Tarte Mega Review!

I normally have a different system for my reviews, but since I got all of these products together in as my VIB 500 point perk at Sephora, I’m going to review them all in the same post. The reviews are kind of all over the place, but I’ve tried to include any helpful information I could think of. The kit contained 5 products. A primer, a finishing powder, a lip colour, an eyeliner, and a bronzer. Two of which were said to be full sized (the lip colour, and the bronzer, maybe? Perhaps the eyeliner. Not sure!) and only one of them was a major flop in my opinion. This was a good introduction to Tarte for me. I had swatched a few of the products before and I’ve always heard great things. The price point is a bit up there, and I find most of the packaging looks cheap and is all over the place (as opposed to MAC packaging, which has a standard appearance.)

So let’s see what we’re working with…

Emphaseyes Liner, Smooth Operator Powder, Amazonian Clay Bronzer, ReCreate Primer, LipSurgence Tint

ReCreate “Silicone-free primer with Wrinkle Rewind technology” $32

I couldn’t find what Tarte had to say about this product, because it seems that it’s no longer available. I’ll tell you what I know:

I’ve been wearing this daily for over two weeks, and most days I don’t see the point. I like the product, but it seems nothing more than a light weight moisturizer. It doesn’t change the application or appearance of my foundation, save for an added dewiness with drier, heavier foundations. I can see this may be problematic if you’ve got naturally oily skin. It does hydrate the skin and feels smooth to touch, but I honestly prefer silicone primers. I knowww- silicone is bad! But I love it. I love it on my face and in my hair. Uhh.. Anyway. Because this is silicone free it shouldn’t cause breakouts. I’m sure sure if it helps your makeup last longer because mine has always stayed on my face until I am ready to remove it. I am also not sure of the claim that it  helps with wrinkles, as I thankfully have none!

Smooth Operator $28

What Tarte has to say:

“The breakthrough technology of this micronized clay finishing powder improves the production of keratin, a building block of skin synthesis, to promote the tightening of skin and effectively shrinking oversized pores.Amazonian clay, nature's most perfect ingredient, acts as a total skin balancer by reducing dryness and flakiness, improving clarity and texture and removing surface oil to mattify skin for a soft focus and flawless finish. 

To apply, use a large fluffy brush and lightly dust colorless finishing powder over skin alone as a treatment or over concealer and foundation to keep makeup in place and add a natural finish. Smooth operator™ micronized clay finishing powder with PM20™ can also be used for targeted application; use your ring finger to gently pat finishing powder over undereye or blemish concealer to keep product from migrating into fine lines, wrinkles and dried, damaged skin.”

So what on earth is PM20? Tarte has an answer for that, too…
“PM20™: proprietary pore minimizing molecular compound clinically proven to reduce the number and size of pores by 20% after 4 weeks”

My beef is that the first ingredient listed on this stuff is Silica. What the hell? Does that sound like something you should be applying to your face? I looked it up, and apparently this isn’t the first product I’ve tried (and loved) to contain this ingredient. If you want to know more about Silica in makeup (particularly if you’re fearing Silicosis) The Beauty Brains has basically covered everything I discovered and wanted to share on the topic.

The good news is that it’s free of a bunch of other crap, which includes mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance, and it’s cruelty free. Now that we’ve got the tongue twisters out of the way, here’s why I love this stuff:

It’s a finely milled powder that is easy to use sparingly and doesn’t create a big mess. You can turn the packaging (your typical shaker) up side down, give it two firm taps, flip it up right, dip your brush, tap, and apply to your face. There should not be a cloud of powder floating through the air.

It’s virtually invisible on the face (I apply it with my MAC 187), it helps control shine, sets makeup well, and it does not look dry or powdery as it does all of this. It also doesn’t have a weird smell. I think MAC’s Prep + Prime translucent powder smells somewhat like ether.

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in “Park Ave Princess” $29

Tarte says: “Sweep on this lightweight mineral powder and reap all the benefits: the fragrance free, talc free formula allows skin to breathe and it won't clog your pores even on the hottest days (and steamiest nights!).”

It contains vitamins A, C, & E, Amazonian clay (which apparently balances skin, and mineral pigments. It does not contain parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, or synthetic fragrance. My hippie readers will appreciate that the packaging is recyclable and made with soy ink. To me the packaging looks cute but feels flimsy. I would hate to drop this.

The colour itself is, in my opinion, universally flattering. It’s got a bit too much glow for a contour colour. For paler girls like myself it’s a bit much for an all over look, but does a lovely job at “sunkissed.” It will be more versatile with darker skin tones.  It does look way glittery in the pan, but when applied it becomes more of a sheen. A gorgeous sheen, actually. I recommend this be applied with a light hand and a big fluffy brush. You can always build it up to your taste. The texture is smooth and buttery and the pigmentation is great.

EmphasEYES High Definition Inner Rim Eyeliner Pencil  $18

Tarte says “This super-slim inner rim eyeliner pencil is a must when trying to achieve a sexy smokey eye. The result? That smoldering look that you see in all the magazines but aren't sure how to create - this is the finishing touch. “

Some of the ingredients include vitamins A & E, aloe leaf, and mineral pigments. It’s free of the aforementioned nasties (mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance) and is cruelty free and dermatologist tested. The packaging is environmentally friendly and made with soy ink

And knowing all that, I still wouldn’t pay a penny for this shitty product. I hate it! I hate it so much it pains me to waste my time telling you about it, but I’ll let you know why I hate it so hopefully I can prevent anyone from wasting their money on it.

The packaging is your basic twist up liner. A very thin stick of product, which initially excited me. I thought it would be fantastic for getting into small spaces… The second I swatched it on my hand I knew it was garbage. It was stiff, scratchy, the consistency of the product was uneven. It’s dry, it breaks and crumbles. It streaks. It’s kind of hard to get it to show up, especially evenly. If you manage to get past that and apply it (it looked garish, no matter what I did!) you’ll find that it smudges and has no lasting power.  

I can say with 100% certainty that this is the absolute worst product I have ever tried. I am so glad it was free. I would pay someone to keep this crap away from my face.

LipSurgence “Natural Matte Lip Tint” in “Lively” $24

I saved the best for last.

This is a lip tint/stain that’s forumulated with jojoba seed oil, peppermint oil, and vitamins C & E. Like the other products reviewed, it does not contain mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance, petroleum, and is cruelty free.

Unfortunately the colour selection is small, but that isn’t to say that the choices aren’t top notch. They’ve got a nude, a baby pink, a berry, a hot pink, and a red. Perhaps another one or two. The colour I have is called “Lively” and it reminds me of a burnt raspberry with a hint if fuchsia.

The packaging is okay. Some might find it cute, but the aesthetic of it does not appeal to me. It looks teenybopperish. It’s a somewhat creamy jump lip crayon, twist up so you don’t have to fuss with a sharpener. The lid snaps on tightly, which I appreciate. Oddly, I also like the FEEL of the tube... but I can't explain it.

They are all matte finish, and I love a matte lip! In fact, I’m predicting that matte lips will be in for Spring/Summer 2012. The amazing thing about this product is that it does not FEEL like a matte. It’s slightly moisturizing (I’d apply over a balm, anyway.) It does not feel thick, stiff, or dry. It glides on smooth with a refreshing peppermint scent and taste. It’s not overpowering and dissipates after about 10 minutes of wear. Some people claim that it tingled their lips just slightly, but I didn’t experience that.

These have excellent pigmentation and are long lasting. I went out for coffee with a friend and the family last night wearing this, and it was still on my lips when I got home. That’s incredibly impressive because I am hard on lipstick. I drank lemonade with a straw, scarfed down a cookie, drank a mocha without a lid, kissed my kids faces, yapped, and whatever else I do that usually scares lipstick off my face in 30 minutes tops. Didn’t even require a touch up! (Which is good because I’m not so big on touchups. I put my makeup on in the morning, and I wash it off at night. Seldom anything in between.)

The only problem I could forsee is that when this does start to wear off, it’ll probably breakdown unevenly, so keep the tube on hand for touchups if you’re going to be out at any sort of function.

I WILL buy every single shade of these… It’s just going to take a while at $24 a pop!

And there you have it! I'll leave you with the Tarte swatches I took for my swatch gallery. 

-H.Cat <3

FOTD

This was my Face of the Day. It's more of an Eye of the Day. The colours, particularly the green, absolutely refused to photograph properly! It was MAC's Bitter, so a really intense bright limey almost yellow green. I have every intention of editing this later, as it's rushed and poorly written.
I used:

• Tarte ReCreate primer
• Benefit Lemon Aid
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• MAC Blanc Type
• MAC Too Dolly (LE) (*or MAC Aquadisiac)
• MAC Bitter
• MAC Deep Truth
• Urban Decay Dashiki (*MAC Freshwater works well, too)
• MAC Nylon
• Gosh eyeliner
• Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Electric
• MAC Feline eyeliner
• Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner
• MAC False Lashes Extreme Black
• MAC Embark
• Revlon PhotoReady Airbrush in "Vanilla"
•  Physician's Formula Peach-to-Glow
• L'Oreal HIP gloss in "480 - Snazzy"
• Tarte Smooth Operator powder

Annnd this is how you can create it for yourself. You can use dupes of any of these products. For simplicity's sake, I'll just state what I used:

• After moisturizing, apply Tarte ReCreate primer to your face
• Apply UDPP to your eyelids and lower lash line
• Apply concealer if needed (I applied Benefits Lemon Aid to my under eye, and red areas)
• Use a big fluffy brush to apply MAC Blanc Type from your lash line up to your brows
• With a short, stiff shading brush pack on MAC Too Dolly (L.E. from the Hello Kitty, Winter '08/'09, Too Dolly quad) onto your eyelids. You could use MAC Aquadisiac (teal blue)- I don't have it but I would have preferred it for this look.
• Load Bitter (a super bright snotty green) onto your pencil brush (MAC 219) and tap off the excess. Apply this to your crease. First with a stippling motion, then work in with a windshield wiper motion. You want this to peak just above the crease. 
• Next, you'll apply Nylon (a frosted pale gold) to the brow bone area with a big fluffy brush, using it to blend the Bitter up, and blend the edges away. You won't so much be blending the Too Dolly and Bitter together. You want those colours to be defined. 
• Use an angle brush (my MAC 266) or an eyeliner brush to apply Dashiki (a medium sky blue with a hint of teal) from the inside corner of the upper lashline out. You want to keep this close to the lashes, but not so tight that the black liner will cover it
• Then you'll pick up Deep Truth with the same brush and apply it from the outer corner of the upper lash line, about half way in, blending it into Dashiki in the middle
• Tightline with your liquid liner (I used Stila Stay All Day)
• Take Gosh Let's Twist eyeliner (a bright snotty green, equivalent to Bitter) and apply it it generously (so that when you apply your black it will peek through,) from the inside corner of your waterline, half way across
• and Urban Decay in Electric on the outside, slightly blending them in the middle with an angle or liner brush, exactly as we did with Dashiki and Deep Truth 
• Apply MAC Feline (a creamy super black eyeliner) working from the outer corner, tapering half way in
• Slick on a coat or two of  mascara (MAC False Lashes Extreme Black)
• Using a big fluffy brush (MAC 187), apply Peach-to-Glow to the apples of your cheeks
• I swept on some L'Oreal HIP in "Snazzy", using the peach side(it's a duo, and they're really pigmented and have a great sheen. These are actually really good!)
• Set it with powder and a powder brush (I used Tarte Smooth Operator and MAC 187)
• Fill in brows with an angle brush and MAC Embark, or whatever colour suits your brows (which I did way earlier and forgot to mention. I do brows first. It makes an excellent frame for the rest of your makeup) 

Andddd this link is to the portrait photography page of an amazing local photographer, Dana Brushette. Click "like" on her page to keep up to date on what she's up to. She's always doing cool contests. I entered my son Cailum in her Children's Contest (the Untitled Album) and voting is open until April 21st. We'd love if you would shoot him a vote and help him place somewhere. Dana actually does a lot of cool pinup work that I think you, dear readers, would appreciate. So check it out! Thanks! <3

-H. Cat

Review: Revlon Photoready Airbrush Mousse Makeup

Updated With New Photos!

That's a mouthful! And surely it must be because this stuff made my jaw drop. My local Zellers is turning into Target and they have everything on liquidation. I picked this up. I applied it half heartedly, after reading slam reviews. I looked in the mirror and it seemed fine. It smells horrible, by the way.

It was not until I applied some just to mask some tired looking skin when I needed to photograph my peacock inspired eye tutorial that I was amazed. I was reviewing which pictures to include in the tutorial and my skin looked flawless and glowing. I was so confused as to the secret of this magic mousse.

I tried to research this for you, dear readers. The most in depth explanations include something about little micro light reflectors and formulas that are especially resistant to streaking and patching. Typically there would be no sunscreen, because SPF can make your face glow white in photographs. Just the sort of thing you’d figure. Nothing special. Generally a sheer to medium coverage that will blend into the skin extremely well, rather than sitting on top of it. If you’re looking for heavier coverage you’ll probably need a concealer.

Basically it’s all smoke and mirrors, which explains why it was just a drugstore foundation to my naked eye, but in pictures it amazed me. Absolutely amazed!

Pigmentation & Coverage: I bought this in shade 010 Vanilla. I think it was the lightest warm shade. It is a good match for my skin. It’s a light to medium coverage, which works for me because I don’t have a lot of imperfections (if you don’t count my freckles) and I prefer a natural and dewy finish- which this has. Some people have complained that there are sparkles in it, but I didn’t really notice.

Formula & Finish: The formula is a smooth, wet, lightweight mousse. It still foams when applied to your face, which tickles and feels strange. The finish is youthful and dewy, as I’d mentioned.

Longevity: I applied this 11 hours ago. It’s still working for me, but it’s faded a bit. Mind you I stayed in the house most of the day and didn’t give it much of a challenge.

Ease of Application: I’ve applied this using a cosmetic sponge, buffed it in with my MAC 187 duo fiber (skunk brush), and applied it with my fingers. It looked flawless and did have an airbrush finish when buffed in with the brush. The sponge was the second best choice, but fell far from the brush. Finger application was poor.

Packaging: Aerosol can with a top that you press down to release the mousse. I was expecting it to be a spray, but that's my own stupidity because it says mousse right on the can. You have to be careful not to get too much, which is easy to do. This means there’s potential to waste a lot of product. Even when I tested it in the store I pumped waaay too much and had to take out a baby wipe because I had more than I could have ever blended into my hand.

Oxidization/Transfer: Some people have claimed that this oxidizes, though I haven’t seen this yet. As for transfer, I’ll have to get back to you on that. I haven’t noticed anything, but I also buffed it into my skin with a brush and then dabbed my face with a cosmetic sponge. I can see that it may transfer, because my face was still left damp after buffing… hence the blotting with a sponge.

Breakouts/Clogs: No immediate irritation. I might update this in a week or so.

Shade Range: Shade range was pretty limited. I would like to see a lot more colour choice. I find that Revlon doesn’t offer a good variety of shades. When I used ColorStay I bought two and combined them to make my own colour.

Smell: This smells absolutely horrible. I am considering purchasing more MAC Fix+ to spray on my face after application in hopes that it will mask some of the stink. It smells kind of like… paint, chemicals, and olives.

Price: I’m not sure what the regular price is, but I got this on liquidation for about $10.

Repurchase: I will probably try something else after, but I would definitely consider repurchasing this, especially with photos in mind. It’s an average drugstore quality foundation for every day life. It’s in pictures that this stuff really shines. It’s called Photoready and it is absolutely that!

To sum it up, I will use this foundation when I’m expecting to have pictures taken. I will even overlook the horrible smell. I am still in shock at how flawless my skin looked in these pictures!

Here's what I'm talking about. The first picture is without foundation. The 2nd and 3rd are with the foundation, with and without flash.  And I must warn you, these pictures are dangerously detailed in full size. You're going to see my mustache in all it's glory! Some unibrow... some snot. I bare it all for you, dear readers.  

(Mustache, unibrow, lunch lost... Haha)

See that!? I'm in awe. Freckled tired mess, to dewy fresh flesh!

-H. Cat

And the Update...

I had limited time this morning. Bus to catch, errands to run, but I managed to throw on some makeup and snap these for the blog. Tomorrow I will try to remember to snap a picture of how it is holding up after 6 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours. 

Freshly washed & prepped face. I used Cetaphil moisturizer and primed with Tarte ReCreate

I applied Benefit's Lemon Aid to my under eye area and the redness around my mouth

This is the PhotoReady Mousse. It tingles!

Here I am buffing the mousse into my skin with my MAC 187

And then I took some after shots...

Tried to make sure I got some varieties of lighting...

And then I applied some gloss, eyeliner, mascara, and set it with Tarte Smooth Operator powder

And no- I did not brush my hair. I rarely do these days :D

-H.Cat