The Master Class

Since my B.E. September Issue didn't work out, I brought it back to Sephora and did some browsing and came out with the

 Smashbox Master Class Palette $59. 

 For another $19 bucks I went from 8 eye shadows to 28 Eyeshadows, 8 Cream Eyeliners, 2 Blushes, 3 Soft Lights and 4 Lip Glosses.  Nope...you didn't read that wrong...see!!...    

This palette is amazing and I've been in love with it since I got it home. 

Each side is covered with a plastic film that has the name of the color on it and is attached to the palette from the top. Some people find the plastic annoying and in the way, but I love it and I find that it keeps everything nice and neat and clean. No cross coloring or shadow in the gloss and so forth.

On the left:
24 eye shadows + 4 Brow Tech Powders, (which I use as eye shadows just fine.)
The shadows are gorgeous. My camera and computer screen really don't do this palette justice. Each color is highly pigmented so they go on effortlessly and blend so amazingly. I've begun to cultivate my favorite combos already and even blending some to make new colors such as my most perfect deep maroon using Cabernet and Aubergine. Along with amazing colors in neutrals and bold colors, there is also a mix of matte and shimmer colors which I am beyond excited about. So many palettes forget to give you mattes but Smashbox didn't!

Most palettes are limited edition colors, which is great, but once you use them up, then what??
Most of these shadows are actually colors in Smashbox's permanent line Photo Op Trio eye shadows which is why there are white boxes around sets of 3 shadows on the plastic. So if you should happen to run out of a color, you can easily find it in their permanent line. I love that!

I didn't do swatches for you because there are so many that I would have to go all the way up my short arm just to get them all in. But also because they feel so luxurious that I didn't even want to waste them on my hand!

Right side:
8 Cream Liners, which are always a great seller by Smashbox and for good reason. The colors are bold and pigmented and they really last! Normally Smashbox sells a palette of these in 10 colors for $32,so to give us 8 of those in this amazing palette, well that alone is a steal...but there's more!
2 Blushes, that I thought I would hate but turns out I am in love with Warm Apricot and have been wearing it daily since.
The 3 Soft Lights are Smashbox's highlighting powders. In the palette, they don't look like much, but each one has subtle and refined shimmer in undertones of coral, pink and gold. On cheekbones and brow bones these are gorgeous and make me wonder why I never invested in highlighting powder before!
4 Glosses, which I admit I haven't used too much only because I would have to scoop them out into something else to bring with me to reapply later, but I can say that the colors are really great and go on really creamy without that heavy sticky feeling.

The palette itself is made of a hard cardboard with a black patent finish that is closed together with magnets. No fussy snaps or fold over book flaps. It really is meant for the makeup lover who knows what she wants and wants to get in and out fast. However, because the case itself isn't plastic, it is prone to a bit of buckling if left in very moisture ridden areas, as I'm starting to see now, but nothing major and nothing that can't be fixed with some proper storage.  I really love that it's a very thin and sleek palette. I'd much rather pay for good products than fancy packaging. 

If you are a newbie, or oldbie, it comes with a pamphlet of looks and tips etc.  Which I promptly threw to the side so I can begin playing. 

 If this palette were only the eye shadows, I think I would be just as excited as I am now, but Smashbox went above and beyond and put a palette that would normally be only for professionals in the hands of the public.  I am so excited to have something to travel with that has everything I need in one spot but mostly I'm so excited to get so many quality products for such a great price! 

I really don't think I'm going to find value and quality like this again. 

But then I saw this...Studio Pop Ultimate Palette.  You're killing me Smashbox!! Killing me!

I Could've Blushed...

Every few years my brain gets this idea that I should try cream blush. This usually happens after a bout of eczema when I'm still annoyed by all the things I have to use to clear it up and just generally annoyed by the existence of it. I start to hate my dry skin and in an angry state I start to create my own brand of science in my head that tells me that cream blush would be better for me because it's a cream!  Right?  Wrong.  So wrong.

This year's cream blush debacle is brought to you by Revlon and their Cream Blush in Berry Flirtatious $9.

The website only shows 2 colors but I know I saw at least 4 shades on the store shelves. However, Revlon has released a new line of cream blushes called Photoready, so I'm unsure if these colors will be faded out of the line or altered at all, I guess I'll find out in a few years when I think this is a good idea again.

The compact itself is simple and sleek. I was wondering what the little button was on the inside when I picked it up and found out at home that it opens up a small hidden mirror on the side! Genius! Except that I never use compact mirrors. But I like knowing it's there. 

The color itself is actually very nice. It's a great rosy berry color in a matte finish, which most cream blushes tend to be. I imagine this would be really lovely on someone fairer than I.

It's not that cream blushes are bad for my skin. It's not that I can't find the right colors, although that's halfway true, my bad relationship with cream and liquid blushes stems from the fact that I can't apply them! Without a brush I am at a total loss and have no idea just how much I should be using. Even after much practice, I just end up using far too much and looking like I've dressed up in a very cheap Rosacea costume. 

It was a nice try Revlon, but it's back to the store for you while I stick to what I know. This time.  

I could still blush. Just not with this one. 

Wanderlust Desert Collection by Bare Escentuals

During an impromptu Play Date at the Bare Escentuals Boutique last week, I checked out the Wanderlust Desert Collection gift set , on sale for $35 from $49 and fell in love with this perfect ensemble.



The kit includes;

• Prime Time^TM Primer Shadow in Gold Nugget (radiant gold)

• Heatwave Eyecolor (glimmered blackberry brown) (size: small)

• Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in Midnight (blackout)

• Canyon Blush/Citrine Radiance All-Over Face Color (velvet terracotta/warm golden beige)

• 100% Natural Lipgloss in Angel Food Cake (sheer peach shimmer)

• Flawless Definition Curl & Lengthen Mascara in Black

• Travel Bag

The Prime Time Primer is a gold primer and is VERY gold. But it feels really nice and stays put really well. This isn't anything I'll be using daily but it will be perfect for my upcoming Halloween costume makeup! (yes, Halloween references in July, you'll get used to it)



The Heatwave Eyecolor is a shimmery dark coffee brown. I normally don't go for earth tones in my makeup but this is a truly great color. It's even making me consider trying out more 'natural looking' eye makeup and going out in public in earth tones. gasp!  It's the perfect tone to accentuate the crease in an eye or to make a daytime smokey eye look.  You can even pair it with the colors in the All-Over Face Color pot to create a gorgeous summery eye. 


The Round The Clock eyeliner I was originally going to buy this alone, until the nice woman told me this liner is in a discounted kit that they are running right out.  Kit? Discounted??  You got me lady. You got me.  


The full line of these eye liners are named after hours of the day. 11am, Noon. 5pm etc etc. Brilliant! Midnight, that comes in this kit, is a true deep black color. It goes on amazingly. Smooth and effortless with the feel of a liquid but in a sturdy, easy pencil. It only smudges when I want it to and doesn't end up on my eyelid or around my eye throughout the day. I felt in love with this as soon as I tried it.


I tried it on my lower waterline yesterday for the first time and it stuck pretty well, for a while. But I've found that nothing stays on my lower waterline without fading and needing touch ups, even the smashbox, mac, and all the other brands.  But that's a personal problem and considering how long it did last, it would probably work really well for most women's waterlines. 


All-Over Face Color. One side is a lovely light terracotta color, the other a shimmery golden beige. In the little pot these colors look rather daunting and scary for a girl with tan skin. I was sure the colors were going to make me look washed out and sickly. Boy was I wrong. The Canyon Blush was THE perfect bronzey blush summer shade for me. It went on with a corally glow and the Citrine shimmery beige was the exact perfect color to give my skin a wonderful highlight without that frosty 80's disco thing happening on my face.


When we layered the Canyon Blush over my regular summertime bright pink blush by B.E. called Fruit Cocktail, I believe I gasped.  I have been searching for a great summertime coral blush for about 2 years now and I've come up empty every time. But this, this small little pot of magic from Bare Escentuals, just ended my long journey. It was a Mall Day Miracle!  


The Curl and Definition Mascara is actually quite great too. I felt like it curled my lashes some without the need of a lash curler. It's a great black color and I would recommend this mascara to many, but I won't lie, I'm partial to my CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara and won't be giving that up anytime soon.


Natural  Lip Gloss. I haven't really used outright glosses in a while now. I'm just not in a Glossy Phase right now. But this color really complimented this whole kit so wonderfully. It had just the right amount of peach to it without being too overt or cartoony. I could see this being a really great compliment to layer on lipsticks or other glosses. It does have some flecks of 'shimmer' in it...which seemed more like full glitter to me. Great from afar, but a tad too 'Da Club' for me.  But I'll definitely keep this one around and use it from time to time. 


The Travel Bag is a really great addition to. It's a great size and I love the colors. Bright yellow on beige, completely up my alley! It's also totally laminated , inside and out, so you can wipe it down easy and never have to worry about spills or messes.


I admit that my Impromptu Play Date was caused by a total summer brain melt down when I accidentally left the house without putting on any  makeup. I was driving my visiting family,and new niece to the mall and somehow in the confusion of the morning left the house bare faced. After a small moment of panic when I realized what I had done I remembered there was  B.E. Boutique in the mall and high tailed it there soon as I parked the car. The result was me taking home this kit but it has been the best thing I've purchased since I found their foundation.  I know this is a limited run kit and I'm highly considering picking up another kit just to make sure I have a back up of the All-Over Face Color. Not to mention another eyeliner would be a great bonus since I know I will be purchasing that again.   You've done it again Bare Esceuntals. And this time without any infomercial!