Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow (Stone)

The good news is that Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow in Stone is a beautiful product. The texture is creamy and blendable, it can be applied heavily or lightly, sheered into a delicate wash of color or used as a strong accent (see swatch: I blended  outwards from the center). Stone is a complex neutral shade (Smashbox described it as a "deep olive grey"), the shimmer is tasteful, and it goes well with many colors and looks. The eye shadow doesn't crease or flake, and once set, it doesn't smudge, making it great for use under the bottom lashes for a smoky effect.

The bad news is that there's no way Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow will hold for 15 hours, even with a primer. It has to be set into place with a powder eye shadow, though when applied as a smoky liner on the bottom lashes it has enough ground to hold and stay put for longer. As I said, the cream shadow doesn't crease, but it fades quite a bit, leaving only a faint trace on the lid. Used as a base for a powder eye shadow things hold nicely, but I would say more in the range of 8-10 hours than the promised 15.

I posted a makeup look using Stone earlier today.

Bottom Line: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow ($19) is available at Ulta, Sephora, Nordstrom and smashbox.com.