Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfection Shadow Duos

Smashbox cosmetics company came out with their Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder over a year ago, and, no pun intended, it made quite a smash. It contains pure gold as well as 48 other minerals, 11 amino acids, and a peptide to create the perfect anti-aging powder and flawless finish. It comes in a compact with a shaver to give you just the amount that you want. Their clinical studies showed that within just 10 minutes of applying it, you'd see a 33% decrease in the wrinkles around the eyes, and after 6 weeks of regular use, a 67% decrease in the overall lines and wrinkles on your face.

How to top that? With Halo Hydrating Perfecting Eyeshadow Duos ($36 each). These duos come in four combos: soft peach and cocoa, pewter and smoke, bisque and almond, and petal and plum. Each duo is in a single compact, with the lighter shade in a ring around the outside, and the darker shade in the center. Like the Perfecting Powder, you turn the shaver to make the amount of powder shadow you want to use.

According to Smashbox, the Halo Hydrating Perfecting Shadows aren't like other powder shadows that settle in those nasty fine lines on our eyelids that form as we get, well, more mature. No, these shadows smooth your eyelids and "dramatically" reduce those fine lines in a mere 10 minutes, and in 30 minutes, 84% of women thought their eyes looked more youthful. Again, from the clinical studies, after 4 weeks eyelid skin looks less crepey, and 96% of women felt they looked younger. In addition to the ingredients found in the Perfecting Powder, the Perfecting Shadows include goji berry, and a silk peptide-soy complex, along with Smashbox's patented hydration system. Smashbox suggests you use their #15 Definer Brush ($28) to layer the color(s) until you get the look you want.

The eyeshadow duos debuted on QVC as a set of one duo with two brushes, the #10 crease brush and the #3 blend brush, recommending that the lighter color be applied with the #3 and the darker color with the #10. If you read the customer reviews on QVC, you may wonder if they're all writing about the same product, as the reviews range from one star to five. Here's my take on them.

It's really hard to get just the amount of color that you want when you shave some powder off, and if you have too much, and put the compact away without emptying out the extra, it will mix if you're not really careful. Second, it's next to impossible to get the #3 brush into the light color. The #15 brush, which I also have, works a little better, but not much. The crease brush is also no prize with this product, and while Smashbox brushes are very high quality and last a long time with proper care, they are not inexpensive.

The colors are all fairly neutral, and they go on very light. Hence the instructions to layer the product, no doubt. The colors are good colors for almost any complexion, with the possible exception of the petal and plum, which could look bruise-like on pale skin. The eyeshadow feels very good going on: slightly cool and definitely hydrating, and it does smooth onto the lid. However, I didn't notice any change in fine lines after 10 minutes or even 30 minutes, nor did I think they made my eyes look more youthful. I haven't worn them every day for 4 weeks (I only have one duo; the other in the photo is my sister's, which I borrowed so you could see it), because I don't like to wear the same color every day, so I can't give you feedback on that.

All things considered, I don't think I'll be buying another Halo Hydrating Perfection Shadow Duo. I think the price is too high for what you get, and the difficulty in application outweighs the pleasant feeling of your skin when you finally get the color onto it. If each shadow was sold separately, instead of the duo packaging, so that it was easier to get the color out (and each color was a little less pricey), I might consider it. Smashbox has historically gotten a lot of complaints about their packaging, and while they've fixed the Photo Finish Foundation Primer and the foundation, these new Halo Hydrating duos need some work.

If you can visit a Smashbox counter (where I live, there isn't one), give the Hydrating Halo shadow duos a try before you make up your mind buying them, if you're not put off by the price. Remember too that they will last a very, very long time. I haven't even made a dent in my Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfection Powder, and I've had that for over a year and use it regularly (has it made a difference in my skin? Since great genes and sunscreen have given me very smooth and so far unwrinkled skin, I can't say). Also, don't feel that you must use the Smashbox brushes. They're make-up artist quality, but drugstore brushes can do the job for half the price or less.

(source: http://www.smashbox.com/HALO-HYDRATING-PERFECTING-SHADOW-DUO )