Product Comparison: Smashbox O-Glow and Almay Smart Shade Blush

A few months ago, Smashbox Cosmetics, a company known for being on the cutting edge of beauty, released a product they call "O-Glow." They describe it as every woman's blush, regardless of skin color or tone. It is a clear gel that is supposed to interact with the body chemistry of the user when applied to the cheeks, and produce a natural glow that is the same shade as the individual's own blush. Not too long after that, Almay Cosmetics, perhaps best known for their hypo-allergenic lines but which now makes an array of different make-up and skin care, produced a line called Smart Shade, which has a foundation in three basic shades which are supposed to adapt to match the user's skin tone, and a blush in three color families, which like O-Glow should give the user a natural-looking blush that suits her skin.

My sister gave me a tube of O-Glow, which retails for $26 and can be found at the Smashbox counter in better department stores, Sephora beauty stores, or on-line at smashbox.com, sephora.com, and QVC.com. When I read about the Smart Shade Blush, I went looking for it. Almay's website lists the places it should be available, which include major discount chains like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target, plus drugstores like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. I couldn't find it at Target or CVS in my town, but got lucky at Wal-Mart, where they had it in all three shades, Pink, Berry, and Neutral, for $8.99.