Smashbox

5 Best Highlighters

September 9th, 2015 by Karen 40 Comments

The Tragedy of Tabby, Prince of Novato
Act III, Scene I

Enter Prince Tabby, Queen Karen, Left Turn the Black Cat, Thug the Russian Blue and Lords.

TABS: To highlight or not to highlight — that is the question.

Whether ’tis nobler in the condo to suffer the humiliating pets and chin scratches of outrageous fortune, or to raise paws against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them. To eat, to nap — perchance to dream; ay, there’s the tummy rub.

Wait, what the heck is Prince Tabby talking about!? I don’t know about him, but speaking for myself, there is absolutely NO question about it. I am always, ALWAYS down for highlighting, and here are my five top picks for “Best Highlighter.” These are the ones I wear the most. 🙂

Best Everyday Highlighter: Hourglass Ambient Powder in Luminous Light ($45)

It’s amazing to me how this champagne pearl pressed powder barely looks like I’ve made a dent in it, when I’ve been wearing it pretty consistently — sometimes for weeks on end — for the past few years.

That’s a pretty good thing to know, that a single pan of anything could last until forever, or until Skynet eventually takes over (whichever comes first).

What I love about Luminous Light — I mean, other than the name, because don’t most gals like the idea of being bathed in luminous light? — is the finish. On the skin it looks like expensive, h velvet bathed in the light of a buttery late summer afternoon.

Ah…

The sheen is unlike anything else I’ve seen before. Soft and subtle, yet still noticeable, and it’s oh, so forgiving of large pores and fine lines (hallelujah!).

All told, this one’s my favorite everyday, all-occasion highlighter in the world!

Best Highlighter for a Dewy Finish: MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush ($22)

Hush!

No, you can talk. I was referring to MAC Hush, which I love for its flexibility. It’s a soft peach with subtle shimmer, and I like it just about any which way/any how — on bare skin, on top of tinted moisturizer, foundation, even on top of powder. Whenever I’m aiming for more of a dewy, wet look, out comes Hush.

All I do is use my fingers to apply and blend it, usually on my upper cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose and on my Cupid’s bow, and it takes all but a minute to use.

I also think it looks amazer-ing in pics.

Oh! — and you can also use it as an eyeshadow base. Score! 🙂

Best Highlighter for Dramatic Looks: BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal ($38)

Good ol’ Opal. How many pans of it have I gone through over the years?

Three? Four…? I’ve lost count.

BECCA has many marvelous Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed options, but Opal is the one I wear most, by far. It’s a super shiny golden opal pearl, and for dramatic highlights, it’s unbeatable. Unlike standard-issue high-shine highlighters, of which there are many, it’s the very definition of luminous, and the complete antithesis of harsh and metallic, so skin glows seemingly from within with magical eldritch power without appearing oily.

It’s so friggin’ good that when I had to pick a single highlighter to wear on the red carpet to the Emmy’s last year, I went with Opal. There was no question about it.

Fun tip: to open up the eyes and make them look as big, bright and wide as possible, lightly apply Opal in the inner corners of the eyes, and just above and below the highest point in the arch of your brows.

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7 Things You Should Know ME the $54 Nicky Hilton + Smashbox Cosmetics NY Classic Cat Eye Kit

June 15th, 2015 by Karen 13 Comments

nicky hilton smashbox cosmetics-2 — Wearing the new Nicky Hilton + Smashbox NY Classic Cat Eye Kit ($54),

7 Things You Should Know ME the $54 Nicky Hilton + Smashbox Cosmetics NY Classic Cat Eye Kit

You don’t have to be a cat lady to appreciate it (although you may appreciate it more if you like the look of classic black cat eyeliner)
Wearing all of your cat lady accoutrements (your shirts, jewelry, cat ears, etc.) with the kit’s eyeshadow, liner and mascara qualifies as a strong “do”
When you open the bag that comes with the kit, you may catch a whiff of something that smells like fish-flavored cat treats (I do with mine, which is weird!).
I, myself, am unsure if this is a good thing, but Tabs seems perfectly OK with it.
Cat eyes aren’t the only thing you can do with the kit’s eyeshadow trio, gel pen liner and mascara (although they are the obvious choice, right?). You could also use ’em for smokey eyes.
Be prepared. Due to this kit, your cat may experience severe jealousy when he sees you rocking thick, fatty-bo-batty cat eye liner, meow!
While wearing these pieces, you may find yourself spontaneously purring.
While carrying this kit, you may also start carrying cat treats in your purse. (Oh, wait. I already do that.)

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Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starblush: Mmm… Doesn’t a Baked Starblush Sound Delicious Right Now?

May 28th, 2015 by Karen 3 Comments

smashbox fusion soft lights baked starblush — Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starblush ($32)

Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starblush

“Uh, yes, I’ll take a Baked Starblush and a tall Caramel Macchiato, please…”

I really like this product’s name: Baked Starblush. It sounds both astronomical and tasty. 🙂 This here is the , one of two new $32 shimmery baked highlighters (the other one is called Starburst) containing five individual shades (there are two of each color) — in this one’s case a soft white, a soft pink, a rosy pink, a dusty rose and a bright rose. Both are available now .

smashbox fusion soft lights — Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Starblush

Starblush, which you can wear on your cheeks, eyes, face and body, creates a subtle veil of light pink shimmer, and it’s one of those considerate subtle veils that doesn’t emphasize pores. With a finish about halfway between a super shiny BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector and a less intense Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, it’s probably better for lasses with light and medium skin tones, because it might look ashy on deeper damsels.

As for wear time, on my combination oily/dry skin, it lasts between six and seven hours.

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Ulta Adventures: Smashbox Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner

May 22nd, 2015 by Karen 19 Comments

smashbox photo angle gel — Smashbox Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner ($24 each)

Totes getting a Benefit vibe from these new ($24). They’re a new line of gel liners in twisty pens. The gel comes out of the flexible angled tip, just like Benefit’s They’re Real Push-Up Liner.

I was stoked to play with these when I spotted them at Ulta, but I got a little freaked out by the display… All of the liners had crusty bits of gel at the tips, which I cleaned off before taking these pics because they looked like a hot mess, and I couldn’t take it.

I dunno about the 36-hour wear time…. I don’t actually need my liner to last that long, LOL! Have you tried these yet? If so what do you think?

I’ve used Benefit’s gel liner before, and it looks a lot like these. With those there’s definitely a learning curve. They aren’t the easiest product to work with because it’s hard to get the gel to go where you want it to. Stuff has a mind of its own, but once you get it down, you can do some neat things with it.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Color in Venice Beach Bronze Borrows a Thing or Two From the NARS Multiples

May 13th, 2015 by Karen 9 Comments

Cream products.

Have you ever noticed how popular they get around this time of year? Especially cream highlighters and blushes? The one pictured here is the new $29 .

It’s gotta have something to do with summer…because with summer makeup, trends always come and go, but one trend that never completely disappears is the whole minimalist makeup angle. Cream blushes and highlighter sort of evoke that idea of casual, minimal makeup. Just swipe a little on bare skin, or in this case, maybe even on top of tinted moisturizer, and bam! — you’re ready to go hunting for surfer dudes on the boardwalk.

Smashbox L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Colors: What are they, exactly?

These $29 cream blushes from Smashbox — technically, they’re combination cheek colors/lip products — are multitaskers in the vein of the NARS Multiples. This one, shimmery bronze Venice Beach Bronze, is one of five, and it’s made to cast a warm sunset-like glow on skin like it’s “The Magic Hour” (the brief windows of time just before sunrise and sunset).

The other shades are Hollywood & Highlight (a sheer pinkish pearl), Beverly Hills Blush (a peachy pink with golden shimmer), Silver Lake Sunset (a warm coral) and Malibu Berry (a rich berry).

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