Tag Archives: Tarte

Hit Pan #3

Hit Pan, Miscellaneous, , , ,

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Pan porn time! This is my third instalment of products I’ve hit that oh-so-magical pan on.

Tarte – Exposed
Tarte – Exposed

Let’s take a moment here and just stare at this one in awe. That blush right there? That’s the first blush I have ever hit pan on and I’m more than a little excited about it. (It’s the little things in life…) Tarte‘s Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed has been my default blush throughout the cooler months.

NYC Sun ‘n’ Bronze in Fire Island Tan
NYC Sun ‘n’ Bronze in Fire Island Tan

I don’t know what it is with bronzers lately, but I have no luck finishing them up! I used this bronzer for almost 70% of 2014 and I *only* hit pan on it because I finally snapped and stuck a pin in the middle of the product to see how far I had to go. And now I can safely say that I am nowhere NEAR finishing this damn thing up. While I love the shade, I would also love to have some variety in my life! With a price tag around $5, NYC‘s Fire Island Tan is definitely a compelling option since it seems to last FOREVER! Lovely shade too, particularly if you want a bit of a bronzy-shimmer in the summer.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde

Oooo this one’s neat. Halfway through 2014 I switched to using Anastasia‘s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde (I was using an eyeshadow before). And man oh man – this stuff is magical. It makes my non-existent brows finally look like I’ve got hair where hair is supposed to be! The only downside is that using a pomade is a lot more time consuming because you need to be a lot more precise.  So although my new brow game has tacked on an additional five minutes, it’s soooo worth it!

MAC – Hibiscus
MAC – Hibiscus

Now this isn’t something you see often… I mean, how often do you get to claim that you hit pan on a lipstick? Tragically, I’m a chronic lipstick murderer so I had to depot (de-bullet) this one and throw it into a sample pot from MAC. This was a limited edition shade called Hibiscus from the 2011 summer collection. It’s a *beautiful* shade, but I don’t reach for it often because it now requires that I have a lip brush with me.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige

Maybelline‘s Color Tattoo in Barely Beige is in my Use Up 2015 bin, but I haven’t been using it much lately since I think it’s starting to dry up. This is the easiest shade to reach for when you haven’t got any time in the morning. Throw this shade all over the lid, blend a brown into the crease, whack on some mascara and you’re good to go!

Tarte’s gel liner in Black
Tarte’s gel liner in Black

It really surprises me how long it takes to use up a gel liner. I picked up Tarte‘s black gel liner in March of last year and I’ve been using it non-stop ever since. I mean, if you look at my Makeup Looks you know that I do winged liner at least 4 out of 5 times, so it’s surprising to me how  long it’s taken me to hit pan. I’ve been super impressed though, it’s just as creamy and smooth to use as the first day I bought it and it’s almost 12 months old now!

Kolme helping out
Kolme helping out

And, of course, I had Kolme helping me out while I took photos!

What’s On My Face – Volume 31

Makeup, Tutorials, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This should mostly be labelled a Makeup Geek look week, but there’s one Inglot look in the mix as well!

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This is the look I wore on my birthday this past month. I usually opt for orange and red as they’re my favourite eyeshadow shades, but this year I added some orange glitter I got from Lit Cosmetics.

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Eyes

  1. Inglot AMC Shine 15 all over the lid.
  2. Inglot Matte 382 on the outer corner.
  3. Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the top of the crease.
  4. Makeup Geek Bada Bing in the outer corner.
  5. Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

I used Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes. On my lower lash line, I applied some Too Faced Glitter Glue and then taped on California Soul glitter from Lit Cosmetics.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Bobbi Brown Apricot

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Once I got my hands on the Makeup Geek foiled shadows I just couldn’t stop playing with them!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

  1. Envy through the crease.
  2. Magic Act all over the lid.
  3. Houdini on the outer half of the lid.
  4. Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes. On my lower lash line I first applied MAC Phone Number eye pencil to the outer corner, then layered Houdini on top.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Illamasqua Hussy
  • Lips: NYX Fortune Cookie

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More Makeup Geek foiled shadows!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

  1. Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
  2. Center Stage all over the lid. Also used to line the lower outer lash line.
  3. Flamethrower heavily through the crease.

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanillamixed together
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: Tarte Charisma

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I’m really loving playing with reds even moreso lately! Someone at work called this a Valentine’s Day look and I suppose it kind of is… Although I kind of see this as more red than pink, but to each their own!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

  1. Purely Naked through the top of the crease.
  2. In The Spotlight on the inner half of the lid.
  3. Razzleberry on the outer half of the lid.
  4. Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: essence Autumn Peach
  • Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
  • Lips: Revlon Papaya gloss

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This is a look from November that I had kicking around on my harddrive.

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

  1. Glass Slipper all over the lid.
  2. Shark Bait on the outer half.
  3. Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
  4. Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
  5. Shimma Shimma on the inner tearduct.

Tarte Black gel liner to create the wing and Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Blush: Hourglass Incandescent Electra
  • Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
  • Lips: MAC Brave with Shy Girl on top

What’s On My Face – Volume 30

Makeup, Tutorials, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A lot more bright looks in this lot which I’m super happy about. If you notice an increase in quality of some of the pictures, it’s because I picked up an actual DSLR in December instead of using my old point and shoot camera. The reason I say “some of the pictures” is that on some days I unfortunately only have the opportunity to use my phone’s camera at work in the bathroom and the lighting is really, really unfortunate on those. Ah well.

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My New Year’s Eve makeup look. Surprisingly, I didn’t go all out of with glitter, but I’ve really been enjoying the look of a bit of the rainbow silver glitter on the lower lash line.

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Eyes

  1. Inglot Matte 334 all over the lid.
  2. Inglot Matte 325 on the outer third.
  3. Urban Decay Blackout in the outer v.
  4. Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the crease.
  5. Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.
  6. Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the purple/blue reflected pigment on the inner tearduct.

I applied Make Up For Ever‘s Glitter 13 to the lower lash line, then tightlined my upper and lower waterlines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. For the upper lash line, I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper. On my lashes is Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Lips: Too Faced Melted Violet with Cailyn lipgloss in Basic Instinct on top

20150114_look5-1

Holy crap. Why do I even hesitate on ordering Makeup Geek products? I held off getting one of the foiled shadows because I’ve kind of been going off shiny eyeshadow. But then I bought Flamethrower on a whim and… I’m in love. And I’ve now placed an order for the entire MUG foiled line. This stuff is insane. Pictures and telling you about how wonderful it is just won’t do the product justice – you need to buy this for yourself to experience the amazingness.

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Flamethrower all over the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Bitten on the outer half of the lid.
  3. Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.

I used Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Blush: MAC Warm Soul
  • Lips: MAC Mystical

20150114_look1-1

I did this for a guest posting on Writing Whimsy, but wanted it on here for my own records. I used the Morphe 36 Glam palette and I had a beast of a time applying these shades. While they do look lovely, they would blend away to nothing at all so I would highly recommend using several primers, particularly one with a sticky base to help get these shadows to adhere to the lids.

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Since the Morphe shades aren’t named, please use the guide below to figure out which colours go where:

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Eyes

  1. Teal on the inner half of the lid.
  2. Blue on the outer half of the lid.
  3. Purple through the crease and used to line the lower lashline.
  4. Light pink  at the top of the crease to lightly blend out the purple.
  5. Pale peach to highlight the brow.
  6. Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the green reflect shade on the inner tearduct.

I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper to create the winged liner and applied Benefit’sThey’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: CoverGirl Tone Rehab 2-in-1  (CC Cream) in 110 Classic Ivory
  • Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
  • Blush: Tarte Dollface
  • Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish
  • Lips: essence Wear Berries!

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I picked up the Laura Mercier Artist palette for Eyes and Cheeks during the Sephora November VIB sale, but I haven’t played around with it much. I love the quality of the shadows, but they’re pretty bizarre colours (for me) so I don’t find myself reaching for it that often.

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Eyes
(all Laura Mercier)

  1. Crystal Beige on the lid.
  2. Cashmere in the crease.
  3. Stone Taupe in the outer corner.
  4. Morning Dew on the brow bone.

I used Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory
  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Blush: Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer
  • Lips: Too Faced Melted Ruby

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Playing around with some of my older limited edition MAC products.

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Eyes

  1. MAC Blue Sorcery (applied damp) all over the lid.
  2. MAC Moonlight Night pigment on the outer half of the lid.
  3. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee through the crease.
  4. Too Faced White Chocolate on the brow bone.
  5. The silver glitter from the MAC Blue Sorcery duo was applied to my inner corner.

On my lashes is Benefit They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
  • Cheeks: Tarte Exposed
  • Lips: Bite Beauty Retsina

What’s On My Face – Volume 29

Makeup, Tutorials, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A few looks from November I had kicking around (!) on my harddrive, and a few from my recent vacation in Ottawa over the holidays. Enjoy!

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Hnnnnnnnng. I will never tire of Too Faced’s Melted Berry lipstick. I even like matching my eyeshadows to it!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

  1. Bleached Blonde all over the lid.
  2. Bitten on the outer half and through the crease.
  3. Vanilla Bean on the browbone.
  • Mascara: Benefit They’re Real
  • Liner: Tarte black gel liner

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
  • Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal
  • Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
  • Blush: Tarte Dazzled
  • Lips: Too Faced Melted Berry

20141229_look2-inspiration

Anything cat-related on the internet and I’m all over it. And when I have an internet cat on my t-shirt? It just gets even better. I grabbed some inspiration from Nyan Cat here and went with it.

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I stuck to the blue and the red since that’s what stands out to me the most in that shirt. Plus I was doing brunch… it certainly didn’t call for a full rainbow!

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Eyes

  1. NYX Asphyxiation all over the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Razzleberry in the outer corner and through the crease.
  3. Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the top of the crease.
  4. Too Faced White Chocolate on the brow bone.
  • Liner: Tarte black gel liner
  • Mascara: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Blush: MAC Gingerly
  • Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight

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Playing around with the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks (2014). I will never not be astounded with the texture of her eyeshadows!

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Eyes
(all Laura Mercier)

  1. Pewter all over the lid.
  2. Deep Night in the outer corner and through the crease.
  3. Cashmere through the top of the crease.
  4. Vanilla Nuts on the brow bone.
  • Liner: Tarte black gel liner
  • Mascara: Benefit They’re Real

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Revlon Bronzed  & Chic
  • Blush: Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer
  • Lips: Bite Fig

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20141229_look5-2No real theme for this one, I was just playing around with Makeup Geek eyeshadows I rarely used and came up with this look.

Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

  1. Shimma Shimma all over the lid.
  2. Goddess on the outer half of the lid and lightly through the crease.
  3. Cocoa Bear in the outer corner.
  4. Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

 

  • Liner: Tarte black gel liner
  • Mascara: Benefit They’re Real

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
  • Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting in Ethereal
  • Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
  • Blush: Tarte Darling

20141229_look1-1

A quick look that was mostly done just to try out Benefit‘s Push Up Liner (no review forthcoming on it, but my impression of it is pretty much “meh”. It’s okay, but it’s not better than a potted gel liner with a brush.).

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Eyes
(all Too Faced)

  1. Coquet on the inner half of the lid.
  2. Soiree on the outer half.
  3. Cream Colored Ponies on the brow bone.
  • Liner: Benefit Push Up
  • Mascara: Urban Decay Perversion

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Blush: Hourglass Luminous Flush

Travel Makeup Bag: Christmas 2014

Makeup, Miscellaneous, Vacation, , , , , , , , , , ,

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It’s that time of the year again! I’m packing up shop and heading to Ottawa for the holidays this year. As I’m writing this, Toronto is awash in rain, rain and more rain. I’ve had enough of it – gimme some snow!

I’m hoping Ottawa is inundated with snow and I can get out to the mountains (which are larger than Toronto’s Blue Mountain mole hill) and snowboard. Lately it feels like I’m the only person who likes snow in this city. When you grow up in Ottawa, you kind of just learned to live with it I suppose. Since I now live and work in Toronto, I feel like everyone here hates the snow. It’s pretty clear the city hates it too because it sure as hell has no idea what to do when it snows. Snow tires? Hah no. Ploughing? Hah no. Wear appropriate clothing? Haaaaaahaha… No.

So anyway. I’m going to Ottawa. And here’s the makeup I’m bringing.

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows
Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

This year I gave up on on trying to figure out which pre-packaged palette to bring and instead opted for the Makeup Geek Z-palette I’ve put together over the last year or so. I usually (very sadly) default to neutrals on vacation just because it’s easy, but there’s a chance I’ll be meeting up with Kalyn and goddamn I am not showing up to meet that woman wearing neutrals. As everyone else has said… these shadows are phenomenal.

Tarte – Off The Cuff
Tarte – Off The Cuff

Easy one here! Last year’s holiday palette from Tarte has four blushes and a bronzer and it’s in super slim packaging. This has become my “go to” for taking with me to travel since it’s such a no brainer.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla

Neither of these colours match my skin tone right now, but I think they will if I mix them together. Boots No7 Instant Radiance Foundation in Cool Vanilla is slightly too dark and the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 51 Light Vanilla is too pale. I’m sure they’ll work out together somehow, I’ll just have to tweak the ratio a bit.

This is if I even wear foundation though. I hate the stuff really – it makes my skin itch and feel uncomfortable, but it looks soooo much better in pictures when I use it. I also like to put it on if I know I’m going to be out for a very brief period… that way I get to come home and wipe it all off. Stupid gunk.

Too Faced Melted Berry and Wet n Wild 910D/Red Velvet
Too Faced Melted Berry and Wet n Wild 910D/Red Velvet

Too Faced Melted lipsticks are forever in my heart, so I’m not going anywhere without one of them. Melted Berry has been ma jam lately, so that’s in the mix. And since it is Christmas after all, I’ve decided to sashay away from MAC‘s Russian Red for a while and use Wet n Wild‘s 910D/Red Velvet. It’s bright and more luminous, and I suddenly feel the need to be slightly electrifying with my lip colour.

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False lashes are mandatory celebratory wear for me so I’m bringing along my current favourites: Femme Fatale lashes in Catwalk.

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And lumped together are my potted products. I’m going risky and bringing only my Manhattan Eyeshadow Base. I say risky because I usually bring two primers to MAKE SURE nothing freaking moves on my eyelids, but this one seems to have been holding steady lately so Imma give it a shot. Tarte‘s gel liner is my current black liner staple (and I’m somewhat close to finishing it). And lastly, is Anastasia‘s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde cuz without it I only have half-brows and that’s not a good look on anyone.

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Last up are some randoms. I keep meaning to use Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass because it’s a great “I’ve been outdoors in the cold” shade and it’ll double as a lipstain. I’ve also got a mini size of Benefit‘s concealer I want to try out(not that I ever wear concealer…) and Watts Up because that highlight is amazing. For mascara, I’ve got Benefit‘sThey’re Real and some Duo lash adhesive for my falsies.

I’m also a dumbass because I forgot to include some vitals that aren’t pictured. They are:

  1. MAC Prep + Prime for lips
  2. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
  3. And whatever lipbalm I grab on my way out the door.

C’est tout! What are you guys up to for the holiday season?