Mini Haul - Tarte

A few weeks ago Tarte was featured on Hautelook, which of course, I check daily. I just picked up a couple of items - two bronzers and a highlighter. I really like Tarte products, so I'm excited when they pop up on Hautelook, which they do on a fairly regular basis.

Amazonian Clay Mineral Bronzer in Hotel Heiress

Amazonian Clay Bronze to Go in Park Ave Princess

Tarte's Park Ave Princess has been a go-to bronzer for me this year - I received a deluxe sample of it from Sephora somewhere along the line and since it is very portable, I've taken it on all of my travels. I just love the finish and the subtle, but not-too-subtle colour that it gives me. Since I have used it so much, I was running low, so I thought that I would pick another one up. Hautelook's price was $9 for the deluxe sample and mini retractable brush.

I had not yet tried the Amazonian Clay Mineral Bronzer in Hotel Heiress. For some reason in the above pictures, Hotel Heiress appears lighter than Park Ave Princess. This is not the case. Hotel Heiress is definitely the darker of the two. I have to be a bit more careful in applying this shade as it is easier to over-apply. For this reason, I would say that I prefer Park Ave Princess, but the formula is still beautiful and if your skin is more of a medium or darker tone, you would really enjoy Hotel Heiress. Hautelook's price was $10 for the full-size product. 

Both bronzers are quite long-wearing on me. There is no shimmer in either of these products, but I would not say the finish is completely matte. Perhaps you would consider the finish more of a satin-glow. They give you a nice healthy glow. I would say that you can use these for contouring, but they can also be used allover to get a nice sun-kissed look.

left: Hotel Heiress
right: Park Ave Princess

I also picked up a highlighter - Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder in Rose. This is a really gorgeous soft highlighting powder with just a hint of pink. The shimmer is very subtle, so it is a nice product to use anytime without worrying about looking too over the top. Hautelook's price was $12 for the full-size product.

Hope you enjoyed my mini haul from Tarte!

Thanks for reading!

Huge Wet n Wild Haul!

In Canada, it can be difficult to find all of these amazing Wet n Wild products that are so loved in the online makeup community. As someone who rarely shops at Walmart, I would never have stumbled upon the Color Icon trios on my own. I think it was probably Emily at Beauty Broadcast who first introduced these to me in her You Tube videos. In my local Walmart, they do carry the full permanent line, however I have never seen any of the limited edition palettes, or special collections like the Fergie line. But that doesn't stop me! I ended up placing a couple of online orders - one at Nonpareil Boutique and another at Beatyjoint. So yeah, even if you are in Canada, you can get your hands on all of these great products. I think I spent less than $100 and ended up with pretty much the full range, that included the spring limited edition palettes, some of the older limited edition palettes that I had missed, the six-colour palettes, all of the Color Icon blushes, the bronzer, etc. I may have gone overboard, but I always feel like I have to justify the shipping and handling charges, so I buy more. Also, often there are discounts offered for spending a certain amount. 

So anyways, here are some pictures and thoughts on what I got.

Spring Forward Limited Edition Palettes: Going in the Wild and Nude Awakening

Wet n Wild Limited Edition Palette - Going in the Wild

Wet n Wild Limited Edition Palette - Nude Awakening (Sorry, swatches are upside down..)

These two palettes are really pretty. I've read reviews that criticized the pigmentation and mentioned that these are not up to par with the quality of the previously released eight-pan palettes, but I'm not sure that I agree with that. I haven't used them for a significant period of time yet, but they seem to apply quite nicely from what I have seen so far.

The top palette - Going in the Wild is perfect for this spring with the pretty pastels. The purples aren't extremely bold, but it is easy to create a soft pretty look.

The bottom palette - Nude Awakening is the one that has been compared to the Urban Decay Naked palettes. It is full of really great neutrals and is extremely wearable, not only on a daily basis, but in any season of the year. I can see this becoming a go-to item in my collection.

Where's the Party Limited Edition Palettes

top: Sparkle Til Morning
bottom l to r: Shimmer The Night Away, Drinking A Glass of Shine

This limited edition collection consists of three palettes: Sparkle Till Morning, Shimmer The Night Away and Drinking A Glass Of Shine. So far, I've only really used the top palette in this collection - Sparkle Till Morning. This is the only eyeshadow that I took with me when I traveled to New York for a week (??!!? I normally travel with much more..), and it was all I needed! Of course the reason I only took this one palette was that I knew I would buy others, but you really can get away with a simple palette like this for a whole week and still be able to create different looks that match to your mood or outfit. I was really happy with this, and really cannot stop using it. That pink shade in the top right corner is sooo gorgeous. I'm obsessed with it. Anyways, I still have to try the other two palettes.

Color Icon Blushes

top row l to r: Mellow Wine, Heather Silk
bottom row l to r: Pearlescent Pink, Berry Shimmer

These blushes are really great. I would say that they are comparable to many high-end blushes out there. Often drugstore blushes lack pigmentation, and you need to really layer them on to get the result you want, but with these, I just tap my brush in lightly, and there is enough product. I'm really enjoying using these.

Color Icon Bronzers

l to r: Goddess and Princess

So far I have tried the Goddess shade, which I thought was very pretty while I was applying it, but in natural light it turned out to be much too pink-toned for me. Since you can see yellow undertones in my neck, it does not look right to have this pink bronzer on my skin. Unfortunately this will not work for me, but I have yet to try the Princess shade. It appears less pink, so hopefully it will work out.

Color Icon Eyeshadow Singles

top row l to r: Nutty, Brulee, Kitten
bottom row l to r: Golddigger, Sellout

I have to say that Nutty is the colour that I reach for the most out of these. It is a really perfect neutral taupe-y brown colour that is great for allover the lid or blending out other colours. I haven't used the others very much, but I'm excited to give them a try.

Color Icon Eyeshadow Trios

I have to admit that I purchased the Silent Treatment trio as a backup. Yes, I already have it. But it is just gorgeous. It is a perfect neutral trio that that can be worn in a more natural way for everyday, or can be intensified for evening. I picked up I Got Good Jeans at the same time because it was something a bit different for me. It is very pretty as well, with the navy and the gold.

Color Icon 6-pan Eyeshadow Palettes

l to r: Greed, Lust, Vanity

The Vanity palette is one that I hear quite a bit about. I was a bit disappointed, however. I found that the matte and shimmery nude/ivory colours were very nice, even the matte light brown was a decent contour shade, but the gold and the two deeper browns did not give me the rich colour pigment that I've come to expect based on the trios that I have already been using. I was able to make a nice eye look out of this palette, but it wasn't the look that I had in mind.

Mega Last Lipstick

901B Think Pink and 903C Just Peachy

Top: 903C Just Peachy
Bottom: 901B Think Pink

I really like these lipsticks. For such a cheap product, I didn't have very high expectations, even though I have heard a lot of good things about them. They are a bit on the dry side, but of course the staying power makes up for this, so layer with a bit of balm, and it isn't really a problem. The colours are both quite pretty.

Tell me, have you been loving Wet n Wild lately?

Thanks for reading!

Current Wishlist - March 2013

What's on my beauty radar these days? Read on to find out. It wasn't hard to put this list together - this is what is currently in my shopping cart on www.sephora.com, just waiting until I can justify purchasing some new products :)

• Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation - I almost purchased this the other day, but was able to redeem my Shoppers Optimum points for the Lancome Dual Finish powder, so I'll pass on this one for a little while. I do want to try this one eventually.

• Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush - this blush is so gorgeous! I think it looks like a perfect colour for pale skin like mine.

• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder - I'm currently using up my Make Up For Ever Matte Bronzer, but once it is finished, I will pick this one up.

• Too Faced La Creme lipsticks in Naughty Nude and Spice Spice Baby - I can't decide on  one colour, I may have to pick up two!

• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light - I'm just in love with complexion enhancing powders like these. I actually like every colour that Hourglass has put out, but I think I would try this one first. Looks beautiful.

• Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - I'm kind of surprised I do not have this yet, but I have so many items in my collection that can be considered similar (NYX Butt Naked palette, for one). So I have waited on this. I may pick it up one of these days though.

• Prada Candy - I tested this fragrance the other day and while I did not like it on the card, I did like it once I wore it on my wrist for awhile. It is light and sweet, and perfect for any occasion.

• Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb - rarely have I had two fragrances on my wishlist at the same time, but Flowerbomb is amazing. And it is really popular right now, so I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Yikes, this is quite a list. If I purchase any of these items, I'll be sure to post a review for anyone who is interested!

Thanks for reading!

Brand I'm Loving - It Cosmetics

It Cosmetics is a brand I heard about a couple of years ago on The Shopping Channel. At first I wasn't too interested because they didn't have many products in their line and the main item they seemed to be promoting at the time was a face contouring palette, and I had never really thought that contouring was that important. Well, that was then. Now, I contour almost everyday, and definitely see the value. But it seems like the premise behind this line of cosmetics is to put out high quality items that do a specific job. They took their time and released products as they were ready to. Now, the line is quite large, and everytime they are on The Shopping Channel, it seems like they bring something new and great. 

Here are some of my favourite items from the line.

In the above picture is the Vitality Lip Flush collection. I bought the whole set that they put out at the holidays. They look like a lipstick, but they stain your lips, while making them look glossy and feel hydrated at the same time. These are amazing.

Also pictured, Bye Bye Pores HD Finishing Powder, Bye Bye Pores Bronzer, Eye Shadow Trio in Pretty in Plum, Hello Lashes Mascara, Brow Power, and Brow Power Lift.

From left to right (both above and below in swatches): Je Ne Sais Quoi, Damsel, Pure Joy, Love Story, Pretty Woman.

In the above, Celebration Foundation in Fair, Vitality Face Disc, and Vitality Cheek Stain in Matte Sweet Apple.

The Celebration Foundation can be worn as a full-coverage powder foundation. This is how I use it. Of course, it can also be used lightly, layered over a liquid or cream foundation. This is my second compact, and it really is worth trying if you like powder foundations. 

Within the Vitality Face Disc, there is a matte bronzer, a highlighter, and a peachy pink blush. All of the colours are gorgeous. I've already repurchased the matte bronzer and the highlighter in individual compacts because I enjoyed using them so much. The highlighter really gives a pretty glow and isn't too sparkly. You can get either a subtle glow, or a more obvious shine, depending on what you prefer.

These are some of my most-reached for products. They just do exactly what they are supposed to. 

I recently purchased the new liquid foundation in the line, but have yet to try it. I'll probably post a review of that in the future.

Let me know if you enjoy the It Cosmetics line!

Thanks for reading!