Smashbox Cosmetics has a really amazing fall collection entitled “Masquerade”. When I think of a masquerade, I think of Halloween and costume parties, and so this is a great name for a collection for the fall season.
I often think of autumn colors in the more neutral range like, deep browns, rich reds, sunflower yellows, very deep greens, but this collection is a little different than I expected.
With saying that, I think this might be one of the most wearable collections from any high-end brand that I have seen yet going into the fall season. I have seen a few of the other collections from other popular brands, and I have not been able to say that I like everything in them or would actually wear every single product in every color. Of course, when you go to see a collection of makeup, you often don’t buy everything anyways, but this is definitely one of those collections that make you wish that you could, at least for me anyways.
So, let me get started by just doing a basic overview of the products and the prices. I have yet to try these, so this is just my basic thoughts after seeing them.
The shadow palette is really great. There are some really amazing colors and even though some are bright or deeper, I think that even if you are completely use to neutrals that you can wear every color.
This palette retails for $35, but you get 9 shades! So, that means that you are paying less than 4 bucks per shadow! What a great deal.
The shadows come in different textures and finishes, which is really fantastic. If you are new to Smashbox or their eye shadows, this can really give you a great little start to see if you like them and what finish you like best. Matte, metallic, and shimmery colors are there for you to play with. There are 3 lighter creamy colors, 3 purple based colors, a bright bold blue, a deeper khaki green, and a golden brown.
These can work in a variety of ways on your lids, and since you get a range of colors, and also some crease and highlight shades. I am sure you can find tons of ways to use these for a daytime look, maybe even a simple look with one color, or even a deep smoky eye! These are perfect for going to work, dinner, and all those pumpkin patches and fall festivals you might be attending over the autumn season.
There is a shimmery all over powder product for $32. This comes in a block pattern with a few different shimmery colors that you basically swirl together with a big fluffy brush and then sweep over your face for a nice glow. The colors are a very light creamy pink, mauve pink, and a peach. Having oily skin, this might be the only product that I am not completely thrilled about, but I still really like. You can use the lighter shade for a highlight on your brow bone or cheek, or you can probably use these blocks of color for an eye shadow. There are a lot of different brands that have these powders. Many brands are very expensive, and others are simple drugstore products you can get under 10 bucks. Knowing that there are a lot of ones like this on the market, this might be something to overlook, just because there are already a huge variety of these readily available and you might even have one similar in your collection.
One product that has really neat packaging is the cream stick blush that sells for $29. I know what you’re thinking! Paying almost $30 for a cream stick blush when there are drugstore ones that sell for under $5! I know, I know. The one thing that really got me on this particular one is that there is a brush on the other end of the stick! I have never seen a brush like this on one of these cream sticks! The color is a dark bubblegum pink that is just lovely for light skinner babes! I find that brighter pinks really work well for fair skin. This is neat for travel, especially if you are carrying a small luggage bag or makeup bag with you. How great this would be to have for a weekend trip.
The glosses retail for $19 and come in 2 shades. One is a dark golden peach, almost a light pumpkin color and the other is a raspberry. Both are sparkly. I am really interested in the peach one, as this is probably the most wearable with the eye shadows in this collection.
The last product has again, really amazing packaging. This is something that I had never seen before and is kind of hard to actually describe! It sells for $19 and on first glance might look like the typical eye liner. It’s a liquid and comes in 2 nice shades; a bronze and a teal. It has a very thin brush on the end, but there is something above the brush that is kind of weird. It’s basically a spiral like indention type design on the brush about as long as a typical mascara brush. You line your eyes with the think brush as you normally would and then you use the spiral indentions to sweep over your already mascara based lashes to add sparkle! I mean, how neat is that? I am not sure if this will actually work as intended, as both the colors are lighter than your normal mascara colors, so it might add sparkle but make the black lashes kind of dull, but then again, the sparkle might be something really neat and add a little pop of unexpected color. I think you could even use this without mascara, if you just want a simple pop without all the fuss of a made up face. This might be really neat for a younger girl in her teens who might not want a ton of makeup on. I mean, if it doesn’t work out, you still have the beauftual liner color, and for under $20, it might just be worth trying.
Overall, I am really excited to go into the cosmetic store and see this line as it looks really interesting and wearable. I think this might be a collection that has a little something for everyone and might be a good start to this brand if you haven’t yet tried it. If you are interested in seeing this line or want more information, please visit the Smashbox website, here.
