Product Review: Smashbox INSTA-MATTE Lipstick Transformer

Hey Guys! So today I am back with a product review of the new lip product by Smashbox. This new "lip transformer" claims to turn any lipstick finish into a matte-finish color. I myself, am not a fan of satin or shiny lip products. I am DEFINITELY a matte girl, so obviously when I heard of this product I needed it in my life.

This product retails for $24 at Ulta, which I feel is pretty average of a high-end brand. The package is very simple and it's a pretty decent sized tube, especially since you literally need like 1/2 the size of a seed to get the job done. The Smashbox website claims "Give your lipstick a matte makeover—instantly! Developed on set to minimize the number of lipsticks our pro artists carry in their kits, this gel transforms any cream lipstick into a velvety matte finish that’s never chalky"

I wanted to try this for a few days with 2 different lipstick colors to see if I really liked this or not & to see if it changed to longevity of the lipstick.

On Monday I wore it with Essense lip liner in Satin Mauve & NYX LaLa which is one of their round case lipstick. This shade is a velvet-textured with a high shine finish. The picture on the left is before the Insta-Matte and the right is after.

For some reason, the flash was washing out the color once the matte was laid on top, so I had to take the flash off and there was no sun that day to use natural light!

On Tuesday I wore it with Avon Glimmersticks lip liner in Pink Bouquet & Covergirl Lipstick in Temptress (this color has been discontinued, they have replaced it with Temptress Rose, which is very similar)

What did I think?!

At first I was a little confused on how I should apply the product. The tip is shaped like a lip gloss tube, but applying directly to your lips from the tube smudges the color and ruins lined lips. I found it best to squeeze the tiniest amount onto my finger and dab it lightly on my lips then touch it up using a lip brush. I did find that it with SOME colors it did fade the color a bit and I had to layer more lipstick then the smashbox back onto of that to achieve the same coverage. But I also felt that it did extend the length of wear with some of my lipsticks, so I was pleasantly surprised by that!

Overall, I was VERY happy with this purchase. It has definitely expanded my kit and the colors/finishes I have available & minimized the # of lip products that I need to carry with me. Keep in mind that this is designed to be used over cream lipsticks only, not over balms or glosses.

All in all, I highly recommend this product!

Head over to my Instagram @therealcaitic to be video swatches of the different finishes!

As always, please leave love/comments/suggestions down below!

XoXo!

My Expierence Working at a Modeling Agency

Hey Guys! So this is a totally different type of post than what I'm used to doing on here but I figured why not?! Recently I met the owner of a very big modeling agency in the Worcester, MA area. It was in a bar, so it was very random, nothing I had intended on happening. But she saw my face and thought my work was great and offered me a freelance position doing the makeup for head shots for new additions to her agency. Now I'm not going to mention the name of the agency since I do not want others to form an opinion of them based of this blog post but this is my experience working freelance for a modeling agency... 

When I first got this opportunity I was so pumped and excited to start, but weeks went by before I heard from her. When I finally did, she asked if I was available to do 3 people's head shots, obviously I said yes and we set everything up. 

Now going into this, I knew nothing. Not the age, skin color, look in mind. So I went into this not knowing what to expect or what was expected of me. Now as it turns out, it was 1 elderly lady, about 80, a woman in her thirties, and an 8 year old girl. So because of my personal style of makeup, I go in on the older lady prepping for full face with contour. I only found out that was wrong when the owner shouted it was all wrong & from now on I was only instructed to do foundation, blush, mascara, & lipstick; everything must be very natural. I wasn't even allowed to cover blemishes! I was told that was Photoshop's job.

Now being a fan of a full face, how all 3 women turned out was cringe-worthy to me! I was so very displeased with how they looked, it did not showcase my work, and if anything it made my work seem extremely uneducated and talent-less. But the owner was happy, so I went with it.

About 3 months went by before I heard from her again, which didn't entirely bother me because it wasn't something I enjoyed doing to begin with. But she called me and said she had 3 clients again and what the job paid (mind you, the rate she paid me did not include travel and her rate for 3 people compared to my rate for 1), but since I was barely using any product and I was finishing each client in under 20, I justified it. 

This time my clients consisted of 3 kids, one 19 yr old girl, a 14 yr old girl, and a 14 yr old boy. What threw me off from the beginning was she told the 2 girls to come with makeup on! WTF? Why did I drive an hour if they already have makeup on?! Mind you, the girls were wearing foundation that was at least 6 shades too dark for them. I explained to the owner & she told me to just layer a lighter color over it. This clearly was my last straw.

Now below are the head shots from my first run there. Clearly, this is not great work.

Now after the 2nd time, I had a meeting with the owner and I said that I don't feel that this is a great fit for me. I'm appreciative of the opportunity but I don't feel that I am advancing my skills by doing this type of work. 

At first I was frustrated about this not working out, but in the end, I'm OK with it. Makeup is an art & I am an artist & that means not everyone is going to like my type of art and I have to be OK with that. I only need to answer to myself. A heard a quote somewhere along the way that read, "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the whole world & there will always be someone who hates peaches".