Bare Escentuals Buxom Smoky Eye Sticks Swatches and Review

Top to Bottom: Buxom Waterproof Smoky Eye Sticks in Ice Pick, Brass Knuckles, Bow & Arrow, Nunchuck, 5" Stilettos, Buxom Smoky Eye brush





Okay, my favorite makeup nowadays are eye pencils. I don't mean eyeliners, but more of eye shadow pencils as base for eyeshadows, or to intensify the eye makeup. I was able to try Bare Escentuals' new offering of this type of eye pencils called the Buxom Waterproof Smoky Eye Sticks. They come in a variety of different colors and they are so, so amazing. I used to not even think about using these for the eyes, but now, they are a staple in my eye makeup application.

First of all, these are like crayons for the eyes. The pigmentation is amazing, more like crayons on steroids. As the moniker says, they are waterproof, so these won't budge even after a crying episode. They glide like butter on the lids, don't crease, have great staying power, and the colors are gorgeous. They aren't splotchy either. They are best applied with an eye primer applied underneath for maximum staying power. I like them as bases for my powder eyeshadows. They make the eyes look more deep-set and smoky. The result is a very sultry pair of peepers!

See swatches and the rest of the review after the jump

What I like about these Buxom Smoky Eye Sticks is that they don't disappear even when an eyeshadow is applied over them. They give their own sort of nuance to the eye look. I used Brass Knuckles underneath a neutral shadow, and yet the bronziness still shone through the product, giving my eye look lots of depth and dimension. If your eyeshadow is too light, the Smoky Eye Stick will balance the light shade and will give your eyeshadow depth.

I also like how multi-purpose this Smoky Eye Stick is: it can be an eyeshadow base, eyeliner, or the eyeshadow itself. The best part is that there are no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and artificial fragrances in this product.


Smoky Eye Brush on the left

Let's talk a little bit about the Buxom Smoky Eye Brush. I really like it. It has a pencil-shaped head but is a little bigger than the usual pencil brushes we see out there. The head is firm but flexible (it's hard to describe, but it really is!). It is firm enough to be able to smudge the Smoky Eye sticks according to your specifications, and yet it's flexible enough to even out the smudged color on the skin. If it is too firm, the hairs will not be able to apply an even layer of color on the lids. You can use this brush either to smudge the product after you have applied it on your lids, or you can scrape some product from the stick itself using the brush, and apply on your lids for a softer look.

Here's Bare Escentuals' suggestion on how to use the brush and the eye stick:

The Buxom Method: How to Use your Smoky Eye Stick 3-in-1 Shadow, Line & Smoke

1. Gently brush the Smoky Eye Brush against the eye stick tip, then sweep color back and forth on the lid near the lash line and into crease.
2. Line the lash line with the pointed tip (includes built-in sharpener).
3. Soften the edges with brush to get down and smoky.

Here are some swatches:











5" Stiletto is a beautiful smoky purple that would be great as base for plums, pinks, even neutrals. Bow & Arrow is a smoky moss and is my staple for my moss, olive and green eye looks. Brass Knuckles is gorgeous; it's a smoky bronze that I always use for my neutral, brown, gold, bronze looks. Ice Pick is a smoky grey for my smoky eye looks. Finally, Nunchucks is a smoky royal blue for my blues.

I can't pick a favorite because they are all gorgeous. I love their deep and rich pigmentation, the waterproof formula, the fact that they glide like butter on the lids, and of course the variety of uses for this product. I have done a few looks using these Smoky Eye Sticks and I cannot wait to play with some more looks. Tutorial and look using these smoky eye sticks will be up soon!

The Shades Of U Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Note: Media samples were provided by a representative of the company for consideration. All opinions are completely mine.