Tokidoki - the Smashbox edition

By now I'm sure you've seen and checked out the Tokidoki collection at Sephora. Perhaps even indulged in a few items. But I would urge you to also check out the old Smashbox collection, as there are quite a few quality items that were released still available on some websites.

I indulged in 2 of the Smashbox Tokidoki glosses last year, and haven't regretted it at all. Here they are:





The tubes are oversized, and look about 20% larger than MAC lipglasses. They have different illustrations on each tube. The applicator is a brush, which helps dispense a generous amount at a time.




Swatches:

Top is Drammatica, a bright pink laced with subtle shimmer.
Bottom is Dolcissima, a light peach infused with the same subtle shimmer



The glosses are only slightly sticky (major plus), which allows them to have some staying power, but they are not so sticky that hair gets glued to your lips (unlike MAC). They are also odourless (another major plus).


The colour is slightly sheer, which works well for the Drammatica, the bright pink. However I find the light peach of Dolcissima gets lost on my lips as my natural lip colour just takes over it...

Drammatica, once applied is a wearable pink that brightens up my look.


Dolcissima, applies more like a sheer glaze best for a natural/toned down lip. (Yes that is my natural lip colour...sucks because its so overpowering)



The Smashbox Tokidoki glosses are long gone from stores, but can still be found on eBay and other online discount stores for half of what they used to retail for. I noticed my first tube of Dolcissima had a slight colour change when I received it, but all I did was contact my seller and they sent me a new one without the colour issue. No issues with Drammatica at all, so the formula seems to be better.

Smashbox Tokidoki palette in Celebrita

Something I swapped for ages ago:



Super cute palette but also quite small. I'd say its about 1/2 size of a MAC quad.





It looks like soft subdued version of the MAC Pandamonium palette. The colours are ok but not shimmery at all, somewhere in between a satin and matte finish.





As I recall, the Smashbox Tokidoki collection was released a couple years ago but there are still remnants being sold on eBay for dirt cheap prices. Just beware of the glosses though, I got a gloss that was starting to separate and a blush that fell out of the pan because the pan had rusted. The seller replaced them but other sellers might not.

Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer vs Urban Decay Primer Potion

Appearance:

- Smashbox is darker, more orange colour
- UDPP is pale beige colour
- Both blend into my skintone fine though fairer people may be bothered by a slight orange cast from Smashbox



Texture:

- UDPP has a slightly more silicone feel than Smashbox. Both are equally easy to spread and blend (when fresh).
- UDPP tends to get more tacky and leaves a residue after a year or so. With Smashbox I haven't had it long enough to tell.


Performance:

They both definitely help to prevent eyeshadows from fading and creasing, as well as making eyeshadows more vibrant that without a base. I've noticed that UDPP tends to make it harder to blend eyeshadows, but I didn't have this problem with Smashbox.

Comparison:



Primed with UDPP:


Primed with Smashbox:


There is slight creasing but not that much for both products. Also, there is a slight differences in the way each eyelid folds, hence the slight difference in result. However I did try them both a few times, and even when I switched the bases on each eye the amount of creasing was the same.


Value-wise:

In Canada, UDPP and Smashbox both retail for CA$22 each. However in US Smashbox is about $2 more than UDPP. If you compare the volume of product you get, then UDPP is the better value as it contains more than 3x the product at 10mL (0.34oz) while Smashbox has only 2.5mL (0.08oz).


Overall:

Choose UDPP if: You have fair skin and don't mind doing a bit more blending work with darker eyeshadows. Or if you just want the best value for your money.

Choose Smashbox if: You have darker skin, or if you specifically want a primer which won't affect the blendability of your eyeshadows.

Sephora Benefit order, NZ swap, & tag

Here's what I got from that Sephora order I made to make use of the Benefit gift with purchase:



But first, about the GWP - it was actually nicer than I had expected. It was a large cosmetic case that would have actually held all the stuff I ordered plus the GWP items :P

Cheesy Benefit girl-doll on the cover


Its huge and comes with brush pockets too to store brushes on the go! Perfect for a long haul trip.



The stuff inside: Badgal mascara in blue, Benefit Rush Hour, California Kissin' lipgloss, and a super retro-cheesy huge satin shower cap...hahaha




To get the GWP, I ordered the Benefit Girls Night In set (which is on sale online for $38 instead of $48 btw!)

It contains two cream shadows: Birthday Suit, Strut, and Benefit lipstick in Lady's Choice. It also included a brush and 3 fridge magnets but I can't locate the pics at the moment :/ I'll post more detailed pics and swatches when I do a review on the set.




The new Lorac In the Pink set, it comes in the black cosmetic bag in the top picture, and contains the following:

Pink Python palette (reminds me of the Snake Charmer palette!)
Lorac Visual Effects mascara
Eyeliner/shadow pencil in Pink Diamond
Mini Mocktail in Sex on the Beach





The colours are a little brighter than your usual Lorac palette, another reason why I wanted to try it. Also I think its a pretty good deal because this set was priced the same as a normal Lorac palette costs, but it includes 3 extra items and the cosmetic bag. It shows on Sephora that it is an online exclusive only.


Also ordered the Korres Love your lips set



I'm actually not sure if I want to keep this yet so I'm not opening it for now. Its a great deal for $38 but I do tend to neglect my lipglosses so maybe I should save the money for something else.


I also did a swap with Joanna for her Smashbox tokidoki quad. She included a TON of chocolates, so much that I felt bad for not including more in mine!



The above pic shows only 1/3 of the chocolates remaining...

As usual it was the packaging that drew me in:






Quick tag game from Chi (Chyix2) Audrie, and Katie!

What is your current obsession?
- Short hair! I want to do something drastic with my hair, and cut it short but I don't know where's a good place to get it done.

What is your weirdest obsession?
- I really can't think of any that are weird enough for this question! Maybe my obsession with Chris Martin (of Coldplay)? Haha :D

What are you wearing today?
- black Forever 21 tee and grey knee length shorts. It was too hot for anything else :P

What’s your favorite comfort food?
- chocolate, if I want something sweet, or oreo ice cream sandwiches / McD's cones if its hot. If I'm craving something savoury its cream of chicken soup with some pasta added to it :)

What would make today special?
- flowers :)

What would you like to learn to do?
- Cook amazingly well

What’s the last thing you bought?
- A whole bunch of makeup from Anna's blog sale

What are you listening to right now?
- an old rerun of CSI on TV

What is your favorite weather?
- Sunny and balmy but not humid. 15-20 degrees C is the best! My skin hates anything else.

What is your most challenging goal right now?
- Moving forward in my job

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
- I would love to meet all of them! I've only ever known them online through ABB and blogging, and they sound like they lead such interesting lives! :)

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- Most likely Japan :)

What would you like to have in your hands at right now?
- Key to the above home and a winning lottery ticket :P

If you could swap lives with anyone for one day who would it be & why?
- Natalie Portman, she's gorgeous but still seems so down to earth.

If you would go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
- Hong Kong / Japan to shop, haha

Which language do you wanna learn?
- I used to want to learn French when I was younger, but these days I'd rather learn another Asian language - maybe Korean. Or if I could speak all the Chinese dialects that'd be pretty good too.

What do you look for in a friend?
- Someone loyal and dependable

Who do you want to meet in person?
- Bloggers!

What’s your favorite type of music?
- Soundtracks - eg the ones from Miyazaki's films and some animes.

What’s your dream job?
- Designing makeup :P I would love to be the people who come up with concepts, colours, and packaging for makeup collections.

Any favorite model?
- Gemma Ward

If you had $100 now what would you spend on it?
- Put it towards my vacation this year, if I find someplace to go

Things you wish you could change in the past?
- Listening to my parents too much when I was a kid....lol. I think things would've be a whole lot more exciting if I had been a bit more rebellious.

Fashion Pet Peeve?
- When people wear super short shorts and a skimpy tee all at the same time - its too much skin all at once and just looks trashy! And they usually wear it with rubber flip flops...

Do you admire anyone’s stye?
- Karla and Melissa, I love what they wear, wish I had the guts to do so!

Describe your personal style.
- Girly / tomboyish depending on my mood

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Chocolate + more chocolate

What’s your favorite makeup brand?
- I really don't have a single favourite because I love trying out different brands from high to low end. But the brand that probably gets most of my money is still MAC...

Do you get enough beauty sleep? yes or no? why?
- No, because I'm a night owl by nature but I have to get to work earlier than most.

Why did you start your (beauty) blog?
- I was getting a little bored at ABB at the time and needed a place to post whatever I wanted, so decided to have my own blog.