Gorgeous Cosmetics 'Soft Grape' Shimmer Dust Review + Swatches + Makeup Look

Gorgeous Cosmetics Shimmer Dust in Soft Grape

Gorgeous Cosmetics Shimmer Dust ($25/3g) is described as luxurious loose powder pigment, which dusts lightly over eyes, face and body.  Highly pigmented and super silky soft.  Simply alter your application technique to create a gorgeous soft sheen, an intense colour effect or anything in between.

Available in (18) colors: Antique Gold, Antique Pink, Aqua, Burnt Copper, Forest, Gold, Luminesence, Minty, Ms Vegas, Mysterious, Plum, Purple Berry, Sand, Seriously Violet, Silver Suede, Soft Grape, Starlet, Suede.

Soft Grape is a soft purple with pink undertones. It's a great color for those who are scared to work with purples on the lids. Layer it over other purples or mix with browns, blacks or greens for a nice pop of color!

These highly pigmented loose pigments blend smoothly and are easy to build intensity when layering them. To build a saturated color on the lid they can be used with a wet brush, I like to use MAC Fix+ on my brush to make the pigment color pop even more. Used over an eye primer, this pigment has a  lasting power of around 7 hours. Use a very light dusting with these shimmers on the body as well for a very pretty glow.

Soft Grape Swatch (1 layer)

Layered Swatch (2 layers)

 

Wet Swatch (1 layer)

PACKAGING
Gorgeous Cosmetics Shimmer Dusts come in a round matte black plastic container with a see-through twist cap. The shimmer itself is covered by a sifter which allows you to control the amount of product you need. At 3g (11 oz) of product it might seem a bit small for the

price but remember, when working with pigments a little goes a long way. Pigments come in small amounts no matter the brand. The shimmer dusts come with less product for a few bucks more than the MAC pigments ($21/0.15oz).

"Gorgeous Cosmetics is an prestige cosmetic brand, founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1999. From face primers to contour powders and lipsticks they offer a variety of cosmetics. The brand is a one stop shop in creating a full flawless look from start to finish. Enriched with anti-aging and healing ingredients such as Chamomile, Aloe Vera and Vitamins A & E, the Gorgeous Cosmetics range embodies quality to create a complete Pro makeup collection." Gorgeouscosmetics.com

Overall Thoughts
These finely milled shimmers are beautiful pigmented products to work with. They are so simple to use and apply to the eyes. Amp up a simple eye look with a shimmer dust. Applying them wet builds the intensity of your look. The packaging, quality and lasting power of them are well worth the price. I can't wait to get my hands on more colors!

Gorgeous Cosmetics 'Soft Grape' Shimmer Dust on center of lid

Gorgeous Cosmetics 'Soft Grape' Shimmer Dust on center of lid

Availability: Nordstrom / Gorgeous Cosmetics
Price: $25
 
Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer. This does not affect any opinions featured in this post as they are my own honest experiences with the product.   

Lorac Pro Palette Review + Swatches

Lorac Pro Palette

Lorac Pro Palette ($42) is an eyeshadow palette that I've been wanting to add to my collection for some time now and haven't taken the plunge for until recently. Yes I know I'm very behind on this palette but better late than never right? Still I figured another review wouldn't hurt. So here it goes..

This palette contains (16) .02oz (total .32oz) neutral eyeshadows, 8 matte and 8 shimmer shades as well as a mini sized Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer. From neutral to more dramatic looks, it is the perfect palette to own when you need to have variety packed into one product. All the shadows have great pigmentation and are buttery smooth. A few of the shades, in particular the matte shades can be a bit chalky but not too bad where there is a lot of fallout like other matte shadows. They can be applied wet or dry, especially the shimmer shadows which look beautiful on the lid.

PACKAGING
The sleek thin design of the Lorac Pro Palette is perfect for traveling. The black case is made of a sturdy cardboard that has a rubberized texture and a magnetic flip top. It also comes with a full length mirror which is great for those who rely on using the mirrors in palettes. I personally never do. The amount of product in these shadows is a bit small at .02oz each, compared to the size of a MAC shadow at .05oz.

I like the look and feel of the rubberized case but am not a fan of how dirty it gets. I like my palettes to be easy to maintain.

SWATCHES

(Top left to right) White, Cream, Taupe Lt. Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black (Bottom left to right) Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate

White is a cool-toned white matte. It can come off a bit chalky so I like to use this in the inner eye to create a halo effect instead of applying it to the browbone.

Cream is a light warm beige matte shadow. I need to pack more shadow on to get good color payoff. I suggest trying a nude base under this shadow.

Taupe is a warm medium brown with a matte finish. It has good color pigmentation. It's a great crease color or use it on the lid for light brown smokey eye.

Lt. Pink is a cool pale pink matte shadow with good pigment but can be powdery when applied.

Mauve is a true pale purple matte shadow with pink undertones. It applies smoothly and is a great color to blend out other colors. I like to use it to blend out the harsh lines of a black smokey eye.

Sable is a warm medium dark brown matte shadow with great pigmentation that applies smoothly to the skin. I love to use this shade to darken the crease and on the lower lashline to smoke out black liner.

Espresso is a dark cool matte brown with good color payoff. It looks great used on the outer v for a smokey eye.

Black is a dark black-grey matte shade with good color payoff. Though it is black, it isn't the deepest black out in the market and it can be a bit patchy. Pat on this shadow instead of sweeping it on to prevent patchy streaks.

Nude is a frosted beige and applies very buttery.

Champagne is a frosted pink-champagne shadow and applies smoothly.

Gold is a copper colored shadow with a frost finish. It has a metallic look when applied to the skin. It is also buttery and has rich color payoff.

Lt. Bronze is my favorite color from this palette. It is a warm peachy shadow with a frosted finish. It is smooth and pigmented. I like to use this shade on my lid or as an inner corner highlight. It provides just a subtle highlight to any look.

Pewter is a light frosted brown shadow. It goes on soft and creamy.

Garnet is a dark rich red copper shade with a metallic finish. It has great pigmentation and is such a gorgeous lid color.

Deep Purple is a shimmery satin dark purple. It is more of a black purple and contains fine micro shimmers. It goes on smoothly and is very pigmented.

Slate is a dark grey with a blue undertone. It applies buttery and has a rich pigmentation. It reminds me of gunmetal from the Urban Decay Naked Palette.
 

THE RUNDOWN
The Lorac Pro Palette is a great product to own or have in your pro kit for its quality, versatility and practicality. I think that is what you really are paying for since the amount of product in the palette isn't much compared to other palettes. For instance, the Urban Decay Naked Palette offers (12) shadows at .05oz each (total .60z) at around the same price. You are getting half the product with the Lorac Pro Palette.

Having the different matte and shimmer shadows all in one palette is a pro especially with the effortless application they offer.

Check out some of the looks I created using the Lorac Pro Palette.. and don't forget to follow me on Instagram (ShugaandSpice1) for more details and makeup inspiration!

Availability: Nordstrom / Ulta / Lorac
Price: $42