Hey friends! I've got a serious savings alert coming your way. I stumbled upon this sweet little LORAC set while perusing the Ulta website, and wanted to clue you in to its existence. LORAC is one of those makeup brands that I don't think gets enough hype in the beauty-sphere. Known best for their amazing eyeshadow palettes (you can see my full review of the Pro 3 Palette here), I feel like the rest of their line has mostly slipped under the radar. I too am guilty of not taking the time to explore more from the brand, so when I had a few Ulta points to cash in on, I decided this set was a perfect investment! For only $30 you get a full sized blush, lipstick, and lipliner in coordinating shades. Purchased individually these same products would cost you $56, which is adds up to an almost 50% discount. I don't know about you, but that sounded pretty darn good to me!
The LORAC Lip & Cheek Set is available in three different color combinations: Captivating (a berry/rose leaning collection), Enchanting (a combination of dusty rose and nude), and Virtuous (rosey nude and peach). Given my general affinity towards everything peachy, I decided that the Virtuous set was the most up my alley. In the set you get three full-sized products: a Color Source Blush, an Alter Ego Lipstick, and an Alter Ego Lip Liner.
I was pleased to discover that all of the shades in each set are part of LORAC's permanent collection. There are two reasons this makes me happy. One, if you ever wanted to repurchase one of the products, you could easily do so without needing to buy the entire set all over again. Two, I'm always a little leery about product quality in Limited Edition collections. Brands don't always deliver the same formula as their permanent collection products with special releases (especially around the holidays), which can end up being a huge disappointment. But these sets are truly just the same products you could buy individually at any time with the benefit of a huge discount. In fact, when they get shipped to you, all you get are the three products in a plastic bag, no extra frills or packaging to be found.
Speaking of which, I should mention that this set is an online exclusive from Ulta, so you'll come up empty handed if you try looking for it in the stores. Ulta's online orders over $50 always ship free, so it might be a good idea to wait until you're ready to pick up a few other items before you order this!
If at this point you're thinking, "All right Lauren, I get this set is a bargain, but what does it matter if the products aren't on point?" I'm right there with you. So let's delve a little deeper into everything that you're getting. First is the Alter Ego Lipstick ($18). In the Virtuous set, the shade you're getting is Duchess, a rosy nude. It's a very pretty, universally flattering color that isn't too deep or too pink. The lipstick formula itself is super creamy and pigmented, making it easy for you to get full-color opacity in one swipe. While LORAC claims these lipsticks have a matte finish, I'd say they're more of a satiny matte. They aren't glossy by any means, but aren't quite as flat or powdery as a liquid lipstick. They're also very comfortable to wear and not in the least bit drying (although I find the texture to be a little waxy). The only downside to a creamy, moisturizing formula is that these lipsticks are by no means transfer proof. If you eat or drink you'll definitely need to reapply afterwards. Fortunately they do layer well, and reapplication won't leave your lips looking bunchy or weird. Also, for those of you with sensitive noses, these lipsticks are pretty heavily fragranced. They've got that vanilla-y cupcake vibe that you'll find with Milani or MAC's formulas.
Then you have the Alter Ego Lip Liner ($17), which is an automatic pencil that imparts plenty of color without any tugging or skipping. Again, LORAC claims that this formula is smudge-proof, but I don't entirely buy into this. I think this liner will do a great job of keeping your color on longer and preventing feathering or bleeding, but I've never felt like it dries completely down. Still, I appreciate that it's a creamy formula that glides on, and makes lining your lips pretty effortless. Shade-wise the Duchess lip liner is not an exact match to the lipstick, which I actually don't mind. I'd say it's ever so slightly brighter and more pink. If worn together it'll give your lips a slightly warmer appearance than if you just had the lipstick on by itself.
The last piece of this set is a Color Source Buildable Blush ($23), which actually might be my favorite product of the bunch. The formula on this blush is SO lovely, it's silky smooth, finely milled, and beautifully blendable. It imparts enough color that you don't have to put on ten layers to see it, but not so much that you feel like you need to use a super light hand. It's that fool-proof kind of formula that makes adding a pretty wash of color to your cheeks a piece of cake. In the Virtuous set you get the shade Prism, a matte peach, that I think would be stunning on anyone with light to medium complexions. Deeper skin tones might find the color to be a little too chalky (although the line as a whole has many other options that would be gorgeous for you).
Before we wrap things up, I also want to take a quick minute to speak to LORAC's packaging. Not only do I think the gunmetal accents are super sleek, but I also totally appreciate how easy it is to see the color of the product you're holding. There's nothing more annoying than needing to take the caps off your lipstick, or open your blush compacts to try and figure out which shade is which. All of LORAC's products make the shade totally visible, giving you that perfect marriage of pretty aesthetics and practicality.
Long story short, did I think this set is worth $30? Heck yes. You're essentially paying $10 per product, which is probably comparable to what you'd spend at the drugstore nowadays. The shades in each set are well coordinated and the products themselves are quality. The only thing that would make this set not worthwhile to purchase would be if you weren't happy with the color selections. In that case I'd say purchasing one of these products in a shade you love would probably be the best investment (my personal pick being the blush).
Have you tried LORAC makeup? What product is your favorite from the brand?
*This post contains affiliate links. For more information regarding my affiliations and disclosures click here.
