Musings of a Muse

A Blog of Musings from a Cosmetic Whore

Sep 12, 2008

Smashbox Wicked Lovely Review

If you lurk here often you probably know I don't really go for sophisticated looks. I'm a fun loving girl and my choices in cosmetics reflects that part of my personality.

However, I've had my eye on a few collections this season that are a bit "grown up", elegant, and sophisticated one of which happens to be Smashbox Wicked Lovely.

Smashbox Wicked Lovely is made up of an array of interesting shade choices that I would not normally go out of my way to purchase but, as I tested out Wicked Lovely this week I did so end up liking it.

The collection consists of several options to create a "wicked" or a "lovely" look hence the name. In this case you can go from day to evening with certain shades or lighter to darker depending on what your preference is for makeup or like me you may just enjoy variety.

Smashbox did a lovely job with the packaging on the collection. Each box is printed with "Wicked Lovely" and features pink that melds into dark black. I found this packaging quite in keeping with the concept of the collection. Each black compat features a twirling floral design on the lid of each item. The gloss was particularly with a little hanging tassle from it's cap. A bith goth and a bit innocent the design definately mimics the theme of both a bit naughty and a little bit nice.

One of my very favorite items in this collection is the Smashbox Wicked Lovely Blush in Rush. It's not my normal shade of blush as I tend to lean towards very cute, pink cheeks as I feel they are most flattering however Rush is a warm, dusty rose shade with just a tiny hint of shimmer. The effect Rush produces is more of contoured, sophisticated look. I really liked the natural, warm look I created using Rush. I was pleased with how well Rush simply worked with just about everything else in the Wicked Lovely collection as well! Now Rush is a great color but allow me to mention the very interesting packaging design as well. This happens to have a really nifty pull out mirror housed underneath the compact. The mirror is attached to the compact and is not removable however it easily slides in and out of the underside of the blush compact for easy access! Small, important touches like this are always a pleasure as far as the Muse is concerned!

The collection also includes two eye items, a liner and loose shimmer compact and a duo eyeshadow. The shadow duo is available in two color selections, I tried out the Sexy/Demure version of the shadow duos. The compact contains a shimmery peachy shade and a shimmery brown. You're supposed to use the brown as a liner but you can of course use it as a shadow if you please. The peachy shade feels a bit different in texture compared to the brown, it has a velvet like formula that has a frosty effect when on the eyes, almost a mod look about it. The brown is more of a shimmering silky powder. Pairing the two up by using the peach shade on your lid and crease and finishing with the brown as a lower lash liner creates a frosty, shimmering look with hints of both cuteness and innocence as well as an edge do to the liner.

The second eye item included with the collection is the Wicked Lovely Liner and Loose Shimmer which is an interesting little item. It contains three gel liners the likes of which happen to be my favorite item from Smashbox. I'm not a fan of MAC Fluidline and have used Smashbox Cream Eye Liner for many years so having three shades in one compact is rather nice. The compact is versatile as you have the option to use the liners as a base for the loose shimmer and shadows or you can line your eyes using it. In order to create the Smashbox Wicked look the darkest shade of the liners is used as a base for the loose shimmer. The liner shades are Taupe, Bronze, and Gray and each has a metallic finish. The shimmering powder is a pewter gray that's perfect for use with a smoky eye look.

And finally to finish up your look Smashbox released some interesting glosses and a dual ended lip pencil/liner duo. Smashbox Doubletake Lip Color works double duty lining and filling lips. Each end has a different shade of lip color with a different finish. One end contains a nude pink-peach shade that's creamy, mod, and nude while the other end contains a peachy pink shade that has a shimmering finish.

The glosses are extra cute in this collection with a hanging tassel on the top of each gloss. The color I tried was Coy which is a nude shade. The applicator is a lip brush which I prefer as it gets a nice amount of color onto lips. Coy happens to be an extremely nude shade and not my typical lip color however I am going outside the norm with a majority of this collection so it was interesting trying out a new look using this gloss!

Since I wanted to recreate the Smashbox Wicked and Lovely, the colors I got were everything used in each look on the website, duping the looks was fun. I did a total of four looks with the collection, two of which were using the exact products used on the models for the Wicked Lovely shoot.

I liked the way my Wicked look came out best so I'll show you that first. To dupe the look I took a look at the Smashbox Wicked Lovely video available on the site. Click on over for a look if you like!

I used Smashbox Wicked Lovely Cream Liner and Loose Shimmer on my lids. I first used the gray metallic shade as a base and topped it with the loose shadow. I followed up with the Smashbox Wicked Lovely Blush in Crush on my cheeks and finished by using the Smashbox Wicked Lovely Doubletake Lip Color to fill in my lips. The side I used was the peachy mod shade. I proceeded to top my lips with a coat of Smashbox Wicked Lovely Lip Gloss in Coy and there you go I'm Wicked!

For my Lovely look I used the same products for my lips and face as I did for my Wicked look. For my eyes I used the Smashbox Wicked Lovely Eyeshadow Duo in Sexy/Demure. Sexy was used to line my lower lash line and Demure I used as an all over color wash. I don't think my Lovely look came out nearly as nice as my Wicked look for some reason! Le Sigh!

Finally I spiced things up and went and did my own versions of the Wicked and Lovely looks by adding a few other items into the mix of things!

In this case I think my Lovely look came out better than my Wicked look this time around! For my lovely look I just used Demure eyeshadow all over my eye. I used the other side of the dual ended lip pencil which was the shimmery pink shade and topped it with some clear gloss. On my cheeks I used a peach shade instead of the dusty rose.

I liked how much better Demure looked without Sexy on the bottom lash line. It gave my eyes a nice bright look and really created an aura of innocence and "lovely".

Now my Wicked inspired look I didn't like. I used the same color shades for my eye as in my previous Wicked look but finished my lips with a deeper shade of color. For some reason the colors contrasted rather badly. I also lined my bottom waterline and upper lash line but it seems to have a bit overkill!

So...that's all folks!

Smashbox Wicked Lovely Fall Collection definately has a little something for everyone especially if you're a big lover of natural, nude shades. I have my eye on a few other pieces for the selection myself such as the Sultry lip gloss!

Check out more of the Smashbox Wicked Lovely Collection by clicking here! While you're visiting check out the new Smashbox Encore Eye Palette...oh my gods..the Muse wants it!

Want this collection?

Love it?

Are you Wicked or Lovely?

Tell the Muse!

Check out the latest and greats for Fall by clicking through some past reviews!

Shu Uemura Instinct Fall Mode Makeup Review

Too Faced Fall Collection Review featuring the New Too Faced Smoky Eye Palette Kit!

Majolica Majorca Fall Collections 2008: Majolook Trick On Palettes Review

MAC Overrich Review and Swatches

Labels: Face of the Day, Fall Collections 2008, Reviews, Smashbox, Swatches

Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation Review

It's hard ignoring the sheer perfection that is Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation.

*sigh of pleasure*

After one simple dab on my face I knew this was love. It's not all that hard deciding right away that the product is pure bliss.

First of all it's probably one of the biggest foundation products I've ever owned. Although it's a little over 1 oz in size it feels like a TON of product is inside and the heavy glass jar is a luxe and posh presentation that's worthy of your vanity or dresser.

Although, at this point, I'm positive many of you are moaning and groaning about the fact that you have to dip your fingers inside to get the product out, fear NOT, they include a little spatula for those of us that are terribly scared of germs and bacteria and such.

You're not going to be moaning for long once you discover how heavenly the foundation is in texture. It is a mousse like foundation that's whipped creamy and glides onto the skin like a dream. It absorbs quickly leaving behind a velvet-like canvas that's prepped and ready for makeup.

I swear this is love.

One of the things I did notice about the formula is it quite reminded of Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch. It has somewhat a similiar texture but absorbs more fully into the skin. The foundation also happens to have a very light, fresh scent that I really like. Some may be disturbed by a scented foundation but I thought it was lovely and added to the appeal of the product. The fact that the foundation is silicon like in texture allows it to smooth onto the skin in a nice, even glide covering up blemishes, problem skin, dull spots, and pores as it goes. I highly recommend this to my Asian readers that suffer from larger pores and are wanting to fill and cover them up. The product not only acts as a foundation but almost as if it is double tasking as a primer as well. I also happen to recommend this to older girls that may have the beginnings or the full effect of fine lines on their faces. This should smooth and offer good coverage for all these problems and more.

The coverage is medium but is quite buildable if you prefer. One of the most impressive things that I noticed about the foundation is it multitasks as a concealer. It's such a moisturizing foundation that smoothing a tiny bit under your eyes creates a rather gorgeous finish. A few readers had recommended using Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch under my eyes prior to using concealer this happens to mimic that technique only this is like having Perfecting Touch mixed in with a concealer and ready to apply.

I did notice that a little goes a long way and if I use too much I end up looking heavily made up so do mind yourself when applying! Just a two or three dabs and smooth out for a nice even finish. The wear is considerably longer than other foundations I've used before with a wear of around six or seven hours prior to needing a touch up.

One minor rant about the product is the color selections. They are rather weird color shades that are difficult to grasp. Some are too beige and others appear too orange. I got the lightest shade available which was 00 Ivory Beige but it just has a bit too much beige in it however it is very suitable to my tone and worked very well. I just always have a little bit of a problem when it comes to selecting the proper shade with Clarins. This is why I highly recommend you go to your local counter to make your color choice. You can see, touch, swatch, and have them match up the perfect shade for you where as with an Internet purchase you'll stumble through what looks best and suitable for your skin. 00 Ivory Beige quite reminds me of a BB Cream prior to application which leads me to believe it'll be suitable for Asian skin tones since it has a considerable amount of beige in it to sooth and even out yellow skin tones.

At a price of $37 USD it's a bit on the pricey side however since it's like getting two products in one jar that actually works out to a deal and a steal. Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch retails for $28 USD anyway so for less than $10 more you can purchase Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation and it's basically like getting both products. Although I actually do recommend picking up Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch as well as Clarins Instant Smooth Foundation if you have major problem skin and are looking to create a seriously flawless canvas. By prepping skin prior with Perfecting Touch and following up with Instant Smooth Foundation you should have virtually no signs of pores, blemishes, or anything else.

Clarins has a winner on it's hands as far as the Muse is concerned. This is foundation greatness at it's best and I can see this becoming a Fall and Winter staple product with holy grail stamped all over.

I really loved this one and recommend you go and try it out for yourself at your local counter. For further information and color selections visit Clarins website. While you're visiting the site do check out the new Jazzy Colours Collection! I'll be reviewing this shortly and hoping I can create an interesting face of the day look as the one the model is sporting! Doesn't she look glam?

I'm slapping the Muse Approval on it for purchase!