Tag Archives: Smashbox

What’s In My Makeup Bag At Work

I’m not traditionally one for a makeup bag – I don’t carry a purse and therefore if something comes with me, it has to fit in my pockets. At the office, I used to just leave makeup bits and pieces in my desk drawers…. but, about a month ago, my office moved into what is called an active work environment, which means we no longer have our own desks. It’s a fluid workspace – you pick and choose what desk you’re going to work from depending on the hour, the meeting, or the work you’re going to be doing for the day. I’m still adapting to it (and after 15 years of having my own desk, it’s very discombobulating!), but one thing I knew I needed to figure out was how to carry my laptop around with me (I’ve got a cute, chic backpack I use for the office now) AND what I was going to do with the makeup I normally kept in my desk drawer.

I don’t usually need much makeup throughout my workday – I usually bring the lip colour I’m going to be wearing in to work with me and bring it back home that night and that’s it. However, there have been instances over the years where something goes wrong and my mascara flakes off, my eyeliner or brows rubs off, or a patch of foundation disappears around my mouth when I’m having my lunch, and that has necessitated having some backup makeup at the office in case of emergency. So that’s what’s in my makeup bag – emergency makeup.

All of it is housed together in a monogrammed makeup bag from Sephora Collection with the letter “R” on it. While my full name is Rachelle, I prefer going by the nickname Chelle – however, I have never associated myself with having the initial “C”, so the “R” on the bag makes much more sense to me, even though it may seen a bit bizarre to people who know me only as Chelle!

The item I definitely have the most of in my makeup bag is lip products. Why I have so many lip products in here is actually a bit of a mystery since I’m more likely to grab my lip colour for the day at home and bring it in to the office with me. But these sit here in case I NEED something… which is funny because I don’t generally feel like I NEED lip colour.

Anyway, since I usually wear a bright eyeshadow look, I have a bunch of “safe” lip colours that fit most occasions. Bite‘s Glace and Fig, alongside Charlotte Tilbury‘s Bitch Perfect are the kind of shades that will suit nearly any eye look. Fig is my most used colour I’d say, as I’ve finished a full size bullet of it in the past and have a few minis and another full size sitting in my collection at home.

MAC‘s Russian Red is sitting in my bag because I’ve made it a point to wear this particular lipstick at least one day a week because I’m trying to finish it up. The Paul & Joe Limited 003 shade is a fun juicy red/pink that wears just like a balm, so I love popping that on for an easy look (usually if I’m wearing a neutral eye look). And lastly, I’ve got the Clarins Lip Oil in Tangerine in my bag. I absolutely LOVE those lip oils (I’ve gone through two other tubes before of various flavours) and having one on hand for the cold winter months always feels like a must.

Perhaps the most important thing in my work makeup bag are my liners. If anything is likely to go wrong with my makeup on any given day, it’s either my eyebrows disappearing off my face because I wore a toque in to work (seriously – I often lose the entire tail of my brows to my freaking hats), or my eyes will tear up due to the wind on my walk in to the office and my liner will start to dissolve – wreaking havoc on my eyeshadow look. So I keep two brow pencils in here – the Revlon Colorstay Brow Pencil in Blonde, and the It Cosmetics Brow Power Waterproof Perfector 5-in-1 Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil in Universal Taupe.  These are adequate products, although not my favourite brow items ever, but they are primarily kept in here because they’re so bloody LONG that they don’t actually fit in my acrylic drawer at home! They work well in a pinch, so I keep them at the office for emergencies.

As for liners, I have the Jesse’s Girl black liquid liner (it’s a brush tip, and lovely to use), as well as the Annabelle Skinny Gel Eye Pencil in case I need something that isn’t in a liquid format.

I was hesitant to even photograph these two because I have no idea how old they actually are… I’m fairly confident Covergirl no longer makes their Simply Ageless Eye Concealer, and I’ve likely owned it for… 7 years? Maybe 8? It doesn’t smell funky though, so I continue to use it. I’m not much of a concealer person, and heck I don’t even actually use this under my eyes – this is solely here in case my foundation decides to patch off anywhere on my face. Usual culprits are my nose or my chin, and I just dot the concealer over those areas and blend it out with my finger.

The mascara has also lived a very long life. It’s a mini size of the Smashbox Full Exposure mascara that I think I got with my PR sample of the Double Exposure palette back in the day. Oddly, this is my least used product in my makeup bag, but it does come out to play every now and then if I’ve missed a gap in my mascara, or, heaven forbid, I’ve completely forgotten to put on mascara that day. (It happens! I have no idea how, but it does!)

And lastly, these are what I call “my tools”. I’ve got a Sephora Collection set of blotting sheets (something I reach for frequently in the summer), a small Real Techniques mirror, a pair of tweezers (because you just never know when you’ll need a pair), a Sephora Collection lip brush (which also has a lid so that it stays mess free in my bag) and an ARTDECO Lip Primer which works really well to keep my lipstick in place.

So that’s what’s in my bag at the office. All laid out it looks like a freaking ton of product, but it actually all fits rather loosely in the makeup bag I have it in.

Do you keep makeup at the office like me? Or do have a makeup bag in your purse that you bring with you everywhere? Let me know!

Some of the products in this post are PR samples that have been mentioned in posts in the past. Post contains affiliate links.

Swatch Sunday: Smashbox Cover Shot Pinks + Palms

Smashbox Cover Shot Pinks + Palms

Seemingly out of nowhere, Smashbox added a new Cover Shot palette to their lineup: Pinks + Palms!Smashbox Cover Shot Pinks + Palms

Smashbox Cover Shot Pinks + PalmsLike all the other palettes in this range, it’s a small compact palette with 8 shades. What I like about these palettes is that they provide a variety of shades for a lower price point – something that is desperately needed more and more in the beauty industry.

Smashbox Cover Shot Pinks + Palms
Smashbox Cover Shot Pinks + Palms

Smashbox Cover Shot Pinks + Palms Swatches

Smashbox - Borrowed Bling
Smashbox – Borrowed Bling
Smashbox - 72 & Sunny
Smashbox – 72 & Sunny
Smashbox - Fro-Yo
Smashbox – Fro-Yo
Smashbox - Flamingo Pink
Smashbox – Flamingo Pink
Smashbox - Wtfuchsia
Smashbox – Wtfuchsia
Smashbox - Party Pants
Smashbox – Party Pants
Smashbox - Melon Baller
Smashbox – Melon Baller
Smashbox - Palm Print
Smashbox – Palm Print

The Smashbox Cover Shot palette in Pinks + Palms is available at sephora.ca for $35 CAD and on sephora.com for $29 USD.

This post contains affiliate links.

Swatch Sunday: Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold

Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold

Smashbox recently unleashed their Cover Shot palettes onto the unsuspecting makeup community! Created in collaboration with Shay Mitchell (you may know her from her Pretty Little Liars fame), there are seven palettes that cover a wide range of colours. I opted for the most brightly coloured option (Cover Shot: Bold) as it definitely appealed to me the most!

Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold

The Cover Shot palettes come with 8 colours and are on the smaller side for a palette as it contains a total of 6.2 grams of product. You can comfortably hold the entire palette in your hand! With a $29 USD/$35 CAD price tag though… I can say that I am REALLY happy to see Smashbox doing something like this. Smaller palettes for a far more reasonable price point, when all the other behemoth brands seem to be releasing enormous palettes that are $60+?? That’s incredible!

Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold

Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold Swatches

Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - Techno
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – Techno
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - Stormy
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – Stormy
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - Fling
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – Fling
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - Wait, What?
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – Wait, What?
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - Bolt
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – Bolt
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - Sell-Out
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – Sell-Out
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - Poolside
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – Poolside
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold - No Shame
Smashbox Cover Shot: Bold – No Shame

Stock is currently going in and out with these palettes, but when they’re available, you can get them on sephora.com or  $29 USD or on sephora.ca for $35 CAD.

The product featured in this post was picked out by me with a gift card that was provided by PR.

Five Lip Colours To Try This Fall

201609_5lipcolourstotry1

It’s finally autumn (YAYYYY!), which means it’s time to bust out some deeper, darker and more intense lip shades. I know you might be anxious about trying something new, but I wanted to introduce you to some shades that I’ve found to be quite flattering, although they may not be the first shade you’d gravitate towards.

Try something new this season!
Try something new this season!

I’ve found myself gravitating towards these shades in the last few weeks and I wanted to share them because they’re kind of off the wall colours. I know a lot of people are going to think some of them are unwearable, but hopefully I can change your mind!

Too Faced La Creme in Berry Naughty
Too Faced La Creme in Berry Naughty

Try a purple without going completely down the rabbit hole: Too Faced‘s La Creme lipstick in Berry Naughty looks dark AF in the tube, but it comes out a glossy purple-pink that has a slight sheerness to it that makes it more wearable. The La Creme formula is also incredibly comfortable to wear and it smells like sweet lemons!

Too Faced Melted Matte in Evil Twin
Too Faced Melted Matte in Evil Twin

Although it may look like a straight black lip, Too Faced‘s Melted Matte in Evil Twin has a purple edge to it that helps make it slightly more wearable without looking too “witchy” (which I usually feel is more blue-toned). This is my boldest suggestion in this entire post, but I know there’s a few people out there who are intrigued by wearing a blackish lip! Since this product is a liquid lipstick, you won’t have to worry about it bleeding outside your lip line, and for me, that’s INCREDIBLY important if I’m going to be wearing a colour as deep and dark as this one.

Gosh Cosmetics Matt Cinnamon
Gosh Cosmetics Matt Cinnamon

Probably the most tame colour in this roundup, Gosh CosmeticsMatt Cinnamon is a gorgeous balance of brown and pink. It’s boring as hell to look at in the tube, but the comfort of this lipstick alongside the colour make this an absolute beauty to wear. (I only recently tried this one out in a GOSH Haull + First Impressions video and I’ve been wearing it ever since!)

Wet n Wild Stoplight Red
Wet n Wild Stoplight Red

It’s really, REALLY hard to beat Wet n Wild‘s price tag on their Megalast lipsticks. They’re around $2 and they deliver incredible colour and pigmentation. If you’re not keen on trying out a black lip but still want to wear something vibrant, go for a red (this particular one is Stoplight Red) as we head into the holiday season.

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone
Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone

Never in my life did I think I would need a grey lipstick… until I tried on the Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone. It might take some getting used to, but I found myself rather in love with wearing a grey lip – there’s something that feels really, really badass about wearing this colour! (If you want to see it in action, you can check out my essence F/W haul.)

201609_5lipcolourstotry_swatches

Looking at the swatches all together, the lipsticks I chose are a really, really weird mix. However, they’re definitely the shades I’ve been drawn to as of late. If you’re ever worried about wearing a “different” colour, whether it’s dark or vibrant, just remember that half the battle is getting used to seeing yourself in that shade. So buy the product, try it on at home and then just carry on as you normally would. Every now and then you’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and you’ll eventually get used to seeing yourself wearing that colour. Once you’ve gotten over that hump, the next step is to wear it in public. And just remember – a strong smile works wonders at portraying confidence in how you look. 🙂

Let me know what colours you’re into this fall and if you’d wear any of the ones I mentioned in this post!

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks (Review & Swatches)

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks

Smashbox has jumped on the liquid matte lipstick train with an enormous range of shades! 20 different colours promise “a lip-smoothing, 8-hour power pout that just won’t budge”!

Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks
Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks

The Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks promise to be non-feathering, water resistant and will stay solid for eight hours straight. They “contain [a] primer oil complex, [are] rich in moisturizing jojoba, apricot and sunflower oils. Always smooth and never drying, keeps lips soft-as-suede, supple and comfortable”.

Smashbox Always On applicator
Smashbox Always On applicator

The applicator is diamond shaped with a small pocket in the middle that helps to collect product from the tube and make for an easy lip application. Because of the rounded, yet pointed, tip I am able to get a really smooth line while drawing this on my lips. (Well… as smooth as *I* can draw – liquid lipsticks always make me nervous because there’s that point where if you don’t draw it straight, you know you’re going to have to take it all off and start from scratch!)

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick Swatches - Girl Gang, Stepping Out, Thrill Seeker and Chill Zone
Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick Swatches – Girl Gang, Stepping Out, Thrill Seeker and Chill Zone

Of the four colours I have, Girl Gang was the only one that swatched a bit streaky and wore that way as well. The other colours are all completely opaque in one swipe and wore without any streaks. The formula goes on with a slightly mousse-y texture which makes it easy to apply since it takes a few minutes to settle and dry down.

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick Swatches

Wearing Smashbox Always On in Girl Gang
Wearing Smashbox Always On in Girl Gang
Wearing Smashbox Always On in Stepping Out
Wearing Smashbox Always On in Stepping Out
Wearing Smashbox Always On in Thrill Seeker
Wearing Smashbox Always On in Thrill Seeker
Wearing Smashbox Always On in Chill Zone
Wearing Smashbox Always On in Chill Zone

My Thoughts

Although the Smashbox Always On formula promises to be non-drying, I have to point out that these did feel dry while they were ON my lips. After the product was removed, my lips were totally fine, but it’s worth mentioning that these aren’t an especially comfortable matte liquid lipstick as your lips will feel incredibly dry while wearing the product (not dissimilar to Colour Pop‘s Ultra Mattes). That detail out of the way, these liquid lipsticks are solid. The colour stays put without fading or bleeding (no lip primer required!) and I never had any need to touch up the product while I was wearing it. I really liked the diamond-shaped applicator as I found it easier to apply the product to my lips with this as opposed to the usual doe-foot. I never tested it for eight hours as I just can’t bring myself to wear ANY lipstick that long, but I only had minor signs of inner lip fading around the four hour mark.

Of the four I tried, only one shade had minor streaking and it’s not surprising that it’s a purple as pigmentation seems to be a struggle when creating anything purple coloured in the makeup world. The remaining three shades were completely opaque on the lips without needing to fuss around. I really, REALLY in love with the grey shade Chill Zone. Totally and completely wowed by that cement-like shade and I will definitely get some use out of that since it’s very unique and unlike anything else I own.

Let me know if you’ve tried these out!

The Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipsticks can be purchased at sephora.ca for $28 CAD or on sephora.com for $24 USD. In Canada, these are also available at Shoppers Drug Mart and on beautyboutique.ca.

The products featured in this post were sent to me for review.