Haul!

  I rarely buy a bunch of things at once, but I started using Ebates (and by using I mean one time) to get some of the tarte smooth operator that Ulta didn't have in my color. Well I hate paying for shipping, so I loaded up my virtual shopping cart and ended up with a lot of free samples :)

Maybelline Great Lash clear mascara, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch concealer in Buff, Ulta Extreme Wear Matte Mousse blush in Peach, Ahava moisturizer (sample), tarte smooth operator tinted moisturizer in Agent 04, benefit the POREfessional (sample), tarte pure maracuja oil (sample),  and Euphoria by Calvin Klein (sample)

The POREfessional was seriously the smallest sample I've ever had. And I can't say for sure that it really did much. I don't know if it would work better under a regular foundation rather than a tinted moisturizer. It felt very velvety and was nice to apply.  That's about all I can say. I did notice that it mattified the areas where I applied it, but again, I can't say that I noticed any huge difference. I also don't have large pores, so... yeah. I am so not helpful tonight :(

So this blush specifically states that it is a matte finish blush. But that is a big fat lie. It has shimmer out the ass. I also didn't find that I could even tell that I had blush on after applying it, but I could see the shimmer. I'm not saying that I don't like the shimmer effect; it sorta has the built in highlighter thing. My problem is that wasn't what I wanted.  It applied well and blended nicely but maybe I should have bought... not this. I'll keep wearing it because why not? It isn't awful by any means.

                                               

                                                         Dream Lumi Touch concelear in Buff

 

I had read slash seen some good reviews about the Dream Lumi Touch concealer and since the Make Up Forever concealer is not floating my boat, I thought I'd give this a whirl. The first thing I noticed was that the consistency was much thicker and drier that I was expecting. Coverage was alright and it seemed to last all day. I didn't sleep much last night so I wasn't really paying attention. I was somewhat worried that it was much pinker than the tinted moisturizer (which doesn't look like it comes across well in the picture I took) but ended up blending in well.       

       

                                           

                                                  tarte Smooth Operator in Agent 04

This tarte purchase was the reason I got the sample I'll talk about next. I'd been recommended this tinted moisturizer by the one nice sales lady that works at Ulta a few weeks ago. She gave me a sample to try since they didn't have my shade in stock but after two weeks of waiting for a new shipment, I just wised up and bought it online. (I'm still deciding if I prefer instant purchase gratification or getting packages in the mail....) Once again the color didn't translate super well in the photo but what do I really expect from using the camera on my phone? I like the sheer coverage that give a dewy finish and is moisturizing enough that I don't need to put two layers of moisturizer on. It's probably not the exact shade for me but being so sheer it still looks natural and helps even out my skin tone. It really doesn't cover blemishes well, but whatevs. The biggest negative about this was after I was low on the sample and it dried out some. When I put it on it looked really cakey and didn't blend well. I had to start over and then I mixed it with some moisturizer and it worked well. 

I am really excited to try this baby out tonight. This was a deal that was happening through tarte and was a free sample I received for purchasing the Smooth Operator. The spiel on the side of the box is as states: 

         "This earth-prescribed treatment oil targets your individual skin concerns and delivers harmony, moisture and vitality. 100% pure, undiluted and cold pressed, it restores skin balance to aid in skin recovery and rejuvenation. Rich in essential fatty acids known to rebuild and repair skin, maracuja oil gives the appearance of brighter skin thanks to a high dose of pure vitamin C. This powerful anti-aging elixir provides instant hydration quenching dry skin with no greasy or filmy feel."

The directions say to use 2-3 drops at night. The bottle seems like it's a fairly decent size sample so I anxiously await brighter, more harmonious skin. What really draws me to the tarte brand is that they use a lot of natural ingredients without parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate (which Wiki tells me is the ingredient that deadness your ability to taste sweetness that lives in toothpaste, is used for detergents and can cause skin irritation), syntheic dye and synthetic fragrance.

The rest of the products I will test out and get back to you. In the mean time... anyone use/heard of maracuja oil before? What was your experience?

E.L.F. tinted moisturizer and volumizing mascara

There is seriously something in my walls... it may be birds. Kinda freaky.

Moving on.

I got a sample of Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer from Sephora a few weeks ago but still can't make myself bite the bullet and straight up buy it. Mainly because it's just, so... whelming. It isn't amazing, it isn't wretched. It just is.  So I went to stalk the makeup department at Target. Now, I have a few E.L.F. products that are also marginal, but for $1-3, I have less difficulties if I buy something and don't like it.

Previous visits to the E.L.F. section of Target has been rather slim but it's apparently gaining popularity since more products were there. Including a tinted moisturizer.

Not only is it a tinted moisturizer, it practically is fool proof with choosing the correct shade since it has a description on the bottom of the box. "For light to medium skin tones with yellow undertones." THAT'S ME! Sold.

I've also felt that my lashes have been a wee bit sad looking so I wanted to check out a volumizing mascara. I had originally picked up a different version of my current mascara (Maybelline Great Lash) Maybelline's Lots of Lashes. I put them back after discovering E.L.F.'s Volume Plumping Mascara.

So the next day I got ready for work and slapped on my new finds; only to be really disappointed. The moisturizer is fairly runny and quiet orange.  I put it on anyways. The places on my face where I had blended it in, I couldn't even tell I was really wearing anything and the places it wasn't so blended, I looked like I was a quarter Oompa Loompa.

Mascara was also a sad face. My lashes (which are pretty long, just thin) looked less full with this than my regular mascara and it smudged quite a bit by 2pm (I put it on about 6:30am).  I mean I can handle some smudge, I seem to have this place under the corner of my right eye that is ALWAYS getting smudges, but this was under both eyes. I looked five days into a fight and really worn out. 

I didn't think the tinted moisturizer held up very well either. I have pretty dry skin but this just didn't seem to stay put. Even with powder. I don't think it oxidized on me though and the directions recommend using a brush to apply. So perhaps I'll try that. I used it again today and still don't have positive feelings about it. Neutral at best.

Moral of the story: maybe splurge on the nice tinted moisturizer. The sample was fairly small and I still have some, several weeks later so it will last.