Happy Wednesday! Today I have a full review of the Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette that I recently purchased from Sephora (see my haul HERE). Even though I don’t wear eyeshadow often, I’ve been trying to branch out more. I thought this palette would be perfect, because I’ve heard great things about Smashbox, but also because it’s small enough that I can take it with me whenever I travel. I’ve tested out all of the shades now, so let me go ahead and share swatches and my review with you!
The Full Exposure Travel Palette is a very compact palette. It comes in sleek black packaging that is about the size of a credit card, just a bit thicker. There are eight shadows inside this palette, and a good size mirror. Four of the shadows are shimmers, and four are mattes. I love that you can do so many different eyeshadow looks with just this one palette!
Here are swatches of the four shimmer shades, from left to right: Chocolate Brown, Soft Gold, Light Tan, and Mid-Tone Slate. I’m not loving the formulas on these shimmer shadows, except for Light Tan which is beautiful. I find the others to be a bit on the chalky side, but I’m hoping once I get below the surface of the shadow they will be more blendable. I’m not too mad about this, though, because I am a huge fan of matte shadows!
Here are the matte shades, from left to right: Matte Warm Chocolate Brown, Soft Matte Mid-Tone Tan, Creamy Matte Beige, and Ashy Dark Brown. I am loving each of these shades! They are so pigmented and blend out really nicely. I recently did an eyeshadow look for the daytime using Creamy Matte Beige and Matte Warm Chocolate Brown and it came out really nice. I can’t wait to use these more!
All in all, I’m glad I invested in the Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette. It’s a great little palette to have if you’re starting to get into the eyeshadow world, or if you’re looking to simplify your collection. You can purchase this palette on Sephora’s website HERE for $24.00. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you own or plan on purchasing this palette!
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Here is a look at my color coding for the star jar. I’ll put in a pink star every day that I work out, a purple star for every day that I take my doctor-recommended vitamins, and a yellow star for every pound I lose. I’m hoping to put in at least 100 pink stars and 200 purple stars by the time the year comes to a close. I’m not putting a goal on weight, just so I don’t dwell on it.
I purchased the BROWdrama in the shade 250 Blonde because I have dark blonde hair, and I find anything for brunettes is way too dark for me. The kit comes with a brow wax, brow powder, highlight powder, a double-sided angled brush, and a spoolie brush. I love that you get everything you need for a complete brow look. I would have liked a mini pair of tweezers in the kit, too. That is one benefit that the Milani kit has over this one. That being said, I am very impressed with the quality of this palette. 
Here are swatches of the wax, powder, and highlight. As you can see, the wax is only slightly pigmented. I’ve never used a brow wax before, and I have to say I’m surprised at how much I like it! I apply the wax first, and it does a great job at keeping my brows shaped. I no longer have to use a brow gel! Then I apply the powder, which is the perfect shade for my brows. I’m so glad I finally found a true match! Plus, the powder is great quality. I do not experience any fallout, but it also blends really well. Last but not least is the highlight. This is the one product in the palette I’m not thrilled about because it is a bit on the glittery side. However, it is decent quality and most days I do wear it. I also wanted to mention that I have been using the brushes included in the palette, and they do a great job.
Here is a quick look at what the SinfulShine bottles look like. They are the same as the regular SinfulColors nail polish, but the bottle caps are a chrome finish. Step 1 is on the left, and is the regular nail polish color called Shining Couture. Step 2, on the right, is the SinfulShine Top Coat. Both bottles had the same directions, which were to add two coats.
Shining Couture is a blue nail polish with green, bronze, and gold shimmer. The formula is good, but because it is a jelly formula, it is not opaque with two coats. Nonetheless, I then applied the Top Coat in two layers as well. My first impression of this nail polish was that it had a very strong odor. While I’m no stranger to the nail polish smell, this scent was way over the top. In addition, my manicure took a full hour before it was completely dry. That is much longer than I usually have to wait, so I wasn’t happy about that. The main problem, however, was that the polish began peeling off my nails the day after I applied it. That’s right, my manicure didn’t even last 24 hours!
Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu
First up are the items that I purchased! I usually try to aim for $50 even, but this time I went a bit over that amount. I just decided to get some extra goodies!
Next up, I used a coupon code from the Weekly Specials page to score this little makeup bag filled with sample products. While I’m not the biggest fan of foil packets, they are great for travel. I am really excited for the makeup bag, though! I use pouches for everything in my purse and luggage – cords, pens and pencils, accessories, and more. Always make sure to use a coupon code when you shop at Sephora!
Last but not least, I got my three free samples. I love Atelier perfume samples, and I’ve heard great things about Rita Hazan hair care. The last sample on the right is a Peter Thomas mask, so that will be fun to try, too. I have entire drawer of samples in my makeup collection, so these will be added to the pile.
Here is a look at the three tiny bottles in the trio. They come with a traditional doe foot applicator, which I don’t mind when it comes to liquid lip products. I love the black and gold accents on the caps as well.
I wanted to share with you a one coat swatch of each product on my arm because I wear 2-3 coats on my lips. From left to right is: Sugar, Heartthrob, and Dahlia. You can see that Sugar is the most pigmented and creamy, and Dahlia is the least pigmented. I’ll talk about each formula more in the individualized swatches below, but I do want to point out that although these are all from the same makeup line, the formulas vary a lot. There is no consistency here unfortunately.
The first shade in the trio is Sugar. This is the shade that I owned as a sample previously and really loved. It is a beautiful mauve pink that is a ‘my lips but better’ color for me. I applied two coats of Sugar and allowed the first layer to dry before adding a second. I love how opaque and pigmented this lip stain is. It feels nice on the lips, and I know I’ll be wearing it often!
Next up is Heartthrob, a bright red shade. I immediately noticed a difference in Heartthrob’s formula in comparison to Sugar. It is quite liquidy, and I found it really difficult to apply. As you can see from my swatch, clean-up was hard, too. Because these are lip stains, they stain the skin upon application. I’m not a fan of Heartthrob because if a lip product is hard for me to apply and makes a mess, it’s one I’m going to avoid!
Last but not least is Dahlia, a dark berry purple shade. I also had issues with Dahlia’s formula. It was very sheer and took about three coats before I got a full coverage look. It also applied very patchy – you know that creepy ring around the lips look? Yeah, I had a lot of trouble avoiding it! While the end result is quite pretty, I’d rather find a different product that is the same shade with a better formula.
First up is Ireland, a dusty green shade. All of the polishes in the Whispers Collection have a cream formula, which I really love. Ireland is stunning, and is opaque in two coats. I really love green nail polishes, and this one is gorgeous.
Next up is Lake, a beautiful baby blue polish. Lake has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. While the blue is definitely a paler shade, it is still very pigmented. It reminds me of winter and snow for sure! I also have to mention the high-gloss finish these polishes all have. I’m not wearing a top coat in any of these photos!
The next polish is Misty, a taupe nail polish that I would describe as a mushroom shade. Misty also has an excellent formula, and is opaque in two coats. I love neutral polishes in the winter and spring, and I think this is a shade that will look good on everyone no matter the skin tone.
Next up is Cala, another neutral polish, this time an off-white, cream shade. Cala has a good formula, but it is a bit on the thin side so I applied three thin coats for opacity. Cala is my perfect neutral polish! It goes really well with my complexion, and can be worn for any occasion.
My favorite polish in the collection is April, a pale pink polish. April’s formula is also a bit on the thin side, so I applied three coats for the opaque look I desired. I’ve tried a lot of light pinks in the past, and the reason I love April so much is because it is more of a subdued pink. I would wear this on the daily, especially at an office job!
Last but not least is Eastyn, a purple polish that is in the mauve family. Eastyn has a great formula that is opaque in two coats. I’m loving this shade of purple! I think it is so refreshing that the Whispers Collection manages to have pigmented polishes that aren’t bright. It’s on trend, and a current favorite of mine for sure!
