I was super excited to try the fall 2011 “Close Up: Real Life to Red Carpet Natural to Dramatic Face Tutorial” from LORAC. Finding out LORAC was its founder’s first named spelled backwards years ago was fun and since then Carol Shaw has become a well known celebrity makeup artist and creator of LORAC Cosmetics. These kits were designed to give the recipient all the tools they needed to get the look they desired.
There are five products in this kit that allow you to take your day time look into night with the simple addition of liquid liner, the darker shade from the trio all over your lids into the crease and another coat of mascara and lip gloss. The contents are the Starry Eyed Baked Eyeshadow Trio in LORACstar, Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Multiplex 3D Lashes in Black, Blush in Soul and Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick in Trend Setter.
Before
What I most liked about this kit was the step by step guide included in the package for a failsafe application. I literally read it before hand step by step to get comfortable with the products and then wondered if the day look would honestly be a “5 Minute Application” or not. It certainly was! The “10 Minute Application” for the dramatic night look was truthful, too. I did begin by putting on moisturizer, primer, concealer and foundation. For those of you that do not need to prep your skin before, hats off to you. What I also needed on hand were a few good brushes….be prepped before hand with 2 eye brushes, a blush brush and in my case, an eye lash curler and lip liner for a better defined lip. My lips are quite uneven so that is something I felt I needed to tweak after seeing these photos. An eyelash curler always works to open my eyes so that was a needed tool for me as well. Besides that…this was easy and gave me a corporate day time look and a smoldering smoky eye for night. I have never used a tutorial series kit before so this was fascinating to me as I buy too many beauty products, even repeats sometimes. I really liked how “less is more” when it came down to products. I had all I needed for these two looks with the makeup provided.
Day Looks
There is also a Pro Artistry Tips guide included in the tutorial packet which I found to be helpful. Tips such as remembering to apply the blush on the apple of your cheeks and then blend onto the cheekbone toward the ears made my cheekbone stand out more. Sometimes I am prone to just popping the color on only the apples of my cheeks and that does not allow for defining the actual cheek bone. I know liquid eyeliner scares a lot of people and this small brush made a clean thin line that. When I apply the liner very close to my lash line, it makes my lashes look fuller. Carol notes when applying the liquid liner, you should anchor your elbow on a flat sturdy surface to ensure a precise smooth line. Tilt your head up while looking down with your eyes when looking in the mirror for an easier application Use a firmer touch for a thicker line. I find that if I start in the inner corners of my top lid, it is easier for me to apply, too.
Night Look
Five products were able to give me both looks in the time promised. I am eager to see what other tutorial sets available for friends of mine that want few products, application tips and would rather spend their precious time doing something other than self correcting makeup mistakes.
This kit retails for $ 39.00 ($ 120 Value USD) and can be purchased at www.loraccosmetics.com.
– Nicole Gordon Levine
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