Tarte GIFTED AMAZONIAN CLAY SMART MASCARA Swatches and Review

As you may or may not know, I love a giveaway.  I love to enter them almost as much as I love to host them.  With a stroke of luck, I won three Tarte products from one of Bloomin Beauty Blog's Blogiversary Giveaway!

This week I'll also be showing you the 2 blushes, but for today we'll focus on Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Mascara!

What the Sephora website has to say about Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara:

What it is:
A reparative and volumizing mascara containing Tarte's biggest beauty breakthrough, Amazonian clay.

What it does:
This amazing mascara delivers a 406% increase in lash volume and long-term reparative, rebuilding, and strengthening benefits with each swipe giving you instant results and better lash health. Just as it intuitively restores hydration and texture in skin, Amazonian clay intuitively hydrates and replenishes dry and brittle lashes to prevent fallout. High performance natural™Amazonian clay performs all day by absorbing oil to balance mascara and keep product in place for flake-free longer wear. It lends itself to deepen pure color pigments creating a volume-boosting formula with higher intensity and truer pure color. The result is healthier and more voluminous lashes that won't ever flake or transfer, naturally. After daily wear, lashes are intact, healthier and stronger. This mascara prevents lash loss and promotes lash health.

What else you need to know:
Tarte gives back and so can you: with every gifted mascara purchase, you are helping support the Tarte-sponsored sustainable-harvest cooperatives in the Amazon.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

Research results:
91% of subjects reported healthier lashes after use.
Size: 0.24 oz

 The eye shadow used in this photo is L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Iced Latte.

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara is pretty darn amazing.  The above eye swatch is only ONE coat.  I got a lot of nice natural curl and lengthening with this mascara.  Though it wasn't very thickening, I found it a great mascara for daily and natural use.

The packaging for the mascara wand is rather bulky, but didn't hinder me from using easily.  The wooden tube definitely stands out from my other mascaras!

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara retails for $19.00 as is available at Sephora and Ulta.

***This post contains an affiliate link.  For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Tarte EXPOSED Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Swatches and Review

Slowly over 2011 I've been getting into Tarte.  The original enticement happened during the True Blood frenzy.  I've been checking reviews on products, swatching in person... acclimating myself to this brand.

One of the items I've been dying to try out is the Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush.  My top choice was in the shade Exposed, which was sold out at Sephora (though it is back in stock now), so I picked it up with my 20% off Ulta coupon!

What Sephora.com has to say about Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush:

What it is:
A long-wearing, solar-baked blush that lasts up to 12 hours.

What it does:
Infused with natural clay harvested from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun, this nutrient-rich blush benefits all skin types for a fade-free flawless finish for an amazing 12 hours. Inspired by Tarte's best-selling shades of cheek stains and lip tints, the colors range from soft to vivid to suit a wide variety of skintones. For oily skin types, Amazonian clay minimizes oil in and around pores to balance skin and keep product in place. Those with dry skin will benefit from the clay's nourishing and hydrating properties, which naturally restore skin's moisture. Combination skin types can rely on its ability to zero in on skin concerns and deliver benefits to restore complexion harmony. The result? Blush that wears better, longer, and truer!

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

What else you need to know:
This blush features the following Skinvigorating™ ingredients:
- Vitamins A and E, two natural preservatives that act as anti-inflammatory emollients and protect against free radical damage
- Vitamin C, an antioxidant that fights free radical damage and prevents oxidative stress and premature signs of aging, while brightening the skin
- Amazonian clay, a nutrient-rich, multitasking, skin-balancing clay that reduces dryness and flakiness, improves skin clarity, elasticity, firmness, and texture while removing oil from the skin's surface for smooth application and wear

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush is an Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner.
Size: 0.2 oz

(Left - swatched heavily, Right - blended out)

Exposed (nude) is a really pigmented and very smooth mauvey nude blush.  The shade was everything I expected it to be and more.  I can absolutely see why people rave about this product.  It lasted well throughout the day, even with a light hand application.  Because this blush is so richly pigmented, you only need to dab your bush in the product and tap it on your face, then blend.  This product should last a LONG time with this type of use.  Totally worth the price tag!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush retails for $25 and you can pick this up at Sephora, Ulta and  tartecosmetics.com

***This post contains an affiliate link.  For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Halloween 2011 FOTD

We're not really doing anything costumey this year for Halloween.  Our friends are having a party tonight at their house and it's not dress up, but I still thought it would be fun to do something with my makeup.... Because, let's be honest, when can you ever vamp up your face, go out in public, and it's okay.

For this look I basically just went dark and vampy.  Witchy yet sultry.  Enjoy!

For this look I used:
~ MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer NW25
~ Lancome Dual Finish Powder Matte Bisque II
~ Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation in BR42
~ Dior DiorShow Brow Styler
~ MAC Brow Set - Clear
~ MAC False Lashes Mascara - Extreme Black
~ Tarte Eye Primer
~ Tarte for True Blood Palette - V, Telepath, Legend, The True Death
~ Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner
~ Dior Eye Liner in Trinidad Black (bottom)
~ MAC Prim and Proper Blush
~ MAC Staunchly Stylish Pro Longwear Lip Pencil
~ MAC Dark As Night Pro Longwear Lipglass
***please note, clicking any of the above links will navigate you away from this particular page. You can right click your mouse and select "open in a new page" to remain on this one while you view other posts.

For this EOTD I used the Tarte Eye Primer that came with the True Blood Palette.  Then (also from the Tarte for True Blood Palette) applied Telepath from lid to brow. Second, I applied Legend in the crease. Then I took V and applied it all over the lid. I took a bit more of Telepath and applied it to the inner corners.  Using The True Death I added a line of the silver under the eye to brighten the look.  For an eyeliner I used Dior Trinidad Black Eye Liner on the bottom waterline and Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liquid Eye Liner on the top.  I used the MAC False Lashes Mascara in Extreme Black on the lashes to complete the eye look.

I'm taking the kids Trick or Treating tonight just quickly up and down our street (since they went last night too lol) then going to a party.  I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday.  Don't eat any opened candy or talk to strangers ;)

Tarte for TRUE BLOOD Collection Run Down

The Tarte for True Blood Collection is a must have for any True Blood fan. It's always fun at any age to dress up to some of your favorite TV Characters. I'm excited that Tarte offered this collection to give an opportunity to experiment with the looks as well as give me an excuse to try out the brand!

* Tarte for True Blood Palette

* Luminous Fairy EOTD
* Not Your Average Waitress EOTD
* Vamp Glam EOTD
* Vampy Vixen EOTD

* Tarte for True Blood LipSurgence Lip Tint in Red
* Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain in Red
You can click the links above for details, swatches, pics and reviews on each product. Clicking the link WILL navigate you away from this page, but if you right click on the link it will prompt you to open a new window.

If you only get one thing, definitely go for the Palette. At only $52 you're getting 17 eye shadows, a mini primer, mascara, and eye liner. There is a shade and look for everyone in this palette. From neutral to vamp, you're going to have something for every occasion. The shades are soft and easy to use. They blend SO well.

The only part of this palette that I thought was awful was the liner. At first I thought I'd love it. It went on well, and though it felt wet, it dried quickly and was a really deep black. However, my eyes reacted to it like I've never had before. My worst reaction to date was with the MAC Pearlglide Intense liners. The Tarte liner actually gave me a worse reaction. I recommend you trying it out before you do your actual look or makeup for the day, just in case you have a similar experience.

The Lip Tint and Cheek Tint were both great. The Lip Tint starts off a little raspberry, but then deepens to an almost red shade. The Cheek Tint isn't as dark or hard to work with as you'd imagine. As my first experience with a cheek stain, I was really quite impressed with the ease of use. The Lip Tint has a $24 retail, and the Cheek Tint will run you $30.

Did you pick up anything from this collection, or do you plan to? It's all Limited Edition, so don't think too long ;)

Week Of July 18, 2011 - Top 5 Blog Posts

Hi, everyone! I hope this past week treated you well ;) The Top 5 for this week is a lot of fun and different! All different brands! I feel that that makes the post a lot more interesting and fun.

Welcome back to the Top 5 Blog Posts of the week! Last weeks Top 5 can be viewed HERE.

The Number One blog post of the week belongs to Chanel Topkapi Quadra Eye Shadow Palette Swatches, Review & Eye Look. This is my favorite product, not just of this year, but of ALL time! I found everything about this quad to be lovely. If you're having issues with application, do remember to use firm brushes and a light hand. You can always add more in. This quad is totally sultry class ;)

The Number Two spot goes to the 1000 Follower Giveaway! This is my giveaway to celebrate hitting 1000 Followers! If you haven't entered already, please click the link and do so! It's open internationally until August 15. More will be added in the next few days/weeks.

Number Three for this week is MAC Feeling Flush, Pressed Amber, & Warmth of Coral Mineralize Blush Swatches & Review. This post has been on top since the release, but has dropped from it's Number One spot last week. These are some of the nicest minerazlize blushes that MAC has come out with, I do hope you'll check them out before they all sell out!

At the Number Four spot we have Le Metier de Beaute Rock N Romance Nail Polish Set Swatches & Review. This set is a Nordstrom Exclusive and a great little deal at $25. The polishes are small, but if you've been intrigued by the LMdB brand, it's a great time to give them a try!

Finally, in the Number Five spot, the Tarte for True Blood Limited Edition Palette Swatches, Review & Luminous Fairy EOTD. This is a beautiful palette and a GREAT deal from Tarte. The possibilities are endless. If you're a die hard True Blood fan, or even a die hard makeup fan, you NEED this one!

That's all for the top posts this week. Be sure to stick around this week, lots of fun and exciting things happening, and enter that giveaway! ;)

Tarte for TRUE BLOOD Vampy Vixen EOTD

The fourth and final look from the Tarte for True Blood Palette is entitled Vampy Vixen. Tomorrow, I'll be doing a run down of the whole Tarte for True Blood Collection and my thoughts as a whole.

For now, if you're interested in seeing the other 3 looks you can right click the links below to open them up in a new window:
Luminous Fairy
Not Your Average Waitress
Vamp Glam

For a breakdown on what I did and the colors that I used to create this look, you can click the picture below (I suggest to right click it and open it in a new window). The pic is a shot of the eye/breakdown that came with the palette that this look is based off of. I used ALL of the products that came with this palette, including the primer and mascara. However, because of a sensitivity issue with the eyeliner, I did not use that and instead substituted it for Dior Waterproof Crayon Eyeliner in Trinidad Black.

I thought this look was a lot of fun. It obviously looks quite a bit darker on the eye that they displayed on the insert, but the silver really popped and made the eye look enormous. I was once again disappointed that there was no crease in this one. At least the suggestions in the insert are a great jumping off point and are easy to add to as well as tweak ;)

Tarte for TRUE BLOOD Natural Cheek Stain Swatches, Review, & FOTD

The final product in the Tarte for True Blood line is the Natural Cheek Stain. I have very little experience with a cheek stain. Okay, I'll be honest, I've never used a cheek stain before in my life. I figured it can't be much different than a cream blush, which I also don't have a ton of experience with.

I found the Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain in Red to be a lot more sheer than I imagined. Which is a GOOD thing. It's an intimidating bright blood red in the tube, with more glitter than I anticipated. The glitter hardly shows once you apply (as you'll notice in the face photos below), and it was actually pretty easy to get on.

I started out very lightly, thinking this would be a deep red and the color could get away from me. It turned out I had to apply it pretty well 3 times over to get the tint I desired, and I'm not that dark of a girl (MAC NW25). I found it easy to apply and blend out. For a first time cheek stain user, I'm very impressed!

You can check out the pics below to see how it looks on skin. I was also impressed that as I wore the lip stain longer and longer it got more red!

The eye look is from the Tarte for True Blood Palette and is called Not Your Average Waitress. On my cheeks I used the Natural Cheek Stain in Red and the LipSurgence Lip Tint in Red, all from Tarte.

You can pick up the Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain at tartecosmetics.com, Sephora, and Ulta. This product retails for $30 and is Limited Edition.

***This post contains an affiliate link... for more information please read my disclosure policy.

Tarte for TRUE BLOOD Vamp Glam EOTD

It's time for Tarte for True Blood Eye Look #3!!!! Today we'll be focusing on Vamp Glam.

I didn't like this one as much as the other two I've done so far. I'm a fan of doing a crease color, and this one doesn't have one. It's definitely vampy, and totally pretty (ok I guess I shouldn't say pretty for something vampy... hmmm). Let's just say appealing. For some reason that doesn't sound as cutesy as pretty, and someone like Pam would say your neck looks appealing ;)

You can right click the following links to open a new window and check out the two previous looks I've posted from the Tarte for True Blood Palette.
Luminous Fairy
Not Your Average Waitress

For a breakdown on what I did and the colors that I used to create this look, you can click the picture below (I suggest to right click it and open it in a new window). The pic is a shot of the eye/breakdown that came with the palette that this look is based off of. I used ALL of the products that came with this palette, including the primer and mascara. However, once again, I had an issue with the eyeliner. As with the Not Your Average Waitress EOTD, my eyes reacted like CRAZY to it. Since this is the second time this has happened I've deduced that it must be because I'm lining underneath my eyes. When I just lined above with Luminous Fairy, the reaction didn't happen. Needless to say, it's annoying to have to keep redo-ing looks, so I'll no longer be using this liner. For this look, instead of the Tarte Eyeliner, I used Dior Waterproof Crayon Eyeliner in Trinidad Black.

This first look is completely based off of the steps they provided in the pic above.

For this second look, I vamped it out a bit more by using more of the "V" color around my eyes. It just didn't look vampy enough in the look above, so I channeled my inner Pam and went all out.

Look for the fourth and final Tarte for True Blood look to be posted very soon, as well as swatches and a review on the Tarte for True Blood Cheek Stain.

Tarte for TRUE BLOOD Not Your Average Waitress EOTD

With my love for Tarte blooming more and more every day I made a pledge to do every eye look that came listed in the insert with the Tarte for True Blood Palette.

When I swatched the palette, I brought you the Luminous Fairy look. Today I'll be bringing you another neutral look that they've titled "Not Your Average Waitress."

For a breakdown on what I did and the colors that I used to create this look, you can click the picture below (I suggest to right click it and open it in a new window). The pic is a shot of the eye/breakdown that came with the palette that this look is based off of. I used ALL of the products that came with this palette, including the primer and mascara. However, I had an issue with the eyeliner. My eyes reacted like CRAZY to it. This didn't happen yesterday, so I'm not sure what was going on, but I had to redo this look twice because it looked like I was crying. I plan to try this liner again with the next look, but for Not Your Average Waitress I used Dior Waterproof Crayon Eyeliner in Trinidad Black.

I thought this look was very neutral and pretty. A True Blood version of "safe for work"! The black liner definitely vamped it up a bit. The shades used were all impressive in pigment and blendability. Tarte continues to impress me with the quality of their eye shadows.

I'm excited to give the deeper looks a go over the weekend!! Have you picked up this palette yet?

Tarte for TRUE BLOOD LipSurgence Lip Tint Swatches & Review

For the second item in my Tarte for True Blood series ;) I have the LipSurgence Lip Tint in Red. You can check out the True Blood Palette swatches & Review here.

The description from the Tarte Website:

Experience love at first taste with tarte's LipSurgence™ natural lip tint, inspired by the hit HBO® series True Blood™. It's all flavor and no bite with this mint-infused, iridescent red shade that drenches lips in a luminous, long-lasting tint while tarte's LipSurgence™ technology rehydrates lips by delivering a surge of moisture for a deliciously plumped up appearance. Tune in to the new season of True Blood™, Sundays at 9/8c. Only on HBO®

I love how the lip tint feels on my lips. You can feel and smell the mint working, but not in a painful way like the Lip Venom from another brand. It definitely carries over a stain factor, so even when you eat and drink and this fades from your lips it'll still stick around. When that happens I like to revive with a clear lip balm (my fave is from Burts Bees!).

The Lip Tint leaves the lips feeling full, and hydrated while still looking glossy. I did find myself a bit disappointed that it wasn't a TRUE red tint on the lips. So many "red" tints go pink. This pink does have a reddish hue in it, and I do like it better than others I've tried.

The Tarte for True Blood LipSurgence Lip Tint retails for $24. It is limited edition, so get it while it's hot! You can pick this up at tartecosmetics.com, Ulta, and Sephora.

***This post contains an affiliate link... for more information please read my disclosure policy.

Tarte for TRUE BLOOD Limited Edition Palette Swatches, Review, and Luminous Fairy EOTD

I'm about to get all fanatic on you. I'm a HUGE. HUGE. True Blood fan. I'm completely Team Eric. I can't even get into why, because this post will turn into a whacked out rant and likely make me look extremely insane, if I don't already.

Tarte Cosmetics has teamed up with True Blood to bring you an awesome and limited edition line of products. There is a palette (which will be featured in this post), LipSurgence Lip Tint in Red, and a natural cheek stain in Red.

From the Tarte website:

Get glamoured with this limited-edition palette packed with 17 killer new eyeshadows and more. Each richly pigmented shadow is softly milled and infused with Amazonian clay for pure color payoff, silky application and long wear. From ethereal goddess to vampy vixen, you can create countless looks using these shimmering, matte and smoky shades. Open after dark: buried in a pullout drawer is a full-size emphasEYES™ aqua-gel eyeliner in black, a deluxe lights, camera, lashes! clinically-proven natural mascara and a deluxe lifted™ natural eye primer with Firmitol™ to help you complete your look. Turn into a real tarte truebie using the four 'get the looks' included with each palette, exclusively created by True Blood™'s award-winning lead makeup artist Brigitte Ellis. Tune in to the new season of True Blood™, Sundays at 9/8c. Only on HBO®

(L-R: the light, fairy, dusk, dawn, werewolf)

(L-R: waitress, nocturnal, charmer, glamour me, stake, bayou)

(L-R: telepath, the true death, immortal, moss, legend, "V")

(L-R: Primer, Mascara, Liner)

The palette also comes with an insert. The front says "Glamour Me" and the back just lists the shades and items included with the palette.

The interior of the insert includes four looks that you can create from the palette, including Vampy Vixen, Not Your Average Waitress, Vamp Glam, and Luminous Fairy.

For the first look I wanted to try the most simple, Luminous Fairy. I'll admit, I wasn't floored with the outcome, until I saw the pics. It photographs so cool and the colors just POP. The shades were REALLY easy to apply and blend. I was even impressed with the primer. It's really holding it's own on this horrid humid day. The eye liner is extremely soft. As I was swatching it I broke the tip off and wasn't really pressing very hard. So be careful there. It applies SO well, it's a pencil but almost feels and glides on like it's wet. I experienced no migration. The mascara is ok. I love the wand, but it didn't make my lashes explode like, for instance, MAC False Lashes.

Click the pic below to check out the step by step guide for how to do Luminous Fairy.

You can pick up the Tarte for True Blood Palette NOW at tartecosmetics.com, Ulta, and Sephora. Retail on the palette is $52 and it is Limited Edition.

***This post contains an affiliate link... for more information please read my disclosure policy.