Christmas Gift Ideas: Smashbox Try It Kit!

Now that November is upon us, it's time to bring out the Christmas blog posts!

Today I'll be sharing the niftiest little kit that my cousins got me for my birthday a few weeks ago - the Smashbox Try It Kit. 

The kit contains five mini sizes of Smashbox's best selling products, giving you the opportunity to trial them all before deciding whether to make the splurge and buy them all full-sized! 

I absolutely love this kit and highly recommend it as a gift for any beauty lover in your life. So let's take a closer look at what you get in the kit:

• Photo Finish Foundation Primer

This is the most raved-about primer of all-time, so I was anxious to see how it would perform on my super-oily skin. It claims to smooth the appearance of fine lines and pores while creating a flawless canvas for make-up application, and it's also oil free. It has a velvety texture that makes it a dream to apply onto your face, and it reduces the look of pores. It's similar enough to Benefit's Porefessional without the tinted colour and silicone feel. I've never found a primer that has genuinely kept my make-up looking flawless with no need to touch-up or anything - I just kind of concluded that my skin was too oily and I would have to deal with constantly touching my foundation up throughout the night. 

The first time I wore this was to an 18th a few weeks ago. I applied my foundation at 5pm and when I got home at 2 the following morning my foundation still looked perfect! I hadn't used any powder, and it didn't have a greasy touch. I always doubted that a foundation primer would be worth €35, but this one certainly made me change my mind! It's my favourite item in the kit and I will most definitely be purchasing a full size.

• Photo Finish Lid Primer

From the same family as the Foundation Primer, the Photo Finish Lid Primer is another winner. It has a nude tint to it, and it feels almost powdery to the touch. It reminds me a little bit of the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, only it feels a little more dry and it isn't as opaque on the lids. I really enjoyed using this primer, it's crease resistant and really improved the vibrancy of the shadows I wore over it. It didn't allow oil through and kept my eyeshadow on all day. I love how it has a doe-foot applicator, as it minimises wasted product, unlike those tubes of primer that you always end up using far too much of! The Photo Finish Lid Primer retails for about €19, which is relatively standard for a high-end eyeshadow primer, and I would totally recommend it if you're on the search for a good quality eyeshadow base. 

• Full Exposure Mascara

I'm a self-confessed mascara junkie, so I absolutely love getting new ones to try out! The Full Exposure mascara promises to expose your longest, fullest lashes with no clumps or flakes. Thankfully, this mascara stays true to its promises! 

The wand of the brush is quite big, but it's not difficult to coat your smaller lashes in the inner corners. The wand allows you to fan out your lashes to give them ultimate length and volume. It's rare that a mascara can deliver both exceptional length and volume, so this mascara is a must-have for me. It doesn't clump your lashes, nor does it make them look spidery. It doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day, even though it's not a waterproof formula. I've always been an advocate of drugstore mascaras over expensive ones, however if you're wanting to splurge out on a mascara, it has to be this one! The Full Exposure Mascara retails at €20, which is actually quite good value for a high-end mascara!

• Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx

I never thought I would find an eye liner pencil that I love more than my Chanel one, but the day has come - Chanel has been replaced! The Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx is a true jet black pencil that is waterproof and is smudge proof and budge free. The formula of this pencil is fantastic - it has a creamy consistency that doesn't drag or pull your eye, and although it doesn't smudge, it can be blended under your eyes without hassle. I love how soft the pencil is, it makes lining both your waterline and tight line so simple. The full size of this pencil will set you back €17, but it also includes a built-in pencil sharpener! I love this sample size for throwing in my bag and taking with me on the go, although I never need to touch it up! Once it sets, it's not going anywhere!

• Lip Enhancing Gloss in Illume

I've always heard great reviews of the Smashbox glosses, so I was really eager to play with this beautiful golden nude colour. The gloss is quite sticky, but it lasts a long time on the lips. I'm personally not too fussed about overly sticky glosses, I tend to just blot them into a tissue after application and then I'm good to go! I really loved this colour, it gave my lips a beautiful sheen and it looks stunning paired with dramatic eyes. It looks very shimmery in the tube however when you apply it it's much more subdued. To me, this smells very similar to the MAC lip glosses - I'd describe it as a sweet vanilla scent. I would recommend checking this out if you're looking for a nice everyday lipgloss that you could also pair with a dark smoky eye. It's a winner in my book! The full sized gloss is €20.50

As you've probably concluded, I couldn't recommend this kit enough. I absolutely love it and I think it's a fantastic means of trying Smashbox's best selling products. Before I got this kit I hadn't tried anything by Smashbox, but it has made me add some of the products to my wishlist! 

I think this would make a fantastic gift for any make-up lover, or even someone just getting into make-up. The set is €22, which is exceptional value in my opinion.

Let me know what your favourite Smashbox products are in the comments!

(Also thank you to my cousins Alanna and Katie for getting me this, I absolutely love it!! :) ) 

Zara :-) x