Smashbox Light It Up - Review, Products and Discount Code

Smashbox Light It Up

If you're like me and you don't like spending a lot of money on make up you're not sure you'll like then you probably go for the gift boxes to give everything a try before you purchase the larger version of it. Since I've heard such amazing things about the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and their glosses I decided to buy the Smashbox Light It Up gloss to go set and the face, eyes and lips set as the gloss to go set offers five different colour glosses and the face, eyes and lip set has the primer I have been dying to try in it with a creme highlighter, mascara and lipstick. The face, eyes and lips set cost £25 reduced to £16.67 and the gloss to go set cost £25 as well reduced to £15.78 (out of stock now) making them a steal considering how much you get in both the sets. Looking through the website they have amazing offers on their sets including a Primer Authority set I will be buying as I've fell in love with their primers!.

Gloss To Go Set

Since I haven't used glosses since I was in primary school it was weird at first to put the almost sticky liquid on my lips after wearing matte lipsticks for so long now. I found them refreshingly moisturising considering the fact that I've been using matte lipsticks for so long and how drying of the lips they are. They lasted about 3 hours with the first coat, having to top it up after eating and drinking as it sits on top of the lips not sinking in. They have high pigmentation, for a gloss, leaving your lips looking almost the same colour as it looks in the tubes. Overall for all of them together in the set with how cheap they are I find it a really valuable kit for your collection weather you like
glosses or not as for a few natural looking make up days and over matte lipsticks for a more dramatic look these are perfect!.

Face, Eyes and Lips

If you've heard of Smashbox before you've probably heard about their primers! and boy do they have a lot of them! with prices ranging from £12.50 for a travel size and £32 for a jumbo size. In the face, eyes and lips set you get a travel size of their most popular primer, the photo finish foundation primer, which leaves your face feeling as soft as a baby and your make up can last all night without anything apart from proper make up remover. This oil-free gel primer only needs a small amount and it goes a long way, I only use around a pea size amount for my whole face focusing the most of my t zone. I've not had any break outs from having this under my make up where others I've used have clogged my pours making a few break outs happen even when I exfoliate when I come back in for the day. This is 100% one I would buy again! 

The L.A. Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Colour (Hollywood and Highlight) in the set is small enough to carry around in your clutch on a night out and packs a glowing punch! If you're more
into light reflecting dazzling highlighter then this is perfect for you! Overall I'm not keen on creme highlighters so I've gave it to my sister as she hasn't really tried highlighter before and you can blend it out really well into your make up. This one isn't something I would purchase again but if you do then it costs £25 on their website.

The Be Legendary Cream Lipstick (in the shade Legendary) is a bright festive red perfect for the Holiday season, however I don't find that it lasts as long as other brands I've tried before and smudges quite easily. I always look for long wearing, almost smudge proof lipsticks and I know this isn't a liquid so won't last as long as one and I know every regular lipstick does smudge slightly and wears off over time but I only had this on for about an hour maybe two and it was gone only leaving a smudge where my lip has touched my chin while eating. It does leave a slight stain on the lips turning them slightly pinker which is a bonus. These cost £17.50 for the full size and do have a lot of nicer shades. 

The Full Exposure Mascara has got to be one of the nicest volume building mascaras I own now, the small size from the set makes it hard to use sometimes as its big, thick brush takes up most of the wand and I don't really like holding it so close to the actual wand. Over all it is nice but with the travel size of it from the kit and the face the wand is so big compared to where you hold it's not my most favourite but with the volume building it keeps a place in my make up collection. The full size version costs £19.50 

Discount Code

Get $10 off when you spend £40 on your order with discount code LIGHTITUP on www.smashbox.co.uk

Battle Of The Primers - Benefit Porefessional Primer vs Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Battle Of The Primers

When it comes to primers there are tons to choose from, most brands have their own, but these are two of the most popular primers than I have found online. These cult classics have wormed their way into most make up collections and I want to see which one offers the longest wear and nicest feel on the skin. Both of these primers are oil-free, help to reduce the sights of pores and can be worn with or without foundation. The Benefit Porefessional it tinted unlike the Smashbox Photo Finish and feel different on the skin with the Porefessional laying more heavy on the skin than the Photo Finish. I love both of these primers with them both being oil-free and doesn't give me break outs like some other primers I have used before.

 I am going to start with the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer as this is the one that I use the less out of the two. You only need around a pea size of the primer as a little goes a long way with this one, it almost feels like silk when you rub it in with your fingers leaving a satin finish to the skin. It gives you a slight glow which looks natural and I'm not sure if it is because of the Vitamins inside the formula or the fact my pores looked almost blurred smaller than usual. It was strange putting foundation on over because of how nice my skin felt just wearing the primer on its own, normally I can't wait to put on my foundation on but with this I could happily just wear it knowing my skin has a natural glow and you can't see any of the pores you can normally see. The first time I wore it was New Years Eve and all of my foundation stayed put the whole night, even my eye shadow didn't budge when I put some on my lids before doing it. If you want an all purpose primer which makes your skin feel baby soft then this is defiantly for you! The travel size is only $12.50 but you can get a larger tube of it for $32.00 on their website now. 

I can safely say that I use the Benefit Porefessional every day, it is tinted and a lot thicker than the Smashbox Photo Finish primer but for every day use it is amazing. I only use this on my t-zone and my chin instead of everywhere like the Photo Finish as it took a few days for my skin to get used to how thick this primer is. It covers dark circles under the eye really well as the tint to it seems to mask the purple and make them seem less big. I do occasionally use this as a base for my eye shadow if I have a few veins showing that day and it works well for keeping the eye shadow in place unlike concealer which sometimes lets it smudge. I do like Benefit and have always wanted to try this primer as I've heard and seen such good things about it but the more I use it the more I am slightly disappointed. It does require a lot of blending unlike the Smashbox where you gently rub into the face. The weight of it sometimes makes me want to exfoliated half way through the day even underneath light weight BB Cream or light weight foundation. This only comes in  one size for $24.50 on their website.

Over all both of the primers do their job and keep foundation in place all day and night without requiring a top up and look good if you just want to wear them on your own. If you have darker skin then I wouldn't recommend the Benefit Porefessional as it is a tinted primer and it is quite light, anything past Olive I think would be too dark for this primer. The prices are mostly the same, but Smashbox do offer a travel size one (for cheaper) so you can have a chance to try it out without having to spend the full amount for the larger tube. If you do not like heavier make up then I must say the Benefit one wouldn't be for you and personally I would save my money for the Smashbox. They are both amazing primers, made by amazing companies and I can see why they are cult classics now.

https://www.benefitcosmetics.com/uk/en-gb/product/the-porefessional-face-primer

http://www.smashbox.co.uk/product/6038/42523/face/primer/travel-size-photo-finish-foundation-primer-classic/travel-size/index.tmpl

SiliSponges - Are They Worth The Hype?

Molly Cosmetics Shipping
Packaging

 Molly Cosmetics SiliSponge

SiliSponges, they're everywhere now a days with Molly Cosmetics already on their 10th restock of the product! They promote their product with the fact you only have to use half as much product to which you normally use with a regular beauty blender or brush. Obviously foundation is expensive and if this little silicone sponge can make it last longer its worth a purchase! So what is is made from? The inner material is made from silicone and the outer shell is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) which makes it resistant to oil and grease. Wanting to try this out for myself I then wondered... If it's just silicone surely you can buy it on eBay for cheaper? Molly Cosmetics SiliSponge costing $14.90 on sale for two isn't an every few months cost when you can get beauty blenders for around $5 each. I found a person from Hong Kong (where Molly Cosmetics is based) selling them for $2 so I ordered one just to compare to the official SiliSponge.

First Impressions of the eBay SiliSponge 

Molly Cosmetics Silisponge (top)
eBay replica (bottom)

 The eBay SiliSponge arrived first as I didn't need to be on a waiting list for it so about 2 weeks later it arrived in the post. Not having the Molly Cosmetics SiliSponge to compare to straight away I thought it was a bit firm for my liking but putting a single pump of my foundation on the small silicone blender actually managed to cover my entire face where one pump would usually be almost half my face a little down my neck from blending. The eBay SiliSponge not only felt a little harder than I expected but has a ridge around it where they moulded the two pieces together to make it which seems to collect some of the foundation and isn't easy to get it off without using your finger. Cleaning is easy though with a dab of soap and running it under water (just not hot enough to do any damage to it).

 First Impressions of the Molly Cosmetics SiliSponge

Both Molly Cosmetics Silisponges

Both Molly Cosmetics Silisponges

Around two weeks after the first eBay SiliSponge arrived the little Molly Cosmetics bag was waiting for me at home when I finished work, I could tell instantly from seeing Jeffree Stars review on the product and their little logo on it. Excited I opened it seeing both the SiliSponges in their separate bags. As soon as |I felt these SiliSponges I could tell the difference between the Molly Cosmetic and eBay one as the Molly Cosmetics isn't as hard as the eBay one is and doesn't have exactly the same shape. The Molly Cosmetics one hasn't got as sharper on the edges as the eBay one is and has a bigger service area and has more of a flat back rather than the eBay one has more of a rounded back making it harder on the skin when you're smoothing the foundation on the skin. It spreads the product on the skin a lot smoother but there isn't much difference with both of the SiliSponges apart from the Molly Cosmetics is softer on the skin, easier to control and doesn't collect foundation around the edges like the eBay one does. 

Over View Of Both Products

All in all both of the SiliSponges work as they should, giving an even spread of foundation onto the skin looking more flawless than with a brush or beauty blender. I'm not sure how long these will last for as this is the first time using them but on the website Molly Cosmetics wrote 'Keep away from sharp objects like your tweezers or brow scissors, and it will last for a very long time!'



If you fancy trying it out for yourself you can find them in the links below:

https://www.mollycosmeticsshop.com/collections/silisponge

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silicone-Gel-Powder-Puff-Clear-Makeup-Blending-Cosmetic-Sponge-Foundation-Tools/201780842266?_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985&_trkparms=aid%3D777003%26algo%3DDISCL.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160608105753%26meid%3D2b786a571284474c89397be2e9a76ac9%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D201757335515