:Beautylicious Mondays {Tuesday Edition}:

I purchased this a few months back, and HAD to do a review! I can't say enough good things about Tarte's The Miracle of Maracuja! Tarte is the self-proclaimed "high-performance naturals" cosmetic company, and prior to getting this, I had only had experience with one of their products, which was their mineral powder bronzer in Hotel Heiress.

~

At any rate, this 8-piece set (which actually ended up being 10-piece, due to 2 rather generous sample products they included :-}) contains the following:

1 1.7 oz. bottle of pure maracuja oil

1 bamboo blush/foundation brush (I've found it to be dual-purpose)

1 maracuja bouncy airblush blush in shimmering poppy

1 beauty & the box eyeshadow quad, envoke the smoke

1 lights, camera, lashes! mascara

1 maracuja divine shine lipgloss in peaceful

1 maracuja creaseless concealer (I chose deep for my skin tone)

 1 cashmere waterproof gliding smooth eyeliner in black

~

Lipgloss in Peaceful

Creaseless Concealer in Deep

Swatch from L to R: Dark Ash, Purple Fog, Silver Mist, Pink Cloud

Bouncy Airbrush Blush in Shimmering Poppy

~

I seriously can't say anything bad about any of the products included. The oil is full-size, and that in itself makes the set a steal and an awesome deal! Felt great going onto my skin. The brush is also the bomb--the fibers feel silky and luxurious against my skin. I was also extremely pleasantly surprised with the blush. I normally don't really do cream blushes, but the color payoff in this one was wonderful, and being a brown girl, I was especially happy about that! Sadly, I haven't yet had a chance to use the eyeshadow quad, but the color choices seemed decent (see photo below). The mascara seems pretty good, but you just need to take your time putting it on in order to really define your lashes. The lipgloss was okay--moisturizing and didn't seem too sticky, but really nothing special in my opinion; it's a peachy nude color with lots of shine. I also haven't tried the concealer yet...probably due to the fact that I'm mostly a creature of habit when it comes to the foundations and concealers I use. The eyeliner is terrific, though!

...

What do you think? Did you purchase this steal of a bargain luxury set?

~

 Live Glamourously.

:Beautylicious Mondays:

{HAUL!}

The Bare palette from Sigma is kind of old news,

but I decided to purchase just last week.

~ 

This product is approximately $15 less than the Urban Decay Naked Palettes,

but IMHO, it's a totally different palette. I wouldn't really recommend purchasing

this as a stand-in for the coveted UD shadows, though I still like them pretty well so far.

~

I can't do a totally thorough review because I used only two colors

over the weekend (hitch and elope). I will say that elope was way too chalky,

but when I applied hitch over it for the desired look/effect,

the color combo was perfect and stayed on strong all day long

with my Urban Decay eye primer. Peep the swatches below...

(click photos to enlarge)

From L to R: Shine, Control, Snoop, Hitch, Act, Command, Elope, Approach

Will you be picking this up if it's not already in your collection?

~

Live Glamourously.



:Beautylicious Mondays:

Happy New Year, All!!

For my first post of 2012, I want to introduce you all to a product that I'm sure has been around for a while, but I just discovered and started using:

This stuff is GREAT! Beauty guru, KeetaRay would second that, and that's an opinion worth taking into account! The crystals contained in the product are very fine, but they do a bang-up job of exfoliating the epidermis. The product feels really good as you massage it into your skin. I would venture to say that it's probably gentle enough to use every day, but if you're not into that, I'd recommend at least twice a week.  However, as with any exfoliating rinse, try to keep your eyes closed as you're using. I got some crystals in my eyes one day, and, as you can imagine, it was not cute, LOL. 

Additionally, this product is very easy on the pockets, as I believe the one I purchased retailed at around $4.29, though you may be able to get it for cheaper in some places. I bought mine at an actual Sally's beauty supply store, but I'm sure you can get it at other retailers in-store or online. Below are the ingredients contained in this Queen Helene product:

Happy Exfoliating, darlings!

~

Remember to Always...

Live Glamourously.

:Beautylicious Mondays (Tuesday Edition):

I promise Beautylicious Mondays will soon return to its regularly scheduled day...but for now, work with me and the Tuesday editions! That being said, I HAVE to share this awesome product with you!

I had learned about it before via one of my estheticians, but I really didn't take her recommendation to heart. It wasn't until my friend KeetaRay mentioned it, then gifted me with an exfoliation cloth from The Body Shop and the roll-on version of Tend Skin that I understood what all the hype was about!

I have extrememly sensitive skin (a problem many suffer from, but specifically Black and Brown people when it comes to hair removal), and often after waxing or shaving or using hair removal creams on my bikini area and underarms, it would be a total freakin' nightmare to deal with. I would get crazy discoloration and bumps from ingrown hairs and overall irritation from hair removal. WELP. Tend Skin to the rescue!

~

I began following two simple steps every day upon the advice of Keeta and voila!: I'm ready for my Sports Illustrated spread: swimsuit edition. Heeeeey! Simply exfoliate your bikini and underarm areas using something like this and the body wash of your choice in the shower. Do it for approximately one minute. I moisturize after bathing, then apply the Tend Skin to both of the aforementioned areas. Both started clearing up in less than a month, and well...now, I think I'm ready for an Agent Provocateur ad. :-) I'm no longer embarrassed by my bikini line and I just want to strut around in lingerie all day, lol. Though I don't. I imagine this also works well for men who shave their facial hair.

~

Tend Skin can be found at Sephora, and there's only one down-side, if you even care. Obviously, after shaving or other hair removal methods, whatever area you are applying the Tend Skin to will most likely burn because the product does contain alcohol. You can muffle the sound of your screams with a pillow, or just let it all out. Pretend you're an extra in the Paranormal series. Just try not to frighten your neighbors because it is possible that they will think someone is being murdered. This wasn't a deterrent for me though because having a pretty bikini line and smooth underarms is way more important than the temporary sting. Alcohol Schmalcohol.

~

I hope my review of this product has helped you saucy ladies and gents!

:Beautylicious Mondays:

For today's post, I'm doing reviews on two products... MAC's Surf, Baby! Skinsheen Bronzer Stick and Dr. Brandt Flaws No More r3p cream.

MAC recently debuted its Surf, Baby! collection, and though I was underwhelmed by the product offering, I decided to give one of the bronzers a whirl.

Surf, Baby! Skinsheen Bronzer Stick

The bronzer comes in three colors--Gilty Bronze, Tan-Tint and Billionaire Bronze, and it feels pretty good when applied--kind of creamy.  However, if you are going to use the stick directly on your face, use it sparingly--if you don't you might look a little cray cray aka crazy. Streaky makeup is never a good look. Quite frankly, I'm not sure that these bronzers will necessarily work well for some brown/darker skinned ladies. I'm an NC50 in the MAC world, and I purchased the Gilty Bronze. Though I was hoping to use it as a highlighter due to the shimmer factor (though it is bronzer), I soon realized it was too dark for such utilization, and it actually blended into my skin as though it were foundation when I used it. Once I had applied, I checked to see how it looked in various places under different types of light (in my house, at the mall...), and I couldn't really tell any difference between the product and my actual skin. I returned it the next day.  Myself and one of my favorite MAC store associates joked that the Billionaire Bronze could actually double as a foundation stick for us NC50 girls. I've posted a pic of the trio of colors below, but MAC's online colors are often not comparable to the actual colors in person, so if you want to look into this product, it might be best to get yourself to a store. :-) This product is packaged in a twist-up container and retails for $29.50.

from left to right:

Gilty Bronze, Tan-Tint, Billionaire Bronze

Hope this review helps anyone looking to purchase this product!

For my next trick, I'll be reviewing the Dr. Brandt facial moisturizer referenced above.

This cream, rich in peptides and other hydrating nutrients, alleges to diminish deep lines and improve the skin's texture.

A full size of this product is a bit pricey, retailing at $125 for 1.7 oz (I had a sample), but I have to tell you--after one use, I was wowed! I put it on before going to bed Saturday night (ok, ok--Sunday morning, lol) but when I woke up, it was as if the skincare gods had rained down refinement! :-) You know how your face looks all crunchy when you first wake up...because you slept so good/hard OR b/c you did something else so good/hard (teehee)--well, THIS may be your answer to obtaining that non-crunchy look. When I woke up on Sunday and looked in the mirror, it didn't even look like I needed to wash my face. I mean, it looked that good. I was really impressed, for my skin's texture did appear to be improved. One thing to watch out for is that there may be a slight stinging when you apply it. Now, I don't know if I had this problem due to other things I had used on my face prior, (cleansers/exfoliating products and a very mild, non-irritating toner--Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Lotion) but the stinging only lasted for a few seconds. The second time I used, I experienced no stinging or tingling sensation at all. All in all, I liked the product. Oh, and I almost forgot to add--it has a pretty pleasant smell, so that shouldn't be an issue.

If you're willing to spend this much on a product, give it a try--but definitely stop by your local Sephora first to obtain a sample!