It's 28 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside, but we're going to try and feel all excited about spring, since the new color collections are pouring in. Teal, turquoise, baby blue- they are everywhere. Used right and in moderation- as accents and little pops of color- they work on just about anyone. I love to use them as liners or just above the top lashes and blend carefully with neutrals, so when I first saw Smashbox Heartbreaker eye shadow palette in Hot Date it was exactly what I had in mind for such a look.
The good news is the colors- very pretty. The four beige-browns are neutral with a mostly warm cast and you can't go wrong with them. The teal (Azure) is absolutely gorgeous, as is the mint green. The latter is cool and tends towards blue; it brings out brown eyes beautifully and you only need a hint of it. Most of the colors have a delicate sheen/shimmer (the lightest and the darkest shades are matte), Azure has some silver particles that don't really transfer to skin (a good thing, if you ask me), at least in modest application. The very soft texture lends itself to blending, which is extra important with these colors.
Which brings us to the not so good news. The texture isn't just soft, it's also very (VERY) crumbly, as you can see in the swatch photos. I've tried them with several brushes in various thickness and softness levels, but there's always a lot of fallout which requires careful cleanup of face and counter top. I didn't have a big problem with the staying power, as I used a primer and a super light dusting of setting powder, but you'd have to agree that it's a bit much in the maintenance department. The crumbling and fallout are also annoying when you consider how small the palette actually is. This isn't one of the Bobbi Brown generous size compacts. The whole Heartbreaker palette is a little longer than a credit card, so considering it hosts 6 pans you understand how little you get of each color. Normally I wouldn't mind- I'm all for undersizing. But too much product goes to waste because of the texture.
Bottom line: Pretty, but we deserve better.
Smashbox Heartbreaker palttes ($34. Other than Hot Date there's also Kiss n'Tell in pink and violet) are available from Sephora and smashbox.com. It was first launched several weeks ago on QVC and I ordered it then.
All photos (above) are mine.
P.S. I absolutely hate the Heartbreaker look in the promotional photo. It's bordering on vulgar:
Is it on the border? I think not. Vulgar is quite appropriate.
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