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...

Smith's Rosebud Salve and a personal update!

I picked this up when I was at Sephora in late April. If you have ever been, you notice that there's tons of product minis that surround you as you wait in line... suckering tempting you to buy something else. This salve was among them and I figured I'd try it for $6 USD.

Under normal circumstances, I get dry, cracked lips year round. Part of the problem was that I didn't drink enough water. Well, for the sake of my pregnancy, I stopped drinking juice entirely and vowed to only drink water. Okay well, that's kind of a lie because I do have a glass of orange juice here and there. Still, that's a huge step for me.

The other problem is that I had no lip care routine. At all.

Smith's Rosebud Salve

Since I purchased this salve, I was sure to use it everyday, and I still do. There is a subtle rose scent, nothing harsh or offensive. Every time I feel it's no longer on my lips, I reapply. And let me tell ya, it works. I noticed a difference on my first day of use. My lips were by no means cured within the first 24 hours or anything, but they felt noticeably softer. A few days (and a good exfoliating) later, I had healthy lips again. Hooray!

Sorry, I touched it!!

The thing is, I need to reapply several times throughout the day or else my lips begin to feel a little dry again. Nothing horrendous, though. I apply extra at night, before bed. I also noticed that it helps with other dry areas of my body as well. For example, my knuckles. My poor knuckles take a beating from constantly washing dishes. This stuff takes care of the dryness. I almost forgot to mention that in the description on Sephora's website, Smith's claims that it can be used for diaper rashes. I have an almost two year old who still gets them. I feel like maybe I should try it?? We'll see...

All in all, I think this is a fabulous product. $6 is a little hard to swallow for .8 oz. (in other words, a somewhat little tin) of product. I've made a pretty big dent in it already but then again, I use it frequently. But because it works so well for me, I would most definitely buy this again. In fact, I'd buy two just to have a back up. I'm going to try the strawberry balm next.


A little update on me:

I know I'm not a big poster these days, but life happens, you know? I can't believe I'm having my son in September! This pregnancy has gone by so fast. I'll be 26 weeks on Sunday. That means, I'll be officially starting my third trimester the following Sunday. YIKES!

That's my belly at 25.4 weeks and there's my daughter!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush and Lip Care Stuff

On Mothers Day, I was able to goto Sephora but I was on a time limit. Luckily, I knew exactly what I wanted. A few posts back, I added Tarte's new Amazonian clay blush in Dollface to my wish list. Well, I got it! All of the colors are beautiful. I figured at $25 USD a pop, I would just buy one and if I liked it enough, I'd probably try out another one next time.

Contains 5.6 grams / 0.20 oz. of product for $25 USD

Dollface is the perfect light baby pink. It has a matte finish and for me, it lasts through the day. I can see this working on a variety of skin tones. It's nicely pigmented (though, I read that some of the other colors are even more pigmented) and blends easily into the skin. And, for those who love natural beauty brands, Tarte is right up your alley. Being completely truthful, organic / natural beauty brands don't affect my decision making. Meaning, I'm not overly concerned about product ingredients (or I'm not as concerned as I ought to be?). Anyway, would I buy this again? Yes, despite it being rather expensive, in my opinion. It's an over all great product with a small but eye-catching range of colors. There's something in this line for everyone. I'd like to try Blissful, Amused, and Flush next. What do you think? Have you tried it?

So, the lip care thing...

I'm going to start a new segment on lip care because I have chronic dry lips. Ten bucks says I'm not the only one. Flaky, icky, cracked, bleeding lips all year round. Kinda makes applying lipstick a bummer, huh? Although, that's pretty much my fault because I don't give them much TLC but I've decided to turn over a new leaf. I'm going to test various products ranging from drugstores to MAC to Sephora and whatever else I can get my hands on. I'm going to test each product on its own for a span of 3-4 weeks, then I'll report my findings to you. Sound good? I'm on a mission! Right now, I'm testing Smith's Rosebud Salve. I'll let you know the verdict in about two weeks. 

I got it! I got it!

I had such a fantastic weekend and an amazing Mothers Day. I can't wait until next year when I can celebrate with my two babies. Wow... two babies! I need to get used to saying that, haha. Anyway, I happened to be at Nordstrom on Sunday so I could find a dress for a wedding. I stopped by the MAC counter and whaddya know! They happened to have just ONE more tube of Ever Hip lipstick in stock. If you read my last post, I was grumbling because it sold out online and at my local counter. It was meant to be, I guess! So, here it is:

MAC Ever Hip (LE) (Cremesheen)

I'm so bad at descriptions but here goes...

Ever Hip is coral, but it has some definite pinkyness to it (which is why I found it to be easily wearable despite me being cool-toned). The finish is very creamy (hence, cremesheen) and opaque after some layering. Also, I found that it lasted several hours on my lips. Score!

I can't won't wear orange lipstick of any kind regardless of how 'trendy' it is (because I know I could never get away with it) BUT I am loving coral for summer. This lipstick goes hand in hand with Alpha Girl beauty powder, by the way.

Ever Hip lip swatch, I'm also wearing Alpha Girl beauty powder