This week I am pleased to share a collection of Smashbox and Tony & Tina reviews from our Panelist Kristen. Enjoy!

Kristen is a 26 year-old government employee and mother of one from a Texas town just east of Houston. Kristen frequently makes trips to Houston for cosmetics and skincare and the people at the Laura Mercier counter and the Sephora store know her by name. In fact, she named every color on one of the makeup artist's face and she offered Kristen a job working for Laura Mercier! She has combination skin that is exacerbated in the summer (due to the extreme humidity in Texas) and normal to dry in the winter. She is acne prone with redness around the nose and chin and a handful of red acne scars, which she is always looking for something to even those out. Until then she has settled into finding the perfect foundation/concealer/powder system to cover it. Kristen has large, almond-shaped blue/green eyes that she considers to be her best feature. She is a natural brunette but highlights so it's blonde and "Julia Robert's curly" that she straightens. Kristen's real joy is not finding the perfect product for herself, but applying makeup on someone else and watch them stare in the mirror for 30 minutes in awe. Have a question for Kristen? Email her here.

Take it away, Kristen!

Smashbox Lip and Lid Primer ($22)
The packaging of this product is neat because it's double ended with the lid primer on one end and the lip primer on the other. The product itself looks like the lipstick concealer of the 1980's. The primers look exactly the same in that they are both flesh colored. I thought that to be a bit odd since one goes on your lips and the other on your skin. The primer for the lid is just like a concealer. It smoothed on nicely and it covered veins and provided a canvas for applying eyeshadow, but as far as it making my eyeshadow stay on longer, it didn't. I found that my eye makeup had the same longevity whether or not I wore this product. You can use your own foundation or concealer to cover veins and provide an even color to your eyes. The primer for the lips was interesting. I put it on and it looked like I put foundation all over my lips. After all, it is flesh toned with a creamy, concealer-like texture. Here's where it got interesting. I put the primer on and applied my new lip-gloss from smashbox, which is a pretty dark wine color. It made the color of my gloss completely change! It looked like I applied a nice, nude color to my lips! And I actually liked the color the primer morphed it into. I had similar results with other lipcolors and glosses. It didn't do a thing to keep my lipstick on longer, but it was interesting seeing what it would do to the colors. Since the texture of the lip primer is like a stick foundation and it goes on your lips as such, I guess I wasn't totally surprised when it changed the lipcolors, but to change a dark color into a nude color was a surprise indeed! The usefulness of this product is zilch. Don't waste your money on it. Just keep reapplying, honey!

Smashbox Photo Matte Compact Anti-Shine in Smashing 4 ($28)
Since I suffer from oily skin most of the year in the infamously hot and humid state of Texas, I am always looking for some miracle product that will combat the oiliness I experience. I don't often make it through the workday without having to powder my nose or blot my face, so when I tried this product from smashbox, I was hoping that it would work for me. My results are mixed. The idea of this pressed powder is to combat shine while not adding any more powder to your face so you won't look cakey. It's housed in the signature smashbox packaging - a sleek, black compact. I applied it to my face during a time when it wasn't quite as oily as normal and I immediately felt dryness in my face - not the good kind, though. It made my face tight and a little uncomfortable. And don't spread it around like you would a normal pressed powder because since it's a drying powder, it made my makeup look splotchy. It's best to pat it on like you would if you were blotting. I can't say that I like this product a whole lot. I also used it when my face was acting like its normal self and I had to touch up by noon. I think I'll stick to my everyday pressed powder that just so happens to not make my face look cakey. I like a pressed powder for touchups as well as a freshener for my makeup during the day, but if you're not like me in that respect, I suggest you try it out before you buy it. It's an okay product, but if you have a nice pressed powder, I don't see the need for this separate product.

Smashbox Smokebox ($38)
Since I am in a "I-wanna-try-everything-from-smashbox" phase, I jumped at the chance for this incredible eyeshadow palette. I've had such great success with their eyeshadows that I was eager to get a hold of this set. I really love it! It houses 10 eyeshadows and the neat part is five of the colors are matte version and the other five is the matching color with shimmer. Clever idea. It comes with two eyeshadow applicators, too, which are completely useless, so use your own good brushes.

For the purpose of clarity, I will list out the colors as five colors only because each color has a matching shimmer shade. The set has the following colors: a peachy/champagne shade, a chocolatey brown shade, a mossy green shade, a navy blue shade and a grey gunmetal shade.

The peachy champagne shade is a really nice color. I am not a fan of peach, but this color really changed my mind. It provides a hint of color that is perfect for those who like to wear something on their eyes, but not a whole lot of color. The next color is a nice chocolately brown shade that really makes my green eyes stand out. I like to use this color to create the smoky eye look as well as lining my eyes after applying black eyeliner. The next color is a mossy green shade. It's a pretty shade, but I am not a fan of matte green shades, but I do like the corresponding shimmery shade. It's the sparkle that does it for me. The matte version is not good for blending; rather it needs to be placed. Next comes the navy blue shade. Again, the matte version is pretty, but it's not a color I like without the shimmer. The matte version is a little too dark for daytime use; it really packs a punch, but it's a good shade to line your eyes with. I also found that, like the matte green shade, it's not good for blending. Rather it's one of those shades you press on and I achieve this with my Laura Mercier Eye Colour brush, which is specifically used for placing color, not blending it. Last is the gunmetal grey shade. It's a great color to create the smoky eye with, but not to wear alone. It looks good when it's blended with other colors. I wore this color out one evening and it looked really nice when I applied it, but after a while, it looked like my eyes were tired and it didn't seem to keep its color as long. Too bad because this one is my favorite shade. However, not to let it go to waste, I line my lower lash line with it and it works better that way.

The shimmery shades were nice and provided some pizzazz to the matte shades. They weren't so shimmery in that only a teenager could wear them. I was actually able to wear them during the day, even if it was only to layer over my black eye liner.

All in all, I love this set and I look forward to trying more looks with it. If you like to really get down and dirty with eyeshadow and really take the time to apply the eyecolors, this is the perfect set. However, if you are looking for something to apply quick and easy, then this set is not for you because it took some patience for me to apply all of the colors (except the peach shade). These are definitely not foolproof shades and they don't just blend easily. It takes some work and the use of some really good brushes. I like to have fun with my eyes, but if you are not the least bit skilled in applying eyeshadow, skip this set.

To view the set, I'd suggest checking it out on Sephora.com because the picture shows an adequate representation of the colors.

Tony & Tina Herbal Powder Blush in Self-Made ($18)
This blush is pretty similar to the shade of blush I received from smashbox's beauty portfolio. It's a dark, winey-bronze color that really packs a punch. Apply with a light hand or you'll look way too done. I think the color is suitable for those with medium skin tones or darker. If you are fair with blonde hair, I don't think this color is for you. Also, blush is blush to me. I don't think there is a significant difference in the powder blushes out there unless you find a to-die-for shade. As far as texture, it was like other blushes similar in price and those that are cheaper. It did stay on all day, too.

Tony & Tina Nail Paint in Giddiness
This is a pretty fuschia shade. It went on nice and even and provided a pretty brightness to my nails. Like powder blush, however, I can't get too excited about it. I've had great luck with nail polishes that cost me $2.00 at the drugstore. Again, purchase if you find a shade you can't live without, but check out the drugstore first. With a plethora of shades and brands, you are likely to find something similar or an exact match. Nail polish is not something I spend a whole lot of money on.

Tony & Tina Color Intensity Eyeshadow in Reiki ($14)
This shade is your basic purple and it comes in a cute little container with a flip-top see-through lid with the Tony & Tina logo. It didn't smooth on well and required some blending, but it did blend well enough and provided an "intense" color to my eyes. I really couldn't get excited about the color. Purple, to me, is not for the faint of heart - at least not this color purple. After the evening wore on, it did the fading act and then I looked like I was sick. However, I would think that about all purple shades on me. Those of you with fair complexions might not care for this because the color is really overpowering and it would look garish. It almost did on me. Skip the purple unless you are a fan of the color.

Tony & Tina Herbal Rice Powder ($28)
I love trying new foundations and powders and I must say that I was impressed with this powder, but didn't care for the packaging. It has a screw-top lid and when you took it off, there was the powder piled high ready to make a mess. Where was the sifter? It was a mess indeed, so be careful. As far as the powder itself, it is very finely milled and light as air when applied to your face. It provides a smooth, even finish and even lasted almost as long as my Laura Mercier Loose Powder. There isn't a whole lot of difference between the two with regards to application and finish and I found that surprising. The huge difference is the price. Like the Lola Cosmetics Loose Powder I bought recently for $30, it was a very small amount of product for the price. Laura Mercier's Loose Powder is $30 and you get more than twice as much as this powder. I've never been one to pinch pennies when it comes to cosmetics, but I used common sense here. Two similar products and one obviously is the better deal. It was a no brainer. I really enjoy the powder, though, so I plan to use it in my back-up makeup bag I carry in my car since it is so small and petite. For those of you on a budget that still fancy quality cosmetics, might I suggest Sonja Kashuk's Loose Powder. I have that one as a stand-by in case I can't get to Houston quick enough and I run out of my everyday powder. It works great. The big plus is the price - less than $10 at Target.

Tony & Tina Therapeutic Eye Base ($22)
This product went on kind of slippery, almost greasy, but it quickly settled moments after application. While it did provide the nice base to my eyes, it did nothing to keep my eyeshadow on any longer. Use your own concealer and don't waste your money on this. Even if it did work, $22 is a bit steep.

Thanks, Kristen. I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!