Tarte Cosmetics

Blogmas Day 5- Swamp Queen Palette

Several months ago I was so sad to find out that the Swamp Queen Palette was sold out EVERYWHERE. I wound up buying it on ebay (I know this is bad) but couldn’t have been happier when it arrived. Back in November I heard the great news that it was back in stock! It was heavily promoted during Black Friday, and while I’m sad I missed the sale, I really need this in my life!

The different hues of purple were really what drew me in and made me fall in love. I can do a full face with this – contour, blush, eyes and not have to look at anything else. I’d love to hear how everyone uses this palette, especially for eyes! Any tips and tricks are welcome!

Blogmas Day 4 – Tartist Pro Glow

Sometimes in the winter makeup is my favorite accessory. With chunky sweaters and boots, and being bundled up, makeup can warm up these oversized comfy outfits and top off your style bringing together your outfit. On days like today when I barely wanted to get out of my pajamas, I was able to just sit and play with some of my new products.

One of the things I picked up in the Tarte Black Friday sale was the Tartist Pro Glow palette. Did I need another palette? No, not really. This one is absolutely beautiful though and it is incredibly pigmented. I dipped the brush in the color “sculpted” one too many times and wowza, I sure had to soften that look. I like the formula a lot – it is almost creamy and blends pretty well. Its too early to tell if it will be a daily staple, but first impressions are all positive! I do know though that I can’t use all of the colors because they are too dark, but I’m hoping to make as many as possible work for me!

Have any of you used this product?

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December 2015 Favorites

Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe it is already 2016. So much has happened and I can’t wait to get this new year going. Ringing in the new year brought a sense of excitement – to begin a new chapter and have a clean slate.

I wanted to do a recap of the things I loved in December, because it was a crazy busy month, but one where I felt I had a lot to love!

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It isn’t pictured above, but I received a Keurig for Christmas and fell in love! I received the Keurig 2.0 Coffee Maker in the champagne color. I’m hoping to save some money on coffee purchases this year, so bringing a fresh cup with me in the morning will help cut costs. Plus, it will help me jumpstart my day! Please send any recommendations for kcups!

In the winter I loveeee masculine scents. I couldn’t wait for winter to hit so I could break out my Nirvana Black rollerball. The perfume is by Elizabeth and James and has notes of sandalwood, violet, and vanilla (according to Sephora’s website). I wear only a little perfume every day, so I usually elect to buy a rollerball, plus it makes it easy for travel.

Around early December I was on vacation in Delaware, and did a little shopping while I was there. Every store was burning the Capri Blue Volcano Candle No. 6.It has notes of tropical fruits, sugared oranges, and lemons and limes. I fell deeply in love with the scent, and made sure I went home with it. Mine is the 8.5oz size but I know I will end up with a bigger jar when mine burns out. The big 20 oz jar can be purchased at Francesca’s for $28.

Recently I realized that I had accumulated quite a bit of Birchbox points. I looked through the site and the Hudson + Bleecker Etoile Avion Cosmetic Case caught my eye. It has a gorgeous silver glitter on the outside, and is black inside. It even comes with a small pouch that detaches (I keep lippies in mine) and is adorable in a purse. It has a zippered pouch inside and a pocket for brushes. I was traveling over the holidays, and made sure to bring it along. Hudson + Bleecker hit it out of the park with this one! The glitter doesn’t come off, and it is SO stylish. I got mine from Birchbox and it sells for $64.

I have been in the market for a new foundation for a while. I had heard great things about the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation and decided to give it a try. I really love the powder formula, and it goes on well on my skin. I have it in light neutral, and I think it is a little too dark for me. When I’m through with this jar I’ll probably switch colors. The Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation brush is a must – even if you don’t buy the foundation. It is so incredibly dense and buffs into the skin nicely. The foundation can be found at Sephora for $36 and the brush is $28.

The last of my favorites was a little bit of a splurge – I got an iPad Mini 2. I really, really loved the 4th generation, but I really needed more storage and there was a GREAT deal on the 2nd gen. I got mine from Best Buy, and I’ve been so impressed with not only their sales but their AMAZING shipping. Everything is free shipping and arrives in 2 days. (I don’t receive anything from Best Buy for saying that, I just really love them after this holiday season.) I had a first generation regular iPad, and it was great, but very clunky. I’m in love with the mini because of its size and portability. I use it constantly. Major love for the mini.

I want to hear what all of you were loving in December!

IMATS and VIB ROUGE SALE HAUL

I’m so excited to share my IMATS and Sephora VIB Rouge sale haul (and a few products from CVS too)!

Brands:

Becca, Marc Jacobs, Bite Beauty, Nest, Milani, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Model in a Bottle, Esquido Mink Lashes, Z Palette, Tarte, Stila Cosmetics, LA Girl, Buxom, Benefit, Makeup Forever, Josie Maran, Smashbox, Korres

IMATS NYC 2015

Last weekend I decided to head out to IMATS, the International Makeup Artists Trade Show. It is held in various locations throughout the year, and I was able to attend the show in NYC. I wanted to write about my impressions, advice and what I would do differently next time.

I bought my ticket months in advance, and planned everything out – which vendors I wanted to hit, which products I wanted – a day or so before. I packed light, and unfortunately this time I went alone. I had a notebook with the items and the original prices so I could compare, and also kept in mind that anything I could find at Sephora I could pick up with the VIB Rouge sale that started the next day. I took a mid-morning train, attempting to beat the hundreds of people in line at Pier 94. I walked right in, and initially it didn’t seem that bad. However, once I started to head over to the brands I wanted, the lines were LONG. Some were shut down, some were an hour or longer. To avoid this, I walked around to understand the layout, and then headed over to the less crowded lines. I set a low budget for myself, and didn’t overspend because I missed some of the brands I wanted due to the lines. If I stood in the line for Sigma or NYX I would have been there all day and only left with those products. The line for Lime Crime was bad too – and Anastasia was shut down. I wanted to pick up some Ben Nye – but I can find it way cheaper on line, and I’m not in need of any at the moment.

I REALLY wanted to hit Lady Moss, but I couldn’t get a good view of the booth, and didn’t want to wait in line to see what they had.

I was able to get to the following tables:

-Tarte (all mascaras, blushes and lipsticks were $10!- I did snag a pic of their price list!)

-Zpalette

-Model in a Bottle

-Stila

-Esquido Lashes

-One table that sold LA Girl Cosmetics (I can’t remember the name of the stand!)

I made it a bunch of others, but they either didn’t have a decent discount, or were sold out of what I wanted (ahem, MUFE…)

I advise planning ahead and take a friend. If I wasn’t alone I could have waited in the longer lines. I also only stayed a few hours, but should have stayed much longer. Knowing the products you want ahead of time helps too – so you budget for what you want, and bring extra for the fun things you find on the way. Oh and DRESS COMFORTABLE! You are waiting in lines and wearing heels and fancy clothes doesn’t make that any easier. I forgot to take pics during the day – but I did snag a selfie!

My next post will be a haul!! Were any of you at IMATS NYC???

Review: GlossyBox January 2015

Today I received my January GlossyBox, which I was very excited to receive. I should mention two things: 1) I purchased this box on my own and 2) I have had extremely unpleasant experiences with GB in the past.

I was a GlossyBox subscriber for several months last year, and enjoyed the box very much. Eventually though I decided to cut down on my subscription boxes, and decided to cancel for a while. In December I purchased the holiday box (which I LOVED, btw) but it took so incredibly long to ship. After a long back and forth with GB, the box unfortunately arrived after Christmas. I had previously purchased an offer from Ruelala and wanted to use it for the January box because two items caught my eye – the toner and the Tweez Trendy Cosmetics brush. Unfortunately I received the Tarte brush, and while I can use it, it wasn’t what I had hoped would be in the box. (I absolutely love Tarte products, but again, it wasn’t what caught my eye).

Now for the box:

The first item is the Skin&Co Roma Truffle Therapy Serum. I’m super excited to try this – it has an interesting fragrance. While it isn’t a heavy scent, it may bother some who are sensitive to smells. It absorbs rather quickly into the skin, and I’m excited to use this over a long period of time. The downside is that the full size tube is $80.

Next is the Tarte Undercover Bamboo Concealer Brush. Fortunately I could really use a nice concealer brush, but as I mentioned above, is a bit of a bummer.

The Kueshi Revitalizing Face Toner was one of the items I fell in love with in another blogger’s review – and it does not disappoint. I adore the fragrance of aloe vera, camomille and calendula. I’m looking forward to using this product and lucky for me, unlike many other GB subscribers, my toner made it completely intact.

The Vichy Purete Thermale 3-in-1 One Step Cleanser is new to me. I’m not necessarily new to the brand, but this product is new for me. I love trying new cleansers and believe I will get great use out of this product.

The final item in the box, Lollipops Eye Pencil in Goodbye Moon is a new brand for me. I enjoy receiving eye liners that aren’t pencils that I need to sharpen. So I will definitely give this a shot. Plus, being a Jersey girl, I can’t pass up anything pink AND leopard print.

In the box was a $40 Hello Fresh gift card. I’ve explored the site in the past and I’m not sure that I’d be their best customer (cooking isn’t quite my forte)… but I’m totally willing to give the service a shot.

Overall, I will get use out of everything in the box, and am pleased that I waited for January to use my Ruelala offer.

GabGoesGlam

Beauty. Lifestyle. Fashion.