tarte

Remember the True Blood episode last season when Pam busted out the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil? I turned to El Hub on the couch and was like, “ZOMG! Did you see Pam with her NARS!? AAAHHHH!”

He just stared at me like I’d lost my mind…

Don’t you just love it when you recognize makeup on your favorite TV shows? I wonder if the new Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain ($30) will make an appearance on TV this year.

It’s an intensely pigmented red gel blush, recently launched with two other pieces in the new limited edition Tarte for True Blood collection, and it’s loaded with golden glitter.

I can see it now, gracing some of True Blood’s malevolent and benevolent characters like…

Lafayette, clad in a see-through mesh top and camo capri pants. He’s getting ready in the bathroom at Merlotte’s for a rollicking night with the wiccans. He applies a single layer directly onto the apples of his cheeks, then blends out the edges with his fingers. The sheer red stain hides on his dark skin, just barely showing through, but the gobs of golden glitter sparkle like vampire fangs in the moonlight.

Or pale, beautiful Jessica, with her everlasting red hair. She’s sprucing up before a dinner date with Hoyt, her human beau (and her favorite meal). On her porcelain skin, the stain looks much more intense than it does on Lafayette, but Jessica isn’t afraid to make a statement with her looks. As a matter of fact, she loves the attention.

Whether the stain was designed with supernatural beings in mind, mere mortals can rock ’em, too. A single layer gives me a deep red flush and enough golden glitter to last a few lifetimes.

Did I mention that it’s sparkly? Very, very sparkly? I loves me some glitter, but dayum — borderline obnoxious, y’all.

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It appears that Tarte RSVP’d for Benefit’s popular Creaseless Cream in R.S.V.P, and, while at the release party, stole the idea for the color, and ran with it all the way to the beach — or the Seashore, to be more precise.

Just how close is Tarte’s new Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow in Seashell Pink to Benefit Creaseless Cream in R.S.V.P.? The short answer: close.

Both shimmery pink cream eyeshadows look darn near like sisters in their pots and swatches, but I think if you look closely at both of them, you’ll see richer peach pigments in Seashell Pink.

Full size jar of Tarte Seashell Pink (left) and sample size Benefit R.S.V.P. (right)

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Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope

If these Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tints ($24) had been around back when I spent my weekdays preparing pleadings as a legal secretary in the city, I would have kept a tube in my pocket for emotional support. It could have kept me company in the restroom stall where I frequently retreated to secretly cry away my frustrations at work (’twas NOT my all-time favorite job).

The line of six matte lip stains, basically matte-ish versions of Tarte’s LipSurgence Lip Stains, has been around for about a year. Like their shinier cousins they have a twist-top and utilize the same “High-Performance Natural LipSurgence Technology,” which, Tarte claims, is “clinically proven to increase moisture content by an astonishing 6,000% after 28 days.”

LOL! I feel like that sentence needed a bunch of exclamation marks at the end: “…6,000% after 28 days!!!”

I’m not sure how anyone would ever measure something like that, but I sure do love the work-friendly finish and barely-there, whispery sheen.

The barely perceptible shine loosens ’em up a little, giving them a slightly more casual vibe…but not casual like ripped jeans, tank tops and flip-flops. More like a white shirt over tan jodhpurs and knee-high riding boots.

They deposit a gentle nudge of color that encourages a quick glance, as opposed to shouting, “HEY, LOOK AT ME!” I think they’d be perfect for an office with a strict dress code.

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Between good old-fashioned insomnia, the fear of demon possession and Tabs sprinting up and down the stairs at midnight like a crazypants, I’ve been averaging about four hours of sleep a night this week.

Yeah, the dark circles are in the mutha’ truckin’ house, and neither my normally reliable MAC Pro Longwear Concealer nor my trusty Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener are cutting it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

While it’s not a concealer, soft beige Tarte emphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener ($18) is designed to deliver wide-awake eyes. The matte finish looks natural to me, and the product’s easy enough to use. Just twist the bottom to expose the tip, and guide it along the lower inner rim and inner corner of the eyes. It can also be used to highlight the brow bone to further define the shape of the brows.

The creamy texture skims along my waterlines, and the twist-up tip means not having to bother with sharpening.

Active ingredients

• Beeswax: Forms a protective barrier between the skin and the environment
• Vitamin A: Helps reduce free radical damage and retains skin’s moisture
• Vitamin E: Acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient and protects against free-radical damage
• Aloe Leaf Extract: Helps maintain moisture balance in the skin

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