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**Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder – Peach ($53, 8g)

When freshly applied, the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder is mattifying without being dry-looking and blurring. As you can imagine, that impressed me.  However, I always end up with a shiny nose after about 3 hours. I have dry skin, and in the winter, it gets very dry.  In the summer, I can get slightly normal through the t-zone; I’m mostly dry, though.  My point is that I get shiny after a few hours, regardless of the season. So, for the mattified blurred effect of this powder to only last for 3 hours is baffling. I just can’t imagine who this is mattifying, but there are a lot of good reviews on it. The only thing I can think of is that it’s one of those instances where it’s drying me out so much that it’s making my skin overproduce oil.  The other issue I have is that despite its lack of longevity, it still feels dry and tight on my skin.

Bobbi Brown claims that the **Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder is weightless and will blur imperfections, hydrate, and control oil all day. I can agree that it does blur, so if the formula has lasting power for other skin types, then that could be promising. As I mentioned, I get shiny quickly and this feels tight on my skin type, so I disagree that it is hydrating or can control oil. Another claim that I have doubts about is that it “flexes to suit a range of skin tones.” I don’t think they have enough shades, and I think the four shades they have are bizarrely picked.  Peach is a decent shade; it works for my Estee Lauder 4W4/NARS Tahoe skin tone and appears somewhat sheer, so the peach undertone is workable.  I suppose that sheerness is why they are claiming the shades flex. I still think the saturation of the Yellow and Peach shades could be an issue for some undertones to make work. The Neutral and Golden Brown shades may be easier to work with, but I still think more shades in less saturated tones may have worked better for more people.

**Bobbi Brown Website

	$ Sale Price $ 53.00 Regular Price
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder, Peach – 8g

**Bloomingdale’s

	$ Sale Price $ 53.00 Regular Price
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder

**Nordstrom

	$ 53.00 Sale Price $ 53.00 Regular Price
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Pressed Setting Powder in Peach at Nordstrom

**Blue Mercury

	$ Sale Price $ 53.00 Regular Price
Vitamin Enriched Pressed Powder Neutral

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Smashbox Photo Finish Intensify 24 Hour Shadow Primer ($26, .24 oz/10ml)

The Smashbox Photo Finish Intensify 24 Hour Shadow Primer does everything the brand claims. It is smoothing, applies clear, intensifies shadow color, and keeps shadows in place. One big issue for me personally is that something in this formula causes my eczema to flare. I’m unsure what it is because, looking at the ingredient list, I don’t feel there should be a problem. However, once I stop using this, the eczema always clears up. The main problem, however, especially if you don’t need to be concerned about sensitivity, is that it is thick and pasty in texture, which makes it difficult to use.

This is a recent reformulation, I think, in the last year for Smashbox. If you read the reviews on the Smashbox website, you’ll notice that I’m not alone in my complaints about the texture. It has a similar consistency to the MAC 24HR eye primer, but MAC’s formula is not as dry, making it easier to spread.  If you can stand to work with it, the performance is excellent. It wears really well, and it helps the eyeshadows stick and keeps them from creasing, especially if you have hooded eyes. Because my lids are slightly hooded, I can get oily in the crease because the eyelid is folded on itself.  So, while I think it’s really good for that, the amount of pressure needed to work this formula onto the eyelid isn’t good for your eye area.  This thicker formulation is good for smoothing eyelid texture, so if you are looking for that, I’d recommend trying the MAC primer instead. Just keep in mind that the texture of MACs is also thick, so there will be a learning curve if you typically use primers like the Urban Decay Primer Potion or Milani Eye Shadow Primer.

As you know, we can all have different experiences with the same products. This is just how these products worked for me, and sometimes, it’s important to highlight the failures.

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Have a good one!

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If you’d like to check out more of my content, here are some places to start. 

• Blush Index
• Brands A-Z
• Bronzer & Highlighter Index
• Brush Index
• Concealer Ranking
• Eyeshadow Index
• Foundation Round-Up
• Lipstick Index
• Makeup Storage and Organization Ideas
• My Favorite Makeup
• Powder Round-Up

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