This palette just doesn't do anything for me for some reason. It isn't bad, but I feel like it isn't as good as the original Pro or even the Mega Pro 2. Some of the shimmers are not as pigmented as I would like and some of the mattes can be difficult to blend. I have also noticed that the matte shades can appear a little bit patchy after application, which drives me absolutely insane. Pigment wise, the mattes are very good. All of the shades, both matte and shimmer, are extremely smooth and buttery. But they are insanely messy. I feel like Lorac shadows have a reputation for being a little powdery, but these are pretty awful in that regard. Usually powdery shadows don't bother me too much, but in this case, it drives me batty. It was honestly pretty crazy to use white packaging for this palette. I have used it about 7 times and it looks like I have had it for years. I think that is the biggest issue I have with this palette. It is so messy to the point where I don't really want to use it. You also cannot load up your brush with too much shadow. If you do, the shadow balls up and has more of a tendency to fall of the brush before it even touches your eyes. The staying powder is good. These do not fade or crease. I love Lorac shadows, but this palette ended up being a miss for me. I will likely end up returning it...if I can ever clean it up. It is difficult to wipe down.
Texture wise, they are very smooth and buttery. In that regard, they are really good.
All of these shadows perform much better when used over a primer. The primer really does amp up the color payoff for most of the shades and I have found that it helps control the amount of fallout.
I swatched these a little differently than I normally would, especially for a palette this large. I swatched each shade individually. The swatch on the left is without primer and the right swatch is over primer. I used Wet n Wild's Photo Focus Primer for the swatches because it doesn't have any color and you can a true representation of the shade.
I also included swatches of shades from the other Pro Palettes. One thing I really respect about Lorac is how there isn't a lot of overlap between the palettes. The shade Snow appears in the Mega Pro 3 and the Pro 2. There is also a matte black in all of the Pro palettes. There are a few similar shades between the palettes, but none are identical.
Tulle is a shimmering champagne with a hint of pink. This shade works equally well as a lid shade or an inner corner highlight.
Pink Bronze is a light, shimmery bronze that has a slight cool undertone. This is one of my least favorite shadows. The color payoff is poor and it can look a little patchy.
Rust is a beautiful, shimmery true copper.
Rose Quartz is a shimmery cross between a bronze and a rose gold. This is the best shade out of the entire palette.
Olive is a shimmery dark brown with just a touch of green.
Dark Roast is a shimmery, coffee hued brown.
Pomegranate is a shimmering cool toned red.
Licorice is a deep plum with multi-colored shimmer.
Snow is a shimmery white.
Cava is a shimmery, light golden peach.
Cider is a shimmery copper. It is less red as Rust and not as intense.
Bellini is a shimmery, light golden peach. It almost has a slight pink duochrome look to it.
Brown Sugar is a shimmery, warm toned medium golden brown.
Sequoia is also a warm toned brown, but it has more red and it is darker than Brown Sugar.
Glacier is a shimmery silver.
Deep fog is a shimmery charcoal. All of these perform better with a primer, but that is especially true for this shade.
Crepe is a matte, pale peach. This one is hard to see because the color is almost the exact same shade as my skin.
Toffee is a matte, light tera cotta.
Mist is a matte pale gray.
Vintage is a matte taupe.
Hickory is a matte chocolate brown.
Maple is a matte burnt orange.
Bark is a matte warm toned medium brown.
Jet Black is just your standard matte black. Every Lorac Pro Palette has one, which I am glad for.
Pink Cream is a matte, well, pink toned cream.
Tan is simply a matte tan.
Pecan is also a matte tan, but it is a little deeper and warmer toned than Tan.
Walnut is a matte red brown.
Dusty Mauve is a matte gray toned mauve.
Violet Gray is just that....a matte violet with a touch of gray.
Eggplant is a matte plum.
Dark Navy is a matte navy blue. That's one of the great things about Lorac: the shade names actually describe the color.
Row 1 Shimmers:
Row 2 Shimmers:
Row 3 Mattes:
Row 4 Mattes:
This palette is $59. It is no longer on the Lorac site or on Ulta's site. However, when I last went into my local Ulta (over the weekend), they still had plenty in stock.
Maybe I am just crazy, but I don't love the Mega Pro 3. I love all of my other Pro Palettes, but this one doesn't seem to be as good.
What do you think of the Lorac Mega Pro 3?
