[Holiday 2016] Smashbox "Light It Up" Trio Palettes: Eyes, Contour, Lips Set
I didn't mean to WHAM! you all in the face with such a big and colorful picture right off the bat, but you have to admit, this Smashbox Light It Up Trio Palette Set is quite a head turner. Its loud neon packaging is what caught my attention, and you can see that I ended up buying it.
(No self control indeed...)
There is a reason behind this neon craziness. For this holiday season, Smashbox collaborated with a California neon artist, Meryl Pataky, so that explains the neon pink and orange colors.
Here is a little more basic information about this set.
This set retails at $45.00 with the value of $82.00.
You can find this at Sephora or Ulta.
Inside the beautiful acrylic box, you will find three cute palettes, whose covers are also made out of the same neon acrylic packaging. So the products inside are definitely protected. Even though the hard cases make it great for travel, I still find the palettes to be a bit bulky for my taste.
The three palettes consist of: a mini-version of Smashbox's Step-By-Step Contour Kit in the Matte Finish Contour, Bronze & Highlight version, a palette containing six of Smashbox's Photo OP Eye Shadows, as well as, a palette containing six of the brand's Be Legendary Lipstick colors.
For your own makeup collection, I see this being worth the purchase for those that do not own much from the brand already. Those that already have an extensive collection of Smashbox makeup, you may already have a few of these colors in your collection. Unless you like to collect limited edition sets for sentimental reasons, this kit may not be a good purchase for you. I see this as a perfect beginner and introductory kit to Smashbox's Brand. Since I am not familiar with this brand, I was happy to be able to test out so many different products for a good price.
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As a gift, I think this Kit will make a loud impact. Besides the fact that the product is incased in such loud colors, everything about this kit is functional. The box the palettes come with can be reused, and the mini palettes are travel friendly with everyday wearable makeup. It's not one of those gimmicky, fancy holiday sets that usually remain unused. The person receiving this gift will be able to enjoy each palette because the pieces are convenient and practical. If you are on a budget, you can separate the kit and get three little gifts out of it! This is a great set to give as a gift, in my opinion.
Now let's talk about the quality of the products. I heard somewhere (ahem...Tarababys) that not all products are created equal. In fact, sometimes makeup in value kits like this one, the quality is not the same as the products you will find in the brand's permanent line. Since I had never used Smashbox Makeup before, I can't compare the quality of the products from this kit to the products found in the permanent line. I can only let you know my experience and my thoughts on these specific products.
So let's take a look at the eyeshadow palette first.
The colors are nothing too flashy, just your average everyday kind of colors. If you were hoping for something unique, this is not what you are looking for.
So from top left to right you have...Vanille (a matte beige), Flamingo (Shimmery orange-brown), Russet (shimmery bronze-brown), Totally Nude (matte nude), Amethyst (shimmery purple), and Dark Cocoa (matte deep dark brown).
Most of these shadows are on the sheer side when it comes to pigmentation, but they are build able. They are also easy to work with and they blend like a dream. This is definitely a great small palette for every day looks.
Now let's take a look at the Contour Palette.
Like I said above, this palette is a mini-version of Smashbox's Step-by-Step Contour Matte Palette.
This is also my favorite of the three. I love the fact that its matte and the colors work well with my skin tone. The Contour Shade is easy to blend and I was able to create the perfect subtle contour. I do not use the middle bronze powder too often, but I had noticed that is the case with most contour palettes. The highlight shadow is perfect at brightening the high points of my face. I love it on days when I do not care for a shimmery highlight but would still want my face to be brighter. All three powders are soft, have the right amount of pigmentation, and last all day.
Finally we have the lip palette.
FYI. Each shade of these Be Legendary Lipsticks can be found in Smashbox's permanent collection.
So from top left to right you have...Cognac (cool deep berry), Pretty Social (Sheer Pink), Inspiration (Fuchsia), First time Matte (Matte Brick Red), Jam On It Matte (Deep Matte Pink-Berry), Bing Matte (True Red Matte).
Now this palette is my least favorite from the three. The colors are very pretty, but I do not like the formula. I really hope the formula in this palette is different than the one in the permanent collection because the texture in this palette is thin and not moisturizing. The color also fades extremely quickly. Luckily these colors do leave a pretty stain on the lips. However, this is not my favorite lipstick formula.
So those are my thoughts on the "Light It Up" Three Palette Kit. As I said before, if you are unfamiliar with Smashbox Cosmetics, this is a great introductory kit at a great value. It also makes a great gift and a limited edition collector's limit.
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