Smashbox Be Legendary Long-Wear Lip Lacquer

It's been a while since I tried anything new from Smashbox, I think the last thing was probably the Full Exposure Palette which I'm still absolutely obsessed with, but when I saw of these new Be Legendary Long-Wear Lip Lacquers launching, I had a feeling they would be my sort of thing and I couldn't wait to give them a go.

Available in 18 shades (20 in the US), which in itself is pretty incredible, the idea of these Long-Wear Lip Lacquers is that they have been formulated to deliver a high amount of pigmentation along with comfort and longevity. I would say they're more of a gloss in terms of formula, finish and shine, but with the fancy high pigmentation that a lipstick would give. 

With ingredients such as Vitamin E, the product feels comfortable on the lips and is in no way shape or form drying. The high pigment sticks around for a fair while, but once it does break down, it leaves a natural stain on the lips which you would expect from something with so much pigment in it.

I've been using the shades Calypso and Pink Social and I'm sure you can guess, Calypso is probably my favourite of the two. They're not the sort of shades that I'm constantly reaching for at the moment, but once Spring springs, I'm sure they'll be on rotation.

Available to buy now at Smashbox counters, they cost £19 each.

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Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

Ever searching for the perfect Nude palette and currently loving using both matte and shimmer eyeshadows, the launch of the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette* had me ever so excited.

Made up of fourteen shades; seven shimmering neutrals and seven complimentary matte shades, this is in my opinion, one of the best neutral palettes to hit the market and covers all bases nicely.

The shimmer finishes don't offer as nice a finish in terms of formula as I had hoped they would, but they still offer a buildable shimmering wash of colour, which I personally find works well as I don't go for a full on shimmer look anyway.

 The matte tones on the other hand are all pretty incredible and are all extremely pigmented and wearable, making for the perfectly blended smoky eye look. I tend to go quite subtle on the eyes and I have found using only one or pairing three of the matte shades at one time to be perfect. 

The palette itself is a nice size and comes with a really nice double sided brush and in all makes for a perfect travel palette as for me, it covers all the shades I really wish for both day and night looks.

With a sample size of the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara coming with the palette, it is available to buy now in Boots where it costs £36.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this palette and whether you like the look of the fourteen shades.

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Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara

I'm all about the brows and although I normally like to wear quite a strong full brow, I've recently been wearing a more natural looking, structured brow and have been loving adding a tint of colour and hold with Maybellines Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara.

As I try to grow them out, my brows are in somewhat of a state at the moment but I've kind of been embracing them and enjoying wearing more of a bushy, messy with purpose brow. Normally one to fill in every single gap, I've quite enjoyed just coating my brows with a few coats of the Brow Mascara in Dark Brown to give a them more of naturally defined look rather than too filled in. I'm not too crazy about being really tidy with it either and quite like that the brush coats a few of the surrounding hairs too, although this may just be whilst I'm going through the messy brow stage- finding myself brushing them up more than usual á la Cara Delevingne.

Before realising that I really enjoyed using it on it's own, I found the Medium Brown shade the perfect shade to wear on top of my filled in brow, as a brow set gel. The product gives a reasonable amount of hold, without leaving the hairs feeling too dry and crispy and is the perfect price point in comparison to other tinted gels on the market. 

Available in three shades, I'm really pleased with my drugstore finds and priced at just £4.99 and easily accessible in Superdrug and Boots, can see that these Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascaras will have a place in my make up collection for some time. 

Have you tried these Sculpting Mascaras? I'd love to know your thoughts.

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Smashbox Brow Tech To Go

I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm mostly all about the eyebrows and recently I have been venturing outside of my usual HD Brows box and experimenting with a wider variety of eye brow products.

So far, having tried a range of powders and pencils, one of my favourite products to use has been the Smashbox Brow Tech To Go in the shade Taupe*.

A duo product with a wide angled crayon like pencil and a soft hold gel on the opposite end, it's a 2 in 1 dream and I have found it to be the perfect product for a quick eyebrow application. Applied lightly and with no real effort, I find it gives me a much more natural looking filled in brow with a really nice shade. It's not too strongly pigmented, allowing no real space for error which is great. Even going in really hard, the colour pay off isn't too bold, which is great if you like a more natural looking brow.

The brow gel is teamed with a miniature wand, which is the perfect size for your brows and works to set them into place perfectly, without leaving them feeling dry or crispy.

I'm really pleased with this product and although I have a few more products to try, having already taken place of my HD Palette, it's going to be a hard one to contend with.

Priced at £19, Smashbox Brow Tech To Go is available in two shades from Smashbox online and at Smashbox counters in Boots.

Have you tried Smashbox Tech To Go? What's your go to for brows?  

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Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick- Mandarin

I like a Red lipstick all year around, but when it comes to Summer time, I prefer to take the tone down a couple of shades and up the brightness and I think I have found the perfect product, formula and shade for my take on the Red Summer lip.

With an Orange tone running throughout it, which adds a beautifully bright hue to the shade, it is still in the Red family, but sits on the lips slightly more subtle and muted, which I find is perfectly complimentary for the Summer.

The formula is extremely creamy and pigmented and one light sweep creates a perfect opacity and finish. It feels light and creamy on the lips and although I don't find the formula to be super moisturising, fortunately I haven't found it to be drying in the slightest either. Something that I really like is that it fades nicely on the lips rather than bleeding and drying into any creases, making it an easier option if you're bad at reapplying throughout the day. 

I really like this lipstick and think it's going to be a great colour to wear in the heat of the Summertime and with 22 other shades in the Be Legendary range, there was always going to be another one I wanted to try, in this case Melondrama, of course, a beautiful Peach that I think will sit in my collection perfectly. 

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks are cased in slightly rubberised Black squared off packaging that I really like and costing £15.50 each are available to buy online and at Smashbox Counters in Boots.

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Smashbox Halo Long Wear Blush- Peachy Dream

A few weeks ago I was invited along to a mini photoshoot with Smashbox and Bumble & Bumble and whilst it was fantastic to be pampered and made over to perfection before being put in front of a camera, my main concern was of course, rummaging through the make up artists kit to see the new products that Smashbox have to offer.

I was really pleased when the make up artist recommended products and shades to me that I would personally pick out of the collections anyway, and when she chose to use the latest Smashbox Mineral Halo Long W ear Blush in Peachy Dream* on me, as you can probably imagine I was super happy. Now, I describe many beautiful Peach products as a Peachy Dream, and with it being titled that, I'm pleased to confirm there is no false description as it really is a pretty spectacular shade.

Peachy Dream is a beautiful Coral that can be used on the cheeks as subtle or as intense as you wish, due to its amazingly pigmented yet blendable formula. It's pretty pigmented, so you do have to be careful with how much product you apply, but as pigmented as it is, it does blend out beautifully, making a more subtle look completely accessible. 

I personally prefer a more low key look, so I try my best to apply a tiny amount of product to my brush, tap off the excess and apply as lightly as possible, being sure to blend it out well to avoid an overly done, Noddy like look.

Transferred onto the skin, Peachy Dream is such a brightening, pretty shade and as far as Coral blushes go, this is currently one of my top.

This blush comes in a mineral form and works with a little grinder and twist function, which pushes product up into the pan. I'm normally all for a gimmick and although I was hoping it would be more convenient, I don't really love the style of packaging. I personally find mineral products to be pretty messy anyway, and with this, I always end up with more product than necessary which then gets left in the pan and transfers onto the mirror and when I open the compact the next time, I end up covered in Peachy Dream powder.

As much as I do find this Smashbox Halo Long Wear Blush is a little messy, the colour is absolutely beautiful and I love that it stays around a fair while on my cheeks, keeping my them pretty and glowing.

Available in four shades, this blush costs £23 and is available to buy as of the 3rd April 3013, at Smashbox counters, Boots and online.

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What I'm wearing..

Hello dolls,

I must warn you, this is a rather face photo-heavy post. I thought I would be a little camera happy before my Lumix goes off to the camera hospital- silly error messages!
I couldn't decide what photos to use, so I thought I'd include them all!

-Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
-MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC35
-MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC30
-MAC Golden Bronze Powder
-Evie Glam Coral Blush
-No7 Brown/Black Eyebrow Pencil
-PURE Eyeshadow Kit- Shades 2, 3 and 4
-Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus
-New CID Cosmetics i-volumise Black Brown
-Barry M 147 Peachy Pink Lip Paint

The top that I'm wearing is from Never Fully Dressed
I love Never Fully Dressed and had wanted this for ages, I managed to get it at BNTM Live but it didn't fit when I got home! :(
Its only the second time I've worn it which makes me really sad, it still doesn't really fit but I suppose its okay to wear at home. I was going to sell it but I got a deodorant mark on it the first time I wore it- big boo's!

I hope your all brilliant x

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What I'm wearing..

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC30

Avon Loose Powder

Evie Glam Coral Blusher

Benefit Hoola

Rimmel Pink Blush Lipstick

Rimmel Eye Pencil in Brown

Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion in Black

xx

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