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. 

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. 

Eager to get my hands on...

I was just snooping around on Sephora and came across Tarte's clay blushes. The colors are dupes for the gel blushes, except in powder... er, clay form. The same names still apply. This fascinates me because I la-love the color selection of their gel blushes but eh... cheek stains aren't for me. The sad part is, I made that realization four stains later. So far? I want them all. Don't worry, you read correctly. I want them ALL (being the little blush freak I am). I just wish they had Flower Child but I know it was a limited edition shade. For $25, you're getting a mere .2 oz. Is it worth it? I guess I'll have to find out, eh?

July Favorites

This past month has flown by so quickly! My daughter celebrated her FIRST birthday on the 20th of July and I'm happy but so sad at the same time. My little girl is growing up so fast!

My little monster<3

Anyway, I definitely have a few favorites that I've been using almost everyday in July...

NARS Primer

This has been a favorite of mine since I got it in May. I've been through so many primers and when I got this, I didn't even think I'd like it -- but I love it. I feel like this deserves a review.

Lazy Day Lipstick (Lustre)

Lazy  Day is from the 'To The Beach' collection. It's a milky-cool pink. On it's own, I don't care for it because it makes me look sort of sickly. If I line with Subculture first, it warms up the color a bit, making it very pretty and wearable. Lining with Subculture has the same effect when I use VG Gaga, too.

MAC Subculture Lip Liner

As of now, it's my favorite liner EVER!

Tare Cheek Stain: Flower Child

I went on a cheek stain craze this past winter. I'm over the phase, but I still love Flower Child for my lips. It's a golden rosy-pink. The beauty with cheek stains is that they have the ability to give you an overall natural glow and a light flush -- that 'just pinched' look. I have five of them, and this is my favorite. Though the taste is quite repulsive, I don't let it offend me. Also, the consistency of this stain differs from the others -- probably because this one has shimmer to it. This was limited edition and it's discontinued, but there's still a wide variety to choose from at Sephora. Tarte's cheek stains retail for $30 USD (keep in mind that you get a lot of product).

A few swatches...

Flower Child

By the way, I like these a lot for summer -- for those days when all you need is some tinted moisturizer and concealer.

MAC Summer Rose Beauty Powder

I bought this from the Liberty of London collection. For a beauty powder, it's quite pigmented. I can't say this would show up well on darker skin tones, but as a pasty princess, this works well as a blush. 

                                                                  

Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15

I've had this for a while. I probably got it from Sephora during the winter. It went in the drawer and didn't come out until a few weeks ago. It has a nice sugary scent and a taste to match. The tint is sheer, but yet it has a nice color payoff. My only complaint is the hefty price tag. While I love this now and will continue to use it, I'm not sure I'd repurchase it again. $22.50 USD is a lot of money for a tinted lip conditioner!

As you can see, the month of July was all about lips for me!

P.S.: My skin has gotten so dry! NOT a sexy look! If anyone knows of good products for SUPER dry skin, do tell! For now, I'll see how this drinking water thing works out. Thanks =)