Luxe Beauty | Smashbox - Always Sharp 3D Liner in Gemstone Review

I have quite a few products from the smashbox range and when I get to using them I am never disappointed in their quality or uniqueness. This product is no different. Thanks to the clever packaging (and you may have guessed it from the name...), this liner is never blunt, which is useful for always getting a precise line. I chose Gemstone so that I could wear it during the day as a more subtle eye look and it really is perfect for that. It adds a bit of colour without being the focus of your face.There is a slight bit of shimmer in there that you can just about see in the swatch, this gives it a bit of a sparkle and your eyes a little bit of a pop. I have found that it stays put all day and doesn't smudge or mysteriously disappear into the corners of your eye (always a nice trait in an eye liner!). I really love the fact that all the smashbox products I have had each have a little quirk or wow factor, whether it is the quality of the packaging or that the lid keeps the liner sharp, I am always pleasantly surprised.

I have also reviewed some eye liners from the limitless range too (read here).

Luxe Beauty | Smashbox - Full Exposure Palette Review

Eeeeeek! It arrived...and it is beautiful! I think I may have wowed out loud when I opened this little treasure chest up. Of course, I am talking about the new Smashbox Full Exposure Palette.

So first things first, the box itself, it is compact enough to squeeze it into your makeup bag to take away with you but it has a decent amount of product in there (14 good sized portions of colour to be exact) and you have a great size mirror AND a darn good eye shadow brush. At £36 this will not break the bank and you also get a free mascara with the palette along with a guide for perfecting 3 different looks for each eye shape (super useful!).

The colours are absolutely perfect for my colouring (brown hair, brown eyes, medium skin tone) but I imagine they would look good on anyone. There is a row of matte powders and a row of shimmer powders, they give great coverage and easy to apply without ending up with powder all down your face. I always use a primer underneath my makeup anyway but these powders seem to wear quite well after a few hours. The middle colour in the bottom row (see picture below) is very, very sheer and on a skin tone such as mine I can't think how you would use it, but potentially on a different tone it may be effective. This palette will do the full spectrum of eye looks, if you are looking for a dressed down nude to a full on sexy, smokey look you can nail them with the choice of colours. The powders blends really easily too so you can really have fun trying out different mixes. Personally I tend to put a light matte powder all over the eye lid, a darker matte in the crease and outer corner and then if I am fancying some glitter then a nice blend at the outer corner.

The brush that you get with this is great too, I usually find brushes you get with palettes a little naff, but this brush is so useful! It is double ended with different densities of brush, really great for creating different looks, the only thing you need to add to this is a brush for more detail if you were going to really go to town on your eyes.

If you are looking for a great selection of neutral, shimmer, matte and brown powders then I really don't think you need to look further than this palette, I can't wait to take this on holiday with me at the weekend!

Luxe Beauty | Smashbox - Be Legendary Lipstick in Infrared Matte Review

I am slightly crazy about red lipsticks, I would say I have a lot of red lipsticks to choose from, but it doesn't stop me from buying more! I have been really excited about this lipstick and the only thing I love as much as red is matte, and this is the beautiful combination of both. Again, as with the Be Legendary lipstick I reviewed in Matte Latte, this comes in cool packaging of a super square container and dark silver inside. The colour itself had a little more pink than I was expecting but it is still a gorgeous shade of red and if you want something darker you could try layering with another lipstick in a darker shade. It applies really well and is well pigmented so gives a real thick layering of colour without being too heavy on your lips. I know you should apply balm before all lipsticks, but it would emphasise that point with this one as the matte texture does not look as good on lips that are a little dry. I can't wait for the weekend to give this lipstick a night out.

Luxe Beauty | Smashbox - Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow Review

Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow in Icon was another product I bought from the smashbox range. I am a huge fan of cream eye shadow as it is so easy and fast to apply and the good ones stay in place for hours. This is definitely a good one, the colour is very rich in pigment and the cream gives great coverage, and I love the fact that this shadow doesn't crease and lasts perfectly. I think this is a great evening out eye shadow and I will be stocking up on some other colours.

Luxe Beauty | Smashbox - Limitless Eye Liner Review

Smashbox has been gaining in popularity in the UK over the past year and so I made a few purchases to see what it was all about. I bought the smashbox Limitless Eye Liner in Smoke and Indigo Ink, they came in matte finish boxes and each, very usefully, have a sharpener built in to the lid. They have a very creamy texture which is easy to work with to create the look you want but I wouldn't say they would be a subtle choice if you were paring down your eyes, to emphasise your lips say. The staying power of this eye liner isn't the best I have come across but by no means terrible, I would recommend checking the mirror after a few hours wear as it does smudge easily. All in all I am quite a fan of the eye liner mainly due to the versatility if you were wanting to create a show stopping eye look. Smoke is a great colour to compliment a smokey eye look, it isn't has bold as black but still dark, I would say similar to a charcoal black and it has a slight shimmer to it. Indigo Ink was a lot bluer than I thought it was but if you are looking for a blue eye liner without it being too out there as it verges on a midnight type blue.