Late to the PRO Palette Party

AAAAHHHH!  Sorry for screaming in your ears, guys, but I'm soooo excited about this one!  I had seen pictures and swatches of this for the longest, but was not moved to purchase it because a lot of the colors looked like ones I already owned and it seemed like it had a lot of pales and whites in it, which I tend to shun since those shades all look the same on my skin.  But when I went home and saw my sister's in person, laid my own two eyes on the beautiful colors, was able to feel the texture of the shadows and actually use them on my niece for her H.S. graduation, I became a convert.  No, I became obsessed; I simply had to have it!  So, indulge me for a bit while this joanna-come-lately gushes about the awesomeness that is the LORAC PRO Palette.

 

The PRO Palette is a collection of sixteen shadows housed in a sleek, narrow case of simple design.  It has a soft, rubberized feel to it - similar to NARS' packaging.  Along with the palette comes a mini Behind the Scenes primer...

which is a creamy, beige eyeshadow primer that dries down to a color-free base and allows your shadows to be more vibrant and last longer on the lid.

But the extras don't end there: on the back of the palette is a QR code that you can scan with your smartphone to access makeup tutorials in case you're in need of a little guidance and/or inspiration.  Isn't that cool?

And then you finally open the palette...  Everything that you've ever heard about the PRO Palette is absolutely, positively true!  Sixteen velvety soft shadows - eight mattes/eight pearls - that are not only richly pigmented, but can be used wet or dry to create an endless variety of looks!

 

The first half of eight, or what I would call the "lighter half", is the side I was initially concerned with when looking at the swatches online.  I knew that most of these shadows would all look the same on my skin once applied.  However, after seeing and purchasing the palette, I now recognize the value in the whites and creams since I don't own that many and know they can be used to blend, highlight and even combine with other shades.  My fears have been allayed and my doubts duly erased.

First four, top row, L to R: White, Cream, Taupe, Lt. Pink

First four, bottom row, L to R: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze

L to R: Lt. Bronze, Gold, Champagne, Nude, Lt. Pink, Taupe, Cream, White

Second four, top row: Black, Espresso, Sable, Mauve 

Top to bottom: Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black

Second four, bottom row, L to R: Pewter, Garnett, Deep Purple, Slate

And just in case you couldn't quite make out the magnificence of Pewter, here's a closer view.

Top to bottom: Pewter, Garnett, Deep Purple, Slate

Did I say already that these shadows are awesome?  Did I already proclaim the potency of their pigmentation?  Well, did I talk about how buttery smooth they are and pretty to look at?  Oh, I did?  Well, what more do I need to say then?

I know that I'm extremely late to the PRO Palette party, but like I've said before - I'm just glad I got the invite!  And now that I've finally shown up, I'm gonna definitely "show out" and paint my face in these heavenly shades as often as possible.

Hmm... seems like I'm gonna have to do some editing and re-shuffling to my "Fab 5" list real soon...

LORAC PRO Palette is available at Sephora and beauty.com, and retails for $42.