EOTD: Giorgio Armani Eye Tint

EOTD: Giorgio Armani Eye Tint in #4 Emeraude, topped with a little bit of Urban Decay Zodiac mostly in the center. Crease and brow bone colors are the first two in the Inifinity Hourglass palette. Kat Von D Trooper eyeliner and Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara!

Brow Battle: Tarte versus Anastasia

Anastasia recently came out with a dipbrow pomade for filling in eyebrows. When I saw the concept and product, it reminded me a lot of Tarte's brow mousse which I already own and enjoy. So, I figured I'd give you a comparison of the two and what I think the pros and cons for each one are.

Tarte Amazonian Waterproof Brow Mousse is available in 3 shades and retails for $28. Each container houses 0.1oz of product. On initial inspection, this may seem like nothing. But, the product is extremely pigmented so you really only need a little every day. I'm not sure I agree that the texture is a mousse. To me, the texture seems like a slightly drier cream product, which I enjoy because it doesn't have too much slip to it which can be good for creating small brush like hairs. I use the color rich brown and find it to be a great match and all the colors in the range lean on the cool side. You can also use this to define the bottom or top of your brows, but I find that to be a little more difficult since it isn't quite as smooth and creamy like a liner or pencil might be. The formula sets and lasts all day long.

The Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade comes in 5 colors, though I believe three more will be released soon and retails for $18 for 0.14 oz. Cost wise and amount wise, this is a better deal than the Tarte. I had to do a bit of searching to find a good color match because a lot of the existing 5 shades lean really warm. I ended up going with Dark Brown, which is the cooler of the darker shades. This stuff is super smooth, creamy and very pigmented. Again, a little goes a long way. This is ideal for people who really want to define the bottom and top of their brow, since the slip in this product allows for a seamless line. It is extremely easy to go overboard with this product so I wouldn't recommend this for beginners. The formula sets and stays in place quite well, but I would recommend getting a very small brush if you are interested in creating hair like strokes. The creamy-ness tends to make the typical angle brush stroke a bit heavy.

Depending on your hair color and what your preference may be for your brows (filling in hair like strokes versus defining the top or bottom of your brows) one may be more suitable for you than the other. I am personally enjoying using both, and actually like using them together. The Anastasia for defining the base of my eyebrow, and the Tarte for creating extra "hairs". They do have different consistencies, so if one doesn't work for you the other may still be worth investigating.

Neutral Brown Eyes using Drugstore Shadows

Lid: Wet n Wild Nutty
Crease: Wet n Wild Naked Truth "Crease"
Outer V/Lower lash line: Wet n Wild Naked Truth "Definer"
Browbone: Wet n Wild Naked Truth "Base"
Inner Corner: Wet n Wild Naked Truth "Browbone"
Waterline: Loreal Silkissime Highlighter 230
Liner: Eveline Cosmetics liquid liner
Mascara: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes

Empties: February 2014

It's time for another round of empties! I've got a mix of different makeup products that I have managed to use up and have well-formed opinions on to share :)

Let's start with the face products:

• Revlon Photoready Color Correcting Primer: This is a lotion style primer, and I really did enjoy it. I think it's the best drugstore primer I have tried thus far (though I have my eye on the Rimmel Matte primer) and I love that it came in a glass bottle with a pump. Not sure it really color corrects, but it definitely helps your makeup last.
• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (Caramel): I have a love hate relationship with this. It's a fantastic match for my skin and wears really well in the winter time, and in humid weather. But, if it's hot, it will not last. Even with a good primer I can't make it work. For now I'm going to hold off on re-purchasing this and try out other tinted moisturizer formulas.

Next, to my lonely lip product:

• Buxom Full On Lip Polish in Sugar (sample size): Oh man, this is my absolute FAVORITE formula of lip gloss. They come in tons of colors, are really glossy with only a slight tacky feeling, and they have this wonderful minty plumping sensation. I will always always repurchase this product. PS: My friends who I've told about this say their boyfriends request it for makeout sessions ;)

And lastly, what I go through the most, eye products:

• Diorshow Maximizer Lash Primer: Hot damn, this stuff is really good. Honestly, I was kind of hoodwinked into purchasing it but it really makes a difference. Since using it, my lashes are softer and fall out way less. The lashes on the very inner corners of my eyes have also grown significantly while using this, and they were non existent before. I'll repurchase when I can get 20% off.
• Eyeko Skinny Liner: Basic felt tip liquid liner. The tip isn't very flexible so it's not amazing for winged liner, but its solid for any basic liner you would wear regularly. I won't repurchase since I have a $3 Jordana liner that I love more than this.
• Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara: Really nice and volumizing formula to this mascara. It doesn't give much length, but it's good at not being clumpy. I have purchased a full size.
• Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara: The brush on this thing is GIGANTIC. Because of that, it took me a while to figure out how to use it. It gives good separation, but not enough volume for my liking. I won't be repurchasing.
• Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara: LOVED this mascara. It's quite a wet formula and gives you both volume and length. The only issue is that since it's wet it can get a bit clumpy, but this is easily sorted out using a lash comb. I have another two sample tubes of this and can't wait to use them!

All righty, that's it for now. Hopefully in the upcoming months I'll be able to have some interesting products like blush or eyeshadow since I'm shopping my own collection.

EOTD

EOTD: Felt like doing something colorful for a change. The lid color is a blue-green-gold duo chrome but really requires some building up since it’s not super pigmented.

Lid: Starlooks Enter Eden

Crease: Tarte Mattenificent View From the Taupe

Outer V: Tarte Mattenificent Two Plums Up

Browbone: Tarte Mattenificent Sand Out From the Crowd

Inner Corner: Lorac Unzipped Unreal

Liner: Tarte Mattenificent Don’t Sand Black

Mascara: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes

Review: Tarte be MATTEnificent palette

I think if you read my blog, you knew this was coming. I have an unhealthy obsession with matte eyeshadows, so when I saw that Tarte was going to be releasing an all matte eyeshadow and blush palette I knew I had to have it! Because, I only have 5 other matte palettes...lol.

I love how the packaging has a geode print on it!

Keeping in the theme of rosy neutrals, which appears to be the trend for this upcoming Spring, Tarte has included a line up of 6 eyeshadows, 2 eye liner shadows and a blush. The special claims come from the colored clay aspect. Tarte has both a rose clay and vanilla clay incorporated in these shadows, which is supposed to give them the ability to soothe the eye area and control oil. To be honest, I'm not sure if it does this or not because I always use a primer underneath my shadows anyways. The palette retails for $36 (though I got mine for 20% off with an ULTA coupon) and contains a 3/4 size Amazonian Clay Blush and 0.6864 oz of eyeshadow. The palette also houses a large mirror and a dual ended brush, which is a flat shader on one end and a precise blender on the other.

The thing that sets the Tarte matte shadows apart from others, is how ridiculously smooth they feel. They aren't creamy, but they are unbelievably smooth to the touch and blend out like a dream. For my skin tone, I feel like I have to layer on the bush a little bit, but the effect is still very nice. I think this is the perfect all in one palette for a working woman because the texture and colors make it ideal for the workplace. Overall, I am super pleased with this purchase and highly recommend checking it out!

Simple EOTD: I used Sand Out from the Crowd as my browbone highlight, Peach for the Stars in my crease, Rose to the Occasion all over the lid, Pink Outside the Box on my inner corner, and a mix of View from the Taupe and Two Plums Up for my outer corner/lower lash line. I used Dream in Chocolate to do a soft winged eyeliner to complete the look. PS: Please excuse the eyebrows, I am in between threading sessions.

Deal Alert: ULTA Get Ready for the Party

I stumbled across this boxed set on a display in ULTA and was truly intrigued. I wasn't even aware that ULTA created little packaged sets like Sephora's popular lash stash and fragrance sets, so when I saw it and noticed some great products, I had to pick it up. This normally retails for $30 (while the boxes value is $95) but when it rung up at the cashier, it was only $19! Pretty awesome if you ask me. So, what's inside?

You get 3 full size products and 3 deluxe sized samples. The full sized products include a Butter London glitter nail polish in Rosie Lee (a gorgeous red/pink sparkle), a Laura Gellar City Lights lip gloss (clear with beautiful golden glitter) and a Napoleon Perdis Loose Eyeshadow Dust in Pink Champagne (beautiful metallic pink). I've actually never tried anything from Napoleon Perdis, or the lip gloss formula from Laura Gellar. I own only one other Butter London polish which is a metallic finish, so it's nice to get to try a glitter.

The 3 deluxe sized products included in the set are a Tarte Lights Camera Action mascara, a Pur Minerals bronzer, and a Lorac Behind The Scenes eye shadow primer. I've used a sample of the primer before and love it, so I wasn't unhappy about getting a repeat product. I have never tried the Tarte mascara, but am really excited to since it has so many rave reviews and touts some big claims (400% increase in lash volume). As for Pur Minerals, this is yet another brand which I have never tried, though if you read my blog you know I am a big fan of mineral makeup (Bare Minerals <3).

Below, I've swatched the bronzer, lipgloss and eye dust. Overall, I think this is a great sampling of some good products at an excellent price point. If you're interested in trying some new items, this is a set you should definitely consider picking up.

Review: The Balm Instain Blushes

I’ve been lusting after these for a while, but was hesitant based on the price point and the fact that I had no methods to actually view the products in person. I’m one of those people who likes to see things before they purchase if at all possible. I love ordering stuff online, but usually only after I’ve had some experience with a brand and their products.

As someone who has oily/combination skin, I find that most of my blushes tend to fade away by the end of the day. The only exception to this is when I use the Benefit 15 hour primer, which is like glue for anything you put on your face. The Balm claims these products are a long wearing, staining powder blush. They’ve got 6 colors total and I ended up picking up a purple and peach one via Amazon. They retail for $22 and contain 6.5g of product. If you get them from Amazon you can actually pay between $12 and $16 for any of the colors, and Kohl’s sells a 3-pack online for $34 (I don’t have any of the colors in the pack).

To test these claims, I prepped my cheeks with the Revlon Photoready Color Correcting Primer (one of my basic no fuss primers) and wore my Bare Mineral’s foundation on top. I find that my blush wear tends to be less on top of any kind of powder foundation, so I figured this would be perfect. After that I just applied my blush with a stippling brush since they do pack some pigment. After a full day of classes and tutoring (makeup on at 10am and taken off at 9pm) my blush was still perfectly vibrant. My foundation had worn off in several places on my face but the blush was a trooper.

I’m really pleased with the performance of these blushes, and I think they perform better than the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes which tout a long-wear claim. The consistency is buttery smooth and as with all pigmented blushes, a little goes a long way.

I love both colors I purchased, and am keeping my eye on the Kohl’s 3 pack both as a gift for myself and others.

Makeup of the day, I’m really loving coral cheeks and lips with fresh natural skin.

Sensational Blushes for Spring @>--;--

Springtime always gets me in the mood for pretty cheeks. To me, blush adds a healthy, happy, and youthful glow. This is particularly true for the light and bright blushes I like to wear this time of year.

Powder Blushes




1. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes (Achiote, Tipsy, Exposed): the texture on these is finely milled and very soft with a matte finish ($25, 0.2oz). These blushes are quite easy to build up if you have a darker skin tone, and don’t look cakey. Achiote was the first Tarte blush I ever tried, and I love the brown toned medium pink color. Tipsy is PERFECT for the spring and summer. If you’re scared of the orange in this, try Blissful for a similar but tamer look. Exposed is really a year round essential blush. This is my go-to when I look at my face and am not sure what will work. Exposed always goes with everything!



2. Benefit Dandelion ($28, 0.25oz): This is a lovely light pink with just a hint of shimmer. If you like to avoid playing up your cheeks, this is a great one to own. This color in particular really adds youthfulness to the face.



3. Sleek Coral ($5.99, 0.27oz): Exactly what the name says, a perfect coral. This would be a slightly tamer version of Tipsy with a greater emphasis on the pink, rather than the orange. This blush requires some layering as the powder is a little bit stiff so you don’t pick up much with one swipe.



Liquid/Cream Blush



1. Mac Something Special Cremeblend Blush ($21, 0.19 oz): Oh what to say about this blush. If I could only pick one blush to have for all of spring and summer, this would most definitely be my pick. It starts out as a cream and sets with a powder finish and is super flattering on tan skintones. It just looks super fresh and light, partially due to the color, and also because its a cream. I highly recommend checking this out :) (Apologies for the brush hairs, as you can see this one is well loved)



2. Benefit Cha Cha Tint ($30, 0.42 oz): This is the perfect mango tangerine color, and it has the added bonus of working both as a blush and a lip stain. It has a very creamy consistency (think nail polish) and is very easy to blend out. I definitely recommend starting out with just a few dots and working that into the skin and then slowly building up. It’s pretty easy to go overboard with this, and then you’re stuck because it stains.



That wraps up my favorite spring blushes. I’m always on the lookout for other colors so let me know which shades you like to rock!

Swatches Pictured Below