The last time I was at my local Ulta store to exchange the broken FOREO LUNA Mini 3 for a working one, I decided to roam around since I hadn’t been in the store in months. It was fun to look at makeup and skincare products in person rather than just online.
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I sought out Smashbox Always On Cream Shadow because I remember women talking about it in one of the makeup enthusiast groups I belong to on Facebook. They’re matte creams that come in squeeze tubes.
You know I am a fan of cream eyeshadow of all types, so I decided to try a few of the shades on my arm. I opened the tube, cleaned it off with alcohol, squeezed a little bit onto a Qtip and applied it to my arm. I checked out four shades:
- Guava: red brick
- Olive: olive green, a green-gold
- Rose: rose pink
- Greige: gray-beige
Walking around the store with an arm full of mousse-like cream shadow swatches was no easy task. By the time I walked over to the shop window at the front of the store to take a photo where it was brighter, I managed to sort of make a mess and the shades blotted, but you can still get the idea of what the colors look like.
The mousse cream formula was more like the cream shadows that come in tubes with doe-foot applicators, but these don’t have an applicator. Applying with a finger or a brush seems to be the way to go. This type of cream shadow is best for a monochromatic look.
Smashbox describes the shades as “vibrant matte color that won’t crease, cake or smudge”. There are 12 shades (neutrals and jewel tones) on the Smashbox website, 10 shades at Ulta and Sephora (mostly neutrals).
What interests me is not only the opaque matte shades, but the fact that they are primer infused. I’m always searching for my tube of eye primer, so it would be fun to try going without having to apply primer first.
They’re vegan and cruelty-free. $22 a tube. They’re sold on the Smashbox website, at Ulta and Sephora.
The next time Ulta has a 20% off coupon, I will probably give Olive a try, and I was happy to read that they suggest Olive for blue and gray eyes. The consumer reviews are amazing.
Any interest in these? Have you tried Smashbox Always On Cream Shadow?
Ingredients: Isododecane, Lauroyl Lysine, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dextrin Palmitate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Microcrystalline Wax\Cera Microcristallina\Cire Microcristalline, Zinc Stearate, Octyldodecanol, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax\Candelilla Cera\Cire De Candelilla, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cetyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Styrene/Methyl Styrene/Indene Copolymer, Hydrogenated Styrene/ Isoprene Copolymer, Silica, Laureth-4, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Aluminum Powder (CI 77000), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Blue 1 (CI 42090), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Bronze Powder (CI 77400), Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Copper Powder (CI 77400), Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140).
Olive is my pick as well! These are very pretty, and I love a good cream shadow!
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The rose and greige! I love those colors! I’ve been having fun with m stick shadows. I wish I could find more brands that have them but so far I’ve only found 2
Hmmm, I know there are more than two brands with stick shadows, but right now I can’t think of all of them. There’s Cargo, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, e.l.f., Laura Geller, NudeStix, NARS, Thrive, NYX. Clinique, Juice Beauty, and I know there’s even more.
These look so dry to me that I think they’d look aging. I know the swatches aren’t a great representation of them but these don’t excite me.
I definitely understand why you feel that they look dry. Doing swatches in the store with Qtips isn’t the way to go. I agree with you, the swatches look awful. But I think applied with a finger or a brush, they would be better. I put them on way too thick, but still they didn’t feel dry. I will probably buy Olive when there’s a sale. These are one of Courtney’s favorite eyeshadows from a mainstream brand, and the reviews are incredibly positive. So for me, it probably will be worth buying one on sale to try.
I might give these a try myself as, like you, I am always rustling around looking for my darn primer.
I think picking one up on sale is worth it. I first heard about them from Courtney who really liked them. My swatches are awful because I just squirted some on in the store, but they seem promising
Courtney is definitely one whose recs I really trust, just like I do yours.