As a blush (I don’t use it for lips), the Smashbox Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint lives up to the brand’s claims. Smashbox says this tint will give you lasting color with blendable, sheer to medium coverage. They also claim that the formula will remain comfortable to wear because it is infused with a primer oil complex. Lastly, it has a matte finish that “refracts light to help create a blurred, soft-focus look.” Unfortunately, despite agreeing with the claims, I wouldn’t recommend it because the primer oil complex does present some problems. Let’s get into it.

Smashbox Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint Sunset, $28

Sunset is described as a muted coral 

So, as I mentioned, I haven’t tried this on my lips, and I won’t.  I don’t care about using it that way.  I think it’s weird that it’s in a lip gloss tube, but it’s for lips AND cheeks, so I guess I get that.  But at the same time, since you will use it on your cheeks, I don’t understand why they didn’t choose a doe foot that would have been more conducive for blush placement.  When I first purchased this blush, it felt foolproof, and I had no issues with blendability. I applied it on the back of my hand, spread it out, and used my brush from there. However, if I haven’t used it in a while (even if it’s only been 2 days), the primer oil complex separates from the rest of the formula.  So, I have to mix that oil back into the formula on the back of my hand before using it.  It does look beautiful if you are willing to fuss with it.  It dries down to the promised matte finish but is not flat.  It’s pretty blurring and smoothing (again, as promised by the brand claims).  It’s gorgeous. 

For foundation shade reference, I’m wearing the NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in the shade Tahoe in the above picture. Another good shade match for me is the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation in the shade 4W4 Hazel.

Despite how it looks, I can’t recommend this product. I don’t like that it separates in the tube, and it’s high maintenance because you have to mix it together.  I would always spread any liquid blush on the back of my hand to ensure I got an even application on my brush before putting it on my face.  So, it’s an annoying extra step because you shouldn’t have to mix the blush together to get it to work.  But because of how I would apply liquid blush anyway, I’ve avoided getting too frustrated.  I think Smashbox needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to keep the formula from separating.

Primer oil complex frustrations aside, the Smashbox Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint wears beautifully and comfortably and is smoothing on texture. I do think it builds up slowly, but I always approach blush that way. If you apply it heavily, you can get the full medium coverage that the brand claims. I was happily surprised with the look and wear of the Halo Cream Cheek and Lip Tint, but the formula needs to work.

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• Blush Index
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