Tarte

The New Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless

April 24th, 2014 by Karen 8 Comments

Wearing the new Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in Tipsy

Here’s batch two of the new Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless. I think these could be of interest to all card-carrying members of the CAPLGLN (Coral and Peach Lip Gloss Love Nation).

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless

Tipsy: a sheer coral
Blissful: a warm peach
Fearless: a shimmery pinkish coral

What’s with the funky doe-foot?

It’s curved to fit the contours of your lips, and the pointy tip makes it precise.

Is the doe-foot hard to use?

Not at all. It’s very precise, actually, particularly around the Cupid’s bow — very, very handy when I’m in the mood to wear an overdrawn lip look (where you apply your lip products outside your natural lip line to make your lips look fuller).

Tipsy and Blissful look kind of similar, yeah?

Sheer coral Tipsy and warm peach Blissful do look somewhat similar, yes. On my pigmented lips, they’re tough to tell apart. I do see a slight difference between them, though, if we’re going to split hairs… I think Blissful is a tad more pigmented.

Any dupes?

Off the top of my head, both Tipsy and Blissful look similar to Urban Decay Naked Lip Gloss in Streak.

Tell me all about Fearless, ma!

I love the name and the golden glitter. 🙂 It’s the most distinct shade in this batch — like a sheerer version of NARS Super Orgasm Lip Gloss with larger pieces of gold glitter.

What’s the glitter sitch on that?

Surprisingly, the glitter flecks in Fearless aren’t gritty, considering the size of the pieces (see them in the full-face shot?). This is classy glitter; not “klassy.”

Formula, flavor and finish

The thick, non-sticky formula starts super shiny but wears down to a slight shine over about an hour, and then will last another 2-3 hours after that. In other words, they’ll last through a glass of Two Buck Chuck (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere), but won’t make it through a tuna fish sandwich. As for flavors, yup, it’s a vanilla buttercream flavor and scent.

Meow or hiss?

Meow, although these three shades here may not be flashy enough to really stand out at a big event like your wedding or prom, but for everyday natural — sure.

Where can I find ’em?

At Sephora stores and online for $19 each.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss Swatches in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless — Swatches in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in Tipsy Lip Swatch — Tipsy Lip Swatch

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in Blissful Lip Swatch — Blissful Lip Swatch

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The New Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Flush, Natural Beauty and True Love

April 24th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss Flush — Wearing the new Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in Flush

The what

These are a completely new line of shiny, permanent collection glosses from Tarte released as part of Tarte’s summer collection. They’re available now in nine shades (Sephora and online) for $19 each, which gets you a 0.27-ounce tube.

I’ve always liked Tarte’s LipSurgence products (the Lip Tints, Power Pigments, Lip Lusters, etc.) because of how natural they look on my lips, the great plant-based ingredients, and because of how low-maintenance they are (the twist-up pencils that don’t have to be sharpened, and the wearable colors).

When I saw the familiar names — Blissful, Blushing Bride, Exposed, Fearless, Flush, Natural Beauty, Tipsy and True Love — shades that were already in the Power Pigment lip pencil and Cheek Stain lines, I had high hopes for these.

Even Park Ave Princess, another one of the new shades, is also a Bronze & Glow Matte Bronzer and Cheek Tint, so one could get all matchy-matchy if they were so inclined.

Formula, flavor and finish

They feel a lot like Chanel’s Glossimers to me — thick, but not sticky. They’ll make it through a cup of tea, for instance, but won’t make it through lunch.

Officially, Tarte describes them as having a vanilla flavor and scent, which I kind of get as more of a vanilla buttercream…but maybe that’s just my tummy talking. I haven’t had lunch yet.

As for the finish, they start out super shiny but mellow out over the course of an hour or two.

I have very pigmented lips and these shades are the boldest one of the nine, although from the lip swatches you can still see that a lot of my natural lip color comes through.

I initially thought these might be challenging to wear based on how dark they appear in their tubes, but they actually apply semi-sheer on the lips. Despite looking different in the closeup lip shots, Natural Beauty and True Love look almost like the same sheer shiny red from a few feet away.

Product Performance: This hybrid addition to tarte’s signature LipSurgence line delivers all the plumped-up benefits of a gloss and pigmented performance of a tint in an antioxidant-rich formula. Each ultra-hydrating, vanilla flavored lip gloss imparts natural-looking color to enhance your complexion while drenching lips in moisture and mega-watt, non-sticky shine. Infused with vitamin E, jojoba seed oil and flower extract, this multi-tasking formula helps smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles while moisturizing dry lips for a healthy, plumped-up appearance that lasts. The unique applicator wand features an ergonomic tip that gently glides around the shape of your lips for a foolproof application every time.

Available in glossy versions of eight signature tarte shades: flush, blushing bride, tipsy, blissful, fearless, natural beauty, exposed & true love.

Powered By: vitamin E: natural preservative that also acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient & antioxidant; jojoba seed oil: natural soothing extract that leaves lips soft, supple & smooth; flower extract: moisturizes for healthy, hydrated lips

–tarte.com

Of these three, Flush, a subtle, creamy neutral pink, is my fave. I definitely think it’s a color that would work well for a lot of different skin tones.

Here’s the first batch of three — the brightest of the nine — in Flush (a berry rose), Natural Beauty (a sheer, shimmering red) and True Love (a watermelon). Stay tuned for the next six… 🙂

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss Swatches from the left: Flush, Natural Beauty and True Love

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss Flush Lip Swatch — Flush Lip Swatch

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss Natural Beauty Lip Swatch — Natural Beauty Lip Swatch

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The Tarte Cheek Stains Don Snazzy New Outfits, Shrink Down Several Sizes…

January 21st, 2014 by Karen 23 Comments

Cheeks, by Tarte. LOL! Sounds like a fancy fragrance commercial. But seriously, I’m wearing the new Tarte Cheek Stain in Fearless ($30)

I sure do like the new packaging for these Tarte Cheek Stains. So, so pretty…but I loved the old-school packaging, too.

I get it, though. It’s good to switch things up every once in a while. Heck, I’m a firm believer in frequent wardrobe changes. El Hub makes fun of me all the time because, seriously, I bring along at least two extra pairs of shoes (and sometimes jackets) whenever we leave the house. I mean, you just never know when you’ll need a different pair of shoes.

Right…?

No? Is that just me?

Oh, well. 🙂

The newly repackaged Tarte Cheek Stains, $30 each

Importantly, these eight gel- and cream-based blushes work just as well as the originals. Two swipes on my cheeks, either atop bare skin, tinted moisturizer or foundation, then some quick blending with my fingers, and I’m flushed and blushed for the day.

Fab-ooo for quick, natural-looking cheeks, and each of the shades has a corresponding color in Tarte’s new LipSurgence Power Pigment pencil line — ya know, if I want to get all matchy-matchy (I must admit, sometimes, I do).

But…sad face time. 🙁 Why are these so small? I mean, I like minis as much as the next makeup lover, but these are half as big as the originals (0.5 ounces versus 1), and yet cost the same amount.

What gives?

I’ve been loving and wearing Tarte’s Cheek Stains for a good 7+ years and have always felt that, sure, even though they’re $30 each, because they lasted such a long time, they still seemed like a great deal.

Now? Not so sure.

Tarte Cheek Stains from the left: Blissful, Blushing Bride and Exposed — From the left: Blissful, Blushing Bride and Exposed

Tarte Cheek Stains from the left: Fearless, Flushed and Natural Beauty — From the left: Fearless, Flushed and Natural Beauty

Tarte Cheek Stains from the left: Tipsy and True Love — Tipsy and True Love

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For Potent Pigments in Petite Pencil Packaging, There’s the New LipSurgence Power Pigments by Tarte

January 21st, 2014 by Karen 16 Comments

Tarte Fearless — Wearing the new Tarte LipSurgence Power Pigment in Fearless on my lips

I shop in the petites section, I collect mini perfumes, and I have a reoccurring dream where I’m opening my front door, and there on the ground before me is a basket of baby munchkin kittens looking for a nice lady to adopt them.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: I do believe that good things come in small packages. 🙂

Cute! The new Tarte LipSurgence Power Pigments, $24 each

Like these sleek LipSurgence Power Pigment pencils by Tarte. They’re new for spring, streamlined and skinny (unlike my favorite tabby), and being added to the permanent line.

Compared to Tarte’s existing 0.10-ounce LipSurgence pencils, these diminutive 0.04-ounce ones, which are supposed to be more pigmented, are so petite that I almost mistook them for travel minis. The bigger versions look downright gargantuan by comparison!

Tarte LipSurgence Power Pigment comparison — The O.G. larger pencils on the left and the new Power Pigments on the right

What’s the skinny on Tarte’s tiny LipSurgence Power Pigments?

They’re available in eight vibrant, look-brightening shades.
The antioxidant-rich formula has a refreshing hint o’ peppermint (both flavor and scent).
According to Tarte, the tiny tubes make precise application easier, while minimizing waste and the size of your carbon footprint (uh…).
They also contain vitamin E, an antioxidant, as well as a natural anti-inflammatory and preservative; shea butter, which is supposed to help skin maintain its elasticity; and carnauba wax for smoooove application.

Each of the eight shades is also designed to perfectly pair with one of Tarte’s new recently repackaged Cheek Stains (review coming soon).

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To Brighter Days! Limited Edition Skincare Goodies From the Tarte Spring 2014 Collection

January 21st, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Ravishing…

What a great word.

Ravishing never goes out of style, ya know? “She had ravishing, radiant skin.”

That just sounds great. 🙂

Tarte’s new spring 2014 collection has some limited edition skincare products designed to create exactly that — someone/something ravishing — with pieces to brighten dull, winter skin.

Here’s to brighter days (she called, raising her coffee cup in the air)!

Limited edition Supersize Maracuja Oil ($75)

Tarte Supersize Maracuja Oil — Limited edition Supersized 3.4-ounce Maracuja Oil ($75)

I try to always have a bottle of Tarte’s Maracuja Oil in my bathroom, and I use it for a bunch of things, like taking off hard-to-remove long-wearing makeup, moisturizing the dry patches on my cheeks and hydrating my shredded carrot-like cuticles.

Even El Hub loves it. He uses it as a shave oil because, apparently, it’s the only thing that doesn’t irritate his sensitive man skin (awww!).

Supersized Maracuja with a regular-size bottle — The Supersized 3.4-ounce Maracuja bottle beside a regular-sized 1.7-ounce one

Brace yourself for sticker shock, though, as the extra large limited edition bottle costs a whopping $75 (!). But, considering that the regular-sized 1.7-ounce bottles cost $46 apiece, if you’re a maracuja oil maven, it’s a pretty good deal…and you can also re-purpose the cute limited edition box for something else, like storing brushes or lipglosses.

Limited edition Maracuja C Brighter Eye Treatement ($38)

Tarte Maracuja C Brighter Eye Treatement — Limited edition Maracuja C Brighter Eye Treatement ($38)

Look at that jar! I give it extra points for cuteness. 🙂 I love the design on the cap of Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment ($38). It’s a brightening eye cream with a host of helpful-sounding ingredients, like vitamin C, rice bran, mango and coconut, and oat sugar. It’s supposed to brighten, smooth and tighten skin and — you know — do a whole host of great things, like diminish fine lines and dark circles over time. I like it. I use it all the time to prep my eye area for makeup. It sinks in quickly, which is nice, and does a good job of de-puffing my lids.

Does it make my fine lines and dark circles go away? Uh…not yet, and I don’t know if it will. But then, I am not very good about committing to the same eye cream for the weeks and months it usually takes to detect a difference with products that make awesome-sounding claims.

Tarte Bright By Night Skincare Discovery Set ($10, a Sephora exclusive)

This little cutie, the Tarte Bright By Night Skincare Discovery Set, is a Sephora exclusive that comes with travel-sized versions of Tarte’s Maracuja Oil and C-Brighter Eye Treatment for $10.

The bottles are tiny…but $10 seems like a good deal. You’d never have to leave home without your Tarte skincare faves.

Tarte’s To Brighter Days spring 2014 skincare products are available now online and at Sephora and Ulta stores.

With Their Green and Purple Wedges, Don’t These New Tarte Colored Clay CC Primers Look Like a Willy Wonka Collaboration?

January 20th, 2014 by Karen 27 Comments

Well color me intrigued… 🙂

These new Tarte Colored Clay CC Primers look really cool. They’re like a primer and a sheer stick foundation in one, with two color correcting wedges in purple and green embedded inside each creamy stick.

This powerful, multi-tasking, skin perfector brightens skin, evens skin tone, blurs imperfections and neutralizes any redness or discolorations. The oil-free, talc-free formula soothes skin as it glides and blends effortlessly for a smooth, even finish. Its “hourglass” applicator design delivers the perfect balance of color correction and coverage to adjust to your skin. Use it before foundation as a color-correcting primer or alone as a light coverage for an all-over flawless look.

— tartecosmetics.com

Tarte… That gang never forgets about us gals on the deeper, darker skin tone side of the beauty swimming pool, and I love them for that. These come in five shades, encompassing most of the beauty bases from Fair, to Light, to Medium, Tan and Deep.

I’m a Medium right now, but I can’t wait to be a Tan this summer! (Because it’ll mean I’ve been getting some much-needed sun.)

My thoughts after playing with them this morning…

LOVE the lightweight, silky formula. They contain dimethicone, and consequently have that tell-tale dimethicone “slip.”
They really couldn’t be a lot easier to use. Just apply directly to the skin, and blend out with your fingers.
I’d describe the coverage as somewhere between sheer and medium. The one I’m using, Medium, does seem to cancel out the redness around my nose, thankfully, but I can definitely still see the freckles on my cheeks…
I think I like wearing best these under powder foundation (looks very natural, and my pores look smaller).
Medium does seem to even out my skin, but it doesn’t create anything like a mask. I’ve yet to try these under liquid foundation, but I want to.

Isn’t Tarte MATTEnificent?

January 15th, 2014 by Karen 35 Comments

Tarte beMATTEnificent Eye & Cheek Palette

OK, I can’t be the only one weirdly obsessed with the new Tarte Be MATTEnificent Amazonian Colored Clay Matte Eye & Cheek Palette ($36).

Right…?

Just look at it!

So purple… So pretty… Like purple driftwood.

Matte magnificence awaits inside this nine-pan palette.

How silky are these powders? Well, very, if you ask Tabs. I scared the heck out of him today while he was napping when I spontaneously blurted, “SMOOTH!” as I was swatching.

Hehe. 🙂

Cool-toned cuties, this one’s for you (she said, pouring some of her Vitamin Water on the ground). It’s a really cool-toned palette.

I’m so jealous, yo! Methinks I’ll have a tough time pulling this off with my warm skin tone, but that won’t stop me from trying. That deep purple? Totally callin’ my name…

It’s available now ($36).

Tarte beMATTEnificent Eye & Cheek Palette Swatches — Swatches of the blush (far left) and the top row of eyeshadows

In other news…

So this has absolutely nothing to do with Tarte Be MATTEnificent, but I was rocking out to this song while I typed this post.

Two words: Debbie Gibson.

Children of the ’80s, throw your hands up!

Ah, the joys of iTunes shuffle… Remember Between the Lines? It’s one of those quintessentially ’80s songs with a saxophone solo and a catchy hook. Very sweet, too. Someone pass the karaoke mic! 🙂

Ready, Set, Bow! Tarte’s $49 Bow and Go 3-in-1 Gift Set Makes Gift Giving Easier

November 14th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

Tarte Bow and Go 3-in-1 Gift Set — One of the three boxed kits you get in the $49 Tarte Bow and Go gift set

Tarte Bow and Go boxes — Just add bow and go!

MBB FUN FACT: Despite my love for Biggie and Tupac, I can’t rap worth a damn, but when it comes to wrapping — as in gift wrap — I do alright, if I do say so myself. 🙂

I owe it all to the extensive training I received as an Emporium Capwell gift wrapper in the winter of ’92.

GURL, don’t make me take out my scissors, ’cause I will wrap those boxes like WHOA! (Complete with swirly curly ribbons.)

The $49 Tarte Bow and Go 3-in-1 gift set, which actually has a pretty cool schtick, comes with a gold ribbon (not shown in any of these pics), and I was all set to tie it around the three included gift boxes, but wouldn’t you know it? Tabs took off with the ribbon, and now it’s MIA.

Story of my life…

You’re supposed to tie the ribbon around the boxes (all of them, or just one if you plan to break up the set), add your to/from tag and BAM! — you’re done. A gift on the go.

If I were a grumpier gal, I’d probably go on and on about the lost art of gift wrapping, and how I’ve got nothing but love for this set because 1) I think the colors are gorgeous, and 2) it’s a pretty good price, considering that you could get three gifts out of it for about $16 each ($49 for the whole set).

Tarte Bow and Go Lip Surgence — Kit 1: the Lipsurgence Kit includes (from left to right) Lipsurgence Lip Cremes in Precious, Promise, Thoughtful and Wonder

Tarte Bow and Go Smolder Eyes — Kit 2: the second kit comes with two tubes of Lights, Camera Lashes, and SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liners in Matte Brown and Fig

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