A pointless product - buy something else!! (Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
Date:	06/06/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: OK as a highlighter

Disadvantages: Overpriced, useless, doesn't do anything!

I have dark circles under my eyes which I think are hereditary and due to the skin under my eyes being thin. I work night shifts as well, and sometimes my sleeping pattern can be erratic, so under eye concealers are a godsend.

I bought this from QVC, and was taken in by the presenter comparing it to 'that famous little gold pen'. I'm sure we all know she was referring to YSL Touche Eclat, which I do actually use, however it's expensive and this product was only half the price, so I decided that it would be worth a try.

The eye brightener comes in a small tube like the one pictured, and as you can see when you unscrew the lid, it has a little brush on it, with which you apply the product. The tube is very basic in appearance, but functional and wont take up too much space in your make-up bag.

This product is actually designed to be used under your concealer, something I didn't realise when I purchased it. Although it was initially designed for use under the eyes, Smashbox say it has become popular as a highlighter, and indeed it can be used in that way - in fact, sometimes when I can't find my Benefit High Beam, I find that this makes a good substitution.

Application is very easy. The product has a fairly light consistency - it's not runny as such, but it's certainly not thick make-up that will look caked on either. You simply brush this onto your skin and then use your fingers (or a brush if you really wanted to) to blend it in.

The brightener has a sort of golden colour to it, with a subtle shimmer and as far as I'm aware it only comes in the one shade.

When you blend it in, it almost seems to disappear and leaves this skin with an iridescent glow, but certainly doesn't actually cover up dark circles, I suppose, as the name of the product suggests, it just brightens them up and reflects the light away with its shimmery particles.

Applying concealer over the top does help to disguise my dark circles but it also helps disguise the smash box eye brightener! By that, I mean it covers the eye brightener up so that it can't be seen. I may as well have just used my normal concealer on it's own! It really does seem totally pointless, and I was really disappointed with it.

All is not lost though, as I say it can work quite well as a highlighter, despite that not being it's intended purpose. I often dab a little bit under my the arch of my eyebrows and blend, which gives a lovely finish, and seems to be fairly long lasting too. Saying that, there are much better highlighters on the market including Benefit High Beam which I have already mentioned, and a couple of cheaper ones too, such as MeMeMe's Beat the Blues, and Collection 2000's 'The Highlighter' both of which are about half the price of the Smashbox one and give a more intense shimmer.

This product cost £9.25 from QVC. Smashbox are a fairly new company to the UK and are not widely available, but it may be worth having a look online for a better deal.

So overall, I'm not impressed. As an 'under eye brightener' it doesn't work at all, but it's OK as a highlighter - yet I would not buy it again just for that purpose, and would suggest to everyone that this is a product to be avoided.

Summary: Avoid!