Hey Sweeties,
You will remember I bought this when I visited The Cosmetics Company a few weeks ago. I have so far given my verdict on Bobbi Brown’s French Pink blusher, now it’s time for Smashbox!
I have been looking forward to trying more products from this brand for ages so this ‘try it kit’ has been absolutely ideal for doing so before I decide if purchasing full sized items is worth it.
So, what does the ‘Try it Kit’ contain?
L-R: BB Cream, Halo Powder, Brush, Photo Finish Primer
Let’s start with the primer…
Primers are something I am still getting to grips with. I completely appreciate their purpose but as to the good and bad ones I am still a long way off from being able to offer a firm opinion on this. The first primer I ever used was Mac’s ‘Prep & Prime’ following a consultation with them and I used this for a while after but eventually this slipped once I pumped the last of it from the bottle. Until recently, I have been using samples of Benefits ‘Porefessional’ which despite quite enjoying, I am unlikely to purchase a full size tube once I run out. It’s good, but I can live without it.
Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer however, I am likely to miss once I run out of it therefore once I have squeezed the last from this sample, I will likely buy it full size. Even if I go on to not purchase it again thereafter, at the moment I feel I want to give this product a really good shot at working and committing me to it. I have used this primer both underneath the BB cream as well as my routine foundation and in both instances it provides a really smooth, secure base to layer further products on top of.
The BB cream is also really nice and provides a light, medium (ish) coverage. I do normally prefer something with a slightly fuller coverage, particularly in winter but for weekends when I want to give my skin a bit of a breather from my weekday look, and in summer when I don’t really want anything, this BB cream is perfect. I can apply it quickly with my fingers and the product is beautifully creamy and blends well. As to whether I would purchase it again, it’s certainly on my list but I still feel I have other BB and CC creams to try out from other brands before I commit to one or any in particular.
The last two products in the kit are the Halo powder and the brush.
The brush we can instantly sign off as although the texture is nice and it actually applies the powder well, it also malts and there is nothing worse than having tiny little black hairs scattered across your face.
My first impressions of the powder are much better. I haven’t ever actually used a loose powder, always favouring pressed powder instead but that is more down to preference than experience with either type. Despite being slightly messier, I would actually almost go as far as saying loose powder is easier to use and apply. For one, you can clearly see how much you are applying and I find it easier to blend. This does give me the confidence to try a loose foundation in time but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here! Would I purchase this powder from Smashbox? Yes… but again I think there may be cheaper alternatives out there that perform as well so we’ll have to just watch this space.
Overall, I think this Try it Kit was well worth the money and the time given to it to try. I don’t feel I now need a professional consultation to explore the brand further except maybe for colour matching foundation and things as this kit and the lipstick I purchased a little while ago now have allowed me to taste enough to make confident future purchases without heavy guidance.
Have you guys tried anything from Smashbox?
Until tomorrow x
