyeshadows are all like butter; they apply silky smooth, blend amazingly, and last all day (when I wear primer, they do rub away pretty quickly without primer due to their ultra blend ability). The eye liner pallet colors apply smoothly, I would almost compare it to Bobbi Brown's gel liner, are very pigmented, and last all day. The only palette that I wasn't thrilled about was the lip and cheek palette. It is very dry and chalky on the lips and isn't really blendable enough that I want to use it for my cheeks. I found that it is only really useable if mixed in with a clear lipgloss to make a sheer wash of color.

Blackberry Truffle SeductionL Smokey Eye Shadow Palette

Left Image with Flash, Right with Sunlight

Caramel Love Affair: Golden Eye Shadow Palette

Left Image with Flash, Right with Sunlight

Tantalizing Cocoa: Bronze Eye Shadow Palette

Left Image with Flash, Right with Sunlight

Ooh La La Vanilla: Nude Eye Shadow Palette

Left Image with Flash, Right with Sunlight

Mesmerizing Dark Chocolate: Cream Eye Liner Palette

Left Image with Flash, Right with Sunlight

Indulge In Berry Kisses: Cheek and Lip Tint

Left Image with Flash, Right with Sunlight

Ultimately, many of the colors are similar, but I have found with use that they are all ever so slightly different and as such have different uses. I really do like and recommend this palette even with the cruddy lip/cheek tint colors. I think it is a great buy at $59 for beginners with relatively no makeup to those with tons and tons of it. I also think it makes a great holiday gift for those still looking. 

This collection is a Sephora exclusive and as such an be purchased in a Sephora store or it can be purchased online at http://www.sephora.com.

Nars Lip Gloss and Lorac Co-Stars

These two are my new favorite lippies as of late. I wear them most out of my collection of lip items, which is probably because they are the newest of the bunch. They are the Nars Lip Gloss in Orgasm (which is my favorite of Nars colors, I own their liquid illuminator in orgasm and really want their blush in orgasm, it is truly a great color) and Lora Co-Stars (which for anyone interested is on sale and super cheap at just $10) in Hot Kiss.

The Nars is the first one on my arm all the way to the left and the one on the bottom in the right picture. It is a really glossy peachy pink with shimmer in it. Isn't is so pretty? Nars describes this as a "pigment dense lip gloss," which I have to agree with. I also love that it comes with a doe's foot application tip instead of a brush (I hate those), so application is a breeze. It also lasts for a decent amount of time because even when the gloss has worn off, you are still left with a nice shimmer on your lips. I have been using this as my nude lip as of late and I really love it. 

The Lorac Co-Stars is a double ended gloss featuring a stain on one side and a sheer gloss on the other. The swatch next to the Nars has both layered on top of each other and the last swatch is just the stain on it's own. What I like about this product is that it doesn't come off. Quite literally. Lorc even describes it as an 8-hour lip product. 

This is a picture that I took after trying to clean the swatches off of my arm with makeup remover. I literally wore these swatches on my arm for the day because it does not come off. I have worn this lippie while eating and still had perfect lips at the end of the meal. All you need to do is swipe on some more gloss, but the color stays without smudging. It is also a really pretty nudey brown with some golden shimmer in it. The stain has a doe's foot applicator while the gloss has a brush.

The Nars Lip gloss can be purchased at http://www.sephora.com or anywhere Nars products are sold (I think Barney's, Nordstrom, Saks, etc) and the Lorac is being discontinued and can only be purchased here.