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Hey!
Now that I have been expanding my makeup choices, I am excited to try a few products from Smashbox Cosmetics. I received a few of their products from PR. Smashbox has been on my to-try list for ages. I am a huge fan of lead makeup artist Lori Taylor! They have always had that professional but laid back vibe to them.
Since the advent of High Definition cameras and televisions, more and more companies have been refining their product lines so that makeup and skin could look as life-like and perfect as possible. We used to be able to hide under Standard Definition but HD can easily magnify anything on the skin.
For Fall 2011, Smashbox brought out a line of Photo Op products which are supposed to be long lasting, highly pigmented and to bring the subject on camera to life! A girl can be photographed at anytime and we need to be ready!
I tried the Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio in Quick Take which contains 3 coordinated shades that are easy to use, and takes the guesswork out of trying to combine shadows. I love the packaging! Black, smooth and semi-matte. It’s simple but very sleek! Not bulky, compact and there’s a little window so you could see the colour without having to open the lid. What’s cute about this is that if you flip to the back and peel the label off, there is scannable code which is linked to a video of Lori Taylor showing you how to create a look. Very cool! Yuh get points for that Smashbox! There are 18 different trios and they vary in textures from matte to frost finishes.
Quick Take, Smashbox
Close up, Quick Take, Smashbox, from left top: Vanilla, Ambient. Bottom: Serpent
Serpent, close up
Close up, Vanilla, Ambient
Quick Take contains:
- Vanilla – a creamy matte vanilla. Finely milled with decent pigmentation. No shimmer. Of the three colours, this one was the most problematic. As I said the pigmentation was decent but it was chalky for me both in colour and textures. There is a lot of white and as a highlighter on dark skin it’s going to look a little ashy. It is also a little thin in density so it is does not have the greatest pigmentation. But it is finely milled so that it applies smoothly.
- Ambient – is a shimmery, light golden bronze. This was my favourite of the threee! Just a beautiful, colour that has great pigmentation, applies very smoothly, the shimmer is not chunky and on me it is kinda like my skin colour brighter. It is also light enough where those with fairer skin could rock this too. It reminds me of M.A.C.’s Cocomotion pigment, which is one of my all-time favourites. A very wearable colour!
- Serpent – a shimmery, blackened mossy green. I could actually see this colour on a snake, so the name is very appropriate!! Another nice colour. Good pigmentation, not the most intense but it definitely shows up on the skin. I think it is less green than M.A.C. Humid eye shadow. It also appears to have a balanced mix of blue and yellow and does not lean either way.
Swatches, from left: Vanilla, Ambient, Serpent
I really like this trio. I find myself reaching for this quite often, especially for Ambient. I just wish Vanilla had a better texture. This is great for all skintones – light, tan, olive, deep. This is available at Smashbox.com, Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Sephora.com, Beauty.com and select Macy’s and it retails for US$28.
