I have a few new things and one product that is new to me, and I wanted to share some swatches and my thoughts on it all. I’ve also updated some older posts with new information. I’ll leave a list of those at the end.

Let’s start with the new limited edition Summer 2025 Eye Color Quad in Bronze Isle from Tom Ford.

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**Tom Ford Soleil Eye Color Quad Bronze Isle – $100

I said I wasn’t going to become a regular at the Tom Ford counter, but here we are 🤦🏽‍♀️. The quality is very nice. The texture of the eye shadows in the Bronze Isle Quad is smooth and blends easily. The quad comes with two mattes and two shimmers, and while there isn’t a lot of versatility, I do think all four shades are useful, with a slight problem for my skin tone that I’ll mention in a bit. I haven’t had trouble with creasing, which was a relief after my experience with the creme formula from the Tom Ford Olive Smoke Quad. I typically use the brand’s wet/dry formula, so this traditional powder formula is new for me. Back in maybe 2012 or 2013, I tried the formula, and it irritated my eyes. My hope with buying the Bronze Isle Quad was that it had been long enough for the brand to have changed the formula. So far, so good.

The shimmers in this quad are smooth metallics and neither accentuates texture. They apply well with fingers, synthetic brushes, and natural hair brushes. The mattes are pigmented but not over the top, so they can take some building on my NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone. The lighter matte’s depth does work as a blending/transition type of shade, but on my warm olive undertone, it leans a little pink, which ends up looking ashy. Unfortunately, that means I end up not using it as a stand-alone shade. That is always disappointing, especially at this price, but I can mix the two mattes to get a better blending shade. So thankfully, I can use all four shades, despite it not being as straightforward to use the lightest shade as I would like. If you do all matte looks or highlight the brow bone, and you are close in shade to me, you may still be able to use this shade alone. The deepest matte does go quite dark, but it does take me some building to get there. The mattes apply well with synthetic brushes and natural hair brushes.

I think having two different tones for lid shades, a blending shade, and a dark matte for outer’v depth or liner can be easy and functional for everyday use. **The Tom Ford bronze Isle Quad is nice with good pigmentation and blendability, but maybe not $100 nice 😆. Tom Ford items do go on sale at retailers like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Nordstrom, so maybe hold out for a sale. Tom Ford falls under the Estee Lauder Companies’ Umbrella, so this may eventually turn up at the Cosmetics Company Outlet for 30% to 40% off, and then I’d 100% recommend. If you have the budget and like luxury makeup, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, but I’d still wait for a sale opportunity if you are willing to risk the fact that it is limited edition.

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	$ 100.00 Sale Price $ 100.00 Regular Price
TOM FORD Soleil Eye Color Eyeshadow Palette Quad in 01 Bronze Isle at Nordstrom

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**Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Balm in Honey Shine, Nude Illuminator, and Spiced Wine – $11.99 at Ulta

The Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Balms have a light pigment, are very comfortable, and easy to reapply. It is great that they are easy to reapply because they don’t last long. They aren’t designed to last long but wear down fairly quickly (@ 2 hours), especially if you drink water all day. I constantly drink water or tea throughout the day, so getting 4 hours out of a lip product before feeling the need to touch up is impressive. I don’t use a straw, so my wear down may be worse than those who do. I can technically go 4 hours without touching up, but only because it wears down pretty gracefully, so there is no patchiness to address. However, Honey Shine and Nude Illuminator have too many shimmer particles for my preferences. They are not gritty or uncomfortable, but as the color fades, the shimmer is very obvious, and I don’t like how it looks. Spiced Wine does have some shimmer running through it, but it is sparse and not obvious as it wears down. There is still noticeable pigment left after a few hours, but the shimmer is more prevalent at that point (for Honey Shine and Nude Illuminator).

The formula has a sweet scent that isn’t too strong and doesn’t linger for very long after application. As Revlon claims, I do think this is a non-sticky, moisturizing formula with sheer color and glassy finish. Some of that moisture is due to this formula containing a lanolin ingredient (C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters), so keep that in mind if you are allergic to lanolin. The Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Balms are very soft and melt easily when warm. When they are warm, clumps can break off as I apply them, and I have to smooth them out. I haven’t left them in a hot vehicle, but based on this experience, I’d be careful not to. While I do enjoy this formula, I have to say that I like the new Maybelline Lifter Glaze Oil Lip Balm formula even more.

**Ulta

	$ 11.99 Sale Price $ 11.99 Regular Price
Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Balm – Spiced Wine

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**Maybelline Lifter Glaze Oil Lip Balm in Clear Crave and Latte Crush – $8.99 at Ulta

The Maybelline Lifter Glaze Oil Lip Balms are supposed to be sheer, buildable, hydrating, and glowy, and I agree with everything but glowy. I think they have a very high shine, and that glaze is a better description for them, as the name says, rather than glowy. Latte Crush has nice color payoff on my pigmented lips and can be worn light or built up, so the buildability is there.

The Maybelline Lifter Glaze Lip Balm has some thickness to it that helps with longevity for both the pigment and hydration. I can go for 4 hours without needing to touch up, and there is still some color left, although not much is noticeable on my pigmented lips. However, if I wipe them off at that point, there is pigment left. This is good longevity for drinking all day. I also think the hydration lasts. Maybelline claims it can last up to 24 hours, which I’m not sure about. However, I do feel like my lips are left off better than they started, even the next day. I do think these are a little sticky, and they may not be the worst, but I have had issues with cotton pad fibers and food particles sticking to them.

I like the Maybelline Lifter Glaze better than the Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Balms because it is more moisturizing, it can be built for more pigment without getting too slippery and goopy on the lips, and the pigment lasts longer. In comparison to the clear version of CoverGirl Clean Fresh Balm that I reviewed some years back, Clear Craze goes on clear and has no white cast. Update May 17, 2015: The white cast with the Covegirl balm is more of an issue for me if I have chapped lips, and the formula clings to patches. However, if you have pigmented or darker lips, it may be more noticeable. I do think the CoverGirl Clean Fresh Balm is also moisturizing, but I don’t like the tinted shades as much because I feel like the shades are too saturated. When I wear a CoverGirl Clean Fresh Tinted Balm, despite having a sheerness to them, I always feel like I’m wearing a regular lipstick in the amount of color I get. The biggest downside of the Maybelline Lifter Glaze Lip Balm is the scent. It has a sweet vanilla smell with a touch of mint (I think lol) that is strong and does linger.

**Ulta

	$ 8.99 Sale Price $ 8.99 Regular Price
Maybelline Lifter Glaze Oil Balm – Latte Crush

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Makeup By Mario Soft Glow Highlighter in Honey – $34

I’m often interested in the releases from the Makeup By Mario brand, but the gaps in the shade range often leave me without an option. I finally decided to take a chance on the Soft Glow Highlighter in Honey, and I’m pleasantly surprised. I’m unsure if this shade will continue to work as I get darker over the summer, but hopefully, it’ll work out fine.

My favorite highlighter formulas are the MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish Highlighter and the Pat McGrath Divine Glow Highlighter. The Makeup By Mario Highlighter can’t quite top either, but I think it is a good formula. The texture is more similar to Pat McGrath Divine Glow because it is a powder compared to the baked gelee texture of MAC’s Extra Dimension Skinfinish. I disagree with the brand’s claim that the Soft Glow Highlight smooths the appearance of the skin, but that is a stretch for any highlighter, in my opinion. However, I agree with the claims that it is easy to blend and that there is no visible powdery effect.

Anything lighter than your skin tone will draw some attention to the texture you have, but this formula does not look bad. The MAC and Pat McGrath formulas look a little better and smoother over my texture issues, though. I do prefer the shade Superb from MAC and Venus Nectar from Pat McGrath, so it could also be an issue of shade as well that makes me like them better. However, I also think the Sephora Collection Colorful Powder Luminizers look a little smoother for a more affordable option, and I prefer my other shades more than those. So I guess this is a “meh” product for me. It’s not bad, but it’s just not my favorite for whatever reason.

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**Smashbox Always On Mood Board Eyeshadow Palette in Earthy Vibes – $39

Update: I posted swatches and a review of the other 3 Mood Board palettes from Smashbox (Bougie Vibes, Cozy Vibes, and Fiery Vibes). You can see that by clicking here.

This palette and the pans inside of it are somewhat “mini” size. The entire palette has 6.92g (according to my packaging) or .86g per shade compared to 1.5g for a MAC Single Eyeshadow or 1.8g for an Urban Decay Single Eyeshadow. That obviously isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, but I’m just trying to give you a point of reference for size.

While I have enjoyed using the **Smashbox Always On Mood Board Eyeshadow Palette, I think the overall palette falls into the same “meh” category as the Makeup By Mario Highlighter. This is mainly because I don’t like all of the formulas in this palette (shades Rare Find and Sublime), and some shades (Sublime and Fine Point) aren’t my favorite in terms of color once they are applied. So, once I exclude Rare Find, Sublime, and Fine Point from my looks, I am reminded of other shades I have. Of course, your shade preference may differ, so let’s get into some formula details.

Rare Find’s formula is flaky and has fall out during application. The fall out wasn’t noticeable throughout wear, which is good. I don’t enjoy working with this flaky texture and it isn’t as forgiving to texture as the other shimmer shades. On the Horizon and Gold Mine are both smooth metallics that are flattering and don’t accentuate texture. When I apply them with a natural hair brush, they look smoother on the lid, but pick up more easily on a synthetic brush. However, I prefer to use synthetic brushes with this formula because they still look smooth enough, and I don’t have to do as much building.

The mattes in the Earthy Vibes palette are pigmented but also buildable. Bombshell, New Growth, and Fine Point don’t have much dust up when I dip my brush in the pan. However, Sublime and Instant Toffee can be a little messy, so I am more careful when picking those two shades up. Bombshell is an easy to blend matte that is good for blending edges for my NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone, but is basically nude on me. New Growth builds nicely, so it can be used as both a transition shade and built up to be deeper in the outer-v. Sublime is the chalkiest shade in the palette, I assume due to its pastel nature. It looks dry on me, and I also don’t like the shade. I don’t have much experience with pastels, so it may look dry on me due to my skin tone. Instant Toffee, although there is kick up in the pan, is pigmented and very easy to blend. Fine Point is too gray in tone for my preferences, but it is pigmented right away while still being easy to blend.

**Ulta

	$ 39.00 Sale Price $ 39.00 Regular Price
Smashbox Always On Mood Board Eye Shadow Palette – Earthy Vibes

**Nordstrom

	$ 39.00 Sale Price $ 39.00 Regular Price
Smashbox Mood Board Eyeshadow Palette in Earthy Vibes at Nordstrom

Overall, the Smashbox Earthy Vibes really isn’t a bad palette, but it’s just ok. It wears well regardless of what primer I’ve used, and it performs well despite some powderiness (Sublime, Instant Toffee) and flakiness (Rare Find). Smashbox lists this palette as vegan, and Smashbox is cruelty-free. Although they don’t mention it in the marketing, I don’t see talc in the ingredient list. It is worth going to Ulta and swatching it if you are interested, because you might be ok with some of the color issues I have with it. I bought mine at the Cosmetics Company Outlet, an outlet store for brands under the Estee Lauder Companies’ Umbrella, for 40% off. I have an easier time recommending it for $23, but I also don’t think spending the $39 retail price on it would be bad. Smashbox has good sales on their website, so if you are interested, I’d keep an eye on it there. Update: I posted swatches and a review of the other 3 Mood Board palettes from Smashbox (Bougie Vibes, Cozy Vibes, and Fiery Vibes). You can see that by clicking here.

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Some Updates

I have added some information to a few posts if you are interested.

• What’s Old at the Drugstore (L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipsticks – Worth It and Worth It Medium) – New Colour Riche lipstick shade in 570 Worth It Intense swatch
• New From NARS! Talc-Free Blush in Dolce Vita (Swatch) – Updated thoughts on the new NARS Blush formula
• Natasha Denona Bloom Eyeshadow Palette Swatches – Updated thoughts on the quality and performance of the palette
• Buy High/Buy Low: Blush Brushes for Sheer Application – Updated brush recommendation for a discontinued brush from Smashbox
• Smashbox Brushes Review – Updated brush recommendations for discontinued brushes from Smashbox

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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

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  This site receives a minimal commission from participating in the WordAds program and using affiliate links.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.