Smashbox : Beauty and Fashion Tech

Elizabeth Arden Limited Edition For Fall

Elizabeth Arden has a nice selection of limited edition duo eye shadows for fall, along with a nice gel eyeliner, eye primer, and other items.

I tried out one of the duos in Illusion (center left above) and loved it. Elizabeth Arden shadows are always quality. They are finely milled and have a particularly good color payoff. Arden’s packaging is also always nice, with heavier attractive cases and many choices in palettes. The duo I tried is perfect for a light smoky effect. Pictured below are swatches from the duo:

I also was impressed with the gel liner,which comes packaged with a brush. The brush is useable, but I preferred to use my favorite, a Smashbox Arced Liner Brush. The gel goes on smooth and is easy to work with to create either a sharp or smudged line. There is an eye primer too that I have not tested yet. So keep an eye out for a later review of that!

Elizabeth Arden is available at better department stores, specialized beauty stores such as ULTA Beauty , and various online sources.

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Popularity: 26% [?]

Try Seven Mascaras With Sephora Lash Stash

Here is a great way to try out seven mascaras for the price of one.

Sephora Brand The Lash Stash is $50 worth of top selling mascara samples for $28. The kit includes:

0.14 oz Benefit A Little Bit BADgal Lash in Black, a 0.02 oz Blinc Kiss Me Mascara in Black, a 0.15 oz LORAC Publicity Stunt Lashes in Black, a 0.12 oz Smashbox Bionic Mascara in Black, a 0.24 oz Stila Multi-Effect Mascara in Black, a 1.0 oz Sephora Brand Lash Plumper in Black, and a 0.17 oz Too Faced Lash Injection in Black.

Could be a nice way to find the perfect mascara before paying full price!

Popularity: 18% [?]

Smashbox Eye Shadow Trios: Small Size, But Great Value

Is it just me, or does eye shadow seem to be getting more and more expensive these days? In order to get all of the shades that I want, I have been looking more and more to palettes, duos, and trios. Smashbox does a pretty good job with all of those.

What I like about Smashbox eye shadows is that the colors are always very pretty. The company puts out a lot of delicate pinks and taupes, and they come packaged in soft, easy to use pots. The downside is that although nicely milled, the colors are often still fairly sheer. I like sheer color for a day look, but at night I usually go for something a bit heavier on the pigment. However, as noted below, I do occasionally use a Smashbox trio for a night-time smoky eye look.

The Smashbox eyeshadow trios have been a particularly good value item for me and the Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Multi-Flash (left) has been a staple in my daytime cosmetic wardrobe. This trio consists of a matte pink that I use up to around the brow, a shimmery brownish peach, that I apply to the lid, and a taupe gray for the crease. The look is nice and neutral, and perfect for just about any daytime look.

For switching to evening, the Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio in Shutter Speed (below left) works quite nicely for a smoky eye look that is not over dramatic. This one has a light vanilla shade that I run up to the brow and then a darker gray that is great as a smudged up smoky liner. The effect is a smoky eye look that isn’t too over the top.

One note about using the trios. The pot size on these is the same as a single shadow, so the wedges of color are a bit small. I manage to use a regular sized brush with these just fine, but if you like to use particularly large shadow brushes, you might be disappointed with these. It is basically the payoff for getting three colors for the price of one–you get smaller of each.

Smashbox has numerous trios to choose from, so there is something for everyone. Unless you go through full size pans of eye shadow like a maniac (and I know that some of your do!), check them out as a way to get a little more bang for your buck!

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Smashbox Holiday Collection

I got my Smashbox catalog in in the mail last week with pages full of their holiday items. Of particular interest is this lovely brush set and case, the Beyond Beauty Encounter Brush Kit. Smashbox makes some great brushes and at $84, this kit carries a nice price tag for the quality.

Smashbox Beyond Beauty Holiday Brush Set

The Beyond Beauty Fusion E ye and Cheek Palettes would also make great gifts. The fusion products provide a nice shimmer/illuminating effect.

Smashbox Cosmetics Beyond Beauty Fusion Holdiay Eye Cheek Palette

Also check out this Beyond Beauty Light Speed Lip Gloss Set. I like Smashbox lip glosses mostly for the great shades. And this set has a nice selection.

Smashbox Cosmetics Holiday Lip GLoss Set

There is also a mini gloss set. For more on that head on over to my post at Girl Gloss!

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Review: Smashbox Soft Lights

A nice, but very subtle product, is Smashbox Soft Lights. Smashbox makes this illuminating powder/bronzer/blush in a variety of packages, from duos to a quad, to variegated bronzers. My experience with it has been mostly as a blush, although I tried the fusion bronzer in the store.

As a light blush or an illuminating powder, I like Soft Lights quite a bit, but it is very, very light. Even when I tried a darker shade, I had to build it up for it to show much, which is odd because the pots appear to be pretty well tinted. Generally, I tend to want a bit more color and if I just want only the sheen provided by a luminizing product, I will use a liquid product like Smashbox Artificial Light instead.

I was happier with Soft Lights as a bronzer. When I tried a bronzer variety in the store, I found that it was just right for my pale skin. I tend to look silly in all but the lightest of bronzers, and the soft lights was subtle enough that it looked good on me instead of leaving brown streaks on my cheeks on forehead. Smashbox also had some darker bronzers for people who want a deep shade or who have a darker skin tone.

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Smashbox Cream Eye Liner

I have a new favorite eye liner and I just can’t quit raving about it! Smashbox Cream Eye Liner goes on easily, doesn’t smear, and stays in place all day. I have it in both black and putty, which is a nice medium brown shade.

I really love the flexibility of this liner. Put it on without blending and it generally will have an appearance that is closer to that of a liquid liner. But it still is a bit softer than the look of a liquid. Blend it a bit, and it will look like a pencil or pressed powder, but it will stay on longer. It can be smudged and blended quite well.

Unlike liquid liner, which can be easy to lose control with, the cream is more forgiving when applying it. I generally use a Smashbox angled liner brush to apply this eye liner, but other liner brushes will also work fine. Apply basically in the same manner that you would apply a pressed powder liner. It is a bit expensive, but I think it is well worth the expense.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Smashbox Cream Eye Liner

I have a new favorite eye liner and I just can’t quit raving about it! Smashbox Cream Eye Liner goes on easily, doesn’t smear, and stays in place all day. I have it in both black and putty, which is a nice medium brown shade.

I really love the flexibility of this liner. Put it on without blending and it generally will have an appearance that is closer to that of a liquid liner. But it still is a bit softer than the look of a liquid. Blend it a bit, and it will look like a pencil or pressed powder, but it will stay on longer. It can be smudged and blended quite well.

Unlike liquid liner, which can be easy to lose control with, the cream is more forgiving when applying it. I generally use a Smashbox angled liner brush to apply this eye liner, but other liner brushes will also work fine. Apply basically in the same manner that you would apply a pressed powder liner. It is a bit expensive, but I think it is well worth the expense.

Popularity: 3% [?]