Say Hello Smashbox Halo Yellow

Folks, it is time to get excited, because I am bringing you a sneak peek of a brand new Smashbox product. Say hello to this mellow (Halo) Yellow.

Random Acts of Swatching- Smashbox Limitless Liners

I have already made mention of these sleek Smashbox gems, so let’s get right to the swatches of the shades:

Beauty Goes High Brow with Smashbox

Beauty goes to brows that wow. Nothing has the power and ability to frame one’s face like an expertly arched brow. Shape in place, definition becomes crucial to polishing off any look. Smashbox has perfected the art of the brow definer, creating and refining cult-favorite Brow Tech.

Beauty Obsessions- Smashbox and Glowing Skin

Two of my beauty obsessions meet, dance, and promptly fall in love. It’s Smashbox and glowing skin for me, for the win.

Ask anyone who is cosmetically inclined about Smashbox Soft Lights, and they will most likely wax poetic about the joys of the ultra-fine, shimmering highlight powders. Even if they don’t, I most certainly will. These recent Smashbox additions to my beauty arsenal give me the glow of an angel, minus the wings.

Budgeproof Berries and Teals with Smashbox Waterproof Tech and Jet Set

Further pursuant to my discussion on the joys of summer-proof makeup, allow me to discuss with you two new additions to the Smashbox family that have me singing (and splashing) with joy.

Jet Set in Teal

Smashbox Tips for a Flawless Face

Welcome to part two of our Smashbox series. In honor of the launch of the Smashbox blog, we are having a look at those essential Smashbox products that will have us all looking gorgeous in no time flat.

Tame Frizzies- In a pinch, use a silicone based primer to tame hair and smooth flyaways.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Contoured Cheeks- Sweep a darker shade of blush just under the cheekbone and a brighter, shimmery one on top to create a beautifully contoured cheek

 

Smashbox Must Have Product: Blush Rush in Bare and Fusion Soft Lights in Intermix

Concealer in a Pinch- If you run out of concealer, apply a drop of liquid foundation to the back of your hand and allow to dry for a few minutes then apply with a concealer brush. The thicker consistency is perfect for covering up flaws

Smashbox Must Have Product: High Definition Healthy FX Foundation

Sexy, Dewy Glow- Apply foundation with a damp natural sea sponge for a gorgeous radiant finish

Smashbox Must Have Product: Camera Ready Full Coverage Foundation

Summer Glow- For a sexy summer look that's perfect for every day, try sweeping a powder bronzer over lids

Smashbox Must Have Product: Halo Hydrating Perfecting Bronzer

Beachy Beauty- Dab a tiny amount of gel blush over the bridge of nose and base of forehead for a just-been-sunkissed look.

Smashbox Must Have Product: O-glow intuitive cheek color. 

Natural Tan- Fake a natural tan by sweeping a red-toned blush over the tops of cheekbones and across bridge of nose, where the sun normally hits.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Blush Rush in Ecstasy


All Over Glow- Buff a reflective powder over arms, legs, and decollete for a sexy glow from head to toe.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Soft Lights


Warm Up- Before dabbing concealer on the skin, warm it on the back of your hand, then apply with a synthetic brush for a smooth, flawless application

Smashbox Must Have Product: Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer

Smashbox Lip Tips

Welcome to part 3 of our Smashbox Essentials series. This time, our goal is to fake a perfect pout.

Plump Pout- Fake a plump pout by dabbing a sheer highlighter on top of the cupid's bow.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Photo Op Under Eye Brightener


Pout Perfection- For a naturally full pout (without the use of harsh plumpers), apply your favorite lip color, then dab a pale, shimmery gloss in the center of the top and bottom lip.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Reflection High Shine Lip Gloss


Bold Lip Color- To keep bold lip color from bleeding, dip a cotton swab in translucent powder and trace around the lip line before applying lipstick.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder

Long Wearing Lip Color- To help lipstick stay the day, first line then fill in the entire lip with a neutral pencil

Smashbox Must Have Product: The Nude Lip Pencil

Armed with the right tools, a perfect pout is not all that hard to accomplish. What are your lip favorites?


 *Product provided for consideration

Smashbox Tips- Eyes

In honor of the launch of the brand new (and very exciting) Smashbox Blog, I wanted to go ahead and bring you some great tips that were passed on from Smashbox to me. In these next few posts you will find some fun tips and tidbits, some old and some new. Accompanying each tip will be the Smashbox favorite that will help you get the look.

Part 1 is all about the eyes, naturally.

Get Wet- Deepen the intensity of any powder eye shadow by dipping your brush in water then swiping over the shade

Smashbox Must Have Product: Eye Shadow Trio in Shutterspeed


Shimmer At Any Age- The right tool is key! To avoid a disco ball effect, apply any shimmer shadow using a watercolor brush for a soft, sexy wash of shimmer.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Crease Brush #10


Soft Smoky Eyes- For the perfect smoky eyes, blend a cream shadow or liner all over lid, in the inner rim and along the lower lashline, then apply powder shadow to seal the color and give a soft, diffused look

Smashbox Must Have Product: Cream Eye Liner in Image

Wake Up Eyes- Dabbing a pale gold cream shadow in the inner corners of eyes will brighten your entire face

Smashbox Must Have Product: Waterproof Shadow Liner Duo in Cashmere

Perfect Liner- Don't try to draw a straight line of liner all at once. Instead make a series of small dots along the lashline, then connect and smudge dots together to create a perfect soft line.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Limitless Eye Liner

Bright Eyes- Blue Mascara on just the tips of lashes make eyes look whiter

Smashbox Must Have Product: Bionic Mascara in Indigo Ink

Long, Lush Lashes-Thicken and define lashes by applying two different mascaras. Apply a volumizing formula first, then a lengthening or defining one on top.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Bionic Mascara and Hyperlash Mascara

Lower Lash Perfection- To naturally define the lower lashes without adding length, glide a flat liner brush over your mascara wand then paint over lashes.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Cream Eye Liner Brush #9

Natural Definition- For natural-looking eye definition, sweep a matter bronzer into crease

Smashbox Must Have Product: Bronze Lights

Draw The Line- Liquid liner doesn't have to be intimidating. Try tracing over lashline first using a taupe liner, then going over it with the liquid formula for a flawless application every time.

Smashbox Must Have Product: Cream Eye Liner in Putty

Stay tuned for more flawless face tips from Smashbox. In the meantime, make sure you check out the Smashbox Blog. You would be hard pressed to find a more entertaining beauty brand blog, and that's a fact.


*Product provided for consideration

Smashbox Friends and Family Sale

Love Smashbox as much as I do? Well, now is your chance to shop and save with the friends and family sale, going on now. From now until Friday, save 20% on your purchase by entering code FF2010

For details, see below!

Click here, and go Smashbox shopping! Stay tuned for top picks, coming soon.

Beauty Wishes Do Come True- New From Smashbox

So a bit longer than a while- but not quite a looong while ago, I reviewed an amazing set of eyeliners from Smashbox for the holiday season.

These liners have literally become my go-to's for daily use because they are just that perfect. Pigmented, long lasting, and ultra smooth, these liners glide on beautifully rich and last all day. I am talking little birdies chirping whenever I uncap these people. Anywho, given their limited edition status, you know that I cried and prayed to the heavens every single day to bring these to me permanently. Seems that someone up there heard me, because look what I just spotted on Sephora's website?

The liners are back, yessir they are! Now called Limitless Liner, these beauties seem to match the exact description of the holiday liners. Better yet, they are here to stay, and come in color(!). These are available in five shades, and I want- nay, I need them all.

Another favorite that has come back to us both bigger and better than ever is brow tech. Brow tech traditionally is a dual sided pot with brow wax on one side, and brow powder on the other. It was the first brow product that I had ever purchased, and I loved it to pieces (till hitting pan did us part) despite the fact that it wasn't all that portable. Smashbox must have spies in my brain or something like that, because they have considered my girl on the go status and have created Brow Tech To Go- a dual sided tube with a brow pencil on one side, and brow gel on the other. Super compact and just as lovely as the original, this has WIN written all over it.

Last but not least, we can file this under the great ideas category. Designed to instantly change the look of an eyeshadow, think of Eye Illusion as an eyeshadow topcoat. A trio of super light duochromes, this product has the ability to completely change your eye look. As a lover of smoky eyes, you know I am all over this one. Need it even.

Have you ever wished for a limited edition product to become permanent? If so, did it happen?

A Very GaGa FOTD

Feeling the need to live up to the impeccable beauty reputation of one of my style icons, I tried to step it up artistically when I did my look for the concert. I apologize in advance since I do look a little haggard. I am not wearing foundation or tinted moisturizer, so you get to see my skin in its natural state. This was done in ten minutes in the office bathroom. Anywho, on with the show.

To read what I used, jump it!

Smashbox Halo Hydrating Shadows

Hypothesis: If I love eyeshadow
and
Hypothesis: If I love anything Smashbox does, especially the Halo Powders
then
Conclusion: It is inevitable that I too will love the new Smashbox Halo Eyeshadows.

And oh yes, I do love them. The newest product to come out of the Halo family (Halo Face Powder and Halo Glow are the first two), Smashbox Halo Hydrating Shadows are like nothing I have ever seen before in an eye product. A dual chambered powder eyeshadow that enables you to "shave" off some of the product before you apply, these high-tech wonders have quickly become my morning go-to for quick, easy, flawless eye looks.

For swatches of all of them, and an in-depth review, take the jump!

Holiday Beauty Gift Guide- More to Stuff Your Stockings

For those of you still looking for some tidbits to stuff in those stockings, here are a couple of options, and all under $40!

Smashbox for Spring- A QVC Sneak Peek!

This just in, QVC will be airing 3 Smashbox shows on December 15th, at 4am, 2pm, and 9pm. What has me the most excited is that viewers will be the first to see the newest collection for Spring, Heartbreaker.

This kit will be available for purchase, and showcases Heartbreaker in it's entirety. Included are fusion soft lights in Baked Starlight, Liquid Liner Pen in Jet Black, Eye Shadow Palettes in Hot Date and Kiss N' Tell, Lip Shines in Melon-Drama and Berry Hot, and Roller Gloss in Pink Sugar. Yum!

I love how flirty and fun this collection looks, and I must say that I am seriously finding myself tempted. Will you be watching? How do you feel about Heartbreaker?

Smashbox Pretty Points

There is a new rewards system in town, and it's name is Smashbox's Pretty Points. There are tons of incentives to joining in terms of rewards certificates, deluxe samples, and more. The main perk is that every dollar you spend on the site earns you 5 pretty points. Gain 500 pretty points, and you get a $10 reward credited to your account. The reward opportunities are endless, and signing up is a snap.

Sign up today, and your wallet (and face) will love you forever.

Holiday Beauty Gift Guide- Smashbox Wish Collection

Leave it to Smashbox to knock it out of the park with their amazing holiday collection and gift sets. The WISH collection is huge, beautiful, and beneficial to a great cause. I dare you not to fall in love with the offerings.

Wish for the Perfect Pout

Regally Gorgeous- Smashbox Reign Collection Review and Swatches

I first told you about the Smashbox Reign Collection a few weeks back when it launched. With visions of Jonathan Rhys Meyer's Henry VIII swirling through my brain, I dreamed of creating my very own Tudor-esque vixen using the gorgeous fall color palette that Reign offers.

The look Smashbox is trying to capture with this amazing collection is full of opulence, sophistication, and elegance with a hint of something smoky and dangerous just beneath the surface. Duality is also a huge theme, as most of the products have shimmer/matte and light/dark components. I love versatility, and this collection has that in volumes.

Behold, the Smashbox Reign Collection. Too pretty not to ogle, with lush leather like packaging emblazoned with the Reign logo. ;)

Best way to go about this is to give you a play-by play, so here we go!

Jet Set Liner Palette.
I love love love Smashbox's Jet-Set, a creamy gel liner that glides on, and lasts forever-ever. It stands to be mentioned that the formula of jet set is a bit dryer than standard issue gel liner, making it more opaque and less prone to skipping (much like my beloved Make Up For Ever Cream liners).
The packaging is pure genius, with two pots divided in half. Dark and matte colors (basic black and brown) are on one side, with the metallic shimmers (gold and bronze) on the other. Each dual pot of liner has a snap-shut plastic lid to keep air out, and the kit comes with an adorable mini angled brush to boot!


Reign Fusion Blush
As summer draws to a close (boooo), I find myself wanting to prolong the effects of a warm bronze glow well into the winter and fall. Reign is a soft peachy nude, with an ingenius grid aspect that allows you to have either matte or shimmer finishes. I personally love to contour with the matte shade, and highlight with the shimmers.

Doubletake Lip Color in Amaretto and Currant
Another ingenius idea from the folks at Smashbox, Doubletake is a dual sided lip pencil that has a lip liner pencil on one side, and a super creamy lipcolor on the other. Amaretto is a warm caramel shade that goes on smooth and lasts all day. Currant is a rich Bordeaux that just may be my new favorite color for fall/winter.

Eyeshadow Palette in Monarch-
Monarch is a delightfully neutral palette that is perfect to take you from day into night. The palette itself has a trio of shimmery shades with solid matte, matching centers.

Crowned Lipgloss
Smashbox lipglosses are super slick, rich, and luxurious. Crowned is a stunning peachy pink that applies with a doe foot applicator. It makes a gorgeous nude lip!

Now you know this post wouldn't be complete without my swatches, so here we go:

L-R: T: Jet Set Palette shades in black, brown, gold, and bronze
B: Amaretto Doubletake (liner on top, lipstick on bottom), Fusion Blush Matte/F.B Shimmer

Amaretto on the Lips:
Currant:
L-R, T to B: Shadow Palette in Monarch, Jet Set Palette, Lip Pencil, Blush
No Flash:
Flash:
That my friends is the Smashbox Reign Collection in a nutshell. I am absolutely ga-ga for the shades, and range of products and textures. Inquiring minds want to know, will you be hauling Reign?

Reign is available online at Smashbox.com, at Sephora, and at the Plaza Beauty by Warren Tricomi.