Product Review -- LORAC Pro Eye Shadow Palette 3

I have both the LORAC Pro Eye Shadow Palette 1 and 2, and I get plenty of use out of both.

I'm also a big fan of LORAC's shadow formula -- they're just so soft and creamy! -- so it seemed like a no brainer to pick up the newly released Pro Eye Shadow Palette 3.

Like the first two palettes, 3 comes in extremely thin, compact cardboard packaging, making it very easy to store. There's a small mirror inside that's really only good for touch-ups, but you do get a mini Behind the Scenes Eye Primer (which is actually one of my favorite eye primers).

LORAC Pro Eye Shadow Palette 3

The palette features 16 shadows, 8 mattes and 8 shimmers: Blanc, a matte ivory; Canvas, a matte light tan; Cool Taupe, a matte medium brown taupe; Pink Nude, a matte pale peachy pink; Clay, a matte medium reddish brown; Terracotta, a matte medium orange-y brown; Dark Brown, a matte dark brown; Jet Black, a matte black; Light Gold, a shimmery pale peachy gold; Almond Pearl, a shimmery pinky beige; Medallion, a sparkly light bronze; Light Pewter, a shimmery light taupe; Amethyst, a shimmery plum brown; Rose Bronze, a shimmery rosy brown; Dark Mocha, a shimmery dark brown; and Truffle, a shimmery black brown.

LORAC Pro Eye Shadow Palette 3

There are certainly some lovely shades in this palette, and the formula, for the most part, is what I've come to expect from LORAC -- nicely pigmented, soft, and creamy -- but in the end, I'm just not overly impressed with this palette.

My main issue is that there doesn't seem to be enough variation among the shades, so it's something of a challenge to really add definition to the eyes. Taking it a step further, none of the shades are particularly unique, so while they're all very wearable and useful, you probably have most of them in your collection already.

From l. to r.: Blanc, Canvas, Cool Taupe, Pink Nude

From l. to r.: Clay, Terracotta, Dark Brown, Jet Black

From l. to r.: Light Gold, Almond Pearl, Medallion, Light Pewter

From l. to r.: Amethyst, Rose Bronze, Dark Mocha, Truffle 

There's also a serious dud in the palette, which I don't think I've ever had happen with a LORAC palette before. Medallion, while a lovely shade in the pan, is incredibly chunky and sheer. When you apply it, you get mainly glitter, with no real color. I don't think I've ever see a shadow this bad from LORAC before.

Don't get me wrong -- there are several shadows that I really love. Pink Nude is pretty much the perfect transition shade for my super fair skin. I love Almond Pearl for brightening up the lid, and Rose Bronze is just gorgeous on the lid or in the crease.

I'm sure that I'll get plenty of use out of the shadows in this palette, but I don't see it as a must-have at all. If you don't have any of the Pro Palettes, I'd recommend 1 or 2 over this one for sure.

It retails for $44, and is available at Ulta.

Have you tried the LORAC Pro Eye Shadow Palette 3? Are you a fan?