Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - Review

I really shouldn't be purchasing any more concealers. I have one that works, and that should be enough, right? Apparently not, because when Fred Meyer had all of their cosmetics on sale as buy-one-get-one 50% off, I picked up the Fit Me Concealer as one of my little treasures.

The packaging, like the rest of the Fit Me line, is sleek and simple. I sort of prefer a short, fatter tube to the long and slender variety, like this is, but I can live. The tube is identical to the Colorsensational Lipglosses (which probably saved Maybelline from having to design a new tube). After some careful thought, I ended up with shade 15, which according to the little chart included on the displays, went with the liquid and powder foundation shade 115. Typically, I try to use a slightly lighter shade for my concealer, since I usually only use concealer under my eyes, but for what ever reason, shade 10 looked darker in the tube (what's up with that?). 15 is actually a great match.

This concealer stays all day, however, I've noticed it can encourage my foundation to cake a bit over it. It provides surprisingly awesome coverage, though. I didn't really find it necessary to use my Bobbi Brown Corrector under my eyes with this concealer, and it covered the few blemishes I have easily. I'm very impressed by this.

It has a matte-ish finish. Not what I'd call glowy, but it's not a flat matte finish either. I don't find it necessary to set with powder, which is nice. I usually use the doe-foot applicator to deposit a small amount on the back of my hand, and use my MAC 224 to actually apply this to my face. It blends in fairly easily. The formula isn't super thin, nor thick. It's in the middle, and can tend to drag if too much is on the brush.

Would I purchase this again? I think so. I really do like it, and I've been holding a candle for MAC's Moisturecover Select concealer for a while. I need to use up some things, but I think I'll buy this once I run out.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Balancing Foundation SPF 15- Review

I'm a sucker for QVC beauty shows. And they're Today's Special Values (TSVs) can be a really good deal. So, when the latest Tarte TSV started getting talked up on MUA and the blogs, I figured "Why not? I need a new foundation anyway," and set myself up for autodelivery.

The foundation was/is exclusive to this kit until later this summer. It boasts about offering full coverage without the apparently nasty stuff that other brands include in their products. After careful consideration, I selected the "Light" shade, after others reported the foundation ran very light, color-wise. Off the cuff (0r, more appropriately, out of the tube), the foundation appears a bit dark, however, after blending it in, it looks great on my light NC15 skin. After a few hours (about 5, on average), it starts to oxidize. It's not terribly noticeable until after about 8+ hours, though. I will say that it appears I can control the oxidation a bit, depending upon the primer I use under it. I've noticed that if I layer MAC's Prep + Prime finishing powder under my Murad Oil Control lotion, and use BE's Hydrating Mineral Veil, the oxidation is not as bad. I need to keep playing around with this, though.

For whatever reason, this picture makes the tarte foundation look really, really dark and yellow. In real life, it is slightly more yellow than the Chanel and MUFE, but not so dark.

The texture of this foundation is mousse-y. I really like it, and it sort of gives that "velvet" feel to the skin after application, like Philosophy's the present, or Benefit's Pore-Fessional.

Although Tarte prints on the tube this is a full coverage foundation, I wouldn't bet money on it. On me, without concealer and my MUFE primer, the slight ruddiness of my cheeks comes through, and the 2 weird red blemishes I've had this week were very obvious. I'd say this foundation wears and feels more like a medium coverage foundation. I can't really build up the coverage with this foundation, either. By the end of the normal work day, it's very cakey where I've attempted to get more complete coverage. Where I haven't added an extra layer, however, it looks fine.

I've used my MAC 187 and the huge brush that came with the kit to apply this product, and both work equally well. I don't believe the brush is a must have, but it is nice (and I typically don't like synthetic brushes!).

Finish-wise, this foundation has the same effect as many of the "natural" finish foundations - sort of that glowy finish that usually translates to oily on me after a few hours. I will say this foundation lasts all day, but even with my imperfect primer system (I still need a good, oil controlling primer - any suggestions?), I'm a grease-ball after 8 - 9 hours, the usual time frame I have makeup on.

All in all, I'm glad I got on auto-delivery for this. I may try and switch the foundation color, however, or try and get my hands on the Fair foundation, to see if it works better for me. I like the foundation, and I'm pleased that it really does last all day.

Etsy Find- Noella Beauty Works, an Overview Review

So, I'm a realist. I know I have an addiction to the shiney, the sparkly, and the pretty. Makeup can fall into all of these categories. Etsy happens to be one of my newest obsessions, and a great place to find excellent quality and variety for a little bit of cash. One of my first purchases was from Noella Beauty Works, which was reviewed here. I was so smitten, that I ordered several more colors, and have now, finally, swatched my collection for you!

Overall, I really love the colors I've picked up. There are some misses. Glisten needs to be packed on to get a rich, deepened green. Amazonite is a green-teal. Buttercup is a soft yellow with a bit of gold. Sugared Plum is a nice, straight up purple, but it lacks a bit of pigmentation. Velvet is, as you can see, my skin tone with a hint of shimmer; pigment wise- it's so-so. Dark Crystal is a great, deep, blue. Teal totally reminds me of MAC's Teal pigment. Pink Smoke (mislabeled on the picture) is a dirty pinky-neutral (and very nice in my green eyes!). Periwinkle is a blue-lavendar. Honey Taupe is a warmed up version of Milk Chocolate, both are "My lids but better" neutrals.

Wild Grape and Heather are also much weaker than I would've liked. I love Smokey Plum, though. It's a beautiful maroon (similar to MAC's Maroon pigment, but not identical). Golden Neutral, as previously noted, is a golden highlight shade. Dark Chocolate is gorgeous, but again, lacking a good color density for my taste.Sencha is the only green I have from this line, and it's a nice olivey-gold-green. Sleepy Blue is sheer, and probably my least favorite for that reason. Nutmeg is a bit more orange than I would like, an orangey-neutral. Silver Lily is an even-toned silver, not warm, not cool.

Since my first review, Jacki has raised her prices to $4.99 a jar. She's also changing her packaging, from solid black lids to those lids that have black "rims" with "windows" (sorry, I'm lacking word power today) on top, so you can see the shadow color. Her shipping prices have also risen a bit, as well.

I hope you found this helpful! If you would like to see comparison swatches of something, let me know!