Smashbox

I'm pleasantly surprised by this. I bought it as part of a Sephora nude favorites lip kit, and Mauve Wife was the Smashbox included with it, which is kind of a medium nude mauve or a light to medium plum, I guess.

I am not always a fan of glosses and liquid lipsticks, and out of the kit I wasn't expecting to like this one so much, but it's my favorite of the six offerings (it also included Nars Orgasm lipstick, a Tarte matte lip paint, a Buxom gloss, an Urban Decay veil topper, and an Hourglass pencil). I thought for sure I'd like the Hourglass best, because it's closest to a lipstick, and while I do like it, I happen to love this.

For starters it applies very comfortably, and is very smooth and is a bit like vaseline, but sticks more, if that makes sense. It's more like it's got that comfy slip but still maintains a bit of grip. The color is pretty, and buildable. A swipe and it's more natural and sheer looking, but a bit more product and it's a full-on lip look. There's not any scent or flavor I can discern. Mainly I just check that it won't get on my teeth (by doing the finger in the mouth thing) and making sure it's applied neatly so there's no smudging. Once it's set I leave it alone, and I find it has really good staying power. I've even put it on before a workout, and while getting sweaty and sipping lots of water, I still felt this on my lips after the workout was done. It had faded some, but it I could still feel it on me, and my lips had that nice feel like I had a good balm on them.

Overall, a really good performer.

I just bought Fair Game and Babe in this lipstick line. I prefer long wearing lipsticks and have both L’Oréal Pro Matte and Revlon Superstay. I was hoping this lipstick would last as long as those brands but unfortunately the Fair Game wore off noticeably today while eating pizza. Maybe it was caused by the grease from the pizza and the same thing would happen to Pro Matte and Superstay. I will have to test pizza out on those, but I do know they’ve never worn off like that from eating any other food.

Other than wearing off from eating, I don’t notice any difference in quality between this lipstick and the drugstore brands.

Edit: I have no problem fully removing this lipstick with Studio Beauty Micellar facial wipes from Walgreens. So not hard to take off with the right tools.

I think this is a very good shadow primer, particularly in terms of its coverage. I found this primer helpful in covering up the very visible veins on my lids. It also held the shadows in place all day without creasing or fading. My only complaints at the price ($21 for a tube) and the fact that it ran out so quickly. The tube I bought barely lasted me three months even with me scraping every last bit of product from the tube. I will not repurchase this primer despite my liking it because I will not spend $21 on a primer that I have to stretch to keep for three months.

I recently purchased a gift set with a bunch of Smashbox bestsellers in it, including the famed Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Turned out to be a huge no for me. My foundation slid right off my face within hours of application! My dehydrated yet oily skin does not seem to handle silicones well. I'm still surprised that foundation can stay put on ANYone after using a silicone-laden primer.

Pros -
Manages to make my, very very, dry skin not dry enough to wear foundation and not look like a cakey mess!

Good amount of product in the bottle

Makes my makeup look dewy


Cons -
The bottle is really impractical. It's hard to get product out and when you do, it drips everywhere. That's not great when you pay a lot for it!

Hate the smell

I have to use quite a lot to not make my makeup cakey


Overall, I do like this product. I've used quite a few primers, and this one seems to work best for me. It takes up a bit of time in my makeup routine, putting it on and waiting for it to set into my skin, but it's worth it. I tried another Smashbox primer, which unfortunately didn't work on my skin so I'm happy this suits me. I use it after I cleanse, and tone by rubbing it in and letting it seep into my skin. I find I have to use quite a lot, otherwise it doesn't work, but that could be because of my dry skin. I'll buy it again!