Tag Archives: Tarte

What’s On My Face – Volume 17

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When I first created this blog, I was really, really worried that I wouldn’t be able to generate enough makeup looks to sustain any kind of regular “makeup looks” posting schedule. Little did I realize just how many eye looks I attempt and even months later I’ve still got a huge backlog of eye looks for upcoming posts!

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Glitter and lashes. You really can’t go wrong. I think this came out really beautifully.

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Eyes

I first applied Makeup Geek‘s White Lies all over the lid as a base, then:

  1. Inglot Matte 334 in the outer corner and throughout the crease.
  2. Inglot Matte 325 in the outer corner to darken it up. Also used on the lower lash line in the outer corner.
  3. MAC‘s Transparent Teal glitter all over the lid. To make the glitter stick, I used Too Faced Glitter Glue as a base layer. I also applied the glitter on the lower lash line as well.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow. Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner on the inner lower lash line rim. Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes and Ardell single lashes to add some volume to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Revlon Colorstay (Combination/Oily) in 200 Nude
  • Concealer: MAC Select Cover-up in NW20
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural
  • Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
  • Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie

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This one came to me out of nowhere. I often use Sleek‘s Sunrise palette as my mirror of choice, so I often find myself staring at those colours. The blue in that palette is beautiful, but I never really knew how to incorporate it into a look with that palette. This came to me as a spur of the moment type thing and I think it turned out really well. It’s funny because people say not to wear blue eyeshadow if you have blue eyes because it’ll drown out the colour of your eyes… but I have to say I received so many compliments at work that this brought out my eye colour that I really have to disagree with the “norm” to not wear blue on blue eyes!

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Eyes

Using the Sleek Sunset palette:

  1.  From the bottom row, the second shade on the right, apply that all over the lid.
  2. Again from the bottom row, sweep the first colour from the left into the crease and blend out.
  3. MAC Blanc Type to highlight the brow.

On the lower lash line, use the bright blue from the Sleek Sunset palette, then smudge it out slightly with Makeup Geek‘s Creme Brulee. Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Cheeks: MAC Petal Power
  • Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
  • Lips: Too Faced Coral Fire

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This look’s genius comes from Sharon Farrell. Her Tequila Sunrise tutorial was not only unique, but utterly eye-catching. I definitely do not possess her skill, but I thought I’d give this look a shot because I loved her end result so much.

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee very heavily through the crease.
  2. MAC Steamy on the inner two thirds of the lid.
  3. MAC Club on the outer third of the lid. Also applied all over the lower lash line.
  4. MAC Gorgeous Gold on the inner tearduct.

MAC Blanc Type to highlight the brow. Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner on the inner lower rim. Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Tarte Charisma
  • Lips: NYX Butter Lipstick in Fizzies

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I was rooting through my collection determined to use something I had touched in long time. So this look ended up utilizing a few of my older, limited edition products.

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Eyes

Using the MAC mineralize eyeshadow trio in Blue My Mind:

  1. The lightest shade on the inner third of the lid.
  2. The blue shimmery shade on the middle of the lid.
  3. The black on the outer corner.

MAC Shroom to highlight my brow, MAC fluidline in Midnight Blues to create the wing and Benefit They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla
  • Blush: Tarte Charisma
  • Lips: Wet n Wild 903C with NYX‘s Butter Gloss in Tiramisu on top

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Ehhhhhhhhhhh. This one’s okayyyyyy…..

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Simply Marlena and Mango Tango mixed together and blended into the crease. I’d say it’s a lot heavier on the pinker shade.
  2. Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean all over the lid.
  3. Makeup Geek Frappe and Goddess mixed together and applied to the outer third.

Vanilla Bean to highlight the brow and Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Lips: Rimmel Apocalips in Stellar

May 2014 Favourites

Favourites, Miscellaneous, , , ,

201405_favourites

The month of May was pretty forgettable in terms of makeup for me. I had a few repeat offenders (which you’ll see in this post), but for the most part I tried a lot of new looks and didn’t stick to a lot of the same products. The only consistent pieces were the ones in this post, and they really kind of took me by surprise!

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

I knew at the start of the month that I wanted to use a different bronzer, and I wanted one with shimmer in it. So I busted out NYC‘s Fire Island Tan and was reminded of how much I like this product. It does have an orange tinge to it, so make sure you blend this sucker in very, very well. There is also some gold shimmer throughout it, so if you’re not keen on shimmery bronzers, leave this one at the drugstore!

Tarte – Charisma
Tarte – Charisma

This blush by Tarte is just stunning. Charisma is a peach/coral with golden shimmer. It’s perfect for the warmer months when you want to just feel like you’ve got a sun-kissed glow. I really like this in coordination with the bronzer I mentioned above since the gold shimmer running throughout them really ties them together. It might be a lot on the gold shimmer, but hell if I care! As with all Tarte blushes, use a stiffer brush to apply this since it does have a harder consistency. (And btw, does anyone else seriously dislike the new packaging? I wish they had remained in the old packaging like the one above!)

Bite Beauty – Fig
Bite Beauty – Fig

I picked up this Bite Beauty lipstick to figure out what the hype was with this brand. At $28 CAD, this is by far my most expensive lipstick in my collection – so I was really scared I wouldn’t like this product and would have wasted the money on it. However… Fig is a lovely, easy pink shade and it’s a colour I can pair with a lot of eye looks without worrying if it’ll clash or not. It’s also worth mentioning that I really didn’t like the scent of this lipstick when I tried it on the first time. But I’ve found that over time the scent really grew on me. I don’t even know how to describe it – it’s not specifically anything, but it’s something I’ve grown to really like over time. Also, random note, the Bite Beauty lipsticks contain the same amount of product as a MAC lipstick, but because the bullet is fatter, it makes them look a lot shorter. I actually really like the look of the wider bullet, although at first I thought I’d been shortchanged on product!

NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu & Wet n Wild lipstick in 903C/Just Peachy
NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu & Wet n Wild lipstick in 903C/Just Peachy

I randomly stumbled on this combination in the last month or two and I came to really like it when I noticed just how well it photographed on me. With Wet n Wild‘s 903C as a base layer, and NYX‘s Tiramisu gloss on top, this has really become my failsafe lip look. It’s currently replaced my “dead nude” look when I’m wearing a really dark eye look. I still like the really nude, paled out lips look, but I feel like that look is slightly easier to wear in the winter. With this combination, it adds just the right amount of colour punch without overdoing it. Regarding the swatches above, from left to right it’s the lipstick, the gloss and then the two of them layered.

And there you have my monthly roundup! I wonder what the month of June will bring?

What’s On My Face – Volume 16

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

You know… I never really noticed just how much white I wear until I started taking pictures of my face for this blog. It seems that nine times out of ten I’m wearing a white shirt!

This entry ended up being highly blue-centric. Enjoy!

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I can’t get over Inglot and their colour range. I wish I had easier access to the brand (they’re nowhere in Toronto) but good grief are their colours ever amazing.

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Eyes

  1. Inglot AMC Shine 33 all over the lid and on the middle of the lower lash line.
  2. Inglot Matte 338 heavily in the outer corner, blended into the crease. Also in the outer corner on the lower lash line.
  3. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee slightly through the crease (not pictured).

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow, Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and BenefitThey’re Real on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Covergirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in Shade 51 Light Vanilla mixed together
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Joe Fresh Apricot
  • Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
  • Lips: Wet n Wild 903C with NYX‘s Tiramisu Butter Gloss over top

 

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Seriously love red eyeshadow. My only gripe is that Makeup Geek‘s Peach Smoothiealways does that really annoying creasing thing on my lid every time I wear it on the lid (even with double primers).

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Eyes

  1. Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie on the inner third of the lid.
  2. Makeup Geek Mango Tango on the middle of the lid.
  3. Makeup Geek Razzleberry on the outer third.
  4. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee through the crease to blend everything out.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow and Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
  • Lips: Revlon Colorburst Lipgloass in Papaya

 

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I haven’t used my Original Sleek palette very much so I pulled it out for this look.

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Eyes

  1. The copper shade from the Original Sleek palette all over the lid.
  2. The purple shade from the Original Sleek palette in the outer corner and on the outer corner of my lower lash line.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my top lashes with Sephora‘s Purple mascara on my bottom lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: MUA Matte Foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: MAC Gingerly
  • Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
  • Lips: Revlon Colorburst Gloss in Sunset Peach

 

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If I look half asleep it’s because I was – this was some early morning IKEA run. I had no idea people actually line up outside IKEA before it even opened for the day. o.O

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Eyes

  1. MAC Blanc Type all over the lid and all the way up to the brow bone.
  2. MAC Contrast in the very outer corner.

Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Blush: Illamasqua Hussy

 

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Mehhhh not sold on this look – wouldn’t repeat it.

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Eyes

  1. MAC Fade all over the lid (this is so patchy – the name is apt, it fades poorly!)
  2. MAC Steamy in the outer corner.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Blush: Bourjois Rose Gold
  • Lips: Nivea – A Kiss of Berry Swirl

What’s On My Face – Volume 15

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

Tons of vibrant looks this week with one neutral one thrown in the mix. I’m really pleased with how a lot of these turned out.

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Ummm yeahhhhh. Love it – Love this one so much! The lid colour (Inglot AMC Shine 24) is so freaking stunning – it seems to go with anything.

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Eyes

  1. Inglot AMC Shine 24 all over the lid.
  2. Inglot Matte 317 in the outer corner and through the crease, also used to line the lower lash line.
  3. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow, Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Gel Liner in Black to create the winged liner and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude (Combination/Oily)
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Lips: NYX Vanilla Cream Pie

 

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Another really fun vibrant one. Would’ve been kind of neat to draw palm trees coming up from the winged liner, but I’d probably get some weird looks at work for that!

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Eyes

  1. Inglot Matte 317 all over the lid.
  2. Inglot Matte 383 on the outer third.
  3. I goofed – there is no third colour here, it’s just more of Inglot Matte 383, just blend it up higher!
  4. MAC Sushi Flower through the upper crease.

MAC Shroom under the brow bone, Tarte black gel liner for the wing and L’OrealVoluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Covergirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in Shade 51 Light Vanilla mixed together
  • Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
  • Blush: Bobbi Brown Apricot
  • Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
  • Lips: NYX Butter lipstick in Fizzies

 

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Another favourite look! I really like how this lip combo turned out.

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Eyes

  1. Inglot AMC Shine 24 on the inner two-thirds of the lid and on the inner half of the bottom lash line.
  2. Inglot Matte 334 in the outer corner and through the crease.
  3. Inglot Matte 325 in the outer corner to darken it up and on the outer half of the lower lash line.

MAC Shroom to highlight the browbone and on the inner tear duct, Tarte black gel liner for the wing and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes. I also put on a pair of Sephora lashes in Tempting.

Face of the Day

  • Foundation: MUA Matte foundation Shade 1 Soft Sand
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
  • Lips: Wet n Wild Just Peachy (903C) with NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu on top

 

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That skip in the liner is driving me crazy (even though you can’t see it when my eyes are open)! For this look, I wanted to wear a bright lip, but I’ve not yet mastered (if it’s possible) wearing bright eyeshadows and bright lipstick at the same time, so for now – toned down eyes and bright lips.

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Eyes (all Makeup Geek)

  1. Shimma Shimma on the inner two-thirds of the lid.
  2. Goddess on the outer third and to line the lower lash line.
  3. Frappe through the crease.

Vanilla Bean on the browbone, Tarte black gel liner for the wing and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: MUA Matte foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Sleek Crochet
  • Highlighter: MAC Soft and Gentle
  • Lips: Revlon Fire and Ice

 

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Photographing glitter is near impossible! I wasn’t a huge fan of how this look came out, but it was good enough for a 80s night at a nearby club and to be honest, I ran out of time to take it off and try again.

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Eyes

  1. Too Faced Pure Glam all over the lid and on the outer corner of the bottom lash line.
  2. Inglot AMC Shine 33 to blend out Pure Glam and through the crease. Also used to line the inner half of the lower lash line.
  3. Inglot AMC Shine 28 on the inner tear duct.
  4. Make Up For Ever Glitter in 13

MAC Shroom to highlight the browbone and Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes with Ardell 102 Demi false lashes on top.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude (Combination/Oily)
  • Bronzer/Attempted Contouring: Revlon Photoready Bronzer in Bronzed & Chic
  • Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
  • Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
  • Lips: Milani Flamingo Pose with Maybelline Stormy Sahara on top

5 Blushes for Spring & Summer

Makeup, Reviews, Swatches, , , ,

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Is it time for bright cheeks yet? Could it be that spring is finally going to happen at some point? (Sources say no based on the amount of snow that Toronto got this past Tuesday… yikes!) Maybe we’ll skip right into summer – either one is fine, let’s just feel some heat already!

Stack ’em up!
Stack ’em up!

These are my top blush picks for the spring and summer. I’m a sucker for coral and orange shades, which, conveniently enough, is the theme of every spring and summer EVER!

Hard Candy - Skinny Dipping
Hard Candy – Skinny Dipping

First up is Hard Candy‘s boxed powder blush (which they refer to as Fox in a Box) in the shade Skinny Dipping. The left side is more of a bronzer really and has a sheen to it. The right side is bright orange that seems rather matte. You could use them independently of each other, but I prefer to swirl my brush into the two shades and get the combined muted peach shade. It’s almost a boring shade – it really doesn’t look like much in my swatch does it? But this shade is really surprising on the cheeks. There’s an instant pick-me-up vibe to the shade that is really refreshing. This has been one of my most surprising blushes (in the sense that I wasn’t expecting to look as amazing as it actually did!

MAC – Petal Power
MAC – Petal Power

MAC recently came out with a collection for the spring called Fantasy of Flowers and this blush in Petal Power was part of that limited edition collection. Unfortunately it’s sold out online, but you may be able to still find them at free standing stores or counters (Edit: It’s part of the permanent collection now!). Petal Power is one of their mineralize blushes which usually means it has more dimension to it than a normal blush by MAC. Petal Power is no exception – this is a bright hot pink/coral shot through with gold shimmer (not glitter). Personally, I find mineralize blushes can be pretty hard to apply so I have to use a stiffer brush to apply them to my cheeks otherwise I don’t get enough product onto the brush. The nice thing about this shade, aside from the fact that it’s stunning, is that since there’s so much gold in the product, you don’t need to add highlighter to your cheekbones as the gold flecks in this product will set off your cheekbones anyway.

Tarte – Blissful
Tarte – Blissful

This is the first blush I ever owned and it’s my absolute favourite to this day. Tarte describes their Blissful blush as “warm peach”, but to me this is the very definition of the colour coral. The shade is completely matte and goes on the cheeks wonderfully. Tarte‘s Amazonian clay formula is pretty stiff in the pan, so I use a duo fiber brush to really stab at the product before buffing it onto my cheeks. This isn’t to say that the product doesn’t blend nicely, it does! It’s just something with the formula that seems to make it a harder blush. On me, this blush looks especially good in tandem with a shimmery bronzer.

Revlon - Coral Reef
Revlon – Coral Reef

Revlon‘s Photoready cream blush in Coral Reef is a strong orange coral. The texture of this product is pretty neat – it has a slightly waxy but slippery slicone-y feel. Fingers or a synthetic brush work really well to blend this into the cheeks. It goes on smooth and can be built up in light layers if you’re afraid of the vibrancy of the colour. Me though? Pack that on and blend out the edges and you’ll get a wonderfully flushed look.

Hourglass - Diffused Heat
Hourglass – Diffused Heat

Hourglass‘ Ambient Lighting blush in Diffused Heat was such a huge shocker to me. In the pan it looks like a bright vibrant pinky-coral mixed with the Diffused Light powder. As a result, I  was expecting coral *something*. Instead, this swatches out, and applies like, a pale pink. This is almost a bit of a relief to me as I tend to focus too much on coral blushes and as a result don’t end up with much variety.

I said it the last time I mentioned this blush, but I’ll say it again: This blush is idiot-proof. The swatch above is heavy, but it doesn’t apply like that. It goes on softly and can be built up in intensity. The powder swirled into the mix ensures that the blush isn’t as stark or as bright as you would expect it to be by looking at it in the pan. This is an incredibly easy colour to wear and on my fair skin it’ll match pretty much any eye look I come up with.

My blishes pics - click to enlarge
My blishes pics – click to enlarge
  1. Hard Candy’s Fox in a Box in Skinny Dipping
  2. MAC – Petal Power
  3. Tarte – Blissful
  4. Revlon – Coral Reef
  5. Hourglass – Diffused Heat

That’s my roundup! Any blushes you’re loving for the warmer months?