Cotton Candy Fro: Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder Review

My first step into more high end powders. Previously I had only used drugstore ones, and I haven't been very impressed. Almost forgot I did have a Bare Minerals powder foundation,but that was definitely foundation and I figured I would use this more for setting purposes.

Smashbox claims:

Get a luminous, lit-from-within glow with Smashbox's best-selling perfecting powder that can be used as a foundation or finishing powder.

Why you'll love it:

It's the first anti-aging powder with the science of skin care built in! This advanced formulation of pure gold, 48 minerals, 11 amino acids and a powerful peptide delives dynamic anti-aging benefits, while the patented hydration system continuously revitalizes skin for a brighter, more radiant complexion all day.

Just the facts:

After 10 minutes there is a 33% decrease in the appearance of wrinkles around the eyes.
After 6 weeks of use, there is a 67% decrease in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles overall.

Formulated without parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, phthalates, oil, fragrance & talc.

Why oh why would foundation have sodium laurel sulfate in it? Sometimes they label the dumbest things. SLS is the stuff in shampoo or most commercial stuff that lathers.

This stuff is not cheap. I just checked and the price is pushing $50. I think I paid around $40 for it. It makes big claims. Basically the way they write about it, it sounds like some sort of powder miracle.

So I'll start off with packaging. It's nice and sleek. And it has a grinder, which is part of why I really wanted to try it. I don't think "fresh ground powder" is that amazing. But it does cut down in the mess that other loose powders make. I remember when I used the bare minerals powder foundation it seemed to get everywhere. I haven't had that problem with this. It does come with a mirror- which is pretty useless in my opinion, just because the loose powder messes it up. They should have made a separate compartment and placed the mirror there. But I have tons of other mirrors that it doesn't bother me that much.

The first time I really tested this powder out was when I still had the Smashbox foundation- Studio Skin. This and that foundation were magic. I could go out for hours and come in and my skin still had a luminous, yet matte look to it. I just had to make sure to use very little because it can emphasize pores if you go too heavy.

So if you are using it with the right products I think the power works very well. Now it doesn't do everything it claims, like get rid of wrinkles around the eyes, they look the same to me. And I've definitely been using it for over 6 weeks. Luckily I don't really have many wrinkles to give this the best test, but I kind of thought those claims were bogus when I bought the product. So I wasn't expecting anything in terms of skincare.

Where this product kind of falls short for me is as a foundation. It's so light it doesn't really cover much, and if you try to build it up, it seems to emphasize texture on the skin. So I usually use concealer before I put a little of this on. It doesn't have the best lasting powder (unless you are using it with a long lasting product- like the Smashbox Studio Skin was). I lose most coverage at the end off my 8.5 hour days, and almost all by the end of the day on the spots I was trying to cover in the first place, mostly on my chin. The rest of my face seems fine- but they aren't problem spots for me anyway.

It does claim to be hydrating, but I don't find that to be true. In fact, I feel I have to extra careful to make sure it doesn't look to dry on my skin.

Almost forgot to mention- mine is in Dark. I bought this awhile ago and just never got around to using it regularly enough to review. Whoops. The shade match isn't perfect- it's a bit olive/green tinged, not too noticeable. I can get away with it, but the shade match could be better.

Speaking of color match, I don't find Smashbox to have a very diverse color range, which is very disappointing. When I bought this there were two brown girl shades. Now there is only one. The other SIX shades are pretty much various shades of pale.

The compact itself comes with .5 ounces. In comparison, Bare Minerals regular foundations are .28 ounces. So the good thing is, you are getting a decent amount for the money.

So overall, I find it best as a setting powder. I think it's a waste of time as a foundation. And although I like it, I probably would not fork over the money again. And I'm really disappointed that instead of expanding the color range for brown skin, they have taken away one of only two shades.

So after this powder is finished, it will be on to the next.