Smart Shade Do Whaaaat?!

I, like many makeup enthusiasts, have a hard time believing half of the claims beauty products make these days.  Some claims are as promising as "blurs imperfections" or "miracle skin perfecter," others are as simple as claiming to be "waterproof" or "long-lasting."

I have been aware of a line of beauty products from Almay called Smart Shade for quite a while.  I've seen the commercials where Kate Hudson takes a smidgen of Smart Shade makeup that blends perfectly into her most-likely-professionally-airbrushed-and-video-edited face.  Like others, I have continued to ignore these ads due to their ridiculous claims like the one found on Amazon.com: "Shade sensing micro-beads start out white and instantly adjust to match your skin tone."  Shade sensing?  Really?



Well, I'm here to tell you that the claims are true (although shade sensing is not the phrase I would use).  I, in my love for all things discount, bought said product after hunting down items that are currently part of the CVS Beauty Clearance Sale (for a list of items on sale, check out Nouveau Cheap's master list).  It was 75% off, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I must have a gift of choosing unexpectedly awesome products.  Almay Smart Shade Smart Balance is now one of my favorite foundations.  I have an oil-slick of a face, and it surprisingly does not get shiny or wear off (when set with a powder, of course!).  Here's the product in all it's $3.37, shade sensing glory:

Before

After

Even though most products' claims are ridiculous and most likely false, there are some that won't necessarily deliver on those claims but can still turn out to be great products.  You'll never know until you try!

Thanks for reading!