I’ll admit it – I have a bit of an obsession with Lorac eyeshadow palettes, I want them all! Anytime I’m in an Ulta it’s the first section I start with and I rarely walk away without something; it’s probably a good thing that Lorac is not available in Canada! Most recently I picked up their Unzipped Eyeshadow palette and today I’m sharing my review and swatches!
ABOUT
From Lorac’s website:
“Get UNZIPPED™ and unleash your natural beauty with LORAC’S universally flattering nude eye shadow palette. Create unlimited head-turning looks with the MINI Behind The Scenes Eye Primer for long-lasting color and 10 ultra-rich, shimmering and matte shadows in a super sexy, nude palette. LORAC: UNZIPPED™, UNCENSORED and UNBELIEVABLE!”
PRICE
$42 USD for 10 shadows ( 3 matte / 7 satin and metallic) at 0.039 oz each, for a total of 0.39 oz. It also includes a mini (0.19 oz) of their Behind the Scenes eye primer (which I forgot to photograph but you can reference any of my other Lorac eyeshadow posts if you are interested in seeing it).
PACKAGING
Lorac is quite consistent with their packaging – most of their eyeshadow palettes are constructed of a sturdy cardboard; the difference with this is that it has a shiny, satin finish instead of their usual matte finish. This one is also a little bit shorter in length when compared to their Pro palettes. As with the Pro palettes, this contains a decent-sized mirror on the inside.
INGREDIENTS
LORAC UNZIPPED SHIMMER & MATTE EYE SHADOW PALETTE: MICA, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, ZINC STEARATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, ISOPENTYLDIOL, MAY CONTAIN / PEUT CONTENIR: IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007), CARMINE (CI 75470), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140), MANGANESE VIOLET (CI 77742), BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090), FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510); MINI BEHIND THE SCENES EYE PRIMER: ISODODECANE, TALC, TRIHYDROXYSTEARIN, POLYETHYLENE, DISTEARDIMONIUM, HECTORITE, VP/EICOSENECOPOLYMER, TRIETHYLHEXANOIN, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, ISOPROPYL LANOLATE, SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE, PEG-40 STEARATE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, BEESWAX (CERA ALBA), DIMETHICONE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANEM, PHENOXYETHANOL, MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77499, 77491, 77492)
SCENT
No noticeable scent.
SWATCHES
From top to bottom: Undercover (satin cream); Unbelievable (metallic apricot); Unattainable (metallic bronze); Unconditional (matte mauve); Unbridled (matte brownish burgundy); Undiscovered (metallic yellow gold); Unreal ( metallic petal pink); Uncensored (metallic medium brown); Unspoken (matte warm medium brown ); Untamed (metallic deep warm brown)
FORMULAS
Shadows
These shadows perform exactly how I expected them to – perfectly. I feel like a broken record but Lorac makes my one of my favourite eyeshadow formulas – matte or metallic everything is (generally) easy to blend, soft and creamy and pigmented. The biggest drawback would be the amount of fallout that can occur because of how soft they are so it is imperative that I both tap my brush off prior to applying them to my eye and I sometimes have to brush the fallout away with a large fluffy brush after application; gently pressing my brush into the shadows (rather than swirling or tapping) seems to help with this issue too.
There was only one shadow in this palette that didn’t quite live up to the others in terms of quality – Undiscovered was less pigmented than the rest and was a little dry and crumbly. That’s probably my least favourite shade of the bunch so I’m not too torn up about it.
Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
This primer has a thin, lightweight consistency and the slightest hint of an ivory tint with a touch of shimmer. It states that it is oil-free yet I find it leaves behind a slight oiliness once rubbed into my skin.
PERFORMANCE
This palette doesn’t perform any different than my other Lorac eyeshadow palettes – that is, exceptionally well. I pair it with my favourite eyeshadow primer (Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance) and these last approximately 8-10 hours on me before I start to see a bit of fading and very slight creasing. .
Lorac does state that all the shadows can be used wet or dry; I have tested the metallics out wet and they intensify which is pretty standard. However, because I find them pigmented as-is, I rarely feel the need to do so. I’ve used the mattes as liners both wet and dry and they work wonderfully – no complaints!
VERDICT
Would you be shocked if I told you I loved this palette? Probably not but I can’t help it – I do! In a short amount of time it’s actually become one of my favourite palettes I own; my go-to eyeshadow shades are nudes and pink/mauve tones and this has everything I need to create my favourite, everyday looks. I could use this everyday forever and be happy with it!
I also really like the pan sizes in this palette; in the pro palettes the pan sizes are smaller but you get a bigger variety of shades. In this instance I basically like every single shade in this palette so having slightly more product and bigger pans (0.39 oz vs 0.32 oz) is preferable to me.
That said, I don’t think it’s for everyone. To state the obvious, if you like having versatility in your eyeshadow then this isn’t going to be for you; in addition if you aren’t a fan of shimmery metallic shades, you probably want to pass on it too. Note that there’s only 3 mattes in this palette (although I’d argue it’s all the mattes anyone could need). In addition, I wouldn’t really call this unique by any means (but at this point, is there anything unique out there?) but if you are a fan of Lorac’s formula I think it’s a good solid palette.
Have you tried the Lorac Unzipped palette?
So many taupes! The shades Unbelievable and Unreal look amazing. And here I am, with ZERO Lorac palettes to my name. I did have the Behind the Scenes Eye Primer which I did like a lot. I wonder if I can buy Lorac online from any reliable sources?
I believe you can order it from Ulta Online now but be prepared to pay for it! I really wish they’d come to Canada!
This is soooo pretty! Like Stashy said, I love all the taupe-based shades in this palette! I don’t own any Lorac palettes, but would love to get my hands on one eventually. I don’t go to the US often enough, dang it!
Yes I’m all about the taupes too! Next time you’re in Vegas maybe? Just a $20 cab ride away! 😉
I’ve never tried anything from Lorac. This palette is really pretty! SO many wearable shades!
So darn pretty! I was so mad when Lorac left Sephora here. I was able to get my hands on one eyeshadow and the primer before they left Canada. I want the Pro and Unzipped palette so badly and you just made that urge stronger! Ulta in Buffalo was sold out the last time I made the trek over the border, but my fingers might break from having them crossed so hard that I find one of the palettes in stock on my next trip. LOL!