Smash hits

I remember the very first time I got excited over makeup. I was 14 and this brand popular during the ‘90s came out with a color-stay lipstick, a technology so revolutionary at that time. I would filch the stick from my mother’s bag and would step out with gal pals barefaced except for the vivid matte sienna stain on my lips, thinking I was hotter than Lauren Hill of The Fugees. Later on, there were these green concealers that had all the girls stepping out with reverse raccoon eyes and clear brow gel that tamed everything bushy up there. Back then, there weren’t too many makeup options.

By the time I started working for a fashion magazine six years later, it was a lot easier to get excited over face color. Brands started coming at the turn of the millennium, all these colors, revolutionary ingredients and so-called claims. It got to be too much, the makeup overload caused the whole beauty bang to go trite, and I began taking makeup for granted.

Recently, however, upon encountering Smashbox’s new makeup collection, I began to have a change of heart. I have always liked the beauty brand created by Los Angeleños Dean and Davis Factor, great-grandsons of legendary makeup guru Max Factor — their primers, for one, are certified must-haves. But I only fully came to appreciate their emphasis on R&D rather than on the gloss of commercial endorsement when the brand, through Smashbox regional makeup artist Lourd Ramos, unveiled their new offerings for the year.

A few of my favorites are:

Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder and brush set

Said to be the first multi-tasking face powder with the science of skincare built in, this product smoothens and wipes out flaws from the inside out. Each dab doesn’t just mattify and conceal but also works on the skin under the surface as an anti-aging agent. Packed with goji berries and pure gold to provide antioxidant protection (the gold is also what gives the skin such a remarkable bright finish), this light-reflecting powder also contains 60 minerals, 11 amino acids, a powerful peptide and Smashbox’s patented hydrogel technology to maintain high levels of moisture. It’s so impressive that some of the beauty editors actually jokingly threatened to ingest the wonder powder.

Though technically a pressed powder, what comes out for quick dabbing is powder in loose form. Each jar features a shaver that, with one twist, “shaves” the perfect amount of powder off the top so you never apply too much or too little.

Fusion Soft Lights bronzing powder in Baked Starburst

I’m pretty much a believer in five-minute makeup. Glowing cheeks and bright eyes are pretty much all I need to get me through the day. While any kind of volumizing mascara takes care of the latter, I’m very finicky when choosing blush or shimmer that will give me the perfect sun-kissed glow (it’s not as easy as it sounds). I fell in love with Smashbox’s Baked Stardust bronzing powder at first dab. Five soft bronze shades mixed together gives this lit-from-within glow that’s so natural it seemed like I swallowed a tea candle.

O-Gloss

Wouldn’t it be great if you had your own personalized pink pout? Smashbox’s O-Gloss can do that for you with just one swipe. This amazing lipgloss comes out clear from the tube but, when applied to the lips, reacts with your body chemistry to give your lips a pink tint that you can brand your signature. The O-Gloss is actually a spin-off from last year’s successful O-Glow microcirculating cheek color, which gave many a beauty junkie their own personalized flush. This revolutionary lip smacker is packed with natural skin energizing ingredients like Smashbox’s exclusive micro-circulating Goji Berry-C Complex, ginkgo biloba, marine plankton and moisturizing pomegranate seed and avocado oils for long-lasting color and shine.