Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Take A Journey to Natural Beauty, Courtesy of Tarte Cosmetics

I'd never think to describe myself as someone naturally of organically aware. I don't always do what's best for my body, but I am learning how to make healthy and conscious choices. It doesn't mean you can't indulge in delicious sweets or irresistible promises. It just means being selective about the unhealthy things that find its way to your body. 

For this reason, I have always been an advocate of Tarte Cosmetics. Their products are made of natural ingredients that focus on the overall health of your skin. To name a few, they're made without parabens (toxic, disrupts normal hormone function) and synthetic fragrances (may contain hundreds of chemicals that are neurotoxins). I think it's fair to say that going Tarte is one of the better decisions I've made.

Anyways, when I saw the 6-piece (really 7 if you count the Brazilliance Self Tanner sample I received) Journey to Natural Beauty collection as QVC's TSV (today's special value), I had to get it. You get 6 beauty essentials and a super adorable multi-colored chevron pouch that you can use as a makeup bag or clutch.

 

What's included in this collection:

• Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Foundation (I got light)
•Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Plummy Rose
•12-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Fearless
•Lights, Camera, Flashes! Statement Mascara in Black
•Brown Architect Brow Shaper
•Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush (not pictured)

This is a lovely collection, so let's move on to what I thought!

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Foundation: I already own this as well as the airbrush finish brush, but I didn't mind getting another one of each because I truly enjoy it. The formula is smooth and blendable, and light is a perfect match for my skin tone. Most importantly, this keeps the shine at bay. I have oily skin, so this is essential. The only negative thing I have to say about this is that it's not really a "full" coverage. It fades after 6-8 hours and could last shorter or longer depending on my activities.

Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Plummy Rose: This is a VERY moisturizing lipstick. It's soft, light, comfortable, and buttery goodness. This is one of my favorite Tarte products ever. EVER. It delivers on all fronts and I would highly purchase this again if it became a permanent part of Tarte's cosmetic line. I sometimes even prefer it over my chapstick. The only thing I dislike is the packaging. It's made of cardboard and honestly feels a bit cheap.


12-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Fearless: This shimmery warm pink shade is so pretty. It also has amazing pigmentation and staying power like all of their blushes. Need I say more?


Lights, Camera, Flashes! Statement Mascara in Black: The bristles on the wand have really fine points that are great for getting deep into your lashes. My lashes look plumped and lengthened with just one application. It does tend to clump just a little where the mascara gathers at the end, but I just have to comb through my lashes. I've heard complaints that it starts flaking off after 5 hours, but I haven't had that issue.

Brown Architect Brow Shaper: This has become a holy grail for me. It's a 3-in-1 pencil for brows! On one end you have a spoolie, on the other end you have a retractable brow pencil, and in the middle you have a brow concealer. I was worried at first that the pencil would be too dark for me, but it comes out pretty faint and makes my brows look natural. You can definitely build it up for a more dramatic look. If that's what you're going for then the concealer is perfect because you can really shape and define your brows with precision.

In summary, this entire collection is fab. It retails for over $160 and I got it for $59.94. It was an offering I couldn't resist. It's now $65.94, but it's well worth the splurge for what you get.

Any Tarte lovers in the house?

XoXo,
Oneo

Sunday, February 17, 2013

I was never a girl that used to wear blush, I used to believe the less amount of product on your face the better (which I still believe). But then I saw how blush could liven up your face a bit, and now I see it as an essential, well on days when I'm not in a rush out the door to work or if I do have that little bit of extra time to apply it on my cheeks.

After I had decided to get into this whole blush crush, I tried out as many different brands as possible: Too Faced, NARS, Tarte, Benefit, Milani, e.l.f., hard candy and N07. I of course love the higher end ones but they are also not as bank friendly, so I wanted to check out what the drug stores had to offer.

I had seen many recommendations for e.l.f. so I decided to give that a try and with it being $3, why not? Lets start with packaging, I LOVE THE PACKAGING! The packaging is very similar to NARS except it actually has a window for you to see what color the blush is. :) I did not know which color I had wanted to try and tickled pink had attracted to me the most because of the gold shimmer that was in it. It reminded me a lot of NARS Orgasm. Which of course I was very exited when I had saw that at Target with Oneo.

Now let's talk how the product actually performs. I must say that I was rather disappointed. This product contains a lot of shimmer that is not very subtle. It's so extravagant that the camera can even pick up on those pigments. I am not huge on lots of shimmer, but I had noticed that if it is subtle enough it gives you a very pretty glow, which can be beautiful, but when I apply this blush I feel as if there are fall outs, which is not pretty. However, I do want to be fair, I have not tried the ones that are more matte in the e.l.f. lines so I will one day try it out and let you guys know how that goes! <3

Onto the next one: Milani Baked Blushes. Ohmygosh these are amazing! The two colors that I own are dolce pink and berry amore. They both look beautiful with my yellow skin. These blushes do have shimmer as well but it is very subtle that gives you a nice glow. I had first purchased berry amore which retails around $7 depending on the drugstore you go to. I do not even know what else to say about this blush, it's just that great for me. The berry amore does give me a tanner look and the dolce pinks gives more of an innocent look with the pop of pink.

Dolce Pink
For me, I'm not an oily person so I can't say for those that are oily, but these blushes lasts on me ALL DAY, it's like they just don't budge! Which is a bonus for me because I do not like to reapply/touch up my make up throughout the day (well not that I touch up my make up anyways, but just saying). ;)

Next one up: Hard Candy's spicey and sweet. What attracted me to purchase this blush was the packaging. It is super adorable with "fox in a box" written across the top  of it. Another reason is because Hard Candy used to be sold in stores like Sephora and now that they are at Wal-Mart, I figured why not give it a shot? I can't say that I am super impressed though. I felt like this product was very chalky and it was hard to blend all those colors together to get one solid application. But I have tried some of those different colors individually and it's a lot easier to pick up on those colors. This retails for about $7 which is not a bad price and it's not a terrible product, I think I just had higher expectations for how this product would perform. :( I think for $7 I would rather get another one of Milani Baked Blushes. :D

Last but not least, I have the N07 Natural Blush in 20 Honey. This blush is more matte which is why I was attracted to it at Target. Honey is kinda a peachy tone in it and looks very subtle on the face. Of course if you want to have a little glow/attraction to your face, you would have to apply highlighter separately. I do like this but I do not see myself reaching for it. It's one of those products where I sometime's just "stumble" upon it and think "oh maybe I'll use that today. "

I know this is pretty long and it kinda dragged but I hope it was informative and would make you think about what you want in a blush the next time you go searching for one!

Love, 
Anny

Monday, February 11, 2013

MAC Archie's Girls: We Meet At Last

MAC has done it again. The release of their latest Archie's Girls collection has been a success. Well, at least it seems so to me. The fact that it was pretty much sold out before its launch date says it all. I got a late start on the shopping, but luckily Macy's had some of it in stock online and available in stores. For the most part I was able to get everything I wanted from this collection.

Needless to say, this collection does not disappoint. The packaging is absolutely adorable. Instant charmer! As always, MAC's collections are pretty versatile. The shades offered in Betty's half were sweet and very girl-next door, whereas Veronica's shades were darker and more daring. The offset was a great idea.

In all of its pink and peach glory, Betty's shades had more appeal to me. So let me show you what I got and what some of the swatches look like.

Let's start with the most exciting part of this collection: LIPS!




  
I absolutely love these colors! Betty Bright is hands down my favorite purchase. It's a very vibrant, peachy coral color and I suspect I will be wearing it a lot this spring. It has a satin finish, which is my personal fave just because it wears well. The formula is creamy, super wearable, and very pigmented. The most important thing I look for in a lipstick is wearing power and pigmentation, which the satin finish does well. Girl Next Door on the other hand has a lustre finish, which I like too, but because this finish gives you moisture and color at the same time it's a bit sheer and doesn't last as long. In the tube Girl Next Door looks like a vivid pink, but it's more of a pale, frosty pink on your lips. The transfer is sheen and lightweight. As for the only lip gloss product I purchased, Summer Sweetheart is described as a light peach color and that's pretty much what you get. I've never been a big fan of MAC's lipglosses because the formulas are a bit thick and sticky (and usually doesn't last long for me). However, it does settle into the lines well and you don't need a lot to coat your lips. It's pretty translucent and goes well on top of most lipsticks.

Now moving on to blushes.



As impressed as I am with the colors of the blushes, I did find the formula to be a bit dry and chalky. There is some fall out, but the pigmentation is great. The best way to explain Flatter Me is that it has a golden peach base with vibrant coral hearts. I believe it's supposed to be a beauty powder and blush in one, so when mixed together they produce a soft sheen. It's very buildable. My favorite way to wear it is on top of Cream Soda, which is a light peachy coral shade. When I first un-boxed Cream Soda it looked like it had some shimmer specks in it, but it's pretty matte on my face. It doesn't quite have that glowy, satin finish I like.That's why I finish it off with Flatter Me. The combination gives my face more dimension and an effortless glow. It's perfect for brightening and adding a flush to your cheeks.

So are you a Betty or a Veronica?

XoXo,
Oneo

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Welcome to Makeuphaulics!

Hello friends! We're excited to share with you what gets us excited. We know that the journey to finding the perfect shade, the perfect color, the perfect texture, and the perfect ingredients can be quite the task. With so many cosmetics brands out there in the market it can be difficult and with so many different skin types it can be even more of a challenge. Well, we're here to help. We hope that you allow our reviews to guide you, and most importantly, help you find the right product to accentuate what you already have. This isn't a celebration of just what we love, but a celebration of YOU.

Stay tuned!

XoXo,
Anny & Oneo