Make-Up for lost time

"Make-up for lost time."


So I know I intentionally made this blog for pretty much fashion-only posts, buuuuut I've changed my mind. I've noticed with the past few months, all I felt like talking about was make-up! I absolutely LOVE make-up. I think it's because for about 14 years of my life, I was a huge tomboy. Never bothered with clothes, hair, makeup, anything girly pretty much. Now, makeup is a true love of mine. Being an artist and a fairly creative person, its a huge way to express myself and just look pretty. :) For the past few years I haven't really stayed with one brand of makeup products. I just can't be that loyal to something unless it REALLY works. I do have a couple products I AM loyal to, however. With eyeshadow, most of my collection is MAC. I love their pigmentation and their finishes. I actually just purchased my first MAC blush last night after buying their products since I've been sixteen years old! I'm super picky and finicky when it comes to skin products, especially since I have fair, dry, extremely sensitive skin. Lately, I've been wanting to branch out of the MAC/Urban Decay/drugstore regimen. Most of my products consist of these and I want some new options! First of all, I can't use any MAC products on the face besides blushes. They just simply do NOT agree with my skin. Alot of MAC makeup artists claim that it's not the product, it's the way you wash and care for your skin, but I think it's total crap. I am probably the most caring, anal person about my skin because it IS so senstive. So I know its the makeup, not me. Not to mention their face products are so dry and cake-y looking! At least on me, they are.

So over the weekend I did a bunch of research on some HG makeup products on makeupalley.com while I was sitting outside enojying the BEAUTIFUL weather we had (and will continue to have!). I needed some different skincare. I usually use just a tinted moisturizer with some concealer, because heavy foundations usually break me out like crazy. But I found that my Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer wasn't cutting it. It was flaky and I had to use a TON of product to even remotely cover any redness. I came across some pretty promising stuff on the website- Make Up For Ever, Smashbox, Benefit (which I have some of their lipsticks and they're pretty awesome.) So I head to my local Sephora last night, thinking to pick up one of these items. I was pretty focused on MUFE, because I've heard alot of good stuff about the foundations that they have. I asked a girl who worked there- Courtney- and she told me right off the bat that I was looking in the wrong direction. She continued to tell me that I don't need a whole lot of coverage, but I do need to cover up some blemishes. She told me I had really good skin minus the breakout I was carrying. So at this point, I'm thinking "Great, she's going to shove me onto some expensive-ass product that I'm not willing to pay for." Because, in all honesty, most consultants at makeup counters usually do that. To my surprise, she really didn't! The MUFE foundation I was planning to buy was $34.00. After explaining my skin type to her, she took me right over to the Tarte display. I've heard of Tarte before (especially about their infamous cheek stains) but I've never tried a single product by them. I can't BELIEVE it's taken me this long to test it out! They have some pretty amazing products- and everything is all natural. No dyes, no perfumes, paraben-free, oil-free, animal friendly (alot of their stuff is Vegan!). Being a vegetarian for 4 years, and usually eating organic, this really caught my attention. And hello, my skin won't freak out!

She showed me their tinted moisturizer, Smooth Operator. I immediatly fell in LOVE. It's not cakey AT ALL. It gives a little more coverage than your average tinted moisturizer would, but it's definatly not a foundation. I still need a tiny bit of concealer in problem areas, which isn't a big deal to me. She put it on me and I said right away "Alright, I'll take one." I'm NEVER like that! I usually sit and wait on a product for the longest time until I decide I like it (*cough* MAC blushes *cough*) and I was pretty surprised with myself, haha. Then we continued talking about skin care (she seemed like she had very similar skin to mine) so she started to tell me all the products she uses. First of all, I was so thrilled when she showed me 4 different products from 4 different brands. I was so happy she didn't stick to one brand, because that usually means they're just trying to get money from you rather than actually help you. She gave me pretty hefty samples of a face primer (I've never used a face primer before, because I never thought you needed one unless you used a foundation), concealer, acne scarring treatment, and a breakout treatment. I was so happy about how super helpful and caring she was!

Wow, I didn't intend for this post to be super long, but I can rave about a makeup product I like forever, haha. I will most definatly be purchasing more Tarte products. I browsed around the display for awhile, just swatching some random products they had out, but I didn't have much time because the store was closing. I am so excited to try their stuff! And it's not much more expensive on stuff I already buy, like MAC and Urban Decay. Their stuff is absolutely amazing. So natural-looking, but playful at the same time. I highly recommend any makeup lovers to check their stuff out if you haven't!

www.tartecosmetics.com

(P.S. I am in no way being paid or endorsed by these products, in case I get any harrassment, haha.)