Tarte for True Blood Palette Swatches

Jeeeeeeeez, there's so much going on with this palette that I'm going to have to break it up into a three part ordeal. The next post will be for the primer, liner, mascara, eye shadow dupes, and roundup. This is going to be very picture heavy...

By the way, if you haven't seen my first post with sneak peek pictures of the shadows and packaging, click here to check it out.

Row 1, 2

The Light, Fairy

Dusk, Dawn

Werewolf, Waitress

Nocturnal

Row 3, 4, 5

Charmer, Glamour Me, Stake

Bayou, Telepath, The True Death

Immortal, Moss, Legend, "V"

Ever hear the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover"? To be honest, I was put off by some of these shadows when I swatched them on my arm. The mattes, were by far, the easiest to swatch (and had the nicest formula). Others, not so much (a few kicked up a lot of dust -- mainly, some the shimmery shades). However, when used with a primer, I noticed a HUGE difference. For the sake of example, I swatched two of the shadows using the primer that came with the palette:

"V", Immortal, without primer

"V", Immortal, with primer

Yowza! Huge difference, indeed! As you can see, a primer is absolutely necessary or else you'll be very disappointed. Overall, I'm impressed. The only one I consider to be a dud is "Nocturnal". Out of all the shadows, it's the least pigmented.

Tarte for True Blood Palette (Sneak Peek)

Happy Tuesday!! Here's a super quick (picture heavy post) of the limited edition Tarte for True Blood palette. Are you a Trubie? I sure as hell am! I have an appointment soon so I don't have time to swatch it until later. I must admit, based on Sephora's pictures, the shadows in this palette didn't look like anything special. Let me tell you, they're gorgeous in person.

Click to zoom

The packaging is slightly reminiscent of the UD BOS, no?

Keep on the look out for my swatches later!

Click here to see swatches of the eyeshadows!

You can purchase this palette ($52 USD) from Sephora. 

A few favorite glosses

So far during this spring/summer, I've really been into lip glosses. I'm usually more of a lipstick person but I like the change. Here's a few I've been wearing a lot lately:

NARS Wonder (LE)

I love this gloss because it's a nice way to wear orange without screaming orange. Does that make sense? Point is, this color is just right. It makes your lips look lush and juicy.

MAC Viva Glam Cyndi

Cyndi is one of my summer colors and one of the few "reds" I like to wear. 

VG Cyndi lipstick on top, lipglass on bottom

Saving the best for last, my absolute favorite lipgloss is actually a drugstore gem, Revlon Colorburst lipgloss in  Rose Gold.

I really like to pair this with a nude lipstick (something like MAC Honeylove), but it wears well on its own too. It's a perfect everyday color, especially for the summer.

Surf, Baby!

I bought a few things from MAC's latest collection, "Surf, Baby!" that I wanted to share with you guys.  Here goes:



My Paradise Cheek Powder


I've been wearing this everyday. I love, I love, I love. I would describe this as a warm matte peach with a shimmery gold overspray.

L-R: Peach color alone, Gold overspray,  Mixed

Hibiscus Lipstick

This is such a fun summer color. It's a bright coral that pulls more red than orange, in my opinion. It lasted several hour without touchups. It has a Cremesheen finish.

Strange Potion Lipglass

Strange Potion was originally in Venomous Villains ('10). I regretted not getting it then, but I'm glad I got it this time around. It's a soft, corally (<--- not a real word) - pink, making it easy for most to pull off.

Good Lovin Lipglass

My favorite! It's a shimmery nude that has some pinkyness to it. I dabbed a little VG Gaga II (the nude one) over my lips, then applied this gloss. Perfection. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

I have been sitting on this review for a long time because I've struggled with my thoughts on it. I don't think I have ever been so on the fence with a product before. You either like it or you don't and that's not the case here, said product being Laura Mercier's famous tinted moisturizer in Porcelain. So, although I had planned to write this review about a month ago, I decided to give it more time to make a better decision.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Porcelain, 1.5 oz., $42 USD

I bought this because I've been on the hunt for either a light coverage foundation or a decent tinted moisturizer. This is new territory for me because I have always worn medium-full coverage foundations. Nothing less -- even in the summer. However, I can't stand the heaviness of it anymore. Plus, it takes more work to apply a full coverage foundation and as a mom (soon to be mom of two), my time is precious. And, in the last few months, my skin has really been good to me. I figure it's time to put down my MUFE Mat Velvet + for a while.

Initial thoughts:

Being perfectly honest, I did not like this product at first. I can't say it was the product that was at fault, it was me not being accustomed to using something so light and sheer. The other thing I had a problem with was the packaging. If you're not careful, this stuff comes squirting out. It kills me to pay so much $$$ for a product that shoots out wasted excess.

I did, however, take notice to how moisturizing it actually is. I've used various tinted moisturizers in the past, but none of them did a thing for my dry skin. I'll be damned, a product that actually does what it's suppose to.

Application:

Being that I'm so accustomed to using a fuller coverage foundation, I'm a brush fiend. Aside from getting used to the sheer coverage of this tinted moisturizer, I also had to become familiar with using my fingers to apply. That's right, my fingers. I've tried brushes and sponges but in my opinion, fingers work best. I also noticed that I use less product when applying it this way.

It blends well into the skin while offering some coverage. It will cover mild discolorations and redness. It will not cover more prominent discolorations, scarring, and blemishes. I use concealer with this to cover acne scarring and redness around my nose. I also use MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (Medium) as a finishing powder. Since this powder is a little heavier, it covers what the tinted moisturizer doesn't. I love it dearly.

Overall thoughts and recommendations:

This is one of the better tinted moisturizers on the market. It succeeds where others have failed. It offers some decent, but sheer coverage while also making my skin feel silky soft. I also love that it contains SPF (20). I used a primer with this and I have definitely taken notice to how it lasts through the day with little to no maintenance. This is a product I'd recommend to those looking for sheer coverage, SPF, and I would most definitely recommend to those with dry skin. Those who need to address special skin concerns like acne or prominent skin discolorations may not like this because the coverage will be lacking.

My only gripe (the whole reason I was sitting on the fence with this) is the cost. $42 is a lot of money for a tinted moisturizer. I'm just not sure if this is something that I'm willing to splurge on again and again. I like it, but do I like it THAT much? I'm not sure...