The new Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Color Seal Balms have my heart all a twitter. I’ve been waiting for these patiently ever since Lori Taylor told me about them when I met her… because you know I love lip stains, right?

These new Smashbox stains retail for $23.00 each and come in 6 shades, a good offering for a new a product like this. Honestly, I only have eye for one shade right now, their Nude. Not many brands put our brown lipstains but they should because they make a great neutral base when done right.

It does have the same curious Revlon-like packaging but the balm in this stain is also colored to match. I have to admit, I wondered how similar the two formula’s are and I’ll definitely be putting it to the test but for now I’m just happy another brand is doing a brown.

The other Ulta exclusive I picked up last week was Smashbox’s Perfect Smoky Eye Kit. At a dollar less than the Tarte set, this set includes a full size Limitless Eye Liner in Smoke (shimmering dark grey), Waterproof Shadow Liner in Envy (sparkling black) and Shadow Liner #30 brush. QVC has had sets similar to this in the past but my wallet likes this one much better… and the exclusive shade.

What I love about Smashbox’s Shadow Liners is that they are a fool-proof way to get that smudged eyeliner look, and with this shade, a fool-proof smoky eye. The cream formula goes on like an eyeshadow but without leaving any fallout behind and it’s just so easy to blend. My only issue with these is that I don’t have more of them!

OK, it’s not $10 or less but if you take the bargain of a price and divide by 4 (the number of eyeliners you get for the price), this is a fantastic deal and each is still under $10. It’s so fantastic that I couldn’t resist picking up this Smashbox Wish for the Perfect Pencils set when I stopped by Ulta this week.

The 4 pencils in the set are Onyx (black), Orchid (deep purple), Graphite (metallic slate gray) and 14K (gold). They are travel sized liners but they are very generously sized. I have been wanting to try this eyeliner for awhile now and with this price, I can try 4 shades for less than the cost of 1 full sized liner. Not only that but the wear is great! They glide on the skin with ease and after the formula sets, it does not move.

Have you tried the Smashbox Limitless Eye Liner?

Next time you’re wandering through the aisles at Ulta, go to the Smashbox display and check out the Smashbox Luscious Lips. When I saw it, I caved immediately, mainly due to the Doubletake Lipcolor in Guava in the set. I’m a sucker for a chunky lip pencil and I already had a few of these in my stash. This trio also includes includes Reflection High Shine Lipgloss and Limitless Long Wearing lipgloss with SPF 15 in Everlasting. For $25, I couldn’t pass this up.

Smashbox does great value sets for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and in general. One of the brand’s exclusive offerings for 2010 is called “Evening Chic Beauty,” and it includes:

• Full-size Photo Finish Primer
• Eye Shadow Quad in Glitz
• Limitless Eye Liner Pencil in Onyx
• Photo Finish Lid Primer
• Medium Lip Gloss in Posh

And of course, the “chic” bag that can double as a clutch is also included. The price point is very good (comparatively) at $59. The Limitless Eye Liner is a new product for summer and is a designed to be creamy and long-wearing. We haven’t put them to the test ourselves, but we saw the lovely Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog just posted a review. Click here to check it out!

Smashbox has been making news lately – it was announced this week that the brand has been acquired by Estee Lauder. According to Estee Lauder, “Smashbox fits perfectly within our DNA.” Can’t argue there! We think Smashbox is a fabulous brand, that actually fits perfectly with our DNA too. Especially Smashbox’s ‘Highlights’ Creamy Cheek Color from the new Naked Beauty collection.

It’s really a very simple product that is perfection. Two equal halves - one part creamy highlighter the other creamy blush. The highlighter is a soft pink with minimal shimmer, so impossible to overdo, and the blush is a rosy pink. It’s actually like three products in one because when you blend the two together, you get a softer pink blush. You can also achieve dewy skin using using the highlighter on the high points of your face over a tinted moisturizer. Skip the setting powder and you’ve got a summery glow. I absolutely love this product!

Speaking of Smashbox, next week they will be releasing their holiday Wish collection. This collection does a little more than just sit around looking pretty, this one actually gives back. For every product purchased from the Wish collection, Smashbox will donate $1 to the Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization that provides medical care, life-saving research and on-going education to sick and injured children.

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Smashbox has been seriously impressing me with each of their recent collections. The one that is out in stores now is their Reign collection. Inspired by the rule of the English Tudors, the packaging in this collection is regal and the color in the products are rich and decadent. Here’s what’s in this collection:

• Doubletake Lip Color: these jumbo lip pencils have lip liner on one end and creamy color on the other end. Comes in Currant (matte deep berry) and Amaretto (matte peachy pink).
• Lip Gloss: Crowned (shimmery peachy pink) is the perfect shade to go over the Amaretto Doubletake Lip Color.
• Lash DNA Mascara: this mascara has a Plum (shimmering black plum) shade for this collection. Plum lashes are to die for!
• Fusion Blush: this blush duo has two peachy shades in one compact. Regal is matte peachy nude on one side and shimmering peachy nude on the other.
• Eyeshadow Palettes: available in Majesty (matte champagne, shimmering champagne, matte fuchsia, shimmering fuchsia, matte black, shimmering black) and Monarch (matte soft gold, shimmering soft gold, matte copper, shimmering copper, matte deep brown, shimmering deep brown). The lightest shimmering shade also doubles as a highlighter. Try applying it to the inner corners of eyes, down bridge of nose and above the brows.
• Jet Set Palette: the cream liner known for its smudge-proof, budge-proof finish that lasts comes in Reign with matte black, matte dark brown, metallic gold andmetallic brown shades.

Have you picked up anything from the Smashbox Reign collection for fall? Let us know all about it in the comments.

Did you really need another reason to love QVC’s beauty coverage? No! They are going to give us another reason anyway. Right now QVC is taking pre-orders for Smashbox’s Halo Hydrating Eyeshadow to be shipped in mid-October.

Right now the set comes with 2 shades and 2 Smashbox brushes in #3 and #10, perfect for applying color all over your lid and giving your crease some definition. There are 4 sets to choose from; Petal/Plum, Pewter/Smoke (I want!), Soft Peach/Cocoa and Bisque/Almond.

I haven’t ordered mine yet but it’s only a matter of time before I do, the presentation on QVC last week reeled me in… that and Holly Mordini is just too adorable for words. Are you going to order?

Meet my new favorite palette, the Smashbox Seychelles Pretty in Peep Toes palette. Isn’t it pretty? The vintage packaging drew my eye to this palette, who can really resist a cute little pinup gal? Not me! Once I was reeled in by the packaging, I discovered how gorgeous this little palette really is… it was love at first sight.

Just add lipstick and mascara and you have a complete look with this Smashbox Seychelles Pretty in Peep Toes palette. It features 1 cream eyeliner in a rich brown shade, 5 eyeshadows including 4 everyday-wear friendly shades and 1 funkier teal shade, a soft gold powder highlighter and a pretty peach blush. All of the products are richly pigmented, especially the teal eyeshadow… it packs a punch! The gold highlighter blends into the skin really well, it’s not the least bit chunky or glittery leaving a nice sheen on the skin. I love that this palette is versatile enough to give you a neutral, everyday look and a completely opposite, funkier, bolder look . See what I mean? Versatile…

If that’s not enough, when you’re done with the palette, take out the insert and you’re left with a mirrored checkbook in a soft pink shade and brushed gold buckle inspired by Seychelles. You can find the Smashbox Seychelles Pretty in Peep Toes online and at Nordstrom.

Isn’t this adorable? I happen to think so. It’s got all the shades I’m interested in for Spring.

The Smashbox Beauty Guru Palette was designed by the Smashbox Beauty Guru contest winner Andria Woods and includes 3 shadows, a cream liner, blush, bronzer, 3 lip colors, a gloss and a “Get the Look” book.

I just want to get my hands on it to try some of that purple shadow liner… it’s so pretty.

Have you checked out the new Smashbox’s Muse collection for Spring 2009 yet? When I first started playing with it, I was drawn to the Artist Eye Palette but once I took a deeper look at the rest of the collection, I found a few new products I’m really crushing on big time right now.

The Artist Eye Palette in Muse features shades in tones of biscuit, chocolate, soft green, dark celery green, light silver-blue, dark blue-grey, sheer lilac, deep orchid, rose copper and coffee. It also includes a brush for easy application.

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Do you ever have products that you love in the store and then when you bring them home, you forget about them? That’s what happened with me and this palette until I found it again last night.

The
Smashbox Shockwave Fusion Eye & Cheek Palette is so adorable. It features four shimmering shadows in hues of blue, green, beige and brown then two alternating blushes in pink and rose. With the exception of your lips and mascara, you can do your whole face with this palette so you can make a little room for it in your makeup bag.

Today I’m wearing the sand shade all over the lid with a little bit of the brown in the crease. The shimmer is completely buildable. I’m wearing it a little on the lighter side so it’s not overwhelming at all but you could pack the color on with a brush for a more intense effect. When you consider you’re really getting four eyeshadows and two blushes in this palette, the price is not too bad. The only thing I’d change is the pull out compartment for the blush, it’s a little tough to slide out. Something double sided like previous palettes would have been better. Overall though, take a look at this palette next time you’re near a Smashbox counter.

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our new giveaway!

Smashbox’s O-Gloss lipgloss debuted on QVC earlier today. I was so excited about this that I set my DVR to record the show. The O-Gloss was inspired by the success of their O-Glow cheek gel. The new lip gloss claims to transform to give a custom pink pout that’s universally flattering. It looked great on each model on the show earlier today so I caved in and ordered a tube but we’ll see how it performs. I’ll definitely let you all know how it works once I get it. If you missed today’s 2 Smashbox presentations, don’t fret! You still have time to catch or DVD the 11pm EST presentation. This product will be exclusive to QVC for the time being.

The other day I was catching up on my DVR recordings and I was watching the 3 hour beauty show on QVC. I realized that QVC is becoming much more relevant in the world of beauty and have started to offer exclusive products way before they hit retail shelves. This product is a good example of this.

This is Smashbox’s Halo Hydrating Perfecting Face Powder in Fair. It is a pressed powder that converts to a loose powder with the help of a built in shaver that produces loose powder on demand. It also includes a handy brush for application. What’s unique about the sale of this product is that QVC customers get first dibs. If you place an advance order now, you save over 35% of the retail cost and you get long before it hits the shelves in 2008. Interesting… right?

This product is also a little different because it’s meant to give skin a glowing, hydrated look. It features Gogi-berry, an antioxidant, and is infused with encapsulated water. The idea is that this powder will not settle into lines. While I didn’t order it, I’m very intrigued by this product. I’d love to see what kind of coverage it gives as a foundation.