Two Tarte Disappointments

I remember when Tarte cosmetics first premiered at Bergdorf Goodman years ago. I had a makeover and bought a ridiculous number of products, and continued to purchase and for the most part love everything. The last 2 items I've used, however, have not fallen into the 'love' category. The first is the 'natural' iteration of their Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. I used this several years ago, back when it was chock full o' chemicals and liked it. It's now free of parabens, pthalates et al, and bored with how quickly my beloved Korres mascara dries up, I purchased the Tarte.

I get nice length and thickness from it, especially over their mascara primer, but boy oh boy is this flake city! I've had two coworkers (including a guy) come over and that my face was covered in black flakes it was so bad. One close friend, unprompted and out of the blue, said "whatever mascara you've been using lately--stop." Lesson learned. I tossed it and rebought the Korres.

Check back later to learn about the second Tarte product that's fallen short for me recently, the newly released Amazonian Clay Shimmer Powder.

Face of the Day!

I unearthed an old(er) MAC Quad today and wanted to use it!

Eyes:
MAC Blanc Type lash to brow (over Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen)
MAC Naked lunch in and above the crease
MAC Copperplate in the outer corner
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon
Korres Mascara
(The other MAC shadow in the Quad is Sensualize)

Cheeks:
Rock & Republic Rumor
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzer in Maui
Julie Hewett Goldie Shimmy to highlight the tops of my cheekbones

Lips:
Laura Mercier Tiger Lily Stickgloss

My Haul From The Makeup Show-L'Oreal Gift Bag

L'Oreal had a both at the Makeup Show allowing their HiP line of products to be played with, but had nothing for sale. Instead, attendees left with extremely generous gift bags of full size products.

Magic Perfecting Base is a thick, creamy, silicone-based primer designed to smooth lines and hide pores. It blends on easily (I tried it under my undereye concealer) and has that velvety feeling typical of silicone primers. It is fragrance and paraben-free.
I was admittedly shocked by the pigment levels in the HiP Metallic Shadow Duos in Platinum and Gilded. They are very pigmented, very metallic and very cool! I'd have to blend these down quite a bit to wear to the office but they would be very fun for a night out. The lighter shades create a foiled look without needing to be used wet and the darker shades would be nice as a liner. I rarely buy drugstore makeup and had never tried HiP before but these are definitely impressive. If they had duos in more natural/me shades I would pick one up, despite finding the packaging overly and unnecessarily bulky.
HiP Color Presso glosses in Spunky and Chic were also included. The packaging on these is a little odd and takes some getting used to, since the two shades are in 2 separate chambers. You can squeeze just one tube for that color individually, or press both to release both colors which can be mixed on your lips. Both Presso and Chic blend to sheerish berries--the first cooler and the second with some warmth. They have a sweet smell and aren't too sticky on the lips. I don't have many berry shades and Chic looked very nice on! The tubes are cool looking but large and a little awkward to store or fit into a makeup bag.

These was also a Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black and the 24 Hour Lash Boosting Power System which contains a Double Extend Mascara and Lash Boosting Serum. I used Voluminous way back when and liked it but had never tried the Double Extend or the Serum.
I kind of just tossed these aside when I received them since I use only natural mascaras. With blond lashes I need to really work my mascara into the roots of my lashes and inevitably get mascara right on the underside of my lid. The idea of a multitude of chemicals being absorbed through a membrane line that really concerned me so I jumped on the "natural" mascara bandwagon early on, using Korres primarily but also Tarte. I had been happy with the look of both.
Last night I decided that it couldn't hurt just to try the Double Extend just once. I applied the white primer and then 2 coats of the mascara and had a total OMG moment. My lashes looked AMAZING. Unbelievably long and full, verging on fake, which is an amazing feat for my short, puny, blonde lashes. I've never been this impressed with a mascara. Now I'm torn--do I use the mascara chock full of parabens and other chemicals but makes my lashes unbelievable, or the less potentially harmful one that gives me merely nice ones? Hmmmm...

Here is the ingredient list for the set:

NARS Angelique Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment

Backed when I owned NARS Exhibit A blush, I always had the most difficult time coordinating a lip look with it. On my the blush had rosy, red, and peachy orange tones that harmonized well, but were difficult to replicate in a lipstick. For those that have and wear Exhibit A, NARS Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment in Angelique is the perfect counterpart.

The Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatments are slim, waxy tinted balms with SPF 15 and moisturizing mango butter. All of the shades (there are 6 total) are quite sheer, with Angelique having the most color. It's described as sheer strawberry and to me is a rosy red with just a hint of orangey coral. It's perfect for summer! The downside is that it is quite sheer and quite expensive for a tinted balm at $25. Sephora only seems to have 4 of the 6 shades, but Nordstrom and Blue Mercury have the full lot.
And just for fun, here is my eye look of the day:

• Becca Satin lash to crease
• Becca Tweed in the outer 3/4 of the crease
• Lancome Black Coffee to line close to the lash liner and on the waterline
• Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

My Gossip Girl Eye

Unfortunately I look nothing like Blake Lively (the actress who plays Serena Van Der Woodsen on Gossip Girl) and no amount of plastic surgery ever make me will, but that doesn't stop me from loving the eye makeup her character has been sporting in the last few episodes! She wears a super-sparkly very light champagne on her lid and a peachy brown subtly in the crease with a dark brown very close to the lash line. It's absolutely gorgeous and soft and even though our coloring and features could not be more different, I had to try to emulate it. I used MAC Lily White Pigment damp on the lid and on my brow bone, and a blend of the peach and soft taupey brown from Kevyn Aucoin Eye Essential Palette 1 in the crease. I lined close to my lashes with Espresso from Calvin Klein used wet. Korres mascara finished the look. It didn't turn me into Blake but I'm happy with the result--soft and pretty with enough shimmer to look special.

Mally Beauty

I've seen the Mally Beauty line at Henri Bendel on many occasions and was never tempted by it, and I've seen it presented on QVC multiple times and had no interest, yet last weekend I found myself ordering a QVC One Time Only kit online, acting quickly lest it sell out! This is the danger of staying home on a Saturday night instead of going out with your friends and being completely overstressed at work.

The kit arrived yesterday and I got to play with it today. The products confirmed my initial reaction to the line--nothing earth-shattering, nothing I'd crave in the future--but the quality is fine and the price was right. For $31 and change (almost $42 after shipping and taxes) I received:

• powder blush in Mally's Glow, a warm pink with shimmer
• eye shadow in Mally's Glow, a bronze shimmer
• liquid lipstick in Mally's Look, a midtoned pink
• eye liner in Midnight, black
• mascara in black
• the most hideous pink makeup bag

Mally waxed poetic about her line's lasting power but I found it standard--the liner had smudged a bit under my eyes and the mascara had flaked some. The gloss has a nice non-sticky texture and good shine but a fake/sweet smell and the powder products have good pigment and went on nicely. The overall look was flattering and nice for Spring, but for some reason I just can't get too enthusiastic. To me the line is missing the "something special" or cache of some others and doesn't seem sophisticated. I also really dislike how oversized the packaging is since the added bulk makes storage difficult. It was a good value, priced what would likely have been equivalent to drinks and cab fare had I actually gone out instead of staying in and shopping online and so I guess I came out even!

Face of the Day

I haven't posted a Face of the Day in a while, but I received so many compliments on my look today that I thought it was worth sharing, especially given how simple it was.

I used Bobbi Brown Champagne Quartz Metallic Shadow lash to brow, Rock and Republic Diffused Shadow in the crease and lined with Sephora Nano Liner in Glitter Brown. Cheeks were MAC Lilicent topped with the last dregs of the Chantecaille Lumiere de Rose Highligher I dropped and destroyed a few weeks ago and I wore Bobbi Brown Berry Shimmer (decidedly not berry colored) and MAC Gingerroot to line. Usual underpinnings of Jouer concealer, True Cosmetics mineral pressed powder, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen and Korres black mascara.

Face of the Day-10.5.09

• Bobbi Brown Shadow Basics Palette
• Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Pot
• Prescriptives False Eyelashes Mascara
• Guerlain KissKiss Baby Lipstick
  

UPDATE: Bergdorf Goodman Beauty Event

So I went back the next day because the Prescriptives concealer was just unworkable. It must have been the powder added to the product because it did not spread at all, caked, and could not be layered. It's a shame because the color was just perfect. I was also so excited about my new candle, but it went from smelling divine unlit to overwhelmingly strong when burned. This would be great if I lived in a large space or wanted to scent my whole house, but living in a tiny New York City apartment, it was too intense and instant migraine. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the brand to someone looking for a candle with a very strong scent and throw though. Just not for a studio apartment!

When I went back I again tried the La Mer concealer as I so wanted it to work fo me due to the amazing texture and coverage. I also tried a concealer called the Anti-Aging Mineral Mystique by La Bella Donna , a mineral line you really never hear much about. I believe it's carried at several spas and a few online retailers, but I've yet to see it in a department store other than Bergdorfs. The concealer is in a click pen but the product is quite thick and has great coverage (pigmented with minerals) and a good deal of light reflectors, ideal for someone with undereye darkness not only from pigment but shadowing as well. After walking around like a crazy person looking at every single mirror in every light on the floor (the store has the absolute worst lighting of any cosmetic department I've been in), I opted for the La Bella Donna. Not cheap at $44 (I've seen visited their website and all of the items are pricey) and it smells a bit waxy, kinda of like an old lipstick. I think that may just be because the line is fragrance free. Today was Day 2 and I like it! I also went back to Px for a lip liner in Ginger, a soft pink, but the sales associate gave me Guava, a deeper rose shade. I'm going to keep it though since I don't have a similar shade and it deepens the new gloss nicely and turns it into an evening shade. So all in all I ended up with:

• La Bella Donna Anti-Aging Mineral Mystique
• Prescriptives Custom Gloss
• Prescriptives Guava Lip Liner
• Prescriptives False Eyelashes Mascara

A nice ode to Prescriptives since unfortuntely the line is to be discontinued January of this year. Here is the liner/gloss combo:

Bergdorf Goodman Beauty Event

September 16th through 20th, Bergdorfs is having one of their Beauty Events, held several times a year, where you save $25 off a purchase of $100 on the Beauty Level. I had a very difficult time deciding what to buy. I originally wanted the new La Mer concealer, but the shades did not work out for me. The coverage and texture are divine, but the light looked too white under my eyes and the medium was very dark and very orange. Edward Bess has some new lipsticks shades and I contemplated them as well, but none grabbed me. I decided that in honor of the Prescriptives lines being discontinued as of the end of January 2010, I'd try show support and purchase some products from the line.

I wanted a custom concealer, custom lip gloss and mascara. The artist I worked with was Neptune. I told him that I wanted a concealer with a lot of coverage and light reflectors for my horrifically dark, recessed circles. He got to work mixing, adding pigments to create the perfect shade, light reflectors to bounce shadows and darkness, and a white powder for opacity. The end result is a dead on match. I took off my makeup and tried it on at home on clean, moisturized skin waiting to see the miracle and hmmm...it seems to ball up when I try to layer it. I'm not sure if it's the powder that was added or the overall formula, but I'll have to play with this one some more. No angels singing. Bergdorf Goodman has the worst lighting of any department store and so what looks okay there may not fare so well in real life. I'll try it again tomorrow. The custom concealer is $34.

For the lips I asked for a liquid lipstick type product--not too sheer, not sticky, and heaven fobid I branch away from my usual peachy pinks. Neptune created a lovely sheerish natural peachy pink with a beige pearl and Bellini scent. There are several shades to choose from including Latte, Cocoa, Tropical, Mint and Berry. You can also select a doe foot want of slant tip applicator. The custom glosses are $34. Here is my gloss:

I needed a new mascara since my beloved Korres has dried up and am trying Prescriptives False Eyelashes since it is now paraben-free ($19.50).

I had to spend a bit more to qualify for the discount (sounds kind of ridiculous, doesn't it?) and I purchased a Nest Candle in Freesia Kiwi. Nest Candles are by Laura Slatkin. Many of the scents are reminiscent of the famed Slatkin & Co fragrances. The are soy wax and packaged in lovely stiped clear and frosted glass jars. Freesia Kiwi is a blend of freesia, jasmine, muguet, Asian Pear, kiwi and cassis. I had a hard time deciding between this one and Wasabi Pear, which turned out to be out of stock, making the decision for me.

Overall it was a fun night having products custom blended and and coming home with a pretty purple bag of goodies. I hope the concealer works better tomorrow than it did tonight! Have you ever had Px custom blend products for you? How did they work out?