Awesome Bargains

Just thought I'd pass along these current deals!

-Glamour Doll Eyes- Customer Appreciation sale - 50% off any orders of Eyeshadows, Eye-Lights and Twi-Shadows. Must buy a minimum of 8 before discount code works, but if you spend $30+, you get free shipping worldwide! Use code: lovegde
(expires Aug 12)

-Tarte Cosmetics- Friends & Family 40% sale- Includes a "free gift"- Use code: FFAUG
(expires Aug 9)

-Eyes Lips Face- Free Shipping with Orders of $10 or more! Ends tonight though, so hurry! Use code: TA2M

Roundup: Products I'm Loving!

I just thought I'd share some of my favorite products right now!

MUFE Mat Duo Velvet: I'm sure you're wondering why I'm showing you this broken-ass powder. :D I was super sad when I dropped it TWICE within the first couple days of buying it. Since then I have lost a lot of product, but it doesn't change how I feel about this near-miracle worker. This powder is superb, it gives just the most flawless, airbrushed finish. I had heard good things about it before, so I'm glad I got it. It actually works amazingly well for a touch-up powder, after a few hours when I need a little blotting action or something. 

VS Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm: I got this in a holiday lip set from Victoria's Secret. I didn't think of even using it, figuring it probably would be cheapy crap. However, my lips had been super chapped for a few weeks, and it seemed like no lip balms were working, no matter how many I tried. So I figured it couldn't hurt to give this a try, and good news, it is amazing! Especially for curing peeling, chapped lips. I used to have such a hard time wearing most lipsticks because they would accentuate all my lips' imperfections, but this balm keeps them very moisturized and ready for any lip products, even lip pencils.  The best thing I've used in...well, ever!

Maybelline Define-A-Brow: This brow pencil is so awesome! I had been using a MAC brow pencil, but I couldn't get a very fine line with it, and I had to constantly sharpen it, wasting a lot of time. I have also used MAC's self-sharpening brow tool in 'Lingering', but I felt that, for the price of $15, it didn't last long- it lasted less than a month! I am used to pencils, which last forever. Anyways, I found out that Maybelline has this define-a-brow which is just like the MAC one, but half the price! So at $7, I can afford to waste a little bit of it. :)

Instant Chic Blush: I did a review on all of my Pret-A-Papier goodies, but here it is again! It has been my staple, go-to blush these days. It applies so perfectly and smoothly, I love it!

Bare Minerals in Fairly Medium: I recently discovered that BE had added a few colors to the line-up. I had to grab this one immediately- it's a perfect color match for me! I used to love Medium BE, but it was a bit too dark, so this is Medium with a bit of fair mixed in. Perfect!

Tarte Emphaseyes Eye Liner: Got this in a little tester set from Sephora. I love that it is self-sharpening, and that the liner is so fine-pointed, that it reaches into the itty bitty inner corners of my eye. Very awesome!

So, what are YOUR favorite products right now? 

Haul Alert/I'm Crying Inside...

...because I just spent WAYYYY too much money on internet makeup buying! *Cries*

Haha no, I'm absolutely excited, I just placed orders at:

-Sugarpill (I got the Burning Heart quad, Sweetheart quad, and Lumi & Goldilux loose eyeshadows)

-Glamour Doll Eyes (the Twi-Shadow collection, and samples of Apple Martini, Sex Appeal, Hello Brooklyn and Royal Assassin)

-Tarte Cosmetics (2 Clean Slate primers and Cheek Stain in Tipsy)

Ok now someone please take the credit card away! :P Oh and the reason I ordered at Tarte today, is that because it's April Fool's Day, they have a (no joke!) 40% sale. Just use code: APRILFL. It is today only!

As horrible as this is for my credit card, I am so excited to get all this stuff in my hands! And you know as soon as that happens, I will be sure to post reviews for it all. :) In the meantime, be sure to check out my review of Tarte's Clean Slate Primer from a few months back. It's pretty much the shiz.

What about you, what are your recent hauls??

Review: Tarte Toolbox for Brows

I picked up this brow kit a few months ago during a Tarte sale. I'm always looking for new brow products, and this kit was intriguing. For $18, the Tarte Brow Toolbox contains the following:

-Brow Gel

-Brow Pencil

-Tweezers

-Brow Brush

-Brow Powder

-Brow Wax

-3 Brow Stencils

-Mirror

-How-to Instructions

Review: Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer

Alright, this is a product that I've been wanting to review for a while now because it's so amazing. But I guess that now that I've been using it for 3 months, I have a great idea of how it works for the long-haul: it has been through many types of weather and many days of scrutiny, so I know it can with stand the test of time.

This, my friends is Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer.

 It is an all-natural product, free of parabens, preservatives, dyes, mineral oil and a ton more. Not normally one to stray far from my favorite, MAC, I actually was introduced to this primer by Sephora, who sent me a sample in one of my orders. Coincidentally, my sister also received one from her order, at about the same time. After just a couple of days, we conferred, and decided that this was one miracle product if we'd ever seen one.

It has a filmy, slightly opaque finish. Feels velvety when applied, and seems to fill in pores for a smooth, foundation-ready surface. 

Here it is in a blob on my hand: 

As you can tell, it is more matte, and while it is clear in color, it has a bit of the scotch tape effect. 

And now, here it is spread out a little bit so you can kind of get an idea of what the texture is. Note that this is not, by any means, blended out. When blended on the face, it is completely invisible. 

Why I love this product:

-I get a greasy face fast. However, I feel like with this primer, it staves off the grease a lot longer than with any other primer I've tried. My face looks great all day, even in to the evening.

-It can be worn under liquid/cream foundations OR powder/mineral foundations. Sometimes I find that powder + primer= huge mess, but not with this one. In fact, I find that it makes my mineral foundation look even and blotch free; it does not cake.

-It does not flake or dry up on the face. I've had this happen with some of the cult-fave primers. This one does not ever manifest itself in an unfortunate way. If I ever apply a little too much, it doesn't seem to adversely affect the way my makeup looks.

What I would change:

-The packaging is a little unfortunate. It is small (1.16 fl oz) and kind of hard to get product out. After the first few uses, it takes a lot of strength to squeeze the rest out, even though it appears as though there is a good amount left.

-The price is kind of steep: $27 for as I said, 1.16 fl oz. However, Tarte occasionally has friends and family sales (last one was 30% off), but I'm not sure how frequent these are. 

Despite the logistics of the product marketing, the actual product has been a life saver to me this summer. Living in Alaska (on the coast, no less), I have experienced cold, wet and windy weather, but I've also experienced hot, humid, 90-degree weather. I've had only the best experience with this product in all situations. And yes, I've been using it now for 3 months, so it definitely works the same the 50th time as it does the first time. :)