Lips: A variety of different clear balms. Still searching for a nice color of lip stick for daily wear!
Nails: Clear polish.
As you can see, Tarte is my favorite make-up brand and I’m still trying to find products I like for things like lips, brows, etc. In all fairness these products are routine for me now, but when it comes to make-up in general I really have no clue what I’m doing. I like to keep things natural every day, with just a little bit of something extra to look nice! For special occasions I will break out the eyeshadow, colored polish, primer, etc. But like I said, most of those days are full-on experiments… Which isn’t a bad thing. I admire girls who can really get creative!
This blog entry was posted in Beauty on Nov 14 2010.
Introduction: These photos show the gel stick. It comes in a thick tube and there’s a gel-like product inside. To dispense more, you push it up from the bottom — it reminds me of Push Pops, the candy brand. I’m using the shade Blissful, which is a dark pink shade with a little bit of coral. I’m pale (as you can definitely see) and I find this color to compliment both my pale skin and my dark hair. Tarte offers a variety of shades, try them on your wrist before purchasing!
Application: There are a lot of ways to apply it. I typically use the easy way, which unfortunately makes you look like a complete idiot until you blend it out. (Flattering, no?) As you can see by the look on my face, I was paying too much attention to holding the camera and accidentally smeared the stick way too high up my cheek. I usually drag the stick in circles on the apples of my cheeks about five times or so.You can also apply it in these ways, if you’re not lazy like me:
Drag the stick along the hallows of your cheekbones instead of on the apples of your cheeks.
Use your fingers on the stick and then apply it to your cheek using your fingers.
Use a stippling brush or a large concealer brush to pick up the product from the stick and apply it to your cheek, blending immediately. This ensures that the product stays the cleanest possible because it never actually makes contact with your skin.
Blending: You don’t want to look like a clown (Halloween is over!) so the product doesn’t stain your cheeks immediately. You have about 15 to 30 seconds to blend your cheek color just the way you want it. I typically smear out the circle I’ve made up to my cheek bone and then make sure all the edges blend into my skin. This way, the product makes me look like I’m naturally flush, not like I’m wearing anything. If you’re like me and have ridiculously sensitive skin, your cheeks will look extremely red because you rubbed them. (See picture two above.) This is normal, and the extra redness will fade in a few minutes to reveal your naturally stained cheeks.
Done!: My right cheek is still a bit redder than it will fade to eventually, but the left one has settled. If you apply the stain the way I have, people will probably not notice you have blush on; but your cheeks will have a beautiful color that they lost after you put on foundation. It’s a very natural blush that you’ll completely forget you’re wearing. It has a high recommendation from me!
Some things to remember:
This is a cheek stain. Thirty seconds after you apply, it will not move on your face.
For me, the product stays put even if I sweat a lot or rub my face.
It comes off easily and completely using soap and water.
It has a dewy finish. If you don’t like this, set it with translucent powder.
One stick will last you a very long time!
You can use the stain on your cheeks, lips, or eyes. I prefer cheeks only.
I think I like Tarte Cosmetics enough to call myself a fan. In fact, 90% of my make-up collection is from Tarte. I like Tarte so much because they never test on animals, and most of their products are actually completely natural. On the downside, they are very expensive and are considered a high-end brand.
Since I’ve tried so much of their line, I’ve decided to review a few products and sort them into favorite, average, and least favorite products to hopefully help some of you who are thinking of switching to cruelty-free or natural make-up brands. Some of Tarte’s make-up is priceless, while others completely appalled me.
My favorite Tarte products:
Natural Cheek Stain in Blissful: Tarte is mostly known for their cheek stains, and they are amazing. These cheek stains are like a stick of jelly that you rub onto your cheeks, and they leave a natural glow. Best of all it’s a stain, so it really lasts from early morning until night without needing to be re-applied, even if you sweat a lot. It does make my cheeks a bit too dewy for my taste, but I just set it with a sheer powder.
Smooth Operator Tinted Moisturizer with SPF in Agent 04: I’m obsessed with the greatness of this product. You apply it just like you’re putting lotion on your face, but it has the coverage of a medium foundation. The best part is that it feels like you’re not wearing anything at all, unlike a heavier foundation. It dries looking absolutely perfect — like you’re not even wearing make-up! They offer this in so many shades, and they even customize to your skin undertones which is extremely important. I’m pale but I have warm undertones (most people who are pale have pink undertones) and Agent 04 is the first “foundation” that fit my skin perfectly. They also offer pink undertones and even yellow undertones. What’s not to love?
My average Tarte products:
Natural Under Eye Concealer and Brush: I’m not sure what happened to this product. The first few weeks I absolutely loved it — it has full coverage of dark circles and even came with a brush. However, over time I noticed that it just looks very cakey on my under eyes. The hard part about dealing with natural products is that they can age much faster than artificial make-up. I’m not sure if that had something to do with the consistency of this, but I went from loving it and using almost all of it to just plain avoiding it. The brush is actually wonderful quality.
Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder: The packing on this thing is terrible. There’s one hole for the product to come through to the surface, when it needs about five to get enough product out. The powder itself goes on sheer, but if you put too much it really starts to overlay your make-up and white it out. You need a light hand when using this stuff, and it’ll make your skin feel baby soft.
Lash Hugger Eco-Friendly Natural Mascara: I hated this at first, with my favorite mascara previously being Cover Girl Lash Blast. This did not volumize my lashes nearly as much. It just seemed to coat them. However, it grew on me over time and now I love it. It’s a very natural lengthening that this product gives you, and if you learn how to layer it correctly you can get some volume as well. I’m sure there are better natural mascaras out there, but this one’s not bad. I have yet to try Tarte’s multi-step set of mascaras.
My least favorite Tarte products:
Natural Lip Sheer with SPF 15 in Champagne Brunch: I was so disappointed with this. When they say “sheer” they mean sheer! You really don’t see any color pay-off. It felt like I bought an insanely overpriced Chapstick, so I returned it. There are much cheaper and still completely natural products that are better than this one. I suggest Burt’s Bees.
Vitamin Infused Lipgloss in 40 Winks: I got a cheap trial version of this product just to test it out, and I’m so glad I didn’t buy the full version. Once again, there was no color pay-off despite the beautiful pink color of the lipgloss. It’s also extremely sticky, like I just dipped my mouth into honey. Unfortunately, it doesn’t smell or taste like honey. It smells just like cardboard, and tastes like nothing at all. The amount of glitter in here is also insane. Whenever I put this on, it looks like I have glitter all over my mouth. The only thing I like about this product is the cute name and packaging!
EmphaEYES Inner Rim Pencil in Chocolate: I tried to use this to line my upper lid, which is my daily look at the moment. Unfortunately, this stuff breaks the minute you try to drag it over your skin. I was really patient, used a light hand, and even tried warming it up on my wrist before using it but it broke every time. I got so fed up that I just returned it. I’ve heard better things about their EmphaEYES Aqua-Gel liners.
If you’re looking to purchase Tarte products, don’t buy them directly online or from a beauty store! I highly recommend using eBay. I bought most of my Tarte products from eBay after realizing I could buy them brand new for up to half the price they sell for in stores. Save your money!
This blog entry was posted in Beauty on Oct 25 2010.
