LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette ($42.00 for 0.58 oz.) is new palette for spring that includes ten eyeshadows and a mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer. It’s new and permanent with an official release date of January 15th. It’s the same size (but in terms of the palette itself and amount of product you get) as the original, which is always nice to see. On the back of the packaging, it states that the “Shimmer Eye Shadows can be used wet,” whereas I think LORAC typically describes their eyeshadow formula (as a whole) is as a wet/dry one. I actually appreciate the distinction as many matte formulas don’t play well with water (the surface will harden). The really metallic shades definitely apply more smoothly with a dampened brush, but there’s a delicate balance in application with them due to their really soft, dense consistencies. If you over-apply damp, it can look almost wrinkled on the skin, and when you apply dry, the metallic shades almost crumble at times if you try to apply like a regular eyeshadow–use less than you think you need.

When you have the two palettes side-by-side, the original is distinctly pink-toned, while Gold is just that, gold–warmer, more coppery/brown. Here are the shades I thought were most similar to each other, but they weren’t really dupes:

• Unreal (Original) | Unpredictable (Gold) — the latter is more metallic and has a stronger peachiness to it, and it looks more like a duochrome (that peachy-pink that we often see) whereas Unreal has less nuance to it and is more beige. (See side-by-side comparison.)
• Unreal (Original) | Uninhibited (Gold) — the two appear more similar when you look at the pans, with Uninhibited clearly lighter and warmer (less rosy beige), but Uninhibited swatches significantly lighter than it appears, which makes it even more dissimilar to Unreal in practice. (See side-by-side comparison.)
• Undiscovered (Original) | Unleashed (Gold) — the latter is brighter, richer, deeper and more metallic, while Undiscovered is softer, more faded/muted. (See side-by-side comparison.)

Undressed is a light, yellowed beige with a matte finish. The pigmentation was nice, while the texture was soft, silky, and smooth without being powdery or dusty. It wore well for eight hours on me. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Uninhibited is a warm-toned, golden beige with yellow undertones and a sparkly, metallic finish. Applied dry, it was semi-sheer to semi-opaque; I felt like each time I used it, the color payoff varied (I even swatched just on my arm multiple times and had similar, varying results!). When I applied it with a dampened brush, it was more consistent and was closer to full coverage. This shade wore well without fading for eight and a half hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Unpredictable is a brightened, peachy-coral with a gold frost/metallic sheen. The texture is incredibly soft, but buttery and dense, and it seems to apply and look chunky when used dry, as dry application almost gets too much product onto the brush in a single go. I found it easier to control using a dampened brush, as you could get smoother (but still opaque) color with less fuss. It does work dry, but be mindful of the texture, as it can bunch up! On me, the color wore well for eight and a half hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Undeniable is a muted, medium brown with warm, yellow undertones and a matte finish. It had good color payoff with a soft, finely-milled texture that was easy to blend on the skin. The color stayed on well for eight hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Unedited is a dark brown with subtle, warm undertones and a matte finish. The texture was really soft, but it was on the powdery side, so though it seemed really pigmented (and it will be, if you use a primer or base with it), it doesn’t stick as well to bare skin and results in it looking less opaque. On me, this shade wore well for eight hours. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Unlocked is a brightened, white gold with a frosted, metallic finish and warm undertones. It had mostly opaque color payoff when applied dry, but it looked more frosted rather than metallic, as it did when it was applied damp. The consistency was very soft and smooth, buttery and dense. This shade showed signs of fading after eight and a half hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Unlimited is a light-medium, yellow gold with a frosted, metallic finish. It had good color payoff, but the texture was so soft and dense that it almost crumbled at times and didn’t go on as smoothly as you’d think it would. It wore well for eight and a half hours on me before fading. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Unleashed is a brightened, rich molten copper with a metallic finish. It had rich color payoff both wet and dry, but the damp application gave it a brighter sheen, and it also made the product apply thicker. The consistency feels almost like a cream to the touch, but it was one of the shades that could be over-applied and in turn, bunch up on itself, with a damp application. This shade wore well for eight and a half hours. There are so many similar shades to this, so chances are, you probably have something close already. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Unwind is a medium, taupe-brown with warm, yellow-ish tones (almost ocher-like) and a mostly matte finish. It had really had nice color payoff that went on smoothly and evenly, and with its very soft, smooth texture, it blended well during application. The color showed signs of fading after eight hours of wear. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

Unafraid is a deep, rich brown with warm undertones and a pearly sheen–it’s not truly metallic unless really buffed into the skin. It had intense color payoff both wet and dry, and there was very little difference between the two application methods. This shade wore well for almost nine hours. I thought it was the best shade in the entire palette, as far as quality goes. See comparison swatches / view dupes.

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Unzipped vs. Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette (click to enlarge)

LORAC Unzipped vs. Unzipped Gold Eyeshadow Palette (click to enlarge)

LORAC Undressed Eyeshadow

LORAC Undressed Eyeshadow

LORAC Uninhibited Eyeshadow

LORAC Uninhibited Eyeshadow

LORAC Unpredictable Eyeshadow

LORAC Unpredictable Eyeshadow

LORAC Undeniable Eyeshadow

LORAC Undeniable Eyeshadow

LORAC Unedited Eyeshadow

LORAC Unedited Eyeshadow

LORAC Unlocked Eyeshadow

LORAC Unlocked Eyeshadow

LORAC Unlimited Eyeshadow

LORAC Unlimited Eyeshadow

LORAC Unleashed Eyeshadow

LORAC Unleashed Eyeshadow

LORAC Unwind Eyeshadow

LORAC Unwind Eyeshadow

LORAC Unafraid Eyeshadow

LORAC Unafraid Eyeshadow

Unpredictable (inner lid), Uninhibited (middle of lid), Undeniable (outer lid), Unedited (crease),
Undressed (brow bone), Estee Lauder Burgundy Suede Eyeliner, Estee Lauder Pink Gold Eyeliner

Unpredictable (inner lid), Uninhibited (middle of lid), Undeniable (outer lid), Unedited (crease),
Undressed (brow bone), Estee Lauder Burgundy Suede Eyeliner, Estee Lauder Pink Gold Eyeliner

Unlimited (inner lid), Unlocked (middle of lid), Unleashed (outer lid), Unafraid (crease),
Unwind (above crease), Undressed (brow bone) Estee Lauder Burgundy Suede Eyeliner,
Estee Lauder Pink Gold Eyeliner

Unlimited (inner lid), Unlocked (middle of lid), Unleashed (outer lid), Unafraid (crease),
Unwind (above crease), Undressed (brow bone) Estee Lauder Burgundy Suede Eyeliner,
Estee Lauder Pink Gold Eyeliner