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The Perfect Gift of Beauty

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Last month, our color cosmetics buyer, Michele, pulled me aside to show me an upcoming beauty Today's Special Value. She was clearly excited as she handed me what looked like a glossy, patent red book. As I opened the beautiful cover, I realized the sleek design was actually concealing a huge makeup palette. This was the smashbox Photo Op Mega Palette I had heard about! I immediately knew it was going to be the perfect luxury gift for the holidays, while still being practical enough that I would want to buy one for myself.

Inside, you'll find every eye shadow trio smashbox currently has on the market! EVERY SINGLE ONE! That's 16 full-size trios that sell for $28 each — a value of $448 for the eye shadow trios alone. Plus, you get eight additional full-size shadows in gorgeous, neutral colors, eight cream eyeliners, four shades of the iconic Brow Tech powder, and one brow wax. You also get two blushes, three highlighters, and four lip glosses.

The palette is so beautiful and comprehensive that I was afraid to ask how much it was going to cost. Here's the good news: when we launch it as a Today's Special Value on October 24, it'll cost less than $85! So, you could buy three smashbox eye shadow trios for $84 at retail stores, or get every trio they make, plus 45 other beautiful, wearable colors in one sleek package for less than $1 more!

Once I got over my initial delight over the way the kit looks and the unbelievable price, I decided to give it a test drive last weekend. Here's my review:

Design & Layout

I love the design. Plastic pages over each segment of the palette show the name of each color and create a grid around each trio, so you never have to guess which colors go together (of course, if you want to mix and match from the trios, you'll have endless options). Instead of being overwhelmed by choices, it was really easy to pick shadows, liners, blush, and lip gloss based on what I was wearing. It made putting on makeup fast and easy! While it offers all of my go-to shades, I also had a good time trying colors that I have never worn before.

Product Formulation

smashbox has reformulated their shadows and I really like the result. The shadows go on smoothly and provide excellent color payoff. They also blend beautifully, which allowed me to create both soft, natural daytime looks and more dramatic, smoky eyes. I was already a fan of the Brow Tech and smashbox's lip glosses, so it was nice to have everything in one place.

Portability

I've tried a lot of makeup kits and palettes, and this is by far the most comprehensive I've ever used. Whether you're carrying it for travel or just want to simplify your makeup drawer, all you'll need in addition to the Photo Op Mega Palette is mascara, foundation, and perhaps a powder. I'm amazed at the amount of products the designers were able to pack into such a pretty, compact package.

Now that I've used the palette for a few days, I'm blown away by the quality, value, and at just how fun it is to have so many options in one place. While I think this makes the perfect gift, just make sure you pick up one for yourself, too! I would love to hear what you think about this Today's Special Value or about any other gifts of beauty you'll be picking up this season. Enjoy!

—Sandra