Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer

The Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer is marketed as a waterproof, full coverage concealer that combines vitamins A and D and the Amazonian clay to nourish skin while masking discolorations and imperfections. It retails for $22 for 0.07 ounces. You can find it at Sephora, Ulta, and Tarte Cosmetics's website.

This concealer comes in stick form and claims to hide dark circles, blemishes, and redness. 

I got it in the shade Fair, which is a little bit lighter than my skin color, but blends in easily. I bought it with the intention of concealing blemishes, but recently started using it for dark circles.

Below, I have a picture of using it on dark circles. My dark circles aren't that major, but they are covered by a foundation. The concealer was just used to cover them completely. 

 Looking directly at the picture, I applied it to the left eye. The right eye is just covered by a foundation.  It brightens up my under eye area and looks flawless and smooth. The only downside is that it does settle into fine lines after a few hours, even though I set it with powder. 

In regards to blemishes/redness, I think it did an average job. Above, is my blemish with just foundation on. Below, the redness is slightly covered, but you can still see that I have a pimple. Obviously, it is a raised pimple so it is more challenging to hide, but this is just for an idea. 

A downfall to this concealer is that as the hours go by and my skin becomes oily, the areas that I applied the concealer, except the eye area, I can feel that I have a concealer on. It feels a bit heavy and tacky and can easily be wiped away. It may be "waterproof" but it isn't "oily face" proof. I can't put this concealer on my nose because it will just slip right off. However, no makeup ever stays on my nose as it always just disappears!

Overall, I find this a decent concealer. I'm honestly not too thrilled about it. I bought it with the intention of concealing blemishes, but it just didn't work out like that. I find that it works best as an under eye concealer, as long as your under eyes are moisturized. However, I'm just trying to use it up because after all, it isn't very cheap, so I would like to finish it. I will not be repurchasing this. But please note, although this may not have worked out amazingly for me, doesn't mean it won't work out for you.

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LORAC POREfection Foundation

*This product was kindly sent to me for review.

LORAC Cosmetics came out with a new foundation earlier this year called the POREfection Foundation*. Here is what it says on the website: "Perfect and Protect with POREfection® Foundation. This oil, paraben and fragrance free formula is infused with anti-aging antioxidants of Vitamins A & E, Olive Leaf Extract, Lemon Fruit Extract and Papaya Fruit Extract to help soothe, nourish and rejuvenate while SPF 20 provides protection from UVA/UVB rays to help keep skin healthy, youthful and radiant. Get a poreless-looking, silky-smooth finish and achieve complexion POREfection® with LORAC."

This foundation retails for $36 at loraccosmetics.com or Ulta.com. It has 1.12 fl oz/33.3 mL, which is the most I have ever seen in a foundation as of yet. The foundation also has a pump which is a great plus! I have grown to love pumps and now look for foundations that come with them.

What's good about the pump is that you can pump out how much you need. On the left, is one full pump, and on the right is pumping out a little bit. I think its important to have a pump that lets you choose the amount you want to use.

I received the foundation in the shade PR-2 which is considered "light". The foundation claims to be medium to full coverage, but I usually only get medium because I only like to apply one layer. It has a natural/matte finish.

   No Makeup                                                    One layer

The foundation covers up redness well and stays on skin all day. Since I'm combo/oily, I won't start getting some shine for about 5-6 hours. As far as covering up pores, I can't really say because my pores aren't too big, but my face does look flawless.

Overall, I think this foundation is worth checking out. It is suitable for all skin types and has a very pretty finish. So if you are looking for a new foundation that is oil, paraben, and fragrance free and has an SPF 20 in it, this is a great choice.

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Spring Wishlist | 2014

All images from Sephora.com

So some exciting news is that I am finally done with school!!!! At least this semester haha. But it will be a nice, long needed break where I can focus on my blog and YouTube channel. 

For spring this year, I am wishing for many things! Not only are all these on my wishlist because they will be perfect for spring, but because my birthday is in May, so I may gift myself something from this list! I'm super excited because I will be turning 21!

1. Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask - This is a product that I am interested in having. Even though it is the spring/summer, lips can get pretty chapped by being out in the sun. I want my lips to be soft and plush and moisturized all year long!

2. Boscia Clear Complexion Kit - Lately, I have been wanting to dive into the skin care world and take care of my face better. Since I do have breakouts, I figured this would be a nice kit to test out and see how it helps me!

3. Lancome Defincils High Definition mascara - I am on the search for an amazing lengthening mascara. Although I really like my Maybelline Illegal Length mascara, I hear that Lancome Defincils is fantastic for length! Plus, don't we want flirty lashes during the spring/summer? ;)

4. Boscia Tsubaki Deep Hydration Sleeping Mask - Another Boscia product, I figured that this sleeping mask would be great to use to hydrate my skin whenever it got dry/scorched from the sun and heat. I especially want to take care of my skin this sunny season. I've used a sample of this already from Sephora, and I love it.

5. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla - I've heard great things about this concealer and how people love it for under the eyes. Lately, I've been using concealer under the eyes to give me a brighter and more awake effect. It really compliments the look.

6. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette - Ah, this looks pure bliss. Not only is it a coveted by many beauty fanatics, it has become part of the permanent collection! Yay!! Now I don't have to worry about it disappearing forever. This palette features three of Hourglass's Ambient Light powders and they will provide such a gorgeous spring-like, romantic glow to the face. 

7. Boscia The Art of Multi-tasking - OK guys, I'm pretty sure you are tired of seeing Boscia products all over my wishlist, but I promise this is the last one! The Art of Multi-tasking has four of Boscia's best selling masks that you can use in conjunction with each other to target different areas of the face. As you can tell, I'm really want to try Boscia! haha. 

8. Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian 12-hr Full Coverage Foundation - I've tried this before, but the shade was a little to light for me. Since they have added new shades, the shade that matches me perfectly is Fair Beige. The foundation leaves a beautiful finish.

9. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - As a bridesmaid earlier in October, the makeup artist used this foundation on me and I found it so pretty! It can become very high coverage and the funny thing is, the finish is not glowy or sheer, yet it still feels light on the skin. Definitely great for spring/summer. My perfect color is Gobi.

So there you have it! My wishlist for spring/summer! 

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Sleek Makeup Face Form Contour Kit

Hello beauties! Today I'm reviewing yet another beautiful product I received in my beauty swap with Becki over at Beekle. This time around, I have the Sleek Makeup Face Form Contour Kit in Light. Although Sleek Makeup isn't available in USA stores, it can be ordered online. It retails for $14.99 + shipping, which is international! There are four different colors, each that compliment a person's skin tone.

I love that this kit has all three elements needed for contouring: bronzer, highlighter, and blush. On me, wear time is decent; it's not the longest lasting product, but it lasts a fairly good amount of time. The contour shade is a nice matte brown, not too warm, but just right. The highlighter is a gorgeous champagne color. Finally, the blush is a pretty pink. In the picture above, it looks more pink, but it person, its more of a warm peachy pink. It is very similar to Nars Orgasm.

I love how beautiful it applies to the skin and how it gives a glowing, sculpted, healthy look. I also love how it is a 3-in-1 product that you can just pick up and use all at once. It's definitely helpful when traveling as you don't have to carry three separate products.

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Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara

Have you ever tried a mascara that claimed to be lengthening but didn't quite deliver? Well that's how I have been feeling lately with mascaras. It seems like every time I want to try something from the drugstore, there are many misses. I want to find a hit! 

I told myself that I want to have only a few mascaras, a good volumizing mascara, a good lengthening mascara and of course a waterproof one for days at the water. I already found my favorite volumizing mascara, and have a good waterproof one. Now I'm looking for a lengthening mascara. Have I found it with the Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions mascara? Keep reading to find out!

Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions is a lengthening mascara that uses fibers to create 4mm of extra length to lashes. It is found at drugstores from $5-8, depending where you go. I got mine at Walmart for $6-7. 

The formula is on the drier side, which is both good and bad. Good because it won't smear if you sneeze (like often happens to me), but bad because it will dry more quickly, which can result in clumpy lashes if you wait too long in between coats to apply.

The brush has natural bristles, which I prefer in a mascara. The wand is very long and thin and the shape makes it easier to lengthen the lashes. You can slightly see the very thin fibers that eventually get onto your lashes.

Bare lashes

Two coats

For best results, work on one eye at a time. Apply the first coat, then immediately apply the second coat. Next, move on to the other eye and repeat.

I also included a "far away" picture so you can really see what they look like from a distance. Anything can be made to look longer up close.

Overall Thoughts? I really like this mascara! With just two coats, (which is all I have time for honestly) I get longer lashes! Since it isn't marketed as a "volumizing" mascara, I didn't expect much from it,  but this does give me some volume surprisingly! I would definitely purchase this again!

To see it in action, watch the video below!

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Wet n Wild Walking On Eggshells Trio

Hey everyone! Hope you are all well! I'm currently in the last weeks of my semester so my posts won't be as regular until then. But for now, I would love to tell you all about the Wet n Wild Walking On Eggshells eyeshadow trio. 

Wet n Wild trio eyeshadows are about $2.99 and often times, Walgreens has a sale on them, which is wonderful of course! Walking on Eggshells is a palette that features neutral shimmery shade that can be worn everyday. The palette features three steps: browbone, crease, and eyelid. The brow bone is an off-white pearl, the crease is a light bronze, and the eyelid colors is a warm peachy nude. As seen below, the shadows are smooth and highly pigmented and are not swatched over a primer. 

The only downside I see for this particular palette is that often times, the colors blend into each other too much, thus creating only a one or two color look. If applied to heavily, a lot of shimmer will be on your eye area, which I'm not too fond of. I would have preferred the crease color to be matte and a bit darker, but what can you say! Drugstore palettes don't always have a matte present amidst other shimmers. 

If you have Wet n Wild readily available in your area, I definitely recommend picking up some of these palettes as they are a great value for you dollar! 

Check out my other Wet n Wild palette posts:

Wet n Wild Petal Pusher

Wet n Wild Sweet as Candy

Wet n Wild I Got Good Jeans

Wet n Wild Floral Values

Wet n Wild Art in the Streets

Wet n Wild I'm His Breezy

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Sephora Favorites Skin Cleanse | Vol. 2

 Happy Monday!!! I'm sharing with you a value set that I'm excited to use. I have been wanting to repurchase the Murad Oil Control Mattifier, since my current moisturizer is running out. I forgot how it worked so I wanted just a small size instead of paying $40 for it. After looking it up on Sephora.com, I noticed this value set that has "Sephora Obsessions" geared to detoxify the skin. It includes many products that I've been wanting to get my hands on. Unfortunately, it is no longer available, so sorry if you wanted to try this set out! However, there is a Vol. 1 available which includes different moisturizing products to try out (find it here). 

The set includes 9 deluxe size products, and although small, they will last a while. This set is originally $45, but it was in the sale section for $42, and with the VIB sale, I got an additional 15% off, and the total price for me was $35!

 Here is a close up of what is included:

 - Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intense Exfoliating Treatment

- Boscia Luminizing Black Mask

- Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Peeling Gel Exfoliant

- Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 | PA++ 

- GLAMGLOW Super Mud Clearing Treatment 

- Ole Henriksen UltimateLIFT Eye gel

- First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay

- Dr. Jart+ BB Beauty Balm

- Dr. Brantdt Pores No More pore refiner

Let me know which items you are interested in seeing a review for! I can't wait to test them all!

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Tarte Brazilliance Skin Rejuvenating Maracuja Face and Body Self Tanner

This is a very lengthy review, and I apologize in advance! If you would like to read it all, I commend you! If you don't want to read it, I don't blame you either =). At the end of the post, I placed an "overall thoughts" that sums up everything written below. I want you know every aspect possible about this tanner before you make a decision if you want to purchase it or not.

It is time again for our summer goddess skin to come out from the winter months! Coming out of the winter, I am pretty pasty white, even though I live in Florida (confession time! You would think I would be a summer goddess all year round, but nope!) I actually try to avoid the sun often since I have fair skin. I don't want to harm it by being out to long. Obviously there is sunscreen to use, but honestly, who reapplies it when you are having fun out in the water! 

Back to my point, I would prefer to have a sunless self tanner, as tanning beds are very harmful as well. And no one wants to look like an oompa loompa from the tanning sprays at tanning salons. Enter Tarte Brazilliance Skin Rejuvenating Maracuja Face and Body Self Tanner (why does Tarte continue to torture us with such long names!). I've only used two other drugstore tanning products prior to this, which I didn't enjoy, so I am still new to tanning!

Tarte's Brazilliance Self Tanner is infused with maracuja oil, which is known to replenish, rebuild, and brighten the skin's appearance. It is said to leave a gorgeous perfectly-hued bronze color that is never fake or orange. According to studies that Tarte did, 97% of customers reported no "tell-tale after-scent". It retails for $37 which includes 5.5 oz of product and their Tan Applicator Mitt. A great aspect to this bronzer is that it has an indicator where you can see where you have applied to the skin. Some people may not like this, but I actually prefer it in a tanner as it makes it easier for me to see where I need to apply if I missed a spot.

How To Use:

1. Obviously, you must exfoliate to get your skin nice and smooth and prepped for the tanner.

2. Make sure your skin is dry prior to use.

3. If after exfoliating you feel that your knees, ankles, and elbows are too dry, use a little bit of lotion to smooth it over.

4. Dispense at least a quarter-sized amount onto the provided mitt and apply to one body part at a time, using long even strokes.

5. Let the self tanner dry for at least 10 minutes before dressing yourself up. Wait at least 8 hours before showering, sweating, and shaving to allow the tanner to fully develop. After the 8 hours, if you would like, shower to reveal your sunkissed glow.

My Thoughts

I found Brazilliance to be a pretty good self tanner. I've used it a multiple of times and still have plenty of product left. The product looks and feels like a brown gel and glides over skin pretty well. The indicator is an excellent guide as to where the product was applied and it turns pretty dark as it is developing. 

I love the concept of the mitt because it prevents my hands from staining. I have applied it once with my bare hands and my palms stained to an orange color. Not cute. The only gripe I have about the mitt is that it absorbs so much product while applying to the skin. If you press really hard and rub it into your skin, MAYBE some will get onto you, but its not likely. So right there is a waste of some product. Interestingly enough, I got the best color payoff when I used my hands to apply the tanner. It becomes more concentrated since you are using up all of the product.

As far as the color goes, the tanner devlops into an even, streak free, nice dark bronze color that looks natural. However, after at least 8 hours when I showered, majority of that color was from the indicator was washed off, so you are left with a natural color, but not as intense as the indicator. I was a little disappointed about that, but its also good that it starts of mild and can be built up so you don't end up looking fake with one application. One thing I have to note is to make sure you blend and apply to hands and feet evenly! I cannot stress this enough because you will see the demarkation line and at that moment, the self tanned bronzy glow you thought you had, ends up looking yellow/orange. So please, blend! Something I really enjoyed was that the tan faded gradually, which is very nice. 

I found it pretty hard to believe that "97%" of people reported no self tanner scent. I don't know if its just my body chemistry or not, but I did smell a bit of the self-tanner. Sure its not as intense as other tanning products, but it is slightly noticeable to me at least.

To maintain the color, Tarte recommends to reapply 1-2x a week. If you are trying to build up the color, try to apply every other day if you have time to do it. 

The photos below are taken after one application, after the eight hours and after showering:

Without Flash L-R: Before and After

Without flash and in person, you are able to note a significant difference. Although very subtle, my pinky-ness is gone and my legs look more even toned with a healthy glow.

With flash L-R: Before and After

However, with flash, its not too noticeable of a difference. I wore this tanner before a wedding I was participating in, and with their flash photography, I was still fair and not tanned, so don't count on looking tan in flash photography. 

Overall Thoughts? I think this is a nice tanner that provides a natural bronze tanned look. I like that it begins gradual and can be built up. The mitt provided is a great help in keeping hands color free, but it can also absorb too much product, thus wasting some of it. The "developed" indicator color is darker then the actual "tanned" color you see after showering. Can be a plus or minus, depending on how tanned you were expecting to be in one application. Unfortunately, I did experience a little bit of self-tanner scent, but that could be from my body chemistry. Finally, if you are expecting to be in flash photography, don't expect your tan to show up as it looks in person. In person, the tan will be more apparent then the actual flash photography pictures. Would I repurchase? No, not because it isn't good, because its a very nice product, but I would prefer to find something more affordable. For me, $37 is a lot to spend on a tanner that worked great, but not amazing for me.

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Tarte Blushing Bride Cheek Stain

Tarte has given the cult favorite Cheek Stains a make over, both in texture and design. Previously, these cheek stains looked a bit gelly like, but today, they are more creamy. Also, the packaging design has been changed and features different patterns on each of the different cheek stains. There are many colors available at Sephora, Ulta, and Tarte's website, and retail for $30 for 0.5 oz of product.

There has been some controversy on the re-release of these cheek stains. Prior to the revamping, there was more product, 1.0 oz, and was still $30. Many people are upset at the fact that Tarte has cut the product in half, and are still charging the same price. I believe that they did the right thing in slashing the product amount in half, because after all, who is able to finish an entire tube of this anyways? Plus, when you have it for such a long time, it can go bad and not function as it use too. However, I think Tarte should have lowered the price a bit, even $25 would be appealing for this product. The only reason why I bought it was because I had a 15% discount during the Sephora VIB April Sale. Saying that, I don't think I will purchase this at full price. This is something I would get at a sale price instead.

Moving onto the actual product, Blushing Bride is described as a "plummy rose" shade. The product is very creamy and blends beautifully into the skin for a natural pinched cheek look. Wearability is excellent! I have oily skin and was able to wear it for 12 hours and it still looked fresh! 

The Tarte Cheek Stains can be applied directly onto your cheeks and blended with fingers, or you can use a stippling brush to blend it out. Another way to apply it is to rub it onto your fingers and then place on your skin, and finally, you can dip the stippling brush into the product and then blend out onto your face. Either method works great.

Since I have the Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Blushing Bride, I wanted to show you how they compare to each other.

On the left is the Amazonian clay blush and on the right is the Cheek Stain. As you can see, the powder blush is more plummy and darker, whereas the cheek stain is brighter and pinkier. The powder blush does have a bit of shimmer in it, but the cheek stain does not. Again, I find that the cheek stain lasts longer on my skin then the powder blush does, but Tarte is known for their amazing longevity. 

After seeing the Blushing Bride cheek stain on different blogs, I find it to be the perfect shade for an actual bride. It gives her a flushed, romantic look, yet cheery and excited. This may actually be the blush I want to wear on my wedding day some day since it is so long lasting! Also, just wanted to point out that the ring above in the picture was passed down to me by my grandmother. Such a gorgeous ring! And guess what, its not real gold! Its a "fantasy" piece of jewelry. Regardless, it still is beautiful! 

Overall thoughts? I love this cheek stain! It lasts for 12+ hours on me and still looks freshly applied. Although I think Tarte should have lowered the price since they cut the amount of product in half, it is still a fantastic product to try out, and I can assure you it will last a long time! There is still so much product available and there is no need to slather and pile it on. 

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Celebrity Inspired | Keira Knightley

L-R: Keira Knightley and Me

One actress that I find gorgeous and look up to in terms of makeup and hair color is Keira Knightley since we have similar colorings. After watching her new Chanel Coco Mademoiselle 2014 commercial, I fell in love with her look and wanted to recreate it! Keira has such a gorgeous facial bone structure, and her contouring is amazing! Here is my representation of the look!

Obviously, my hair is lighter then hers and I couldn't find any editing program to make me have the tanner skin as in her photo, but this was as close as I could get!

Products I used:

- Lorac Porefection Foundation in Pr-2

- Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque

- Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Very Fair

- Neutrogena Shine Control Powder

- Stila Sweet Treat bronzing powder

- Tarte Blushing Bride Cheek Stain

- Korres Wild Rose Illuminating Powder

- Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate

- Anastasia Clear Brow Gel

- Urban Decay Naked palette (used Sidecar, Buck, and Hustle)

- Stila Stay All Day Liquid eyeliner in Black

- Too Faced Naked Eye Palette (used Stiletto)

- Lancome Hypnôse Drama mascara

- Benefit High Brow

- Rimmel lipliner in Eastend Snob

- Wet n Wild Megalast lip color in Just Peachy

- Buxom lip gloss in White Russian

- Victoria's Secret lip gloss in Wet

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Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade | Chocolate

 I know I'm a little late on the Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade trend, but I couldn't resist the Ulta 20% coupon that included prestige brands! Plus, with the new reward point system, I was able to redeem 100 points and use a $3 off! So instead of paying $18 (normal price), I paid $12 and some cents including tax! Definite bargain!

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade is a "smudge-free, waterproof formula that glides on skin and hair to create clean, defined brows." Many people use this to fill in eyebrows and produce beautiful eyebrow shapes, but when it comes to brows, I like the natural look, so I just use it to fill in my brows and create a more pronounced look that will last longer than powder. The results will be beautiful bold brows. 

 I chose the shade in Chocolate because it had some warm tones in it. My hair is on the warm side, and my Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Medium Brown is taupe based and is on the cooler side. Although I love the powder, I felt like I needed something warm toned.

 Many people wonder what shade to get as Dark Brown and Chocolate are very close in color. But after swatching both on my hands at Ulta, I preferred Chocolate as it had more warmth. Dark Brown is very similar to Chocolate but is cool-toned and a smidgen darker, but not by much. Right now there are 5 shades: Blonde, Dark Brown, Chocolate, Ebony, and Auburn. At Sephora, a few more shades will be added in Fall 2014, such as Soft Brown, which I think will be very pretty as well. 

As you can see, my left eyebrow has the Dipbrow Pomade applied, and my right eye has nothing. This was my first time applying it and you can see some patches, but I will get the hang of it. 

Warning! A little bit goes a long way! So don't think you can glob on a ton of product like you do with powders. This is highly pigmented and you literally just need to dab your brush slightly in the pomade to do half of the brow. Dip it again, and fill in the other half. Since it is creamy, let it set on the eyebrows for a few minutes before doing anything else. You don't want to wipe them off. The application does take some getting use too since you only need a little bit, and boy can it spread! 

Overall, I really like this product. I didn't plan on purchasing it, but for $12, I couldn't resist. It will last a very long time! You only need a little bit to cover the entire eyebrow. It truly is water-proof and hasn't smudged off, even with my oily complexion. One thing I love about this product is that you can create beautiful bold eyebrows or you can keep your eyebrows looking natural. The choice is up to you! If you like bold brows, buy this! You will love it. If you prefer more natural brows, this is nice too, but you need to learn how to work with it to properly apply it and not add too much. 

Have you tried Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade? What are your favorite brow products?

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