Magic Powder Smoky Stick in Indigo Smoke by Estee Lauder

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

The Magic Powder Smoky Stick ($22) by Estee Lauder is supposed to make doing a smoky eye easy, but I was just interested in seeing what a powder formula in a chubby pencil is like.  I rarely do a smoky eye as my eyes are small and narrow, which isn't the best eye shape for that type of effect, IMO. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong, who knows?  I did give it a valiant effort in light of this review, but more on that below.

However, I regularly use pencils to line my upper and lower lids, and this seemed like a good candidate for that. I chose Indigo Smoke from the 8 available colors, which has a soft navy powder base with lighter blue shimmer sparkles in the mix.

Indigo Smoke lays down a sheer wash of color that can be built up somewhat, but keep that whole "smoke" concept in mind, as opaque color really isn't the goal. I found the pencil easy to use but my biggest concern was having it transfer from my lash line onto my lid, something that can happen on my hooded eyes if the color does not lock into place.

I'm happy to report I didn't have issues with transfer, so yay for Indigo Smoke!  I did feel like I needed a more opaque liner closest to my lash line for definition, and used Lorac's Front of the Line Pro liquid eyeliner in Navy for that. I'm liking how this turned out.

Now on to my smoky eye effort.  Considering I had two meetings in a somewhat conservative environment the day I was testing this, consider this a daytime smoky eye.  I smoked out the blue with several taupe shadows, as on it's own I was just getting to much of a "blue eyeshadow" look/vibe.

It came out okay, but I still think my eye shape is just not conducive to a smoky eye. That's okay, as it takes longer to create than I want to invest on a work day, anyhow :-)  Of note when I used the pencil after a month of it laying around - the powder pigment had hardened and it was difficult to lay down color, perhaps due to oils from my eye when I last used it.  Sharpening the pencil solved that problem and I'm hoping that won't be the case each time I use it.

Items used for this FOTD (links are to full reviews):

• stila One Step Bronze as a primer
• Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener
• bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream 05 mixed with a dab of Becca's Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation in Buff
• Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Powder Bronzer in Medium
• Estee Lauder Lover's Blush
• bareMinerals Barely Nude 5-in-1 BB Cream Eyeshadow
• Estee Lauder Indigo Smoke Magic Powder Smoky Stick
• Estee Lauder Tempting Mocha and Korres Grey Brown Base shadows
• Lorac Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner in Navy
• Inika Blonde Bombshell eyebrow pencil
• Smashbox X-rated mascara
• Model Co. Illusion lip pencil topped with NYX Tres Leches Intense Butter Gloss
• Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge Correcteur and Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Pressed Powder