Exclusive to Nordstrom stores, this Smashbox "After Hours" set features everything you need to go from on the job to on the prowl (well, except for your LBD and take-me-now pumps). A envelope-style, burgundy clutch with a chic foldover flap houses all the transformative beauty tools a Dancing Queen needs: a Cream Eyeliner Palette in "After Hours," featuring 10 pea-sized shades; an Eye Shadow Quad in "VIP," which features a pearly white, antique gold, charcoal black and shimmering silver; a
Lash DNA mascara in jet black; a Lip Enhancing Gloss in "Velvet Rope;" a Baked Blush
and Loose Shimmer in "Candlelit," and a Travel Definer and Precision Liner
Brush.
Here are some swatches of the colors in the Cream Eyeliner Palette in "After Hours":
The photo at top features the five colors in the top row of the palette: a smokey back, a dirty gold, a shimmering teal, a midnight blue, and a bronze hue — all the colors go on very light for a really natural, barely-there look, that brings attention to the eye without venturing over to club kid territory. The bottom row of the palette features five earthier, more neutral tones (as depicted in the second photo above): a brownish eggplant purple; an orange-y copper; a shimmering gray; a dirty rose gold; and a milk chocolate brown.
I actually expected the colors to have a more electrifying quality to them, so I was pretty shocked once I swatched them and realized how demure the different shades are, but once I placed them in context (setting them side by side with the other items in the kit), it became clear why Smashbox opted for a more versatile palette that could really help you prepare for any variety of engagements — from a theater date to a cocktail party or a housewarming.
To expand on this point, check out swatches of the Eye Shadow Quad in "VIP":
As you can see, this is a pretty basic quarter of hues: a darker, dirtier gold; an opaque, almost steel-like silver; a sooty black; and a shimmering white. What makes these colors a bit more intriguing is precisely the fact that they have a slightly smokier, dirtier feel than more glamorous interpretations of these hues (such as the MAC Mineral Eye Shadow Quad in Assemblage (from the line's Colour Craft collection).
You can create an interesting metallic, based look with these hues and then add on some of the rust, copper, gold, or black tinged cream eyeliner shades in the "After Hours" palette, or you can get creative and build a look based on the bolder liner shades, such as the teal (which looks incredible when paired with the gold shadow).
The Definer and Precision Liner Brush will really assist you in creating any desired look — the soft brush end will help you generously apply shadow to your lid and crease, while the other, flat-edged brush end will come in handy when you're hoping to apply liner in a seamless manner along the eyelid edges and the corners of the eyes.
Once your look is complete, you can apply two coats of the Lash DNA mascara to really make those eyes pop.
Moving on past the eye area, the Baked Blush & Loose Shimmer in "Candlelit" meanwhile, help you obtain a warm, almost peach-y glow. The two-part offering contains a baked blush along the top and, on the bottom, loose powder in a shimmering, golden peach shade to add a magical, lusty quality.
Finally, any night crawler knows the importance of alluring lips. The Lip Enhancing Gloss in "Velvet Rope" is a sexy merlot wine shade, which you can blot for a subtler, flushed look (as pictured in the swatch below) or which you can layer on for a vampier edge.
All you need after this makeover-in-a-clutch is a worthy destination!
Smashbox "After Hours" Beauty Collection, $59. Available exclusively at Nordstrom stores and on Nordstrom.com
