I didn’t have a cubic inch of extra room in my bag when I packed for that trip to Reno a couple weeks ago, so instead of bringing my usual brigade of face products (tinted moisturizer, stick foundation, liquid foundation… Um, have I ever mentioned that I tend to overpack?), I lightened my load with LORAC’s new Evening Out Complexion Kit ($38).
The sleek gunmetal compact must have been made with on-the-go girl secret agents in mind because concealment is the name of this game.
The kit comes with a powder foundation, two cream concealers, a sponge applicator and a tiny Jane Bond-ian concealer brush. 🙂
Available in Light, Medium or Tan (the one I have), it covered all of my bases (and most of my skin imperfections) on the trip, working well no matter what outfits I wore, from ripped jeans to my favorite black cocktail dress.
When I wanted light, natural looking coverage during the day, I applied the powder foundation with a brush. Then at night I’d apply the finely-milled powder (has a medium opacity) with the included sponge. Because the powder layers well, it never looked like a heavy makeup mask.
Swatches of Tan on NC35 skin from left: Powder Foundation, Light Concealer, Dark Concealer
Before (left) and after (right)
The two cream concealers LORAC cleverly tucked away in a separate drawer to isolate them from the powder kept my dark circles and the smattering of zits on my chin concealed in the harsh casino light.
Both the light and dark shades pack plenty of pigment, too, meaning it didn’t take a lot to cover trouble spots, which also means less product settling into the fine lines around my eyes.
Evening Out is fabulously flexible for light-to-medium complexion coverage, making it easy to fake great skin with products that apply flawlessly.
It does come in a very limited range of colors, though, and I think that’s its biggest drawback. I’ve also read some reviews by women who feel the powder foundation is too orange for their skin tone. I didn’t have that problem, but I really would like to see LORAC expand the line to let more ladies get in on the action. 🙂 Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Lauren says
August 31st, 2010 at 5:25 pmI love the idea of having the concealer and foundation in one handy compact! I usually take my makeup bag with me to work for touch-ups in the afternoon but this would be so much easier! So perfect for trips too!
Karen says
August 31st, 2010 at 5:30 pmIt’s very convenient. 🙂 I hauled it all over Reno with no trubs at all!
Amber says
August 31st, 2010 at 6:09 pmThat’s awesome. I don’t usually have much luck with three-shades-fit-all types of products, but I’m going to swatch this next time I’m at Sephora.
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Karen says
August 31st, 2010 at 9:08 pmYay! I hope that one of the shades fits you. Medium, maybe?
Nina says
August 31st, 2010 at 7:13 pmOh Lorac how you tempt me with your awesome kits! You know I <3 Lorac … this is going on my want list!
Karen says
August 31st, 2010 at 9:14 pmSweet! Tell your sis it’s not old lady makeup, LOL!
How was your night? El Hub, Tabs and I are re-watching True Blood right now.
Nina says
September 1st, 2010 at 6:12 amOur night was pretty quiet – we mostly read and I folded laundry (not my fave activity) …
The Hubs is off for the rest of the week and I am soooo jealous!
LOL yeah I schooled my sister in the awesome ways of Lorac. 😀 In fact – she is getting a Lorac kit for her birthday in October! That, and im organizing her makeup for her.
Karen says
September 1st, 2010 at 8:06 amFolding laundry is not my favorite chore either, so I started hanging EVERYTHING. It takes up more room but at least I can find what I’m looking for. Plus now I can take out one shirt without having the whole pile fall apart (my pet peeve).
Lucky hubby! I bet the fur babies are happy to have him around the house though.
Ooh, which LORAC kit are you getting for your sis?
Tracy says
August 31st, 2010 at 8:17 pmI will definitely have to check this one out next time at Sephora. I hope it comes in a light enough shade for me.
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Karen says
August 31st, 2010 at 9:14 pmHi Tracy,
You’ll have to report back on the light shade. 😀
Vonvon says
August 31st, 2010 at 9:58 pmI tend to overpack too!!! I always think that what if I MIGHT need it and the stuff is thousands of miles away from me?? The most recent was over packing my makeup on my trip to the US I think I used only about half of the items I packed! 😛
That’s why I love compacts and palettes. Even with these, I tend to bring one too many palettes…. 😉
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Karen says
September 1st, 2010 at 8:01 amOh gosh, I always end up bringing too much, especially in the shoe department. 🙂
Kelly says
September 1st, 2010 at 5:23 amMust say I didn’t know the brand (I’ve never seen it here in the Netherlands), but it seems like a great & handy kit!.
Karen says
September 1st, 2010 at 8:01 amThey’ve got some pretty nice stuff. If you ever see them around you have to promise me to try their liquid liner, Front of the Line Pro. It’s THE BEST!
Kim says
September 1st, 2010 at 5:26 amI only wear tinted sunscreen, but there are many days that I could use a lot more help! How do you think the powder foundation compares to something like the Bare Escentuals loose powder? That stuff looks awful on me. It makes my skin look great from 5 feet away, but up close, it’s a powdery, cakey mess (and that was even with the gal in the BE boutique putting it on me).
Karen says
September 1st, 2010 at 8:03 amThis is way better than BE, which I tried it once too a long time ago. Not only did it break me out, but it made my skin look really shiny and oily. I know some women swear by it but it’s just not for me.
LORAC’s has a matte finish and look very natural on the skin. I like it a lot.
Trisha says
September 1st, 2010 at 11:58 amWow! That looks NICE! I totally want it. Also, when closed, it kind of looks like a…whats-it-called…umm..you know… those things people drink out of and keep hidden in their jacket pocket or tucked in a garter?
A flask!
Man, that took me forever to remember.
Suzanne says
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:27 amwhy do all these ebay sellers insist on not shipping to australia? It’s no more expensive than shipping to asia or europe. sad face. I would have been all over that light one.
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Alice says
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:42 amI think I’m one of the few girls in the world who underpacks 😀 😀 😀
I’d love to try this fantastic Lorac compact (to further reduce my beauty case, which is by far the bigger element in my suitcase) but I’ll have to wait for some kind soul who goes on a trip to the US 🙁
Shanda says
September 27th, 2010 at 2:07 pmI finally got to check this out and it isn’t dark enough for my nc44 skin. *sigh*
Ingrid says
February 22nd, 2013 at 11:09 amSo glad I was patient enf to scroll down to yr comment. I’m also an NC44! So tough to find the correct undertone in foundation because we r an in-between shade. Some “tans” work for me like bare esentuals’ and neutrogena’s liquid foundation in tan. Glad to know that Lorac’s powder foundation in tab won’t work on me. Thank u!
Jackie says
September 9th, 2011 at 11:32 amDo you think the light will be too orange on my skin I’m a NC25?
Lorena says
September 9th, 2011 at 4:36 pmThis is only $10 on Hautelook right now!
Dominique says
February 24th, 2012 at 8:41 amThese are back on Hautelook for $10, and since the Tan matched your skin, I went for it!
It’s so refreshing to have someone close to my skin tone reviewing makeup (and in a fun, well-written way, at that!). Thank you so much; this definitely isn’t the first post of yours that has helped me out…although my wallet might not be as thrilled with your blog. 😉