Tarte

Tired of Being Disappointed With Your Makeup? With Their New QVC Exclusive Kit, Tarte Asks, “What Has Your Makeup Done For You Lately?”

June 27th, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

tarte what has your makeup done for you lately

Every time I say the name of Tarte’s new $49 QVC exclusive kit, “What Has Your Makeup Done For You Lately?” (a $160 value) I think of this old-school Janet Jackson jam…

I find it really funny that I can’t remember the last name of that boy I dated for three months in my freshman year in college (Mike something-or-other? I want to say Mendoza?), but I can recite the lyrics from Janet’s video word for word!

“What’s up, girl?”

“He stood me up again.”

“Again?!”

“Um-hmm.”

“Well, what’s up with this guy? Do you really like him that much?”

“Yes, honey, I love him. He is fine. He does a lot of nice things for me.”

“I know he used to do nice stuff for you, but what has he done for you lately?”

Don’t even get me started on the choreography. 🙂

But I digress…

Tarte’s latest makeup kit, a QVC exclusive (QVC and QVC.com) on July 13, features six pieces, most of them new.

For $49, or about 70 percent off the regular price of all of the products purchased separately, you get one LipSurgence Lip Shine in Smitten (a glossy pink), the new Pure Maracuja Oil Rollerball, the new Retoucher Flawless Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush, the new Maracuja Miracle 12-HR Foundation with Broad Spectrum SPF 15 (choose from one of five shades in Fair, Light, Medium, Tan and Deep), the new modernEYES Waterproof Creaseless Shadow/Liner in Plumberry/Plum Brown, and a re-promoted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara.

Oh — and as a bonus, you also get a sample jar of Tarte’s new Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment, a cream designed to conceal dark circles immediately and diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles over time.

tarte what has your makeup done for you lately box

tarte what has your makeup done for you lately in hand

tarte what has your makeup done for you lately foundation
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Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer Makes Eye Makeup Stick Around

May 28th, 2012 by Karen 12 Comments

tarte clean slate 360 creaseless 2 hr smoothing eye primer 1

Skipping eye primer always seems like a good idea when I’m in a hurry, but yeah, sometimes it’s not.

Like when I’m taking some much-needed “meow time” to unwind at Sephora, decide to do some swatches, and what starts out as a 15-minute trip turns into two hours.

Or when a coffee break with Channing Tatum starts out as a brief 15-minute chat about the bulging biceps and hair/accessories/shirtless-ness in his upcoming tour de force, Magic Mike, but inevitably turns into a detailed six-hour discussion on the pros and cons of soft and crunchy hair gels (I like soft; crunchy gel seems so early ’90s to me) and the stylishness, or lack thereof, of camo capris (careful) and button-down shirts (yea!).

Okay, so maybe that second example happened, to quote ’80s teen chanteuse Debbie Gibson, “only in my dreams.” 🙂

As real as it may seem!

One thing’s for sure — my days usually last longer than I expect them to, hence my love for long-wearing eye primers that help keep my shadow, liner and concealer in place.

Tarte’s new Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer ($19) promises to do just that. A smudge-proof base designed to make eye makeup stay on task, it’s supposed to prevent fallout and postpone eye makeup migration for a full 12 hours, so you can say, “g’bye!” to disappearing eyeshadow and creasing color.

A recent study involving my butt in a pool chair and an issue of US Weekly concluded that the waterproof eyeshadow and liner I layered on top of Clean Slate, which is also water-resistant, did sparkle and shimmer for a very long time. The subjects also exhibited no adverse effects after taking a quick dip.

No fussing over finding a base color that matches your skin tone, either, as Clean Slate’s colorless universal shade should work for most everyone.

Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer ($19)

Came out with the summer 2012 collection and was added to Tarte’s permanent line
Made with beeswax (used as a natural waterproofing agent), mineral pigments (as opposed to artificial colors and dyes) and vitamin E (a natural preservative with anti-inflammatory properties)
Made without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMO’s or triclosan
Has a thin consistency, like a light lotion, and it absorbs quickly into my skin
It layers well beneath eyeshadows (powders and creams) and liners (pencils, liquids, gels and cakes)
Being from Tarte, it’s also eco-friendly, cruelty-free and ~~vegan~~ vegetarian (it does contain beeswax, which many do not consider vegan)
Sure does last a very long time for me; I get between 12-13 hours, with very minor fading starting around hour eight

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This Summer, Tarte Comes Bearing Gifts From the Lipstick Tree

May 2nd, 2012 by Karen 36 Comments

tarte gifts from the lipstick tree
Wearing Tarte Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Achiote on my lips

Even though I spent much of the past few days disheveled in some pretty remote places, makeup was never far from my mind.

Like on Monday, while trudging through tall grasses and traversing streams along the banks of the Wailua River, El Hub pointed out some of the fruit trees he recognized from his childhood (he grew up on the neighboring island of Oahu). “There’s a breadfruit tree, mango, papaya, guava…”

I kept hoping I’d also hear him say, “And there’s a lipstick tree,” as in Tarte’s new limited edition Gifts from the Lipstick Tree Color Collection ($42).

Leave it to Tarte to distract me in the middle of the jungle, LOL!

The limited edition set, part of Tarte’s 2012 summer collection, comes with three full-size lip and cheek products in a warm, shimmery golden pink called Achiote, after the name of the small tropical tree from which Tarte obtained the pigment.

The bright red seeds of the achiote tree’s spiny fruit are used to color all kinds of things, from food to body paint and even lipstick. Hence its nickname, “the lipstick tree.”

I’m pretty sure we didn’t pass any achiote trees on our hike, but I did snap this picture of a rare related plant that had Tarte’s Lip Luster, Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush and a Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss hanging from its branches…

Yeah, right! Now that would have been an awesome jungle find. 🙂

On my dry cheeks and lips, the blush lasts about six hours, while both of the lip products (which have a faint peppermint flavor and scent) last about three.

tarte gifts from the lipstick tree
Gifts from the Lipstick Tree Achiote Color Collection from bottom to top: LipSurgence Lip Luster in Achiote, Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Achiote and Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Achiote

tarte summer 2012 swatches
From the left: Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush, LipSurgence Lip Luster in Achiote and Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Achiote
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Get Spirited Away This Summer With Tarte’s Latest LipSurgence

April 25th, 2012 by Karen 15 Comments

tarte spirited lipsurgence

Red’s not one of the first colors I picture when I think, “summer lip shades.”

Well, it didn’t used to be — but that was before I saw Tarte’s new LipSurgence in Spirited ($24), a shiny, bright poppy red that’s like a beach party in a tube, haaay!

tarte body bronzer spirited lipsurgence
From the left: LipSurgence Lip Tint in Spirited, Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-HR Smoothing Primer and Amazon Bronze Amazonian Clay and Annatto Body Bronze
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3.14159 More Reasons to Heart Tarte, or Why I’m Obsessed With Pie: Tarte Summer 2012 Collection Pics and Swatches

April 24th, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

tarte summer 2012
Wearing Tarte Gifts from the Lipstick Tree Achiote Color Collection from summer 2012

I’m currently in the throes of fuzzy pre-vacation brain, so I apologize in advance for eny tipos in this post and weird sentences that don’t make sense…

I did two things today instead of the really important things I needed to get done (like packing). 1) I dreaded the fact that I wasn’t doing the things I needed to get done, and 2) I thought about pie.

The Caramel Apple Pecan Pie at The Right Slice

Yes, that’s right: pie (not pi). 🙂 I was looking online for good eats on Kauai and found a highly recommended place called The Right Slice.

They sell pie. Just pie (and things like pie). In a wide variety of yummy-sounding flavors.

They have savory pies (Classic Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd’s Pie); spicy pies (Chocolate Chile, Spicy Apple), fruit pies (Guava, Lilikoi, Blueberry PiÃ±a Colada); and rich, and/or gooey pies (Carmel Apple Pecan, Haupia Purple Sweet Potato, Lilikoi Cheesecake, Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut).

Thinking about all of that pie is giving me the sugar shakes!

I wonder if it’s possible to overdose on pie. My, my, my, gonna eat some pie…

LOL!

Sorry, I’m having a hard time concentrating today. I feel like it’s the last day of school before summer…and speaking of summer, have you seen the summer collection from Tarte?

They’re keeping it short and sweet with just six items this year, which is a drop in the bucket compared to their spring 2012 release.

I still see some pretty interesting things…

Primers seem to be playing a big role. There’s a new one for eyes and two new ones for the face — the Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hr Smoothing Eye Primer ($20), Clean Slate Flawless 12-HR Brightening Primer ($30) and Clean Slate Poreless 12-HR Perfecting Primer ($30).

There’s also a new Body Bronzer ($37), a new LipSurgence Lip Tint shade called Sprited ($24), and a $42 three-piece set with an awkwardly long name — the Gifts from the Lipstick Tree Achiote Color Collection.

Here are pics and swatches of everything, with the exception of the face primers…

tarte summer 2012

tarte gifts from the lipstick tree
Gifts from the Lipstick Tree Achiote Color Collection
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Oil Doesn’t Stand a Chance Against Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation with SPF 15

February 3rd, 2012 by Karen 30 Comments

tarte amazonian clay full coverage foundation (2)

The Amazon is a vast tropical river basin filled with astonishing animals and prehistoric plants. Freaky!

But apparently the clay there only comes in eight different shades… 🙂

Tarte recently released a new foundation to go with their new Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Glosses, Amazonian Clay Blushes, Maracuja Blush & Glows and Bright Side eye brightener, and like some of their other products, it contains Amazonian clay.

tarte amazonian clay full coverage foundation (3)

Available now at Sephora stores and sephora.com, new Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage foundation with SPF 15 ($38) comes in a modest eight shades.

The foundation has been one of the things I’ve been really looking forward to trying from Tarte’s spring line, not just because it gets several five-star reviews on the Sephora website, but also because I already heart Tarte’s Smooth Operator Natural Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 and their Pressed Powder.

Tarte says that adaptability makes Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage special. Designed for all skin types, it’s supposed to hydrate dry patches on the skin while simultaneously absorbing excess shine and oil.

This, I figured, had the makings of a major win!

My main concern? — would I be able to find a matching shade?

Well, not exactly… Tan, the shade that comes closest to my NC 42 skin, isn’t a perfect match. It’s a tad too light and peachy, and consequently looks a little ashy on me, but I still wanted to test the product’s other claims, so I wore it around the house.

Ingredients in Tan: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Mica, Dimethicone, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Aluminum Hydroxide, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phytantriol, Hexyl Laurate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Sodium Chloride, Hexylene Glycol, Lysine, Tocopherol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Kaolin, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Chloride, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate, Iron Oxides.

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LORAC TANtalizer Should Tantalize Paler Pretties and Sweeties With Medium Skin Tones

January 31st, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

lorac tantalizer (1)

If you and your brushes like having lots of room to play in, it’s time to get tantalized. 🙂 This over-sized TANtalizer pan from LORAC ($32) is downright HUGE!

It combines a bronzer and highlighter in one gargantuan compact, which I went a little overboard with the first time I used, swiping my brush back and forth, back and forth, whee!

I assumed I was picking up too much product, based on how pigmented the shimmery champagne pink highlighter and warm matte brown bronzer look in the pan, but when I swept the highlighter along my upper cheekbones and along my jawline, what I saw was a nice surprise.

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Tarte Maracuja Blush & Glow Could Use a Dash More Blush and a Tad Less Glow

January 29th, 2012 by Karen 19 Comments

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Wearing Tarte Maracuja Blush & Glow in Sunlight on my cheeks

Aha! I knew I’d seen this unusual suspect before…

Tarte’s new Maracuja Blush & Glow line of tint and highlighter duos has been giving me major dÃ©jÃ vu. They look and feel awfully similar to a couple of my tried-and-true loves from NARS, namely the Multiples ($39) and Illuminators ($29).

Available now at Sephora stores and online for $32, each Blush & Glow comes with a Tarte Tint at the tip and a Luminizer in the tube.

MaracujÃ¡ oil comes from passion fruit seeds, and Tarte added it to the Maracuja Blush & Glows. They say it delivers a high dose of essential fatty acids and vitamin C to the skin when applied.

As similar as I think these are to the Multiples and Illuminators, I wouldn’t call them dupes. Their counterparts over at NARS do seem to pack a little more pigment and feel a tad smoother to me, but after giving all three Blush & Glow shades a try, I will say this: they’ve got game.

The Tint tip performs like a cream blush on bare skin or atop foundation, while the illuminating Luminizer, aka a liquid highlighter, bestows a shimmery glow to the tops of cheekbones, along brow bones or when added to foundation.

Shimmery champagne Candlelight appears to be the neutral babe in the bunch; cool-toned shimmery pink Moonlight should work well for gals who like the way they look in cool-toned pinks; and Sunlight, a warm shimmery peach, is just begging to play with warmer skin tones and tans.

I gave each of them a try on bare skin and then atop foundation, and I thought they did much better with foundation. On bare skin, the colors skipped town after about an hour, but they held their grown for 5 hours on top of foundation.

Part of me loves natural-looking cheeks, and that’s the part that adores the subtle glow I get from these duos. I also like how I can apply and blend them with my fingers. It’s just nice not having to use a brush, and it saves time for more important things, like emergency trips to See’s Candy, Target, Trader Joe’s and Petco (Tabs has been all about dried catnip lately) — or other times when I need to look presentable in a rush.

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Tarte Maracuja Blush & Glow from the left: Sunlight, Candlelight and Moonlight

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From the left: Sunlight, Candlelight and Moonlight
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