Smashbox • Fusion Soft Lights - Matrix • Blush

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SareenaS on 2/10/2010 4:31:00 PM more reviews by SareenaS

Age: 25-29   Skin: Normal, Olive   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

After reading some of these reviews, I was worred Matrix wouldnt show up on my NC35 skin. I'm glad I still ordered it off ebay because it looks great on my skin! Its exactly what I wanted for an everyday glow. I use the colours in the centre to give my cheeks a subtle glow and the lighter colours to highlight my skin. It looks so beautiful and the colour is definitely buildable if you want a more dramatic look. I have my MAC blushes for those nights. Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights are perfect for every day wear! I will continue to buy them until I collect them all!

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*TOP REVIEWER* loriyu on 1/20/2010 6:29:00 PM more reviews by loriyu

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I actually got the full-size of this product for free (Nordstrom had an online coupon awhile back...they actually "sold out" but if you left their name, they mailed you one). I'm Asian (NC38) and I don't love pinks on me, but this isn't so bad. I tend to reach for something more dusty or a bronzer when I want color, but for a pink blush, this works bc it's not too bright and doesn't clash with my skin. I'm a huge Smashbox fan so I support it all the way.

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melonbread on 4/17/2009 11:34:00 AM more reviews by melonbread

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I absolutely adore this blush. When swirled together, it gives my pale asian cheeks a warm peachy glow without the glitter overload. Brushing over the brown parts of the pan adds a deeper colour to my cheeks, whereas brushing over the white and pale pink will work as a highlight. It does add some sparkle to the cheeks without looking like a disco ball.
As some reviewers have previously suggested, the makeup comes flush with the edges of the pot, so when you swirl, a bit does tend to fall out, so you have to be careful!!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* musicalhouses on 4/27/2008 1:06:00 AM more reviews by musicalhouses

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

Smashbox softlights are absolute HG's for me. I have owned/own a few, and these are absolutely the best highlighters for me, and rank right up there with Becca pressed shimmer powders, for a lower price and better packaging. Still, I have issues with the screw-top lid. It makes it hard to open and use when I'm in a hurry. But the product itself is fantastic. I highly recommend softlights for anyone looking for something that will give them a subtle glow, with no visible glitter particles. For me, the softlights seriously give BB shimmerbricks and Mac MSFs a run for their money, because they aren't in the least bit glittery at all, but give you such a nice glow! Which is ideal for me since i hate looking like a glitterball, but am currently on a highlighter kick. Matrix is a warmish, but very wearable peach shade on me. I think this is similar to Dimension, with some differences, so if you have one you really don't need the other unless you are one of those who must collect the entire set...On my AAB NC/NW20ish skin, Matrix and Dimension both show up as peachy colors, only that Dimension has a bit of a bronze/coral color thrown in. I think that for cooler skintones looking for a peachy-ish softlights, Matrix is better, since Dimension could be a bit overwhelming with it's bronze/coral hints. Also, Dimension is much more pigmented than Matrix, which depending on your preferences can be a good or a bad thing. For my fair self, I prefer Matrix since it's easier to work with at 7am in the morning, since Dimension is fairly easy to overdo for me. However, for darker skintones (I'm guessing NC/W 35 and higher) Matrix probably won't show up, so I'd recommend Dimension instead. For fair skintones, even those on the cooler side of the spectrum, I think Matrix would make a lovely blush, or a lovely layer over a matte blush, and I can definitely see this working even for those who normally go for pink blush colors. This is a lovely peach that I think would work on most fair skintones, and it's my absolute HG for a nice peach glow on my cheeks. Highly recommended. It is a bit pricey but you do get your money's worth - the 10g/0.3 oz pot is pretty big, and bound to last a long time :)

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

monkeysrfunny on 1/13/2008 12:43:00 PM more reviews by monkeysrfunny

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Swirling the five stripes together, this becomes a nice, warm peachy blush that is particularly flattering on my light to medium Asian skin tone. However, with that said, I don't think it deserves its $30 price tag -- while you get a lot of product (.3 oz), I'm sure there are plenty of great peachy blushes at a fraction of the cost.

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*TOP REVIEWER* syeung2 on 10/15/2007 4:25:00 PM more reviews by syeung2

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Product - Big pot with five stripes of shimmering sheer color for use as blush, highlighter, eyeshadow: raisin-plum, champagne beige, peachy/salmon coral, golden pink, white. Very silky and smooth texture; IMHO, better than the regular powder blush texture. I sweep my brush over the whole thing for a muted peach glow on my AAB/NC25 cheeks; can be layered for more color.


Packaging - Nice large size for working in a fluffy brush (same size as full-size Soft Lights). Stripes are wide enough for an e/s brush. Big clear lid so you don't have to fumble and check the label for the shade name.


Comparisons - Similar to Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Dimension, but Dimension is a bit brighter and more bronzed; Matrix is slightly more muted overall and slightly rosier.


Overall - Lovely and versatile, though the color is subtle. Definitely a good snag if you like multi-purpose items.

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PissyMissyIsBack on 10/11/2007 3:16:00 PM more reviews by PissyMissyIsBack

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

mehhh. i got it for free at Nordies- but its too expensive for what it is. nothing special. i dropped it this week, it shattered and i threw it out - and don't miss it at all. screw on top is lame. powder flies all over when you swirl your brush on it. messy, boring nothing-special color. I won't miss it.

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anuska on 9/8/2007 3:19:00 AM more reviews by anuska

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I got this blush for free for some kind of promotion at Nordstrom. It's a little pricey for a blush, but it's a great product. The colors blend perfectly into a soft peach. It really compliments my pale skin.

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chinadoll72485 on 9/5/2007 4:14:00 PM more reviews by chinadoll72485

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

So glad I got a hold of this. I absolutely love it even if the original price is a bit much. The colors are beautiful- It's supposed to be used as an all over wash, but by swirling my blush brush on the 4 colors (all but the white) I get a great, shimmery peachy pink blush (NC30). The champagne is a great wash or base, and the white is a pretty highlighter. I don't think I'd use anything else on it's own, but experiment! My only complaint is that when I'm doing makeup, I'd rather have a flip top than screw top.

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LaLaLaura on 9/3/2007 8:47:00 PM more reviews by LaLaLaura

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

As the below reviews said, this was a freebie at Nordstrom this past weekend. I'm sure I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't, because $30 is steep for regular price.....but I'm glad I have it now. The color is great on my pale complexion. So far, it seems to have pretty decent lasting power...today, I even put on some sunscreen over top of it, and it didn't rub off. The only reason I took off one lippie is because when "swirling" the brush in the pot, a lot of the powder flies off. For something that needs to be "swirled," it should probably be in a container that keeps the excess in....otherwise, that is a huge waste for something that normally would cost $30.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Splee on 9/1/2007 7:37:00 PM more reviews by Splee

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Green    

I raced over to the Nordstrom counter after work on Friday, August 31, to see if I was too late or not. When I got to the Smashbox counter, there was no SA there for about five minutes, then a lady from another counter came over to help me. As luck would have it, was able to score it at around 5:00 pm. Matrix is a warm peachy shade with pink shimmer when all the colours are swirled together. The individual shades are an ivory white with pink shimmer, a peachy pink with pink shimmer, a strong warm peach/orange with peach shimmer, a silvery golden peach with pink simmer, and a warm raisin purple spiked peach with pink shimmer. All Shades show up medium pigmented, and not overly shimmery at all (I think it could be more shimmery actually!) These colours really bring out the green in my eyes. Today I wore it as a blush and eyeshadow lined with a sparkly charcoal black eyeshadow used wet. It looked gorgeous! I love the warm peachy tones to this highlighter, this will be perfect for fall. And the price was right too! I have a pic in my profile of this product.

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*TOP REVIEWER* firesyren on 12/20/2006 9:15:00 PM more reviews by firesyren

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I have had 4 fusion soft lights by Smashbox. One, their summer version in dusk, was far too orange on my skin and went on heavily. The second was "guru", which also had more pigment than I was used too, and the color was all wrong for me. great product though. Another, the soft lights in "Intermix" is HG for me, imparting a soft bronze glow with no orange tones and no gawdy shimmer. Perfection. Now, Matrix has also hit instant HG status for me. I am a NC15, and wear the lightest neutral or warm foundation shade in every line. Blush tends to look fairly bad on me, but luckily I have found a few shades that work nicely. Matrix gives my cheeks a warm glow, with a hint of warm peachy-pink. More than color though, it provides instant cheekbones on me, and a realitic glowing "I'm alive" look. The 5 shades in Matrix are: a medium dusky rose, a light champagne-almost-beige (no gray tones), a soft intensity coral that lacks the reddish-undertones I often see in corals, a light heather pink, and a white. These colors all have shimmer, but when on, the shimmer is a glow. That is why I love the soft lights products. I detest shimmer particles that can be seen on my skin. Soft lights gives me a luminosity, without greasy sheen, and without shimmer particles. Matrix goes on sheer, is buildable, and is very easy to use. In fact, I find Matrix and Intermix to both be foolproof, great for when I am in a hurry and don't want to worry about accidentally overapplying blush. Matrix would work great over Intermix, for a touch of color, but is formidable on its own as a healthy, awake look. I am SO pleased with this purchase.

15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No