Etsy Find - Lost in Makeupland, part 4 - Highlighters

This is the final installment of a 4 part series for this seller. Today, we'll focus on Belén's collection of highlighting shades, Faerie, Glow, English Rose and Snow (not a true member, but I use it as a highlight).

Faerie, Glow, and English Rose are available in 3 sizes, sample sized (packaged in a plastic bag for $1.50), a mini-size, 5 gram jar for $5.00, and a full size, 10 gram jar for $8.00. Whipped is technically an eyeshadow, so it is available as a sample in a plastic bag for $1.00, or a full size, 5 gram jar for $5.99. You can buy a sample pack of all of these colors for $4.00, which is a great deal, since the sample sizes are so generous.

Faerie is described as a "warmish peachy pink, works nicely on cool tones if applied very lightly," and appears as a soft neutral peach, if you can believe it. Glow is described as a "neutral golden pink, the warmth of the gold meets with a touch of cold pink," and appears as a warmish glow. English Rose is described as "cool toned mauve-pink," and is decidedly cool-toned pink. Snow is described as an "cold as ice and beautiful as real snow," it can be applied heavily for an opaque white, but it can also be sheered out, and provide a eye-brightening highlight.


Obviously, I'm a gal with yellow undertones. English Rose is not a good highlight color for me. It's still gorgeous, though. Glow and Faerie are easily my two favorites. All of these shades are nicely pigmented, and finely milled. I have plans on purchasing a full size of Faerie with my next order, which will probably be placed once Belén releases the new things she's been holding on to (she's been having some difficulty with a supplier, I believe).

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Shadow - Review

I need a cream shadow like I need a hole in my head. I've been perfectly happy with my UD 24/7 shadow pencil in Sin, and I've been neglecting my Smashbox Waterproof Shadow/Liners (so nice!), and my MAC Paint Pots (hit or miss). But, with the Glow your way to Gorgeous kit, I found myself with a new cream shadow, the Amazonian Clay Waterproof shadow in "Shimmering Taupe." What else could I do but use it?

The pot is SMALL. Super small. Be prepared, you may pay $25 for a small jar of cream shadow, that's holding 0.1 oz of product. The price is a little high. Like, woah. Moving on....


According to QVC:

 Micronized Amazonian clay intensifies color pigments while working to nourish skin, reduce surface oil, and improve overall texture for smooth application. Thanks to a botanical blend of natural plant waxes, the shadow glides on smooth and forms an impermeable layer that protects against sweat, tears, and creasing for hours of wear time. Not only is it super long-wearing, it works to infuse delicate eyelids with Amazonian clay, aloe leaf extract, beeswax, and vitamins A and E. The richly pigmented shadow is formulated without parabens, sodium laurel sulfate, mineral oil, petrolatum, synthetic fragrance, or phthalates.

 "Shimmering Taupe" is a light/mid-toned brown taupe. It's not a "my lid but better/shimmery" shade, like UD's Sin is, it's darker, but still a nice neutral. It's not especially warm toned, but it's on the warmer side of neutral.


Wear-wise, this is fantastic! I still have to use UDPP under it, and set it with a powder shadow (such is my life), but it wears as well as the UD 24/7 Shadow Pencils. I use my finger to apply it, because the brush that was included in the Glow your way to Gorgeous kit is almost useless (no, really). Because the pot is so small, though, it can be hard to get at. The shadow blends nicely with my finger, and is decently pigmented. It's very smooth and slightly creamy feeling. It's not moussey, or sticky.


I really like this product. I like the color, I like the texture a lot, and my shadows last all day over it. I think the price is ridiculous, though.

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer - Review

I wish this kit had arrived about a week before it actually did, so I could've had this review up for you guys, because I think most people were curious about this product from the Glow your way to Gorgeous kit, but, c'est la vie, non?


Anyway, I have a weakness for concealers. I don't know why, since I tend to only use concealer on my under eye area, but oh well. When I heard rumblings of a new tarte TSV on QVC (ugh), I immediately began to wonder "Do I need this?" Upon finding out what the kit actually had in it, then answer was affirmative.


You may wonder what, exactly, is maracuja? It's otherwise known as passionfruit, here in the U.S., and you don't need to pay Tarte's high price for pure maracuja or passionfruit oil. Just poke around websites that sell soap making oils, and you can find the same thing that Tarte sells for $40+ for a much nicer price tag. Anyway, to find out what benefits you may see from using maracuja oil, please click here (way to many for me to cut and paste, sorry!).

After deciding I "had to have" this kit, the only remaining question was, what shade of concealer do I need? Usually, I need the lightest shade available (I'm on the pale side of NC15), and without swatches, I was flying blindly. I decided upon the shade "Light," remembering the Amazonian Clay foundation in that shade had worked well for me.

This color works amazingly well for me. I posted this picture previously, but I like how well it shows how this concealer compares to other concealers I've talked about, or have used, in the past. This is slightly yellower than the Fit Me concealer, and seems slightly lighter than Moisture Cover Select. The Amazonian Clay foundation looks crazy yellow here!


When taking this picture, I noted how thick this concealer is, and I questioned how a thick cream, like this, could be creaseless. After using this product for several days (everyday since I bought it), I can say I haven't noticed creasing, but I also have to admit that I don't have a lot of fine lines under my eyes (I know my day will come, though!). The concealer lasts all day, doesn't oxidize, and is very, very pigmented.


My only problem is how darn thick this stuff is! I'm seriously afraid the seam at the end of the squeeze-tube container is going to rupture when I'm trying to get the concealer out. I don't have problems blending the concealer using my MAC 224 (the only concealer brush you'll ever need!), though. Maybe it's the small opening at the end of the tube that's the problem?


When this product is released to the general population of Tarte retailers in September, I believe the MSRP will be $24 and change. I think that's a fair price. I like this concealer a lot, and am glad I signed up for the autodelivery (not that I'll need a new concealer in 3 months, but whatever). You can still get the Glow your way to Gorgeous kit here, for $54.96 plus shipping.

Tarte Glow Your Way to Gorgeous 8 piece TSV - July 2nd, 2011

I preordered this, after really enjoying the Tarte 8th Wonder of the World set, and not knowing how to say "no" to a concealer. I received my kit today, the day before the TSV officially posts, but I thought you'd like to see what you get:

Amazonian Clay blush in Peaceful - no flash

Amazonian Clay blush in Peaceful - with flash

Of note in this kit is the introduction of the Maracuja Concealer. I ordered this kit with the shade "Light" in the concealer. The following picture shows this concealer compared to several others. First picture is taken with the flash, the second is without:

I'm a light NC15, and feel this color will work well for my skin tone. My son tried to help me, as evidenced by his hand and feet in the pictures. Hope you don't mind them too much. 

My initial impression is this: this is a thick concealer, but it blends well. Since Tarte claims it won't crease, I'm curious to see if that will hold true.