Product Review: Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation

In my quest to make life on the weekends (and work days when I'm running late) a little bit easier and simpler makeup-wise, I set out to find a nice powder/mineral foundation that would be quick to apply and speed up my foundation routine.  Enter Tarte's

Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation

.  I also picked up the accompanying

Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation Brush

since I didn't already own a dense brush like it (I really haven't tried many mineral or powder foundations).  After trying it out both last weekend and a couple of days this week, I can truly say that I love this product.

Pros:

First off, the packaging is very sleek and travel friendly.  The mesh cover over the product and built-in stopper on the lid prevents the foundation from spilling out and getting everywhere if this were to be tumbling around in your bag.  You don't have to worry about opening this and being covered in a cloud of powder.  The mesh lining also works well at controlling the amount of product that is dispensed.  You just have to press the brush onto the mesh and it picks up the powder. 

As far as the application, I found this very easy to blend and build the coverage to your liking.  You'll still need to use concealer on blemishes and imperfections, but overall I thought this gave great, natural coverage.  It is especially great if you are running errands and just want to even things out, but not necessarily put on a full face of makeup.  The wide shade selection will help you achieve the results you want, too.

I found that this foundation really lasted on my skin and stayed in place all day, even during the work week when I have my makeup on for a good 15 hours or more.  If anything, my concealer broke down a bit but the foundation itself looked great on the places where I had only applied that.  I did use my Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray for work, but even without it this foundation still looked nice at the end of the day.

Cons:

The only downside I can really see, and it's more about the brush itself, is that if you have dry skin the brush can be a bit abrasive if you blend a lot and cause your skin to flake.  I've got combo skin, with dry areas on my chin and forehead, and I did see this happen in those areas.  Perhaps this could be remedied with a less-dense brush, but then you might be losing blend-ability.  Overall, it wouldn't prevent me from using this product.

Final Thoughts:

I think I can safely say that this will have a place on my vanity for a long time.  It will be my go-to for feeling put together on lazy weekends and mornings when I hit the snooze one to many times.  Plus, for travel it's one less liquid you have to squeeze into that teeny-tiny quart size bag.

If you've tried this foundation, what are your thoughts on it?  And if not, what's your go-to foundation for when you're in a pinch?

xoxo,

Amanda   

Oops...I Did it Again: Sephora Haul

I'm just going to come out and say it.  I'm a total sucker for promos, coupons, and sales.  Basically, I'm a marketer's dream customer.  BOGOs, 50% off, gifts with purchase and the like - they all get me.  This past weekend was no exception, with Sephora running their 2x, 3x, or 4x points offer depending on your Beauty Insider status.  I knew I needed to spend a little more to re-qualify for VIB again next year, so I figured this was as good a time as any to hit up the store and rake in the points while I was at it!  Oh, and did I mention that I actually made two trips there?  Once I re-qualified for VIB on Friday, I received an e-mail for 10% off my next purchase.  Then came another e-mail for a deluxe sample bag with purchase.  Does anyone know if Sephoraholics Anonymous exists?

Here's a little overview of the new goodies I picked up:

Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation & Airbuki Brush

I had been seeing this all over blogs and beauty channels lately, so I wanted to give it a try.  I had been looking for a mineral foundation anyway, for the days when I don't want to go through my full foundation routine but still want decent coverage.  Tarte is one of my favorite brands, so I went for it.  I've used it a couple of times already and can say that it does give great coverage and lasts even on my combo/oily skin.  Of course, you'll need concealer for any blemishes (aka mountain central on my chin lately!) but it does a great job at evening out your complexion.  I'll be doing a full in-depth review on this soon.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner

I go through phases with eyeliner, where I'm all about it for a few weeks and then I don't feel like bothering with it at all.  My problem is that I'm not the most skilled when it comes to the application, so unless I'm able to really take my time with it, I end up screwing it up (and then a string of expletives ensue).  What I like about this one is the ultra-fine tip that is perfect for achieving the thinnest line possible, because my eyes look smaller if I make the line too thick.  So far, I've found this easy to use and I've actually enjoyed putting it on in the morning.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Since I received this in Sephora's birthday gift last year, I've loved this mascara.  However, I've managed to come across sample sizes a few times and never had to buy a full one.  I finally did, and I like it even more.  It's easier to apply with a full size wand and easier to handle.  I will say, I have pretty long lashes to begin with but I definitely notice a difference with this mascara as compared to others.  It can get a little spidery if you're not careful, but I just make sure I don't overdo it with the coats.

Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment

This is one of the things I went back for with my 10% off.  I don't know what the heck is going on with my skin, but all of a sudden my chin is breaking out like crazy.  Treatments with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid just don't cut it for me, so I wanted to try something different.  The active ingredient in this is sulfur, which is supposed to treat your acne and reduce future breakouts.  I've used it two nights now and I can actually say that I have seen a reduction in the size and redness and of my breakouts.  Here's to hoping it continues to work just as well!

Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer

With my normal liquid foundation routine, I don't really use any concealer as extra coverage on my blemishes because I find that the foundation does a great job of covering them on its own.  To go with my mineral foundation from Tarte, I wanted to find a good concealer to dot on the blemishes so that I could still get the flawless look.  After playing with many different brands and products in the store, I ultimately decided on this one.  I haven't had a chance to actually wear it yet, but I'm hoping it wears just as well as it swatched in store! 

Sample Bag

These beauties are like opening a gift on Christmas morning, because you don't know what you're going to get!  There were definitely some generous-sized products included.

What beauty products have you hauled lately?

xoxo,

Amanda

Product Review: Dry Bar Detox Dry Shampoo

I picked up the VIP pack from Dry Bar recently at Sephora, and the Detox Dry Shampoo was included in the set.  After hearing about how great it was from Chelcey, I couldn't wait to check it out! 

I will say, my relationship with dry shampoo hasn't always been sunshine and roses.  The first kind I ever tried was TRESemme, and that stuff was absolutely positively awful!  It made my hair even more oily than it was before and it looked matted and gross.  Disgusting.  No thank you. 

Well, several years later, dear Chelcey shared with me her amazing fairytale of only washing her hair once a week (or longer).  *Gasp.*  But how??  Her answer, as you may guess, was dry shampoo.  I was reluctant to experience that catastrophe again, but I wanted to live this magical life of only washing your hair once a week.  If you have thick hair like me, you can imagine why.  I'm going to save the details for another post all about how I get a good 7 days out of each wash, but for now I wanted to share my thoughts on the Dry Bar product specifically.

The Good

:  I found that with this dry shampoo, if I first applied it on say, day 3 or 4, I wouldn't really need to reapply for a couple of days, if at all, before my next wash.  This is really amazing because it cuts down on buildup on your scalp.  Think about it, you're basically spraying white powder all over your roots and not washing your hair for a week, as in my case.  The less you have to use, the better.  This also means you don't have to repurchase it as often, which means more money in the bank.  Mo' money might mean mo' problems, but one of those problems will

NOT

be dirty hair!  Another thing I liked about this little guy specifically was that it was travel friendly for flying.  It fit nicely in my carry-on without taking up a lot of room.  Of course, this does come in a full size but it's nice to have the smaller one for trips.

The Bad

:  This dry shampoo had a very strong, perfume-y smell which irritated my throat.  I tend to have this problem with a lot of musky fragrances, although it wasn't quite as bad as straight up perfume.  It's not that the smell was bad in general, I'm just sensitive to it.  Maybe this is an allergy I never knew I had - I should probably go get that checked out.  Also, when I went to spray this at my roots, it seemed to come out really quickly and concentrated.  I looked like I had white patches of hair all over my head until I blended it out.  Even that was a little tough to do because you could still kind of tell where the product wasn't evenly distributed.  As long you blend it well you should be fine, but definitely take the time to do it right.

In the end, I'm glad I picked this up to try.  The lasting power of this is great, and definitely makes me want to grab a full size.  I can't say that I'll choose this over my drugstore finds all the time, but it's something I want to have on hand.  

Have you tried this dry shampoo?  I'd love to hear how you liked (or disliked) it!

xoxo,

Amanda

A Weekend Trip to Sephora

If you've been keeping up with things around here, you were probably expecting to see an outfits of the week post today.  Well, I failed at documenting my outfits this week so I decided to share my recent Sephora purchase instead!  I haven't stepped foot in a Sephora in the longest time, and even though I only got a couple of things, it was a struggle for me to even decide on buying these items.  Plus I went in wanting a certain Tarte palette, and when they didn't have it available, I kind of lost interest in shopping around.  Either I'm getting rusty or I've still got "no-buy" on the brain.

Here are the goods I picked up - Philosophy Purity Made Simple, Dry Bar VIP Pack, Korres Greek Yogurt, Givenchy Le Rouge.

I was nearly out of the Philosophy cleanser - a bottle I purchased for $10 on Black Friday last year! - so I needed to grab another.  I can't even count how many times I have repurchased this product, it's that amazing.  I don't even have the desire to try anything else.  It's gentle on my sensitive skin but effective nonetheless at removing even my long-wear foundation without the need for a makeup wipe.  The Dry Bar VIP Pack was something I had wanted to get my hands on for the longest time, but every time I popped into Sephora they didn't have it.  Finally, today they did, and that sort of made up for the Tarte palette.  Sort of.  It includes a dry shampoo, volumizing mousse, and hairspray.  Even better, they're all travel size so I can bring them along on my upcoming business trip.  Win win!

At checkout, I had over 1000 points to spend.  If you're familiar with how the Sephora Beauty Insider program works, then you know just how I got those points.  A wide-eyed emoji would be appropriate here.  I will say, I've been accumulating points for a while so I finally decided to grab a couple of perks.  They did have a pretty awesome Marc Jacobs reward, but I would have had to part with all 1000 points, which I couldn't bring myself to do at once.  So, I ended up with the Korres Greek Yogurt Sleeping Facial and Givenchy lipstick.  I was actually looking for the moisturizer to purchase anyway but they didn't carry it in my store, so I figured this would be a good way to try it.  As for the lipstick, well it's hard for this girl to resist an adorable mini lippie.

I'm looking forward to trying out the Dry Bar products and see how they compare to my trusty drugstore faves.  Let me know if you've tried it and what you thought!  And if you've been to Sephora recently, what things have you picked up?

xoxo,

Amanda   

June Favorites

I can't believe June is already over!  That just means I am getting closer and closer to moving to my new apartment, which I am

so

excited about.  I see many trips to World Market, Pier 1 and Home Goods in my future.  In the meantime, though, it's time for another round of monthly favorites.  This month I found myself using a mixture of old gems and new discoveries, a good balance if I do say so myself.  Here they are:

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray

If you can get past the tongue twister of a name, you will find that this stuff is uh-mazing.  I grabbed this from Target on a whim, wanting to take a break from heat styling and embrace my naturally wavy hair.  Well let me tell you, I love the results I got.  I usually go with mousse on days when I let my hair air dry (I have to use

something

or I end up with a frizzy disaster) but sometimes that can leave my hair a little bit crunchy.  Crunchy=yuck.  Your hair should not look like you just got out of the shower.  Anyway, as long as you're careful not to over-spray, this product will enhance your natural waves and leave you with the perfect beach-ready summery look.  I use it once my hair has air-dried for a little bit so that it isn't soaking wet.  If I need to get out the door and can't let it dry on it's own all the way, I'll use my blow dryer with a diffuser on the low setting to help speed along the drying process.  So far, I am really loving the NYM products that I've tried!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy

Keeping with my summer theme, I decided to give this coral blush a whirl for the majority of the month.  It's the first Tarte blush I ever purchased, and I love the quality of the Amazonian Clay line.  The color looks gorgeous against my fair skin and really makes my blue eyes pop.  If you're looking for a new blush for summer, I highly recommend this one.

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

After rocking the same eye look over and over again from my Naked Palette, I was ready for a change this month.  Enter the Naked Basics Palette.  Somehow this was shoved all the way in the back of my eyeshadow drawer, so I had completely forgotten about it.  Don't worry your pretty little head off though.  I avoided a near-tragedy and brought it back to life, just in time.  Even though it might not seem like a lot, this little sucker packs a lot of punch.  You can easily transition from a daytime to evening look.  My go-to look is W.O.S. all over the lid, Naked 2 as a transition color, and Faint to deepen the crease.  To amp it up a notch, highlight your brow with Venus and smoke out the outer corner with Crave.  

Esteé Lauder Double Wear Foundation

I devoted an entire blog post to this foundation, which you can find

here

.  To sum it up, this stuff is by far my favorite foundation I've ever tried.  And now that I've been wearing it consistently for a couple more weeks, I can say that it definitely has great lasting power, which is enhanced when used in combination with other products such as a setting spray.  I encourage you to run to your nearest Esteé Lauder counter ASAP and get some!

Urban Decay Naked Lip Gloss in Liar

I decided to take a break from lipstick for a while in June and go for lip gloss instead.  I picked this up back in April from Sephora and I'm really glad I did!  It's a nude-pinkish color that compliments any makeup look effortlessly.  It's not too bold, not to faint, it's

just right

.  Goldilocks moment aside, I know there may be similar colors out there, but from my personal collection this one is a winner.

Merona T-Shirt Dress from Target

I'm going to keep this snippet short and sweet.  After hitting up the Esteé Lauder counter, you should continue running onto Target and grab one of these in every color available.  You can't beat getting an entire outfit for $20.  Switch out different belts and statement necklaces, and the possibilities are endless.  See my BaubleBar haul

post

for inspiration.

Pretty Little Liars

I had to find a new show to watch this month, since all of my usual ones are on summer hiatus.  For whatever reason, I chose Pretty Little Liars.  Probably because everyone is always talking about the latest and greatest episode.  I didn't want to be left off of the bandwagon any longer.  And because there have already been several seasons, I have 96 glorious episodes to binge-watch to my heart's content.  I'm about 20ish episodes in so far, and I am completely hooked.  Give me another month, and I'll probably be caught up to the current season.

So, now that you know my June faves, what are some of yours?

xoxo,

Amanda