QVC TSV: Tarte Miracles from the Amazon 6pc Collection w/ Bag

Hello all,

I recently ordered this upcoming tsv from QVC. It will be available February 13th for $59.96. I do get Q magazine which gives me a preview of upcoming TSVs but if you don't get the magazine but want to keep up with what is coming out, I highly recommend the bog:  Blue Skies for Me Please. There you will find the pre-order numbers for the advertised upcoming TSVs.

For the Tarte kit use: A265526 and A265565

Reviews and a look using the whole kid below:

The 6 pieces: 

You get: 

Be Your Own Tarteist pallet with 6 neutral shadows and a blush

double ended eye brush

Foundation brush 

LipSugence liquid lip shine in exquisite 

Maracuja Miracle founcealer (0.51 fl. oz.)

Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara 

Bag

Swatches: 

shadows 

blush and lipgloss 

The review: 

Palette: This palette comes in super cute packaging. They are neutral shadows so there is nothing too special about the colors. The quality is really nice, they are easy to blend and create looks with. The shimmery shades can be a bit powdery but nothing out of the normal, while the mattes are really great. Tarte has been doing a great job with matte shadows lately. There are only 2 shimmery shades, and 4 mattes :)

You also get a pink blush with peach tones and a bit of shimmer. I tend to prefer matte blushes but this one actually worked really well! 

Overall, not a must have but a nice palette to have. One complaint: the names are printed on a plastic sheet :(

The brushes: These babies are super soft! Especially the foundation brush. It's like angels caressing my face!! I have really been loving the brushes that Tarte has in their QVC kits (I have never purchased individual Tarte brushes). 

The mascara: I am currently using other mascaras and did not want to open a new one with I will post an update once I use this one. 

The lipgloss: I need to preface my review by saying that I am not a lipgloss person. This one however, I love and have been using constantly since getting it. I've actually had to force myself to use other products. It is gorgeous and natural pink/mauve color. I have been loving it over a nude lip liner. 

The foundcealer: I love Tarte foundations and this one is really great light to medium coverage. I have oily skin with a lot of acne scaring and skin discoloration, so I normally prefer a medium to full coverage foundation. I am in the shade Tan and it is a good match for my skin tone (MAC NC42 for reference). 

This foundation lasted a good 8-10 hours on me without making me look oily. After 10 hours I did get shinny but this is normal for oily skin. I did set it with powder but I always use powder and thought it was the most fair way of testing it. I did one layer and got a nice natural coverage.  Note that this is not a full coverage foundation. It does claim to be foundation and concealer and I did not find this to be true. I do think that you will need concealer with this. 

The main thing I did not like about the foundation was the dropper... I really don't know why it needed a dropper. It is very liquidy and runny but a pump would have been better (for my taste).

I will also note that this is about half an oz and most foundations are 1oz. I actually prefer this size because I like trying out foundations and don't like feeling like forcing myself to use them up. 

I do think a lot of people will like this foundation. I can see it working with dry skin because it is not a matte finish, it is not drying. It did work on my oily skin, hurray! So I would also recommend it for us oily people though you might still need a powder.  

The last few foundations I tried have had great effects on my skin. I felt like they didn't just act ad makeup but also as skincare. It is too early to know if this one work in the same way, but I have high hopes. 

Look with all the products: 

Let me know if you have any questions! 

xoxo, 

~Cynthia 

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post and I purchased everything mentioned. 

   

My Holiday Makeup: Makeup Geek and Mally Beauty

Hello all,

I just want to share the look I did for Thanksgiving because it was a festive look that I think will work for other holidays and for the holiday season :)

Keep reading if you are interested in how I hot this look:

Products List: 

Foundation: 

I used the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H makeup in 410 Bisque(w)- It's a full coverage, matte foundation which I prefer applying with a beauty blender. 

Blush: 

I layered all 3 blushed in the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush palette (Luminous Flush, Incandescent Electra, Mood Exposure)

Powder: 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette- I used dim light to set my undereye concealer ad Radiant light all over the face 

Concealer: 

Tarte BB tinted undereye corrector and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser in Medium - I applied it under my eye in a triangle shape to help make it look more natural and highlighted, I used a the beauty blender to help blended in, the foundation on the beauty blender also helps it blend with the rest of the face

Highlighter: 

Doll 10 H2Glo HIghlighter in Champagne 

Brows: 

It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil and Maybelline Great Lach clear mascara to help keep my brows in place. The brow pencil gives me put together but still natural looking brows. 

Lips: 

Makeup Forever lipstick in Rouge 

Eyes: 

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion 

Mally Eye Shadow in cooper rose (eye shadow stick)

Makeup Geek Vegas Lights Pigment 

Makeup Geen Vegas lights Eyeshadow palette

The Look: 

The Tutorial:

I primed my eyes and applied the Mally shadow stick, then went in with the star of the show: the Vegas Lights pigment. I applied it with a wet brush all over the lid and a bit into the crease. I then mixed Sin City and Roulette from the Vegas Lights palette and applied in on the crease and blended it up above the crease, the I used Mirage as a browbone highlight. For an extra wow factor I used casino on the inner corner and Sin City on the lower lashline, and Roulette on the lower lashline as well but on the outer corner. 

I hope this makes sense but let me know if you have any questions!

Disclaimer: I purchased every product myself and all thought and opinion are my own. I do not get paid for reviews and do not use sponsored or affiliate links

Tarte Away Oui Go Palette 4 looks and Review

Howdy all,

Ever since the Away Oui Go palette arrived I have not been able to put it down. Before this I had only bough one Tarte palette so I don't really have a lot of experience with Tarte shadows. So, let me tell you that I am SO impressed with these shadows. At first look they did not look all that interesting to me but then I swatched them and fell in love. Then I used them on my eyes and I am officially obsessed.

The looks: 

First off, the palette is divided into 4 sub-palettes that are easy to travel with in an included travel case, so I tried to do a look with each of these sub-palettes. They do come with 4 shadows and one blush. Not all of them have a highlight shade so I did dip into a second palette at times for that. Otherwise I stuck with the palette and used the blush.

Look 1

The shadows: 

Macarons for you: Used as a crease color 

Champagne & Chocolat : used on the inner third of the lid

Kisses Under the Arc: used in the center of the lid

Art in Montmartre: used in the outre corner 

Blush: Envisioned

I also dipped into Private Chateau for a brow-bone highlight

This palette creates a beautiful, natural look with some sheen to it. The blush itself is very light and barely shows up on my skin. For skin darker than mine, it will be a highlighter. For all the pale beauties out there, this will be beautiful on you. 

 Look 2

The shadows: 

Champs-Élysées Shopping: used in the crease 

Stargazing on the Seine: in the inner conerner

Eiffel Tower Engagement: in the outer corner and pulled into the crease 

Secret Soiree: all over the lid

Blush: Limitless-a gorgeous blush with brown and peach tones, it comes off very natural on my tan skin tone 

I layered Champs-Élysées Shopping and Private Chateau as a brow-bone highlight 

From this palette, the standout shade is Secret Soiree. It is a gorgeous purple with silver glitter. The glitter is super fine and had only minimal fallout. My only complaint about it is the missing accent on the name... yeah it's the French teacher in me :)

Look 3

The Shadows: 

Private Chateau (yes it's missing the ˆ accent): used all over the lid on top on Mac's painterly paint pot

Café for Crème Brûlée: used as on the crease

Tea for Two: used all over the lid

Marvel at the Mona Lisa: used on the outer corner and pulled a bit into the crease

Blush: Irresistible-light pink very pigmented color, I was so impressed that it showed up on my skin

This was my absolute favorite look! It's a natural brown smokey eye for daytime. I could have definitely smoked it out but I was teaching that day so I kept it toned down. I LOVE this look so much though, there is just nothing else to say about it

 Look 4

The shadows: 

Snow Angels in the Park: used as a brow-bone highlight

Navigating the Metro: all over the lid

Midnight Stroll: on the outer third on the eyelid and into the crease

Liaison at the Louvre: used to deepen up the outer corner

Blush: Intrigue- this sis a gorgeous super pigmented pink blush with some mauve in it. Do be careful, I definitely went overboard with it at first application :/

This palette has my favorite blush and the one that I think will work best for those of us with darker skin tones. The shadows are pigmented and easy to work with. I liked this look but I seriously want to go back to the browns, lol. 

Other thoughts: 

As you can see I primarily stayed within a sub-palette but you don't have to! Next look I do with these I will grab shadows from the different sub-palettes. I was so impressed with each shadow and blush. There was no individual shadow that I felt was a dud and there was something I likes from each blush. Though the standouts for me were Irresistible and Intrigue. 

Let me know if you are planning on getting this palette. It is exclusive to Ulta and limited edition for the Holiday 2014 season. I absolutely recommend it but let me know if you have any questions!

* I purchased this palette and all opinion and thought expressed here are my own.  

Tarte Away Oui Go Portable Palette and Collector's Set

Howdy everyone,

My Ulta order finally came in and the palette/set I was most excited to play with was this Tarte set. It is $48 exclusively at ulta.com. There is a separate limited edition Holiday palette and set at Sephora but I was most interested in this one.

The Set: 

It is a gorgeous set with 16 shadows and 4 blushes plus 3 sample size maracuja lip glosses and a Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. 

The shades all have French inspired names, which I love!

The Swatches: 

The set is divided into 4 different sets that can be removed and taken to go so I swatched every set individually. 

 From top to bottom on the swatches: 

Marvel at the Mona Lisa (matte)

Tea for Two (satin)

Café for Crème Brûlée (matte)

Private Chateau (matte)

Blush: Irresistible (matte)

First Impressions: There are gorgeous shades! They are pigmented and soft textured, the blush will be perfect for lighter skin tones but will also go with a natural look on those of is with darker complexions. 

 From top to bottom: 

Art in Montmartre (satin)

Kisses Under the Arc (satin)

Champagne & Chocolat (shimmer)

Macarons For You (matte)

Blush: Envisioned-light pink/brown with some shimmer

First Impression: This is the only quad that I have used on my eyes. Macarons For You blended (matte) a bit too well into my skin and was not very noticeable as a crease shade but it is gorgeous. They rest of the shades are shimmery but are not glittery, the texture is more of a satin. They look really gorgeous on the eye. It worked great as a natural eye look with some shine. The blush is a very natural light color but does have some shine. It still worked on my skin. 

From left to right: 

Champs-Élysées Shopping (matte)

Stargazing on the Seine (shimmer)

Eiffel Tower engagement (matte)

Secret Soiree (satin)

Blush: Limitless-peachy matte 

First Impressions: This shadows swatched so beautifully, I am especially excited about using Secret Soiree 

From top to bottom: 

Liaison at the Louvre (matte)

Midnight Stroll (matte)

Navigating the Metro (satin)

Snow Angels (shimmer)

Blush: Intrigue-pink matte 

First Impressions: I am most excited about the blush in this palette and of the shades Midnight Stroll looks like a gorgeous matte purple/mauve. They all swatched beautifully. 

From left to right: 

Paris-depper pink

Cannes-light pink 

Nice-nude 

 First Impressions: The glosses, I actually likes despite not usually liking glosses. They are sticky but they settle comfortable on the lips after a few minutes. They are all pretty sheer so don't expect too much color but I do still think they are worth it. 

Over all: 

I think this is a great set. The travel aspect of it is a bit of a gimmick but The eyeshadows and blushes are beautiful and I was even impressed with the glosses. Again the glosses are not very pigmented but they do give the lips a nice wash of color and feel very comfortable. The shadows on the other hand are very pigmented and beautifully textured. I did not but the set that was very similar to this one, from last year, so I can't compare it. The whole set is bulky and I wish the shade names were printed on the actual palettes. They are printed on the back so that's better than nothing but I prefer them printed where I can easily see them. However, I do think that this set is very worth it. 

Let me know if you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them!

Parting thoughts: 

-Full review and looks coming soon!

-I hope everyone is having a great week. 

*I purchased this set with my own money and all thought and opinion are my own. 

Weekly Favorites

Howdy all,

So, I've been super tired this week from my teaching schedule and have not felt like being too fussy with my makeup each morning, and these products have helped. I have had oily skin right now and I need my makeup to last all day. I do take it off at the end of the night and have been taking care of my skin but the last few weeks have really been a test to see which products are the most long wearing.

Favorites: 

Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette: this palette makes is it so I don't even have to think about my eye look and get really pretty looks. I do and Cut the Cake are two of my favorite shades :)

Tarte CC colored clay primer and Amazonian Colored Clay liquid foundation in Tan have been my go to for the past 3 weeks. When I first used this foundation, I really did not like it. It looked a bit heavy and too noticeable but I think I was using the wrong primer and now that my skin is oily, this foundation has been perfect. I apply it over the Tarte primer, which I love because it really does hide discoloration all on its own.

Tarte BB tinted under eye corrector in Medium to tan: I love this corrector so much that I have hit pan on it. I hear the new one is even better and I can't wait to try it but for now this guy has been a huge help as a deal with huge undereye circles.

Nars radiant creamy concealer in Biscuit: I got this baby a while back and have tried a few concealers int he mean time but I find that this concealer does the job with minimal work. I don't use it to highlight just to hide my panda eyes and the color is perfect for that. If I also wanted it to highlight I would probably get a lighter color but Biscuit  matches my skin color, so I find it perfect for a quick conceal as I run out the door.

Pumpkin and Poppy Oil Absorbing Mineral Veil: I use this to set my makeup and I feel like it makes a difference and holds my oil at bay for 8 hours

Mally Beauty Evercolor Poreless Face Defender: Unfortunately my oils eventually become noticeable, even with the mineral veil. That is when the face defender comes to the rescue. Just a light application and the oil is gone and my face is matte. Everyone with oily skin needs to have this guy. It's expensive but you can currently find it in a kit at Ulta for $49 Ulta.com. It is worth it, if you can afford it.

Parting thoughts: 

-What have you all been loving this week?
-Anyone else super tired?

Lots of love,
~ Cynthia

Weekly favorites!

Howdy all,

Just wanted to share a few favorites that I've been using all week. I think it's beed a good makeup week for me. Probably because I got some new goodies and I've been having fun playing with them but Ii've also had a lot of fun coming up with cute summer looks.

The goods: 

1. It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Palette

2. Too faced à la mode eyes palette: jardin has been my go to lid color :) 

3. Tarte BB tinted undereye corrector in Medium to Tan

4. Tarte Amazonian Clay liquid foundation in Tan 

5. It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation in Tan 

6. It Cosmetics brush: I don't know the name but it;s the large face brush 

7. NYX Pore Filler primer   

- The Tarte undereye corrector has been the MVP this week. I have not been sleeping well but this guys has helped me look like I have! I've been using it with different concealers and highlighters and it has not let me down. 

- The Tarte foundation has been great since my skin has been really oily skin but I would not recommend it for dry skin. 

- The It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation is by far the best powder foundation I have ever tried! 

What products have you been loving this wee? Any MVPs? I would love to hear what other people have been wearing :) 

xoxo, 

~Cynthia 

A few more empties!

I've been working hard at using up more products and I'm happy to report a few more finished products :)

Products:

First up is the Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation in 50 watts 

Review: This was my least favorite foundations. I bought it when I first started getting into makeup seriously so I blame my lack of knowledge. It is just too sheer for my taste. I needs a foundation that is at least medium coverage and full coverage is much preferred. What this foundation did do very well was give me a beautiful dewy glow. I did get a few compliments on my skin while wearing it so I would definitely recommend it to those of you who might not need a full coverage. 

Up next: These guys finally dried up! It's the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara and Lash Primer 

Review: I already have a full size of the mascara and I really loved the lash primer. Is a primer really necessary, no not for most people but it is a great product for people like me who always have at least one stray lash that refused to curl up with the rest, lol. I still don't use it everyday so I won't be repurchasing it but it's still a good one. 

I also used up this sample of L'Occitane Amande milk concentrate. 

Review: It is a body cream, something that I am VERY picky about because of my eczema. This creme is quite divine and I think it definitely works even for those us us with eczema or sensitive skin. The downside is the price, it is $49 for 7oz from L'Occitane. Good thing I have a ton of body lotions at the moment. But if you've got the money, I would so recommend it :) 

Have you guys used anything up? Let me know, empties are awesome (even when they are just samples)!