Spotlight: Tarte Cosmetics

Hello everyone! Happy Labor Day!!!!! I thought I would take advantage of this long weekend and swatch some products from Tarte Cosmetics for you. Today I have a few items from their new Fall 2012 collection to share with you as well as a couple of vegan products and an eyeshadow quad I've had for sometime. I'm sure you are all familiar with Tarte by now, but if you aren't they are a cosmetic company that "specializes in good-for-you glamour" according to their website. All of their products are formulated without parabens. Nor do any of them contain synthetic fragrance. Their beauty products are Eco-friendly and they do not test on animals. I really love their products and have been using them for years now.

Here is the lineup of products I'll be showing you today:

Beauty & The Box in Just Deserts, LipSurgence Lip Luster in Adored ( light pink), Maracuja Miracle Foundation 12-hour broad spectrum SPF 15 sunscreen in Fair, Beauty & The Box in Brewed Awakening, Maracuja Creaseless waterproof concealer in Fair

I'll begin with the foundation, because that seems like the most logical place to start. For those of you familiar with Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12-hour full coverage foundation SPF 15, I've included swatches side by side so you can see the color difference. I have to say I really like both foundations.  The main difference for me between the two is coverage. The Amazonian Clay gives you a fuller coverage, while the Maracuja gives you a medium coverage. Depending on how blemish flecked my face is that particular day, I'll reach for one or the other.  I think both formulas work on all skin types, though I guess If I had really oily skin I would choose the Amazonian Clay, and drier skin types might benefit from the Maracuja oil in the Maracuja foundation.

Here's a look at both bottles side by side.

As you can see the Amazonian Clay comes in a squeeze tube, while the Maracuja Miracle Foundation comes in a pump.  The Maracuja Miracle Foundation retails for $42 for 1fl oz., while the Amazonian Clay retails for $38 for 1.7fl oz.

About The Product: Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation contains maracuja oil.  Tarte's website describes it as an anti-aging, moisturizing foundation. While Tarte describes this product as full-coverage, I believe it's more of a medium coverage formula. The formula does feel silky, and what I personally love about it most, is that it does give me that dewy glow that is part of my signature look.  One warning- buy a shade lighter than you think you are. If you normally buy light go with fair, these run a little on the dark side. I purchased Fair and it was a perfect color match for me. The product also contains vitamin C which helps with a brighter complexion.  The glass bottle is recyclable which is important for those Eco friendly gals like myself. Luckily this product is free of parabens, and full of nutrient-rich essential fatty acids.

Here is a swatch comparing the Maracuja with the Amazonian Clay.  Since I know many of you may have the Amazonian Clay formula, I thought it was important to show you the two products side by side.

Lower right is the Maracuja, top right is Amazonian Clay (both in the color Fair). Note that the Amazonian Clay appears a bit more yellow, but once blended out, they both look about the same on my skin. On the left side of my hand is the Maracuja blended out, and to the upper right of it is the Amazonian Clay.

Pictured below is the Maracuja Miracle Foundation, as you can see it comes with a convenient pump that dispenses the perfect amount of product every time.

 Below is the Maracuja Miracle Foundation in the color Fair, 1 pump on the right, then a bit blended out on the left.

As you can see from the above picture, it does blend out quite nicely, leaving that dewiness that I love so much. However, I will say again the coverage is medium not full. I don't view this as a negative, because I honestly think most people don't really need full coverage unless you are going to be on stage, or have some serious covering up to do. This coverage will work just perfectly for most people.

However, if you do find that you are in need of more coverage, why not add some Maracuja Creaseless Waterproof Concealer ($24)? This concealer works awesome for under eye circles, and really provides great coverage. I have this in the color Fair. I've found it to be one of the best concealers I've used in terms of coverage. A little goes a long way so this tube will last a long time. The formula is thick, but it blends out easily, and I find it easy to dispense a thin line or dot of product.

In my opinion, all concealers crease at least a little bit, but when used properly, this does seem to crease less than other brands. This comes in 5 shades: fair, light, medium, tan and deep.  This product is in fact full coverage and again has a dewy finish. Like the Maracuja Miracle foundation, this too is filled with nutrient rich essential fatty acids and vitamin C to brighten the skin. Like all Tarte makeup, this is cruelty free (not tested on animals). 

 The product comes in a 0.28 Oz. squeeze tube with a wooden screw cap. I would recommend this product for all skin types. Below, I've blended it out a bit to show the coverage. .

 Next up is my favorite of all beauty products: EYESHADOW!  I love eyeshadow and wear it every single day no matter what I am doing. Sadly, I almost didn't buy these because I was afraid that they might be similar in color to an older Tarte quad that I had in my collection. Luckily, I took the gamble, and realized the colors are totally different, which is part of the reason I wanted to write this blog post in the first place.

This is a quad I purchased a while ago from Sephora called Tarte Beauty & The Box. The shade set is called In The Buff.  I LOVE this quad, and use it a lot. These Amazonian Clay Eye Shadows are a net wt of 0.2 Oz. The outer box is decorated with a wood-like pattern and beautiful flowers adorn the cover, back and inside of the case.

 Colors from left to right: Porcelain, Silk Sheets, Sunkissed, Tanline (above)

 Above, you can see the flip top lid, adorned with flowers on both the inside and outside of the box. The box is about the size of a post-it, making it easy to put in your makeup bag without it taking up much room. I found the colors to be very pigmented and long lasting. Although these are intended to be eyeshadow, I found that when swirled together with a large brush, they actually worked as a bronzer as well, due to their bronzy hue.

 These next 2 quads, are very similar in packaging, look and feel, but the shades are very different. These 2 quads are part of Tarte's new 2012 Fall line up.

In all, they have 3 new quads to their fall line: Brewed Awakening, Just Deserts and Envoke The Smoke. I'll be showing you the first 2, because I do not own the third.  Like the previous quad, these are part of Tarte's Amazonian Clay eyeshadow line, making them great for those with oily lids. I've found that these really do stay put all day, though I do tend to use a primer with all of my eyeshadow as a general rule.

 Brewed Awakening (left to right): foam, raw sugar, espresso, roast

 This coffee-themed quad comes packaged in a cute cube similar to the In The Buff quad. However, this one is adorned with colorful fern like leaves rather than flowers. The wood-like motif is carried through to this quad as well, but only in a thin strip on the bottom, while the ferns decorate most of the packaging.

 Note, the same adorable flip-top lid we saw in the previous quad. I really do, like this packaging a lot, and although it's not a snap closure, it is sturdy. I've carried these around with me in my bag, and nothing has ever come open unexpectedly.

The next quad from Tarte's Fall 2012 line up is called Just Deserts. The colors are appropriately desert-themed names:  desert sand, desert lily, desert wind and desert shadow (from top to bottom).

As you can see, the above Just Desert quad swatched a bit more sheer than the other 2, but when actually applied to the eye, I found the colors were quite buildable and just as long lasting as the other quads.

As I mentioned earlier, I almost did not purchase these quads because I was concerned they were similar to the In The Buff one that I already had.  To demonstrate how different the colors are, I've swatched the 3 palettes side by side.

 Above are the lightest colors in all 3 palettes. As you can see, these are quite close to my natural skin color, so they don't show up much when swatched, but when used in eyeshadow application, they make great highlight colors. From left to right: Foam (from Brewed Awakening), Porcelain (from In The Buff), and Desert Sand (from Just Deserts).  I would describe Foam as a matte peachy color, similar to Urban Decay's Freestyle from their new Smoked Palette. Porcelain is more of a light beige with a satin to light shimmer finish pretty close to Urban Decay's Skimp, Desert Sand is more of a matte light beige, similar to Urban Decay's Kinky. I adore Desert Sand as an all over base color or under the brow highlight because it's very close to my natural skin tone as you can see.

 Above is the second shade from each palette. From left to right: Raw Sugar (from Brewed Awakening), Silk Sheets (from In The Buff), Desert Lily (from Just Deserts).  Raw sugar looks exactly like those packets of Sugar in The Raw you get at the coffee shop, while Silk Sheets has more of a pinky tone to it and is a bit more sheer. Desert Lily is a shimmery gold color.

 Above are the 3 quads side by side for comparison.

 Above, the first 3 colors are the 3rd shade in each quad and the last 3 in each quad.
From left to right: Espresso (from Brewed Awakening), Sunkissed (from In The Buff), Desert Wind (from Just Deserts), Roast (from Brewed Awakening), Tanline (from In The Buff), and Desert Shadow (from Just Deserts).

 Above, a closer look at the third color in each palette: Espresso (from Brewed Awakening), Sunkissed (from In The Buff), Desert Wind (from Just Deserts)

Above, a closer look at the fourth color in each palette: Roast (from Brewed Awakening), Tanline (from In The Buff), and Desert Shadow (from Just Deserts).  I realize in the above picture the first and third colors look similar. In reality, they are nothing alike. Roast, is more of a very deep brown almost black with shimmer in it, while Desert Shadow is a matte smoke color - no shimmer.

When I was swatching Roast, it reminded me a lot of Urban Decay's Cobra. For comparison, If swatched those two colors side by side:

 On the left is Tarte's Roast, on the right is Urban Decay's Cobra

 The 2 colors look almost identical to me, the one difference is, I think Urban Decay's has some green-gold shimmer in it, while Tarte's shimmer appeared to be mostly gold. They are both a very cool toned brown with gold shimmer in it.

 Another treat from Tarte's Fall 2012 line up is their LipSurgence Lip Luster in the color Adored (light pink).  This is a natural lip tint.  It's a shiny lip stain packaged in a chubby pencil format. I find it lasts a long time on the lip and also find it quite moisturizing. I tend to have dry lips, so I find that I really benefit from the jojoba seed oil contained in this product. If you are one that is sensitive to certain ingredients, then this is the lip product for you because it's free of any synthetic fragrance which is often the culprit I find when people have sensitivities.

 As you can see from the below swatch, this is a beautiful lustrous light pink. It's super feminine and when paired with a lip liner and topped with a gloss can really help give you that sexy, kissable pout.

I am ending this post with you two of my favorite vegan products from Tarte. While, all Tarte cosmetics are cruelty-free (not tested on animals), they are not all vegan. However, Tarte has clearly labeled on their website which ones are vegan and PETA approved, and I commend them for doing so. They have a full page of vegan products listed on their website to make it easy for people to find: tartecosmetics.com

 Above: LipSurgence Matte Lip Tint in Envy (mauve berry) and Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder in Bronze

Tarte's LipSurgence natural matte lip stains are infused with peppermint. These chubby lip pencils leave a matte finish on the lip, and are quite long lasting. Though they are a matte product, I don't find them as drying as other matte lip products I've tried from other companies. These lip stains are a cult favorite among makeup lovers everywhere vegans and non-vegans alike.  In my personal opinion, this is the best, non-drying matte lip stain on the market.

 Here I have swatched it for you to show how pigmented it is. This was just 1 quick swipe without pressing hard at all.

 LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Stains in the color Envy

 This is a beautiful shade, and I think it will look really nice with some of the new Fall makeup looks.

Here is the Finishing Powder in Bronze:

 Note the unique single hole in the center. Tarte designed this to dispense the perfect amount of product. By pressing around the hole, the perfect amount of powder is dispensed. A word of caution: do not do this while looking at the hole or bronzer will spray in your face! Turn the container upside down into the cap, or into a palette and GENTLY press.

 While Tarte calls this a finishing powder, I use it as I would any powder bronzer. It blends beautifully into my fair skin, and because it's matte it looks very natural.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post on Tarte Cosmetics. I really do enjoy their products, and use them quite a bit. If you are interested in learning more please visit: tartecosmetics.com

The eyeshadow quads are available in sets with an eyeliner on qvc.com and the foundation, concealer and lip products are all available on Sephora.com

If you think you'd like to see me create a makeup look using any of these products, leave a comment in the box below.

*Note: All of these products were purchased by me. I did not receive any compensation for this review.

Spotlight: Bdellium Tools Green Bambu Series

Today's post is about brushes by Bdellium Tools.  You may have seen me mention this brand in my previous posts, or reference their brushes in my earlier posts (summer wedding makeup - I used their precision kabuki).  However, I feel this brand deserves a closer look. Specifically, I will be talking about their Green Bambu Series. This series fills what I consider to be a real need in the market for a higher quality Eco-Friendly brush.  These brushes are also vegan and in my opinion would be ideal for both a makeup artist, or personal use.  I decided that not only will I show you the brushes and tell you about each one, but I'll also share with you how I use them. I have two sets from this series: Foundation 4 Piece Eco-Friendly Makeup Brush Set-Green Bambu Professional Line and Smokey Eyes 5 Piece Eco-Friendly Makeup Brush Set-Green Bambu Professional Line. 

For more information on the brand, please see my "Synthetic Brushes - About The Brand" post.  

Here are all of the brushes I own from this series:

The brushes come packaged in the above pictured case, which I've saved because I find it is a great way to store brushes when they aren't being used, or for travel.  I've had both of these sets for quite some time now, and I can honestly say, I use them a lot, and I love them!  They work very well, are super sturdy, and work on both powder and cream products because they are made of synthetic bristles.  Unlike cheaper synthetic brushes, these pick up powder products with ease. I've found these to be easy to clean, and a comfortable weight in my hand. The Foundation 4 Piece Eco-Friendly Makeup Brush Set comes with: #957B Precision Kabuki, #955B Finishing, #953B Duet Fiber Foundation, and #948B Foundation.  The Smoky Eyes 5 Piece Eco-Friendly Makeup Brush Set comes with: #781B Crease, #777B Shadow, #769B Angled Contour, #760B Liner/Brow, and #716B Smoky Eyeliner. With these two sets, you can easily do your whole face without needing any other brushes. In fact, that is exactly what I did this morning.

Here is how I use the brushes:

 First I apply my base with the foundation brush. This is a standard flat paddle foundation brush. It has a nice wide head for quick and easy application. I don't find it streaky at all.  I applied my compact tinted moisturizer in downward strokes then patted and stippled over areas where I needed extra coverage. I've found that this brush not only works well for foundation, but I use it for cream blushes, cream highlighters or even to apply primer.

For a more airbrushed look, I then polished the base into my skin using the finishing brush (below).  By polishing, I mean I used light circular motions allover my face to help lightly buff in the product without removing the product from my face. The finishing brush also works great for a light dusting of powder, or to help buff out any extra product such as bronzer or blush.  This brush is ideal for whenever you need a light application of product, or want to smooth out product you've already applied.

Next, I applied my bronzer using the precision kabuki. This is one of my favorites in the set, and I find myself using it for so many things including gel and powder bronzer, foundation, blush and powder. What's a precision kabuki?  To illustrate, I've shown the brush along side a traditional kabuki brush.  As you can see, the precision kabuki looks as though you shrunk the larger brush and put it on a long handle. This brush is ideal for more precise work, rather than the large kabuki, which is meant for the whole face or body.

These densely packed bristles really help to give you an airbrushed look when applying foundation. This brush can be used for mineral foundation, cream or liquid. Today, this brush is available on Amazon.com for $14.08 when purchased by itself.  Many of you may be familiar with the flat top powder brush from E.L.F. that is very similar in shape. One of the reviews on Amazon questioned why one would pay $14 when the E.L.F. brush is $3.  I have an answer for that. I have both brushes. I purchased them both around the same time.  However, the E.L.F. brush quickly came loose at the ferrel and was wobbly, eventually falling off completely. I was able to glue it back into place, but I was shocked at how quickly the brush broke.  I thought maybe I got a faulty one, so purchased another and had the exact same thing happen, while the Bdellium brush still seems just as sturdy as the day I bought it with no signs of breaking any time soon.  So yes, the brushes are similar, but the quality is worlds apart. Here I've pictured the E.L.F. brush, Bdellium Tools Precision Kabuki from their studio line (also synthetic), and the green bambu version:

 As you can see, they are all similar in shape, though Bdellium Tools is of much better quality.

 A closer look at the brush head (above)

 Here you can see the size in my hand. It's a comfortable fit and length which makes for easy application.

The green bambu brush is shorter than the same brush from Bdellium Tools studio line.  Handle length is simply a matter of personal preference.  Some makeup artists prefer a longer handle, some prefer a shorter handle.  Personally, I've found them to both work equally as well. Both are made of full synthetic fibers and pick up product with ease.

As I mentioned, I use this brush for many things.  Today, I used it to apply powder bronzer. I like this brush rather than a traditional powder brush, because I find the flat bristles pick up an even amount of product and then I can easily buff the product into the skin, blending out any harsh edges. I brought the brush into the hollows of my cheek as a contour and then blended the product with the brush in a back and forth motion, then buffing it up onto the cheekbone and around my temples and onto the forehead.

The next brush, shown below, is the duet fiber foundation brush.  I LOVE this brush!!! I use it for both cream blush, and to apply cream highlighter. I actually own 2 of these so that I can use it for those 2 specific tasks as I wear both cream blush and highlighter every day.  This brush would also work well for applying foundation (as the name states). It's basically a stippling brush and can be used in both a stippling motion and a buffing motion. Because of it's size, it fits just perfectly on the tops of my cheekbones as you can see below.

That covers the Foundation 4pc. Brush Set. Today this set is available on Amazon.com for $43.69, which I think is a great value for the quality of brush you are getting. This item is also available for Amazon Prime, if you are an Amazon Prime member, which means 2 day free shipping! 

Next up is the Smoky Eyes 5 Piece Eco-Friendly Makeup Brush Set. Today this set is available on Amazon.com for $30.68 and is also available for Amazon Prime to Amazon Prime members. If I remember correctly, this is their best selling brush set, and it's easy to see why. Smoky eyes are probably one of the most requested makeup looks when someone wants their makeup done for an evening event. This fall, smoky eyes in jewel tones will be very popular and what better way to achieve the look than with this Eco-friendly, vegan set?!

For my eyeshadow look, I began by using the #781B Crease brush to sweep and blend a light taupe shadow into my crease. I find some crease brushes by other companies to be too large for the eye area. This one is a perfect fit. I also like this brush for applying concealer under the eyes.  It helps to give that airbrushed look that I love so much.

Next, I applied an iridescent purple shadow (Omen by Urban Decay) all over my lid and into the crease using the #777B Shadow brush. I find this brush just perfect for packing on color.  It picks up and distributes the perfect amount of color every time, and as you can see, it's a very nice size no matter what size eyelid you have. Sorry about my chipped nail polish!

 Next, I applied a taupe eyeshadow (the same one I put in my crease) along my bottom lash line using the #716B smoky eyeliner brush. This is the standout brush in this set. I use this brush every single day. I have another similar brush that is from the Sephora Professional collection. As you can see in the below photograph, the Sephora brush (pictured on the left) already has splayed hairs, while the Bdellium Tools brush remains in the same condition as the day I purchased it. I purchased both brushes around the same time, and used them equally as much to test out which one I liked better. Bdellium Tools wins again!

 Next, I applied a thin line of the purple iridescent eyeshadow over the taupe using my #760B Liner/Brow brush.  This brush is not only good for liner, but because of it's angled shape, is also great for filling in brows with brow powder. Since it is so small/thin, you really get a natural looking filled in brow when using this brush.

Last, but not least is the #769B Angled Contour brush.  Although it is great for applying shadow into the eye contour, because of its angled head, I find this brush to be great for contouring the nose, which is what I used it for today. It is very similar to the Urban Decay Good Karma Brush. I feel the quality on both brushes is about equal, but the Bdellium Tools brush is longer, and the head is fuller, so I find I reach for it more than the Urban Decay version.

Above you can see the Bdellium Tools is quite a bit longer than the Urban Decay brush. It is also less expensive, yet the quality of the brush seems the same to me.

I hope you enjoyed my review of these brushes. I highly recommend them. They are truly sturdy, dependable, high quality brushes.

Here's another look at the face brushes.  From left to right: Precision Kabuki, Finishing, Duet Fiber Foundation, Foundation

 Here's another look at the smoky eyes set.  From left to right: Crease, Shadow, Angled Contour, Liner/Brow, and Smoky Eyeliner

 And here is the finished look:

I really hope you found this post helpful. If you have these brushes and use them differently, I'd love to hear about it. Drop me a comment in the box below.  

Please note all comments are approved individually so don't worry if you don't see your comment posted right away. 


Note: I purchased both sets from Amazon.com with my own money. I am not receiving any compensation for this review, nor did I receive any type of discount off of these brushes.