Limitless Lip Cream
I was so excited when I heard that Smashbox was coming out with a new type of lipstick, called Limitless Lip Cream. This new formula is supposed to last all day and night, be a matte lipstick without the dryness and stay put longer than any stain. It's should be the Superman of all Lipstick, but instead of superhero status, it is more like the other long lasting lipsticks that don't work on me.

The colors are beautiful. Smashing Frame is a russet brown, Smashing Infrared is a great deep red, Smashing Film is a pinky brown, and Smashing Depth is my favorite, a nice berry. They come in a small tube like a lip gloss with a wand, but please don't use the wand on it's own, unless it's Smashing Film - these colors are VERY intense! I found that they look best if I use a lip brush. First, though, put lip balm on your lips because this lip cream is very drying to the lips, and then I would follow up with some sort of top gloss or you'll find your lips sticking together!

Disregard all the hype of what these lip creams are supposed to do and just think of them as good fall lip colors and you won't be disappointed.

Digital Color Collection
I must be getting old, because some of the single eye shadows in this collection made me yearn for my high school days. Think BRIGHT turquoise (Digital) and VIBRANT pink (Scan) - colors I just can't see putting on my eye lids. I thought I would feel the same way about the other eye shadow single, JPEG, but I rather liked the yellowish, greenish hue, but only for the night... it's not an office color! The Smashbox.com eye shadow trio is much more suited for everyday wear. Think neutral colors in beige, champagne and chocolate brown. What I really liked for the eyes in the fall 2003 collection is the Smashing Image cream eye liner. Now, I have never liked their cream eye liner because it always smudged on me. However, this deep golden black eye liner didn't smear or smudge and is a great color for day or night. I find myself wearing it everyday.

The rest of the collection consists of three new lipsticks and one new blush. Smashing Layer is a sheer rosy hue that looked good with my tan and still looks good now that my tan is fading! The three lipsticks are Smashing Curve, a deep, deep wine that goes on sheerer than it looks; Output, a shimmery bronzy plum; and my favorite, Resolution which is a nice deep reddish brown. The colors have a semi-matte finish and last through your first coffee break.

This fall collection didn't wow me. The lipsticks are a nice addition to their line and I love the Smashing Image. However, this collection didn't have me yearning for fall. I think I'll stick to my summer colors a little bit longer.

review: 8/03

Camera Ready Summer 2002
I am a color cosmetic junkie so when given the opportunity to try products that I can't get at Saks or Neiman Marcus, I am on cloud nine! The products consisted of Smashing Candid Blush, Smashing Snap Shot Eye Shadow Trio, Smashing Close-up and Smashing Candid lipsticks and Smashing Flash lip pencil. These products in one word... SMASHING!

The Smashing Candid blush is a rather bright pink-looking blush that I wouldn't normally pick for myself, since it looked too pinky for me. But, was I wrong. It gave a healthy glow that didn't increase the redness in my cheeks and made me look like I didn't have blush on at all.

The eye shadow trio consists of a white, dusty rose pink and walnut colored brown, with a hint of shimmer. I wouldn't normally pick these three colors to put together, but they certainly knew what they were doing. These colors made my eyes look very natural and not made up when I put them on, the color stayed all day and didn't crease, and they layered nicely if I wanted more than the sheer color that they provided.

The two lipsticks are both pink in their base color, but Smashing Candid has a beautiful gold undertone to it that makes me feel like a model when I put it on. It's one of my newest favorite lipsticks and looks great with the tan I have. Smashing Close-Up is a pretty dusty rose pink with a lot of shimmer that never failed to get a question of what color lipstick was I wearing. My favorite product of all is the Smashing Flash lip pencil. It's hard to describe what the color is because it takes on the color of whatever lipstick you pair it with. I guess it's a coral, pinky shimmery color that is beautiful on its own with a clear lip gloss over it. It goes on smooth, and sharpens nicely. (Sometimes lip pencils seem to go to pot when you try to sharpen them; this didn't.) Yes, I've used it so often, that I needed to sharpen it after only a few weeks.

If you've never tried Smashbox, you can purchase their products through their website Smashbox.com, or try QVC where you can order products when Smashbox presents live or from their website.