Tarte Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder - Review

I guess this is Tarte week! I love me some Tarte. Most Tarte products are out of this world and fantastic. This product is a big time dud for me. I received this as a deluxe sample in a set of Tarte products with my Sephora rewards points awhile back. This is a mattifying powder. On me, it is most unflattering. It makes my skin look dry and it makes me look old. It doesn't matter where I place it on my face it makes me look terrible. Maybe if you have really super oily crazy skin and you use the tiniest bit, it make help the shine. I am thinking though that only a teenager could get away with using this. Don't even think of using this as a setting powder for your undereye concealer. I did, and it made me look haggard. Big mistake.

I really have no use for this powder. It's white and when you apply it, it doesn't stay looking white, but it doesn't really look natural and it doesn't look skin toned. It's hard to explain. It's supposed to be silky, but it doesn't feel that great to the touch and doesn't feel nice on the skin. It's so drying! This product mystifies me. I have no idea who at Tarte would have dreamed up this product. It is $29 U.S. If any of you like this product, or have found a way to make this work, please leave me a comment below.

Packaging: 2/10 (messy and powder goes everywhere)

Pigmentation: 0/10 (it's white!!!)

Easy to Work With: 0/10

Longevity: 10/10 (the hideous look stays for hours)

Texture: 3/10

Price: 5/10

Ingredients: 10/10 (there are only 5) 

Travel Worthy: 0/10 (powder everywhere)

Attractiveness of Product: 4/10

Would I buy this again? No way in hell 

Overall Rating: 1/10 (this is being generous because it may work for teenagers or sweaty body parts)

Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Park Ave Princess - Review and Swatch

I got this product in a set of Tarte products at Sephora with my rewards points last Fall. I just busted this out for the first time a week ago. I'm very impressed with this product. I have the Park Ave Princess shimmer bronzer. There is a matte one, but that is not the one I have. There is also a shade which is much darker and looks a bit orange called Hotel Heiress. The one I have is described as highly pearled light yellow gold. It is very golden. Normally, that colour would not work on me at all, but somehow this one does. You can apply a very light amount of this product or you can build it up.

I think this would look fabulous in the summer when I have a bit of colour. However, it is deep winter right now and I still really like the way it looks on me. Park Avenue Princess is geared towards a light skin tone I would say. If you are medium or dark toned, it might not show up much on you. The shimmer in it though might just give you a very nice glow regardless of your colouring. This shimmer is so subtle but really lights up your face - I think so at least.

The sample size I have pictured here is 3.2g or 0.11 oz. The regular full sized product is 0.32 oz. which is three times what I have here. I think the amount that I have though will last me a very long time. The cost of the product is $29 U.S. and $39 Canadian. Glad I got mine for free! I think if you really like this product, it would be a good investment. The ingredients are excellent by the way and there doesn't appear to be any nasty chemicals in it. If you don't don't want a dark crazy bronzer or you are just getting into using bronzer, I think this is a good choice. Also, if you are concerned about ingredients, once again, this is a great choice. I definitely think it is worth swatching and/or trying on at Sephora if you are interested.

I personally plan on using mine a lot for work over the next few months. This colour stays on all day. I use a Sigma F20 brush to apply this and its just perfect for this product. Here is a picture of me wearing it (I applied it several hours ago and it still looks fresh).

 

Packaging: 7/10

Pigmentation: 9/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 7/10

Ingredients: 10/10

Travel Worthy: 9/10

Attractiveness of Product: 8/10

Would I buy this again? Yes, I think so 

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Not Again!!!! MAC Soon to be Discontinued Eyeshadows from the Permanent Line

Hello! I just went onto MAC's website and see that they are discontinuing more eyeshadow colours from the permanent line. I saw a couple of surprises so I thought I would share this with all of you stat!

The last time I did a blog post on this, MAC was discontinuing:

Hepcat
Romp
Shimmermoss
Hush
Bisque
Juxt
Goldenrod

Most of the above are still available online and possibly still in MAC stores. Hush and Bisque are no longer available online. So tonight I noticed a few new additions to MAC's Goodbyes and they are:

Brown Down (what???)
Bitter (huh)
Kid (no way)
Samoa Silk (are you kidding me, seriously?)
Winkle
Digit (are they mad???)

So if you like any of these shades, stock up now before they are gone. I grabbed Somoa Silk and Romp this time around and got Hush and Bisque the last time. I have lots of Digit and Kid so I did not get more. I am on the fence about Hepcat and Brown Down. I don't think I would use Hepcat that much and there are lots of dupes for Down Brown.

What do all of you think about this?

Dove Go Fresh Burst Body Wash Nectarine and White Ginger Scent - Review

This will probably be my shortest review ever. Okay, so my skin is super dry and it is super cold where I live right now. Today was -21 degrees Celsius with the wind chill just to give you an idea. My skin is itchy, flaky and at times looks scaly if I don't rush to grab some body lotion after my shower. I normally am not big into drug store body washes or soap products in general with lots of chemicals in it, but hey I am desperate to get some relief!

Dove products are normally decent so I grabbed this the other day. I was so disappointed. It is not moisturizing at all! It says it is. I used it and my skin is just as dry if not drier afterwards as it is when I use plan old Ivory. A waste of $5 if I do say so myself. On a positive note, it smells great! Nice and and fresh - real summertime happiness. Maybe I will use it here and there in the summer, but this is a total winter dud for me.

Scent: 8/10
Moisturizing: 0/10
Lather: 10/10
Price: 5/10
Ingredients: 4/10
Overall Rating: 2/10 (I am weighing the lack of moisture heavily here)

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette For Eyes - Review and Swatches

 

I have been keeping my review for this palette under wraps for awhile. I probably should have done it sooner as I believe Laura Mercier released this for Holiday 2012. I bought this in December and as of a week or so ago I still saw them for sale in Sephora stores. It appears to no longer be available on sephora.com or on the Laura Mercier website. So if you want one, hurry up and run and buy one! I believe almost all of the colours in this palette can be purchased separately in Laura Mercier's permanent line of eyeshadows. So if you miss out, and you see a colour or colours that you like, you can still get what you like for the most part. The individual eyeshadows though are $23 U.S. and $28 Canadian. If you like Laura Mercier eyeshadows, this palette is a super deal since their eyeshadows are ridiculously expensive.

 

Before I get to the nitty gritty, I have to say that I love this palette. I am really impressed. I was wearing this palette almost non-stop for a few weeks there. The palette was $60 Canadian and it retails for $48 in the U.S. Not cheap, I know. I had some gift cards and a discount coupon at Sephora so I didn't feel the pinch. I know this is pricey, bit I think it is worth it, even if I had paid full price.

 

The palette is in a rough cloth purple snake skin cover and it has a fold over magnetic closure. This palette would be great to pop into your purse or overnight bag. Very travel friendly and it is not cumbersome to lug around. I have a pic below with a pen on top of it to show you the true size.

 

 

 

This palette has 12 eyeshadows, 6 are shimmers and 6 are mattes. Some bloggers have said that they disliked the shimmers and returned this palette as the colours did not show up on them. I agree that some of the lighter shimmers are not crazy pigmented, but they show up on me just fine. To me they are kind of natural looking but give your eyes big pop. I can not stress enough how good this palette would be for someone who is a professional or works in an office. None of the colours in this palette are obnoxious and every colour you need to create a variety of professional, neutral, yet put-together looks is in here. If you aren't adventurous with make-up and just want to be able to look polished for work or when you go to parties or functions, this is the palette to get. If you have a lot of makeup (like me) and want a solid, compact, versatile palette for go to work looks, this is the one. I occasionally travel overnight for work and do presentations. This is the palette I am now going to be taking with me for those trips. 

 

 

 

 

The palette looks to be purple themed, but it's not. There are only two purplish colours in here. The mattes are fantastic. Some of the best I own now. I don't get excited about neutral browns too often, but the matte browns in here are exceptional. They are Cafe au Lait and Coffee Ground on the middle of the second row above. Those two are my favourite colours in the palette. A close second would be Plum Smoke and Deep Night. Okay, let's cut to the swatches.

 

 

Chocolate, African Violet, Sable, Guava, Cameo, Sunlit

 

The top row is pictured above. Chocolate is a shimmery golden brown which has a bit of red or purple in it. African Violet reminds me of pinker version of MAC's Trax. Sable is a shimmery grey brown. I can't put my finger on what it reminds me of. A lot of people will really like Sable. It's a bit like a grey mink. Guava is unusual. I have never seen anything like it. It really makes your eyes pop. It's like a tropical pink with some cream in it. Looks great with black or brown gel liner. It looks great on its own too with mascara. Cameo is my least favourite colour in the palette. It's a yellow orange brown. It does not go with my colouring at all. Maybe J. Lo would like it. It's very beachy looking and has a Miami vibe to it. Finally, we have Sunlit which was the surprise for me in the palette. It's a golden colour which can spell disaster for me usually, but this colour is super unique. It actually works on me and I think it would work on almost anyone. It really makes my eyes pop and it brightens my whole face when I wear it. This would be a great colour to wear in the summer when you want to look awake, sun kissed and natural.

 

 

Vanilla Nuts, Plum Smoke, Cafe au Lait, Coffee Ground, Deep Night and Rich Coffee

 

Vanilla Nuts is the perfect neutral lid colour. It looks amazing with Cafe au Lait and Coffee Ground. Vanilla Nuts reminds me of MAC's Brule only Brule is satin and is a bit more pigmented. Plum Smoke is gorgeous. There are a million dupes out there for this colour, but the quality of this eyeshadow is superior to other colours like it. Cafe au Lait reminds me of better version of MAC's Wedge or Cork. This colour is superior in pigmentation, colour payoff and shade. You all know how much I like my MAC eyeshadows, so for me to say that is a pretty big deal. Coffee Ground is the perfect dark brown colour for me. It is now my favourite dark brown period. Deep Night is out of this world. It is the perfect matte navy eyeshadow. The pigmentation is off of the hook and the quality is fantastic. Finally, we have Rich Coffee. It's a dirty black if that makes sense. It's a bit grey. I like it, but I have similar colours that I prefer in my stash.  

 

All of the colours in this palette are super blendable, soft, silky and last all day long. I have worn some for 18 hours plus (with a primer) and they stay true and stay put. Very long lasting. I can't say enough about how much I like this palette and how much use I am going to get out of it. I am very pleased with this purchase. Ingredients are decent. One last thing, each eyeshadow in this palette is 0.03 oz. or 1g. MAC's are 1.5g or 0.05 oz. to put that in perspective. The individual Laura Mercier single eyeshadows are 0.09 oz. Although the singles are expensive, you get a hell of a lot of product. That being said, the eyeshadows in this palette are a good size for a palette and you get 12!  

 

Overall Palette

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 9/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 8/10

Ingredients: 8/10 

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Attractiveness of Product: 7/10

Would I buy this again? Hell Yes (if I could) 

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Beginner Bronzer? Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting 2-in-1 Bronzer & Blush in Bronze/Natural - Review and Swatch

 

 

I had been meaning to buy this product for years and I finally did last week. This is a bronzer and blush all in one. Very convenient for travelling when you don't have much room in your travel or makeup bag and you want a bronzer and blush. You can mix the blush colours together or wear them separate. I like to mix them but do whatever turns you on. This product is $19.99 in most drug stores in Canada. I think for drug store makeup, that's a bit pricey. This retails for $13.95 I believe in the U.S. I got mine for half price at Rexall Pharma Plus at a cool $9.99. I am a bit concerned though as there was a sticky note on the rack saying this was to be discontinued. Not sure if Rexall is discontinuing it, or if Physician's Formula is. It is still on their website and is selling for full price.

 

This is a good bronzing product if you have fair or light skin and/or its wintertime. It isn't very dark but it gives you a little bronzed glow. If you are medium or darker skinned, I think it would give you a nice "glow" it just wouldn't show up much. This product is slightly shimmery. There is a bottom compartment in it which holds a brush and mirror. I haven't bothered to use it.

 

 

 

I think this would be an excellent bronzer for beginners to use if they are new to bronzer. You kind of can't go wrong using this product. You will never look "muddy" or over cake it on. It is subtle enough that it looks quite natural. It does not look golden on me but when I swatch it, it does. It barely showed up on my arm with the camera so I did the ol' fingertip swatch. The blush mixed is left and the bronzer is right.

 

 

 

I find this product very flattering on, when you use just the bronzer or just the blush or both. It's like bronzer for dummies. I am not sure if this product comes in one or two colours. I have only noticed one colour in the stores. This product smells amazing is supposed to smell like violets. It's subtle though, not overpowering. This product is supposed to have ingredients and endorphins in it to boost your mood. I don't know about that, but sometimes when I wear it, it feels like my cheeks are flushed or I'm blushing. They feel a bit warm. Weird, but it is not unpleasant. It makes me feel like smiling. Everyone needs a schoolgirl glow once in a while. The product is so smooth and silky and blends like a dream. I can not think of any cons or negative things to say about this product. I think this is a solid buy (especially at the price I paid) and the ingredients seem decent. If you have ever thought of buying this product or are looking for starter bronzer or a two in one bronzer/blush, I would pick one of these up. I am very pleased with my purchase and I plan on using this religiously.

 

 

Packaging: 8/10 (could be more sleek and less bulky)

Pigmentation: 8/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 8/10 (at full price - it's a steal when it is on sale)

Ingredients: 10/10

Travel Worthy: 9/10  (could be more sleek and less bulky)

Attractiveness of Product: 9/10

Would I buy this again? Hell Yes 

Overall Rating: 10/10

L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Eye Balm - Review?

 

I got a sample of this the other day when I was in a L'Occitane store stocking up on one of my new favourite hand creams. I only used it for a couple of nights (that is all I got out of the sample) so I don't really know if I can even call this a review. After I applied the product, the skin area around my eyes felt very dry and tight. It was a not a comfortable or good feeling. Definitely not what I am used to in an eye cream.

 

I looked up this product on L'Occitane's website and it appears to be a product for aging skin. This product is supposed to tighten and firm the skin around your eyes and reduce the appearance of dark circles. Knock on wood, I don't have any lines or crow's feet around my eyes yet, so for me, this was not a helpful product. I didn't notice any difference in my dark circles, but like I said, I only used it for 2 nights. I have no idea if this product does what it claims to. I guess I am really just giving you my first impressions and some basic feedback on this product.

 

Based on my limited experience with this product, I know it is not for me, at least at this stage in my life. I don't think I can provide a rating. If you like the skin around your eyes to feel soft and moisturized, I would not recommend this.