Swatches and Review: LORAC Unzipped Palette!

Hey, guys!

I know I haven't been on here for quite a while, and that's because I've had so many amazing things happening in my life recently! I was the godmother in my cousin's first communion, I scored interviews for two awesome jobs, and I'm starting to prep for graduation in May! I'm SO excited, and the product in this post really reflects that.

I've been eyeing the Unzipped Palette for quite a while now, and just couldn't seem to pull the trigger. What attracted me to it was, strangely, Stila's Kitten eyeshadow. I was on the hunt for a super shiny champagne color, and I was soooo reluctant to pay $20 for Kitten that I looked for it in a palette. This took me to Stila's In The Light palette, but I wasn't crazy about the other colors in it. Lucky for me, LORAC is right next to Stila at ULTA, and I fell in love with the Unzipped Palette. We flirted for a few months before I decided to take our relationship to the next level. We met at Sephora and decided to commit.

In a beauty world that is overflowing with "nude" themed makeup (thanks, UD), it can be hard to distinguish one neutral palette from the others. LORAC's Unzipped palette is very distinctively warm-toned, and most of the eyeshadows have a pink/red base color. The lighter shades are pink champagnes, rose golds, and rosy taupes, while the darker colors are light and dark burgundies. The only two shades that are not burgundy (but still warm toned) are Uncensored and Unspoken.

LORAC Unzipped Palette

How cute are these names?? I appreciate a good theme, and LORAC did well on that front. I found that, overall, the shimmers performed better as a group than the mattes, and the two darkest colors were the ones that gave me the most trouble. By trouble I mean that they weren't as pigmented as the rest of the colors, but still above average quality.

LORAC Unzipped Palette

LORAC Unzipped Palette

LORAC Unzipped Palette

LORAC Unzipped Palette

Undercover Eyeshadow

Undercover is a light, matte pink cream. It's pigmented and smooth, and it is not chalky at all. This is a bit light on me as a highlight, so I have to take care to blend it well, but it works like a dream. I've had no problem with this eyeshadow whatsoever, and the matte formulation is spot on!

Unbelievable Eyeshadow

Basically. Unbelievable is a metallic pink taupe, heavy on the pink. It's very, very shiny and pigmented even without a primer, and it blends out well. I don't think I have a dupe for this in my collection, it's such a pretty shade!

Unattainable Eyeshadow

Unattainable is a pink taupe, heavier on the taupe. This looks very  brown in the picture, but IRL it's actually close in color to Unbelievable, the difference being that this is a little more taupe and Unbelievable is more pink. This is a little more sheer than Unbelievable, but it still carries shine. Swatched, it almost looks like a pinkish copper shade...

Unconditional Eyeshadow

Unconditional is my kinda shade. If you've watched any of my beauty videos, you'll know that my go to blending shade is Tease from UD's NAKED2 palette, but this is now a close second. The two shades are very, very similar; Unconditional is a touch warmer. I'd say this shade is easier to work with and more pigmented than Tease, which shocked me! New favorite blending color, here I come!

Unbridled Eyeshadow

I'll admit it. I'm addicted to colors like this one. Unbridled is a burgundy matte, also known as my favorite crease color in the history of crease colors. If I'm doing an everyday look, chances are I'm wearing something purple or burgundy in the crease. Unbridled is a little less pigmented than I would expect it to be, but I like it just fine!

Undiscovered Eyeshadow

Undiscovered is a very soft, pinkish gold shimmer eyeshadow. It's a very pale gold, and is a little on the sheer side. It's smooth and blendable, and for some reason, I think this would be a great "no makeup" eyeshadow for hot summer days! (of which we have plenty in Texas.)

Unreal Eyeshadow

Okay. Remember my drawn-out, seemingly pointless story about ULTA and Stila (I think there was a kitten involved?) and $20? Well, this eyeshadow is what drew me to the palette in the first place. While it is not identical to Kitten, it's very similar! I'd say this is a bit pinker and not as metallic, but I am totally pleased with it.

Uncensored Eyeshadow

Uncensored is another interesting color. Here, it looks brown and cool, but IRL it's a warmer metallic bronze. It's a bit like Maybelline's Bad to the Bronze Color Tattoo (of which I am not a fan), but warmer and much, much nicer. 

Unspoken Eyeshadow

Unspoken is a matte warm brown that will work perfectly as a blending color on deeper skintones and as a crease color on lighter skintones! I use this to blend out my super dark smokey eyes. It's got a smooth and blendable formula, which is fantastic for a matte eyeshadow!

Untamed Eyeshadow

I had a bit of trouble with Untamed, which is a burgundy brown with gold shimmer. It looks amazing when you touch it, it feels smooth and pigmented, but once swatched, it falls short. It ends up looking dry and faded. I still use it to darken up my outer corner, but I don't expect this to be a star player in any of my looks.

Left to Right: Undercover, Unbelievable, Unattainable, Unconditional, Unbridled

Left to Right: Undiscovered, Unreal, Uncensored, Unspoken, Untamed

Overall, I'm really pleased with this palette! It gives plenty of options for that summery, bronzed look, yet transitions into other seasons as well. Do you need this? I would say take a good look at these eyeshadows and decide if warm tones work well on you. If you find that yellow or red toned eyeshadows are too much for you, you might be better off with a palette that contains some cooler options, like Stila's In The Light or UD's Naked palettes.

What do you think?
xoxo Fanii