Smoky Eye 3 Minute Beauty Set by Estee Lauder

Smoky eyes and me, well, I've yet to really figure that one out. I still try and all, but my narrow eyes and fair coloring just seem to be at odds with the whole smoky eye thing. However, I'm in love with Estee Lauder's Little Black Primer and am collecting them like crazy, so this set appealed to me on several levels.

You get a black patent carrying case with a nice double sided mirror, Sumptuous Infinite mascara (deluxe travel size), Little Black Primer (deluxe travel size), and Magic Smoky shadow pencil in Burnt Black for $32.50.

I've been using the Little Black Primer for over a month now and it will be a staple going forward. It definitely adds "oomph" to my less than obvious lashes, plus it makes any (ANY) mascara I pair it with smudge proof. That's a godsend to my lower lash line in particular, as my oily skin tends to make most mascaras smudge. An added bonus is that it wipes easily off my skin, yet once it's on the lashes, it doesn't budge. I do find my mascara harder to remove in the evenings, as this makes mascaras waterproof whether you wear it under or over lashes, in my experience.

The Sumptuous Infinite mascara is both a lengthening and volumizing mascara with stretchable fibers that fuse with the lashes as the mascara dries.  I would not have guessed fibers were in the formula, as it seems like any wet mascara formula when I apply.  I do like the brush, as I find smaller brush heads easier to maneuver on my small eyes.  Sumptuous Infinite mascara is supposed to be clump-resistent, flakeproof, smudgeproof, and sweat and humidity resistant.  I've only worn it paired with the Little Black Primer, and I'd say it's meeting it wear claims quite well in the swamp like climate of Mobile, AL.

The Magic Smoky shadow pencil in Burnt Black is a soft, hazy looking black that is easy to apply and smudge out.  Building up to opaque black is not really going to happen unless you wear a dark base underneath, but I do like the precision that the pencil gives when applying along the lash lines.  Plus, it's easy to buff out edges with a brush, so there is a fair amount of flexibility with this type of pencil shadow formula.  Intensity of color is not how these work, though, so think "smoke" instead.

I opted to wear black, smoky eyes on November 1 and 2, which are the days when The Day of the Dead is typically celebrated. I guess I needed a reason, as I'm a bit shy about wearing intense makeup looks to work :-)  The first day I wore the pencil without a dark base underneath and wasn't quite happy with the result, although it was definitely more work appropriate than when I went all balls out on day 2.

I primarily used Estee Lauder products both days, including the Double Wear Lite foundation in 2.0 mixed with Bronze Goddess Summer Glow Illuminator in equal parts. The color palette for day 1 and full FOTD:

The second day I used Milani's Shadow Eyez pencil in Black Ink as a base for Burnt Black, with two Pur Cosmetics matte shadows in BFF and Adore to blend out the crease.  I lined my upper and lower lash lines with Urban Decay's Perversion 24/7 pencil, which was an exercise in futility. Nothing stays on my water lines more than 10 minutes.

I was a little scared to leave the house once I was finished, but figured what the heck, I'm observing the Day of the Dead, after all. I really do love the whole concept of remembering loved ones who are no longer with us, and hope someone leaves out chocolate, flowers, and liquor for me once I'm gone.

Necklace I picked up in Albuquerque, NM