Tarte Blissful

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Yet another little product from the Paint it Pink set, Tarte Blissful is an awesomely subtle powder blush from Tarte’s Amazonian Clay line. You’d have to be trying to overdo it with this in order to get any kind of awkward, unnatural look. Despite its appearance in the pan, it is a light, sheer shade once applied, and would suit light to medium skin tones both warm and cool. Regrettably, I don’t think it would do much for deeper skin, so I’d skip this if I were a deeper skin tone.

Tarte Blissful Amazonian Clay Blush

Blissful appears matte in the pan but has the slightest sheen – in the swatch on my finger below, the camera flash makes it look like more than it is. This is not a highlight-imbued blush like any of the Hourglass ALBs or like Milani Luminoso.

Tarte Blissful

Notice how pigmented it looks on my finger? That was about three passes of my ringfinger. You’d be hard pressed to get that level of payout on your face – which means it’s hard to overdo. I love that about Tarte Blissful; I definitely think it would be user-friendly for those just figuring out makeup. That way, if you’re inadvertently a little heavy-handed, you won’t look like you’ve been dabbling in clown makeup.

Below, you can see it swatched and minimally blended on right right side of my wrist, here.

tarteblissful-swatch2Tarte Blissful, swatched

I’m definitely a fan of subtler blush shades (you will never catch me in a purple blush. EVER!) and Tarte Blissful delivers that.

As far as wear goes, I feel it disappears by six hours of wear – disappointing for Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blush line. I’m chalking that up as a challenge of being a light, sheer shade. Pleasantly, needing to refresh an existing application is smooth and does not end up looking, “broken up,” or awkward.

The Bottom Line

I’m glad this was in the Paint it Pink set; I wouldn’t have purchased it on my own. Unfortunately, Tarte Blissful misses the mark on being universally flattering, and it does not have the most incredible longevity. It is pretty, easy to apply, blend, and reapply, and would be a really nice first blush for a makeup newbie. There is also a corresponding blush balm stain that could probably be used in concert with the powder blush to enhance longevity. You can purchase this at Sephora, Ulta, and Macy’s.

Going Silver, pt 1

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Going Silvervia Pinterest.
Not my hair!

I am a notorious coward when it comes to haircolor. Once upon a time, I colored my hair when I was young and foolish. Naturally, I picked a red shade not realizing how much of a hilarious pain in the ass red is to maintain.

I wasn’t up for it.

After years of growing it out I decided there would be none of that for a good. long. time.

That was many moons ago, but I’ve remained color-free since. I am highly interested in Balayage highlights. And you know what else piques my interest?

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May 2016 Favorites

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Pardon the screwy schedule and format this month – we’ll be back to normal next month!

May 2016 Favorites
1. Real Techniques Retractable Lip Brush $7 / 2. St Tropez Tanning Mitt, $6
3. Arm & Hammer Essentials Fresh, $3 / 4. Coconut Acetone , $5

rtlipbrush I can’t say if this is the, “best lip brush ever,” because frankly, it is the only one I’ve ever owned. That said, it makes applying F-Bomb and other bold colors a breeze; you can line with the thin edge and fill in with the flatter side. At $5.49 and usually on sale BOGO 50% off at Ulta, it’s a steal.

sttropezmittI mentioned that it is tanning season, so my St Tropez self-tanning mitt has been getting weekly use. I actually need to get a new one! I’ll never go back to applying by hand.

 

armhamdeoDeodorant isn’t a glamorous thing to talk about, but it is important and with the weather warming up, what better time? I waffle back and forth between this ultra-inexpensive, aluminum-free (so it’s only a deodorant, not an antiperspirant) one and this slightly more luxurious Lavanila one. I’m on my 3rd stick. This clear solid stick is a unisex fragrance – not feminine or, “pretty.” By its nature it is strong but fades quickly enough not to offend.

cocoacetone

Yeah, I thought coconut scented acetone polish remover was too good to be true. I ordered it because my usual stuff was out of stock. I am pleased to report, however, that it does leave a pleasant coconut aroma behind! That said, please don’t get all sommelier on the bottle – it is acetone, and it does smell like acetone. More importantly than its novelty fragrance, though, is that it works. I’ll definitely repurchase. I decant mine into a pump-top bottle for easier use

What did you love last month?

A Mole Removed

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Remember how it is Melanoma Awareness Month? I had my annual skin check with my dermatologist last week! Fortunately, a good visit, nothing scary was found. My main purpose for visiting, however, was to have a second mole removed; this one for mostly cosmetic (non-cancer!) purposes (like the first). Positioned by my left ear, I frequently graze this one with a hairbrush or comb. For those of you who may not have any moles, sometimes they’re hyper sensitive and something that doesn’t feel like much elsewhere can be quite painful – i.e., comb grazing normal skin vs. a mole.

The procedure, though not terribly pleasant, is not difficult or time consuming. In fact, the receptionist failed to note the reason for my appointment when I booked it, but it wasn’t a problem. Previously, I had one removed in November 2013 via a shave-style excision. I get questions from time-to-time, and I was also surprised by the low number of people talking about these procedures, so I wanted to share my experiences.

WARNING!

This post does not contain pictures, but may be considered graphic due to the description of the procedure. If you are exceptionally squeamish and/or NOT interested in information about these procedures, you may want to skip this one!

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Lipstick Is My Vice

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Lipstick Is My ViceUrban Decay Lipstick is my Vice

The title of this post isn’t true. Lipstick isn’t my vice. I enjoy what I enjoy, but I’m definite an eye rather than a lip girl. I didn’t realize it at the time but when I bought F-Bomb for $11, it was because UD is killing the Revolution Lipstick line in favor of their Lipstick Is My Vice / Vice Lipstick line which launches June 5.

It feels, to me, like we lost the Revolution line too soon. After a long time without lipsticks from Urban Decay, many of us rejoiced when the Revolution line came out. They gradually added mattes and sheers to the line to cover a lot of interests when it comes to lipcolor. Well, like so many Game of Thrones characters, their life was cut short.

It isn’t all bad, as I found looking at Temptalia’s swatches. The shades we’ve come to love are staying, with a (supposedly) new and improved formula. There are 100 lipsticks being released, and 74 of them are brand new shades. Furthermore, they will be priced to compete with MAC’s lipsticks – only $17 a tube down from $22 for a Revolution lipstick. Let’s hope a drop in price does not equate to a drop in quality. Additionally, they are revamping many of the lip pencils out there – so if you’re a pencil pusher, that should be good news for you, too.

Get the $11 Revolution Lipsticks while you can from Sephora, Ulta, Macy’s. They are selling out.