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Showing posts with label High End. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High End. Show all posts

Monday, 1 May 2017

High-End Concealer Battle // Worth the Splurge?


Considering I'm a massive makeup collector/hoarder its unsurprising that my concealer collection has grown *slightly* out of control. However, I have been enjoying rotating these different concealers depending on what look I'm going for. I wanted to start by saying I enjoy using all of these, however, some stand out more than others. I've also included the shade I use for reference. I would describe my skin tone as fair, with neutral to warm undertones.

// Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

Pros:
  • Medium-full coverage
  • Lightweight, thin formula
  • Easy to blend
  • Long-wearing
  • Limited creasing under the eyes
  • Sets to a matte, velvety finish, so you don't need to set with a power
  • This concealer has the perfect sized applicator that dispenses just the right amount of product - magic!
Cons: 
  • Can be a little more drying, particularly if you have drier skin.
  • Will need to layer the product to get a fuller coverage.
My shade: Fair Neutral (Light Warm is similar but more yellow)


Probably my least favourite (sorry Too Faced!)

Pros:
  • Light, thin formula
  • Easy to blend
  • Hydrating
  • Great for a more natural look
Cons:
  • Coverage is quite natural, so doesn't work very well on dark circles
  • Formula is too thin and hydrating to cover blemishes
  • The packaging can get quite messy with product spilling out the top
  • Not very long-lasting and prone to creasing under the eyes
My shade: Very Fair - This shade is quite similar to my skin tone, so not great for highlighting. If you are fairer than me you might have trouble finding a shade.


Apparently one of these is sold every 26 seconds!

Pros:
  • Very high coverage
  • Thin formula that doesn't feel thick or cakey 
  • Blends easily
  • Limited creasing under the eyes
  • Long-wearing 
Cons:
  • Giant applicator can dispense way too much product! Not too much of an issue but make sure to scrape off any excess
  • Only available in Australia from tarte.com so you will have to try and shade match yourself using swatches online.
  • I found that this concealer doesn't layer well over other correctors/concealers, which you don't necessarily need because the coverage is so high!
My shade: Fair - The lightest shade out of all these concealers. Perfect for when I want a really highlighted look.



Pros:
  • The formula is so light and thin its pretty much undetectable on the skin!
  • Beautiful for highlighting and perfect for brightening under the eyes
  • Blends easily
  • Super versatile - can be used all over the face including to highlight under the brows and to define the lip line.
Cons:
  • Not cruelty free
  • Incredibly expensive! I spend a lot of money on makeup but the price of this makes me cringe a little.
  • This is not really a concealer, the formula is targeted towards brightening so needs to be layered over something else as it won't actually cover anything on its own.
My shade: No.2 (I could definitely go a little lighter for a more highlighted look)


Not necessarily a concealer, but I thought I would include this because I find this to be the BEST option for dark circles.

Pros:
  • Think colour theory - peach/orange shades are opposite blue/purple on the colour wheel - so it is amazing at counteracting darkness under the eyes.
  • Easy to blend
  • You only need a small amount of product 
Cons:
  • Not cruelty free
  • The formula is very thick and creamy so it's essential that you take your time to blend this in properly.
My shade: Light Peach. There are two different undertones - peach and bisque. Bisque is more pink toned perfect for neutral to cool skin and peach is more salmon toned and works better on olive and warm skin.

So who comes out on top?

My favourite is definitely the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. However, if you're a full coverage fan, Tarte's Shape Tape has a similar thin, lightweight formula with that extra coverage! Also if you do suffer from blue or purple darkeness under the eyes, a corrector is the best way to go.

What's your correcting and concealing routine?

xx Cat

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Brand Focus//Tarte

Tarte is fast becoming one of my favourite makeup brands ever. From the first sweep of blush across my cheeks, I knew it would be a long love affair. Now with Tarte available on Australian shores my hot little hands have got hold of some amazing products from the line.

As I mentioned above the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes are of incredible quality and easily my favourite product from Tarte. My first Tarte blush was 'Natural Beauty' which is a classic rouge and absolutely gorgeous on pale skin tones! I love using this with a heavier eye look as it gives a natural flush. The other Tarte blushes in my collection are all limited edition which is very special but unfortunately you probably won't be able to get your hands on these shades unless they are re-released. In the Rainforest After Dark Palette is 'Unleased' a lovely muted, rosy nude and the Pin Up Girl Palette has five shades: Breathless, Embraced, Whimsy, Bashful and Irreplaceable. These blushes truly do last 12 hours which is fantastic for those who need their makeup to stay on through long days at work!


One of my favourite new finds from Tarte are their eyeshadows. I have been drooling over the new Tartlette palette on instagram but of course, it hasn't yet landed in Australia. Lucky I've already had a chance to try out their shadows in a few of their limited edition palettes I've got so I can tell you that I highly recommend picking up the Tartlette palette when it comes in stock in Sephora.


On high rotation for me at the moment is the 20 pan eyeshadow palette from the Bon Voyage Holiday Set. The matte shades are incredibly creamy and just a dream to apply. They are probably one of the best matte eyeshadow formulas that I have ever tried. They also last so well on the lids, which is quite a feat on my super slippery eyelids. The shimmers are also beautiful and shades apply true to pan. From gorgeous, every neutral shades to a dark forest green and deep navy this palette is a dream come true - a smooth and long-wearing dream.

Tarte definitely do eye products well because their mascaras also meet the mark. I have fallen in love with Lights, Camera, Flashes which is surprising because I usually hate mascara wands with plastic bristles. At first I wasn't impressed and mostly just ended up with mascara in my eye but once I figured out the two-step system I found this mascara gave amazing long and voluminous lashes - and it's as easy as using one side of the wand then turning it around and using the other side! Whilst Lights, Camera, Flashes has been in my makeup bag for a while, I've recently been trying the Gifted mascara which is beautiful for length, whilst still looking natural and the Lights, Camera, Lashes is somewhere in between the two.

I haven't tried too many of the Tarte lip products however I do recommend their LipSurgence Lip Tints. I have the shades 'Elite' a lovely peachy-coral and 'Romantic' a rosey-nude. These are similar to the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stains with a creamy, moisturising formula whilst still packing a punch in terms of pigmentation. I also own one of their LipSurgence Lipgloss in 'Visionary'I'm not much of a lipgloss girl so I don't reach for this very often but its slightly too sticky for me to wear this on its own.

Finally, the product that started my Tarte obsession was the Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation. Whilst I used to be obsessed with mineral makeup, this product has sat in the back of my draw for a while. I'm glad I pulled it out again because the finish of this foundation is like unicorn babies have licked your face and left magical, buttery skin behind. I buff this foundation in using the Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush.


Tarte is available from Sephora in Sydney. Browse the Tarte collection here.

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