The 2 Eyeshadow Palettes You Need This Fall: Urban Decay Ultimate Naked Basics Palette and Lorac Mega Pro Palette 3 (with swatches)

I'm sure we all need another eyeshadow palette, right?! Ok, maybe we don't need one but we always want one. While new ones get released every.single.day - I really think both of these rather large newly released palettes are worth adding to a collection. The new Urban Decay Ultimate Naked Basics Palette which is all matte and stunning, and the new Lorac Mega Pro Palette 3 which contains every shade of eyeshadow you could need to create beautiful (but more neutral based) looks.

1. Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette - I have the original Urban Decay Naked Basics Matte palette and have been using it for years. The texture is perfect, the colors are perfect - I love how it gives me such a clean and polished look. The new Ultimate palette has a row of gorgeous rosy/beige/tan neutrals and a row of rich earth tones plus a deep graphite and inky black. There is some fallout when using this palette as I find with all of my Urban Decay Naked palettes but the colors blend so beautifully on the eyes and give the most pristine matte finish to the eye that I find it worth the slight powder drop.

2. Lorac Mega Pro Palette 3 - If there every was a palette that contained every color I could ever want - I think it is this one. 2 rows of matte, 2 rows of shimmer and all somewhat neutral shades. There is no electric blues or vibrant kelly greens for me to have to avoid - all of these shades are ones that I could use to create an everyday look or even a great polished evening eye without being too over the top. The texture is as I would expect with a Lorac palette - buttery, buttery, buttery. The colors blend smooth, evenly and look stunning on the lids. There is minimal fallout but with certain dark colors I recommend doing your concealer after your eyeshadow so you can clean up if anything drops while applying. The colors are rich and I think this would be a gorgeous palette for almost any skin tone. It's not the easiest palette to travel with but if you already bring multiple palettes with you for every trip (yup, I know that struggle), this could solve that problem. There is not a single color that is missing from this palette that I would need to supplement with another. Another hit from Lorac - though I am a bit biased and think this is the best mega pro palette yet.

*pr samples included

Shop more Urban Decay and Lorac palettes:

Review of the New Lorac Pro Palette 3 with Swatches

As soon as I received this palette in the mail, I could not wait to get these swatches up. The newly launched Lorac Pro Palette 3 is a neutral lover's dream - with one row of matte shades and one of shimmer. Surprisingly, this is my first Lorac Pro Palette (I know, I'll give you a minute to let that sink in...) but it could not be more perfect for my style of makeup.

The shades are mostly in the brown family with a few that have a red/purple tinge - and there is a great mix of both silver and gold undertones. While I am usually a one swipe shadow kind of gal, I love that this palette has lid, crease and liner shades so any look can be created.

I'm pretty confident that this palette would look good on a wide range of skin tones - and the pigmentation falls in the middle of the spectrum. A few of the colors are a bit more sheer, while most of them apply easily with the ability to be built up to a bolder finish. Using them over an eyeshadow primer (this one actually comes with the palette!) is still my preferred method of application, because I find the color payoff is richer and more intense.

Though I am usually a matte shadow gal, I found myself reaching for the shimmer shades in this palette more. The finishes are so smooth on the lid and the shimmer is subtle enough for daytime. I still love using the matte shadows, though I prefer them as an accent shade either on the lid, crease or as a liner. I know many of us have more neutral palettes than we know what to do with (#sorrynotsorry right?!), but I definitely think this is a great option if you are looking for a new one or just can't resist a good launch.

*pr sample included

If you pick this one up, let me know what you think and how you are liking it!

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5 Blushes To Try For Spring

It's reached that point in the year when the cold weather is still here but spring fever has kicked in big time. And in no other industry is that more apparent than beauty. All the spring beauty collections are in stores now, and I begin to gravitate towards lighter more pastel shades to bring me out of my winter makeup coma. I'm not a huge fan of pastel shades on the lids, but on the cheeks - YES! Though let's be honest, these blush shades are perfect for all year round but that doesn't stop me from putting them in the category of "here's my new spring makeup that looks oddly similar to my winter makeup but it makes me feel better to say it's all for spring."

1. Lorac Buildable Blushes in Prism and Spectra - For those who want just a hint of color on the cheeks and a foolproof application, these Lorac blushes are for you. The texture is incredibly smooth because the powder is so finely milled and they dust just a hint of color on the cheeks with one swipe. But as the name implies, these can be built up for a more intense payoff. I would normally reach immediately for Prism, but Spectra has been the winner for me these past few weeks since it gives a nice rosy flush to the cheeks. There are a ton of shades in this line that range from subtle neutrals, to a vibrant violet and deep burgundys/matte browns. So while the two colors I have are perfect for spring, there is a shade in this line for every single season.

2. Gucci Sheer Blushing Powders in Soft Peach, Coral Flower and Spring Rose - If you are a regular reader of my blog (hey guys *insert hand wave emoji*), then you know that Gucci solo shadows are my favorite powder eye shadow formula of all time. Big statement I know, but I truly love them (read my review here). I had not tried any other powder products from Gucci, though the blush shades in the range looked too good to pass up. They all tend to steer towards the neutral end of the spectrum, though there are some deep plums and raspberries in the line as well. The formulation is much denser than Lorac and has a stronger payoff from first swipe. But though they pack a good punch on the cheeks, they are easy to blend and apply evenly with no patchiness. The three shades I have are all in the warm peachy/rose family with only slight variations between each, and all work well with my standard makeup looks. #teamneutrals. If you are new to the Gucci line, I highly recommend trying these out along with the solo shadows if you can't stop at just one product. No judgement here. 

*pr samples included

Shop more of my favorite blush formulas:

One Can Never Have Too Many Neutral Eye Palettes

I know - that title is a little bit of an exaggeration, but all my fellow beauty addicts can relate I'm sure. *wink* Both palettes were new brands to me, as I have not tried much from either Lorac or Mark. but I can say that I certainly will try more in the future. Though these palettes may seem similar to each other to an average person (i.e. my husband who said to me "those look identical, why are you going to put them both in a post?" Ugh, mind your business), but to our trained beauty-loving eye, we can all see how different they are from one another. One palette is a bit more warm and rosy, while the other features more gray and taupe based shadows. See? Validation for needing both.

1. Lorac Unzipped Palette - Calling all rosy-neutral fans!! This is for you. I can't say I always gravitate towards a pinky based gold or brown, but I was surprised how well these wore on my skin tone. I was afraid they would come out too orange, but I was happy to see more of a bronzed-golden look to most of the shadows when worn. Most have shimmer except for the palest and deepest shades, but the kind of shimmer that you want to wear. No disco ball eyelids here. The texture is creamier than I anticipated and I felt the colors blended beautifully. I found that the first 6 shades of the collection wore well as lid colors while the last 4 (top two and bottom two on the right of the palette) were better for crease and liner colors. And the best part? It comes with a mini eye primer sample which was just what I needed when I travel.

2. Mark. On The Dot Neutral Eye Color Compact -  First things first - how cute is this palette??!!! MEEP! The shape and size of the shadows remind me of those candy dots and candy makes me happy, ergo this palette makes me happy. The minute I unboxed this after Mark. sent it over, I rushed to the bathroom to play with it. The colors are simply perfect! The taupes, gray-browns and plums are just the sort of shades I prefer to wear most days. The pigmentation strikes that happy balance between not too rich and not too sheer, which to be honest is my ideal shadow formulation. While my initial reaction with super pigmented shadows is always "WOW!", I then realize I find myself working harder to blend them down so I can wear them during the day. Here it was easy to apply my desired amount of color with only a few strokes and little to no blending. And the fact that this palette fits in the palm of my hand makes it a no-brainer for travel, overnight trips and makeup bag status. I just received this a few weeks ago and I'm already making predictions that I will hit pan on it. And is there any greater honor for a makeup product? I think not.

*pr samples included

What are some of your favorite neutral eye palettes?