Benefit New Product Alert: Prrrrowl!

I am a huge fan of Benefit Cosmetics.  Although they are on the pricey side (paying for the pretty packaging!), their products are quality, and I love how they mix a fresh faced look with vintage glamour and out of the box concepts.

Their newest product is called Prrrowl.  I don't own Prrrowl, but I checked it out at Ulta the other night. Basically, it's a mascara top coat on one end and a lip gloss on the other.  I know, weird, right?  But the common theme with both products is they contain peacock blue glitter.

 

The mascara is intended to be worn as either a top coat over your favorite shade of mascara, or it can be worn alone.  It's a black tint with pretty peacock blue colored glitter.  I tried some on, and I have to tell you, it's VERY subtle.  I'm a huge glitter gal myself, so I was hoping for something that screams out BLUE GLITTER MASCARA!!!  But unless you point out to someone that it has blue glitter in it, no one will be able to tell.  I've read some reviews on the product, and people are using it as a liquid eyeliner in lieu of mascara.

As far as the gloss goes--it goes on shimmery pink.  After awhile, the pink wears off, and you have blue glitter on your lips.  A little strange.  I guess it's supposed to make your teeth look whiter.

Here is a video review of the product.  I couldn't even tell the difference when she put the gloss or mascara on.  Disappointing.

I think the concept is cute, but just not very practical.  The mascara needs more blue glitter in it to show up well on your lashes, and the gloss needs less glitter in it so you don't end up with blue lips.  For $28, I'm probably not going to own this one anytime soon.  I wish you could buy the mascara and the gloss separately.  I'd buy the mascara for $15-$18 on its own.

If anyone purchases this product, please leave a comment and let me know how you like it!

New LORAC Multidimensional Beauty Collection for Eyes and Lips

LORAC always has really great sets at decent prices.  I like their sets, because they don't give you trial sizes of everything and slap a $50 price tag on it.  You get full sized products at a pretty reasonable price.

I recently purchased LORAC's new Multidimensional Beauty Collection for eyes and lips.  The particular set I bought is being sold exclusively at Ulta stores for $35 ($88 value).  The set touts glamorous "3D sparkle," and it contains three "prismatic, light reflecting, holographic shadows for dramatic, shimmering color" in Opalescent Gold with Pink Pearl, Amber Bronze with Gold Pearl, and Red/Brown with Green Pearl.  Also included in the set is a Multiplex 3D lip gloss in color Ulta Glam (peachy pink sparkle).  The products are all packaged in a blingy bag that can double as an evening clutch.

This set is based on the gimmick of everything being 3D and multidimensional/multiplex.

The first thing I noticed when I unpackaged the set is the neat bag.  It's hard to see it in the above picture, but below is a better one that shows how the colors change from goldish green to pinky magenta.  Plus, the bag is really well made.  There is a zipper pocket inside, and there is just enough room for the essentials for a night out on the town.  You could definitely throw your phone, cash/credit cards/ID, and makeup touchup necessities in here.  This bag is definitely a quality item and is not a cheaply made freebie.

You get 3 full size shadows and one full size lip gloss.  The back of the box shows two ways to wear the shadows:  dry look and wet look:

I first tried the dry look and was not overly excited about how it looked.  So I started over and tried the wet look.  I am not crazy about the Red/Brown with Green Pearl shadow (especially dry).  It definitely did not come off as green as it looks in the picture above.  But I can say for sure the colors change in different lighting, which indeed makes the shadows multidimensional, although I hesitate to say 3D.

Average White Girl recipe for the LORAC Ulta exclusive Multidimensional Wet look:

1. Prime eyes with Urban Decay Primer Potion.
2. Apply Red/Brown with Green Pearl to lid.
3. Apply Amber Bronze with Gold Pearl to outside corner of eye and blend into the crease and up toward the brown bone.
4. Apply Opalescent Gold with Pink Pearl to the brow bone and around inside corner of eye.
5. Apply Amber Bronze with Gold Pearl along the lower lash line about 2/3 the way from the outside corner to the inside corner of the eye.
6. Apply Opalescent Gold with Pink Pearl around the inside corner of the eye and along the lower lash line to blend into the Amber Bronze.
7. Apply Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Underground along upper and lower lash lines.  I created a winged effect on my upper lash line, then I smudged it out on my lower lash line.
8. Curl lashes and apply a generous coat of your favorite black mascara to upper and lower lashes.
9. Optional:  Apply LORAC 3D Liquid Lustre Shimmering Top Coat over entire eye or just on brow bone.  This product is also part of the LORAC 3D line.  I applied it to my brow bone and a little to my cheek bones.  It's hard to see in these pictures, but when the light caught it, you could really see the shimmer.  The product comes in a dropper bottle, and I found it works best to squeeze a drop onto the back of your hand and use a rounded shadow brush to dab it on.  You have to work quickly, because it dries fast!

Here are swatches of the wet shadows.  The top half of the swatch is with the 3D Liquid Lustre Shimmering Top Coat over it.  The bottom half of the swatch is simply the shadow applied wet. 

Amber Bronze with Gold Pearl, Red/Brown with Green Pearl, Opalescent Gold with Pink Pearl

The color intensities changed from dark to light when I moved my arm and caught different lighting.

Finished look!  I'm wearing the 3D lip gloss in Ulta Glam.
And how do I get that rosy glow on my cheeks?  With Benefit's Benetint!

As gimmicky as this new LORAC set is, I do like the finished look.  The lip gloss is a peachy pink and is a great day time neutral look.  The shadow colors are unique, and even though I'm not a huge fan of the Red/Brown, I will definitely use the Amber Bronze and Opalescent Gold with other truer brown shadows.

LORAC also has an exclusive going on with Sephora right now.  They are offering the LORAC Multidimensional 3D Eye Shadow Palette for $38 (a $108 value).  You get six shadows.  Three are the same ones from this post (i.e. Opalescent Gold, Amber Bronze, and Red/Brown).  The three additional shadows are Silver with White Pearl, Royal Blue with Electric Blue Pearl, and Midnight Black with Holographic 3D Glitter.