Product Reviews

The Tarteist Glossy Lip Paints by Tarte: Nine Shades From Sweet to Sexy

May 12th, 2016 by Anna Oh 17 Comments

There’s a lot to love about these Tarte Tarteist Glossy Lip Paints ($20), and the best way I can describe them is “trend-in-a-good-way.” The nine shades are hydrating, vegan-friendly, and so pigmented that they’re really just upgraded lipglosses. Every shade rocks. The color palette inspired me to create one of my most colorful illustrations yet!

beauty illustration tarte anna oh tarteist glossy lip paint — A beauty illustration inspired by the Tarteist Glossy Lip Paints

As a range, they’re neutral…with an edge. Among the shades are plenty of rosy nudes, plus a few really, really fun shades. I love how Tarte totally went there with the one called Poison. It’s a black plum that stains my lips a deep purple.

The deep shades look incredible on the lips and also work when patted down to a stain, which helps them last much longer (and there’s also less to worry about when they’re applied that way, for anyone wondering).

Here are pics and thoughts on the colors.

Tarte Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint: swatches

tarteist glossy lip paint hella — Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint in Hella

Hella, a “white nude,” is the only color that’s a little too pale for me. It will settle into my fine lines if I don’t layer it, so I recommend using this one with a nude lip liner.

tarteist glossy lip paint obvi — Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint in Obvi

Obvi, a “warm nude,” is the only Lip Paint with shimmer. It’s a nice flattering color that isn’t too bright or pink.

tarteist glossy lip paint goals — Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint in Goals

Goals! Love that name. This one is a “rosy nude,” and I think it brightens up the face more than the others.

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With the Benefit Cheekathon Blush & Bronzer Palette, Your Cheeks Will Cross the Fabulous Line

May 11th, 2016 by Jen Clark 11 Comments

Benefit Cheekathon Blush and Bronzer Palette — The CUTEST packaging!

Benefit, Benefit, Benefit…oh, how I love you! You really nailed it with the Cheekathon Blush & Bronzer Palette.

What do you think of first when you think of Benefit? Do you think of their boxed powders? They’re so iconic to the brand, and for good reason. Every single one of them is uh-may-zing! And now, rather than having to go out and buy them all individually, you can get five of Benefit’s best blushes and bronzers at once with the $58 Cheekathon palette.

Normally in kits like this the actual pans are usually smaller than usual, but listen to this: all of these powders are FULL SIZED!

What?!

That is so impressive to me. You don’t see palettes like that every day, and normally a single full-sized blush or bronzer would run you $29, so for the price of two of them you’re getting five!

The blushes you get with Cheekathon are Rockateur (a shimmery rose gold), Dallas (a dirty rose), Coralista (a shimmery bright coral), and Dandelion (a bright baby pink). And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Benefit release without Hoola bronzer (a perfect matte). You get such a variety of colors and finishes with this palette that you could probably get away with never using another blush in your life.

You also get a little brush with the palette, which is actually pretty nice for contouring using Hoola.

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Why the Newest Tarteist Blush Palette Is a Work of Art

May 4th, 2016 by Anna Oh 18 Comments

If you’re not interested in saving money, Tarte’s newest blush palette won’t be for you.

But for the rest of us, it’s an amazing product worthy of our makeup-loving interest. The limited edition Tarteist Blush Palette ($38) has four pretty, feminine blushes in small, smart packaging, and with the words, “The Blush Authority,” confidently emblazoned across the mirror, Tarte already knows it’s everything you’ve (probably) been wishing for.

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I’d Trek Across a Burning Desert for the Chanel Dans La Lumiere De L’Ete Summer 2016 Makeup Collection

April 28th, 2016 by Karen 26 Comments

chanel dans la lumiere de lete k1 — Wearing the new Chanel Dans La Lumiere De L’Ete Summer 2016 collection on my eyes, cheeks and lips

If you were stranded in the desert…

Would you rather have a machete so that you could whack off some cactus to get some water, or would you rather have the Aqua Glosses from the Chanel Summer 2016 collection?

Would you rather experience a mirage of Ryan Gosling slowly walking shirtless toward you across the glittering hot sand, or would you rather experience a mirage of the Empreinte Du Desert eyeshadow quad from the Chanel Summer 2016 collection glittering in front of you with its four shimmery shades?

I think you know what I’d choose. 🙂

Chanel, baby girl. Chanel. ALL. THE. WAY.

chanel summer 2016 — 10 of 17 pieces from the Chanel Dans La Lumiere De L’Ete Summer 2016 makeup collection

By the way, drinking water from a cactus? — not such a good idea. Thank goodness for the internet, because if I’d actually been stranded in the desert, I just may have tried that. I mean, it always worked in my old Saturday morning cartoons…

Oh, well! Knowledge is power, yo.

Anywho, summer. Chanel. 2016. We’ve got 17 pieces (one quad, two cheek duos, two liners, a mascara, six lip glosses and five nail polishes) with lots o’ warm colors — cheerful corals (YUM), awesome oranges, burnished bronzes and browns, gilded golds and tantalizing tans, sprinkled with a handful of lush, lovely greens.

I look forward to Chanel summer all year long and go absolutely goo-goo-ga-ga (to quote my daughter, who is now an expert baby babbler) for it. Thus, I LIVE for these colors.

Gimme warm bronze, tan, gold and green any day of the week, babe. If you have a tan, these shades should look amaze-balls on ya.

But it’s not just their warmth that draws me to the pieces in this collection. The finishes are also totally on point.

I think Chanel is really good at getting all the way up to the edge with certain finishes, and then pulling back just a little.

Does that sound weird?

I think it might…but it’s the best way I can describe their brilliance.

chanel summer 2016 empreinte du desert — Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadow in Empreinte Du Desert

Take the quad, for example. The four shades in it — a bronze, tan, brown and green — all have a good amount of shimmer in them, but Chanel dialed it back just a little so the finish doesn’t go full-on frosty. Even though these are powder eyeshadows, they almost look glossy on the lids.

It’s neat, and kind of a dream come true, now that I think about it! It’s not always easy to wear high-shine shadows like these because they tend to emphasize the fine lines on my lids.

Oh, and side note, the wear time on these shadows is totally boss lady. I can pop them on early in the morning, and they’re good until late at night.

Now, getting back to the interesting finishes…

The two Les Beiges Duos are also beautifully nuanced. They’re not quite matte, not quite satin; they’re somewhere in between. I only need the faintest kitten kiss for lots of rich cheek color.

chanel summer 2016 les beiges duo no 2 — Les Beiges Duo No. 02

I wear the two duos a little differently. When I want warm peachy bronze cheeks (which go well with bronzy gold eyes like I’m wearing in these pics), I mix the two shades in Les Beiges Duo No. 02 together to wear as a blush, but you can also wear the two shades separately, and use one as a blush and one as a bronzer.

chanel summer 2016 les beiges duo no 1 — Les Beiges Duo No. 01

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Look Perfect Naked With Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector

April 11th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 35 Comments

Urban Decay One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfectors (SPF 20)

In the summer I’m all about light, dewy coverage.

I know, I know, I work in an office…but when I’m not stuck sitting at my desk, and I’m out somewhere actually having fun in the sun ☀ and the warm weather, it’s nice to not feel weighed down by a heavy base product, and even though I’m a fair-skinned SPF freak, it’s always a relief knowing that my foundation, BB cream or tinted moisturizer are also there to add a little extra oomph where sun protection is concerned.

Urban Decay recently released the most beach bag-friendly base product a girl could want, an oil-free formulation with SPF20 that’s meant to even out your overall complexion and blur imperfections while keeping you looking natural and fresh, and it’s called Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector (I dare you to say that one five times fast!).

Available in 6 shades for $34 each, it’s ideal for speedy makeup application or touch-ups on the go after a day at the beach or an afternoon by the pool.

UD’s official description says it all…

“We’re not exactly what you call low-maintenance when it comes to beauty (and we’re not ashamed to admit it). But we’re more than happy to take a shortcut or two — as long as it doesn’t look like we did. THIS is one of those times. Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector combines all the benefits of skin treatment and protection with the coverage of a sheer foundation. This multitasking cream is the best of both worlds”

Urban Decay One and Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector — Wearing Urban Decay One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector in Light

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1 Palette, 2 Looks: Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duo

April 11th, 2016 by Adia Goss 17 Comments

I love eyeshadow duos because they get rid of the guesswork and make it easy to figure out which shadows go well together.

Youngblood Cosmetics is a new brand to me, and when I recently tried their products for the first time, I was really impressed by their eyeshadow duos, particularly the Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duos in Desire and Charismatic.

Desire has a dark royal blue shimmery eyeshadow and a lighter lavender/gray, while Charismatic has a chocolate brown eyeshadow and a shimmery peachy pink.

I think both are really pretty, but Charismatic speaks to my soul. It’s totally my kind of eyeshadow because the colors are subtle, but also a bit sparkly.

youngblood mineral eyeshadow duo — Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Desire (L) and Charismatic (R)

Youngblood Cosmetics Perfect Pair Mineral Eyeshadow Duo swatches of Charismatic (first two) and Desire (second two)

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The MAC All The Right Angles Contour Palettes Are Très (or Tres) Dimensional

April 8th, 2016 by Nicole Fraser-Herron 20 Comments

*** THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ***

TO: My fair beauts

SUBJECT: I found a highlighter that shows up on us!

Allow me to introduce you to the MAC All The Right Angles Contour Palettes.

Now let’s get acquainted! ✨

There are four of them, which are like little trios, ranging in shade family from Light to Dark, and each one comes with a cream color base, a shaping powder, and a sculpting powder. The cream product is on the lower part of the compact, and the powder tray slides snugly over it so you don’t have to worry about ruining your day by getting schmutz in the cream color base. And they also come with a mirror.

What I’m getting at here is that these little black boxes are great for traveling!

In the photo above, I’m not wearing any blush or bronzer, just All The Right Angles in Light to showcase its full effect uninterrupted.

Right off the bat, the shade of the sculpting powder (called Bone Beige) seemed off to me. MAC describes the sculpting shade in this kit as a warm brown, but compared to my beloved Too Faced Milk Chocolate Bronzer, Bone Beige is a couple shades darker and less warm.

On my skin (my undertone is usually pretty neutral), it appears more…fleshy. It doesn’t look off at all, and I don’t feel the need to wear blush when I’m wearing Bone Beige. It just threw me off upon first glance because it wasn’t what I generally expect from a lighter contour shade… I usually expect a corpse grey.

MAC All the Right Angles — MAC All The Right Angles in Light

The cream colour base in Luna is aptly named. It’s white and sparkly (not glittery), so your cheekbones can shine like a crescent moon in the night sky. The shaping powder shade is called Emphasize (accurately named, though not as cute), which is a nice subtle glow — great for daytime or no-makeup makeup. I like wearing it in my inner corners on light makeup days. It’s subtle but effective in brightening up the area and making me look like I actually slept last night.

My faaavorite way to wear Emphasize is on top of Luna, which is how I’m wearing it today! Every time I pass by a mirror and catch a glimpse, I stop, do a double-take, and then go “damn girl, you’re glowing.” I’m not sparkling; I’m glowing. It’s not very often that I find a highlighter that can actually highlight my skin tone, so I am very impressed.

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My Honest First Impressions of Honest Beauty

April 5th, 2016 by Jen Clark 27 Comments

I think Jessica Alba is one of the most gorgeous women ON EARTH, and I’ve been wanting to try her Honest Beauty makeup line.

“Honest Beauty is doing beauty differently. We’re proud to create a comprehensive line of skincare and makeup that celebrates diverse beauty and brings out your best.

“Every product has been years in the making and reflects the passion, expertise and standards of The Honest Company. With the advice and insights of top makeup artists, cosmetic scientists and beauty industry professionals worldwide, we’ve developed a collection that’s as effective as it is safe.

You’ll love the fresh, radiant look of your skin and the high-impact, flawless finish of our cosmetics. We’re here to make you look as good as you feel. And that’s honestly beautiful.”

— honestbeauty.com

Honest Beauty is geared toward natural products that are made without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances and all of that other gross stuff that everyone seems to be wary of these days.

I picked out a few things from the line to try, and here are my first impressions.

Honest Beauty Everything Primer Luminous Base ($27)

I haven’t always been a big primer user, but lately I’ve noticed that they do make a difference in how my makeup looks.

I love me a good glowy primer that’s going to shine through my foundation to make it look like I just have this naturally glowing skin, which I don’t. 🙁 Sad day.

Honest Beauty has this Everything Primer Luminous Base that I was particularly excited to try. Sadly, though, it doesn’t work well for me. While I think the glow is pretty, it seems to exaggerate the bumpy texture of my skin and cling to areas that are a little dry.

If you’re looking for a great luminizing primer, I wouldn’t splash out $27 on this number. I would go the more affordable route with something like L’oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator.

Honest Beauty Luminizing Powder in Midnight Reflection ($25)

The Luminizing Powder in Midnight Reflection has been living in my Travel Makeup Bag ever since the first time I used it several weeks ago. It’s gorgeous when used as a subtle highlight, or when I use it all over my face when I want to resemble a disco ball (in a pretty way). It just makes the skin look glowing and perfect. That’s all I have to say about it. I love it; try it.

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