My Comparison of the LORAC PRO, PRO 2 and PRO 3 Palettes

When I shared my review on the LORAC PRO 3 palette, reader (and fellow blogger) Nicole asked for a comparison of the LORAC PRO palettes. Which is a brilliant idea and one I am more than happy to do! I am a big fan of these PRO palettes — and LORAC as a brand — but today I’m going to dive into the nitty-gritty and discuss the pros and cons of each palette.

If you didn’t see my in-depth review of the newest PRO palette, check it out HERE. Surprisingly, I haven’t ever done a review on either the PRO 1 palette or the PRO 2 palette (are you as surprised as I am?) but today’s post will kind of fill in that glaring oversight on my part. At least, I hope! 😉

I have, however, done a review for LORAC’s limited edition Mega PRO 2 palette they released last year. Anyone else excited for this year’s Mega palette? I can NEVER get enough of their PRO palettes!!! <3

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Comparison of the LORAC PRO 1, 2, and 3

Retail Price: $44 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information

I thought it would be informative to share with you my personal preferences, since they influence the type of shadows I like and dislike.So let’s go over that very quickly before diving in!

My Personal Preferences

I have warm undertones with light to light-medium complexion, depending on if I am tan or not. 🙂 Warm-toned eyeshadows are the most flattering on my eyes,but I actually prefer to play with neutral and cool-tones, though I am well aware that cool shadows often clash with my warm undertones. But there are no rules in makeup, right? Right! Matte shades are my favorite, of course, though I do enjoy a pretty metallic/shimmers on occasion. 🙂

LORAC PRO Palette

There is something just so special about the original palette that ‘started it all’. This was my first highend palette and — in my humble opinion — trumps the Urban Decay original Naked palette by leaps and bounds.

THINGS TO NOTE:

• All shades are very warm-toned, with the exception of Mauve and maybe Slate.
• The shadows blend like a dream, but are very pigmented and can cause a lot of fall out or blotchy eye looks if used with a heavy hand.

PROS:

• Taupe and Mauve are great shadows to use to warm up the crease
• Having both Espresso and Black in this palette ensures you have whatever color you need to deepen up the outer corner.
• If you fall anywhere in the medium to deep skintone, this palette will create the perfect looks for you, from every day, to date nights, to clubbing makeup. It’s a great all-in-one palette.

CONS:

• White and Lt. Pink (in the matte top row) have faint sparkles that are very noticeable in the pan, but not really on the face. I found this strange since they are marketed as a matte.
• Champagne does not perform like the other shimmers in the palette, and is a big dud in my opinion.
• Packing on the shimmers with a flat shader brush can cause a lot of fall out if you don’t build it up slowly or use Fix+

LORAC PRO 2 Palette

As I mentioned, I love playing with cool colors. Sometimes, depending on the shade, cool colors don’t look that good against my warm skintone. But I have been able to create some fun looks that still look good on me. Like this fall-inspired hunter green eye that I created when I guest posted on Pearls & Polkadots last year!

THINGS TO NOTE:

• This palette leans very cool-toned.
• Because of the gray packaging, dirty fingerprints aren’t as noticeable, compared to the first palette.

PROS:

• Perfect to create no-makeup-makeup-looks with lots of pale matte shades.
• With the bright Navy, dusty Plum, and deep Jade, you can really get creative with the eye looks you create using this palette.It’s not just your run-of-the-mill neutral palette.

CONS:

• Depending on your creativity, you might not get much use out of Plum, Navy, Jade, or Silver.
• Snow and Beige are both very similar when swatched and when used on the eye are more like a transparent shimmer.
• Navy stains my skin after removal.
• The Black in this palette was the softest/lightest between the three.

LORAC PRO 3 Palette

The newest addition to my collection! If you want to read an in-depth review — along with swatches and eye looks I created using this palette — read my review HERE.

THINGS TO NOTE:

• Very middle-of-the-road palette filled with mostly neutral shadows, with maybe one or two shades leaning more warm or cool.
• Medallion can be a messy shimmer to work with, but using a light hand and tapping it off well gives you it’s full pigmentation without too much mess.

PROS:

• This palette gives lots of options for everyday, easy eye looks. Doesn’t really have really deep colors or pops of colors, which can be a pro or a con…depending on what you’re looking for in a palette.
• Using only the top (matte) row you can get very soft or deep matte eye looks (mattes are my favorite to work with on a daily basis, so this is a pro for me!)
• Great neutral palette to give someone who either is just getting started in makeup or likes simple options when it comes to their makeup.
• Any eye look you create will be very middle of the road — not too warm and not too cool — so the eye looks will work on a wide range of people. Making this a good option for makeup artists who work on clients frequently, in my opinion.

CONS:

• Blanc isn’t the most pigmented cream shade, but still works well.
• Once again Lt. Gold and Almond Pearl are very similar in color, but I would actually only consider Almond Pearl a dud. Lt. Gold performs beautifully.
• If you have deeper skintones, some of these shades will probably not show up on you very well.

Which One Do I Like Best?

Okay, now this is my personal preference when I’m giving a comparison of the LORAC PRO palettes…but I think the LORAC PRO 3 makes for a great gift, the original PRO palette is great for a more adventurous, experienced person, and PRO 2 is perfect if you are very cool-tone and lighter in complexion.

That’s just my brief take on all three of these palettes. All in all, you need to look at the pros and cons for each palette and decide what works best for you (or your friend, if you are wanting to gift it).

Do you own either of these palettes? Which is your favorite? I would love to hear why you love which palette. I think all of them are FANTASTIC…but PRO 3 really does have my heart right now! 🙂

Was this comparison of the LORAC PRO palettes helpful? I would love it if you would share it!

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