Tarte Call of the Wild Palette Review and Swatches

     More Tarte?! Of course.  The Tarte Call of the Wild Palette became one of my favorite go-to's for fall as soon as I picked it up before autumn came around last year.  Can I just start with the packaging?  It's sleek and shiny on the outside with that little pop of leopard print that peeks out - what beauty product hoarder could resist that?!  When you open it, it's just as exciting with the leopard print around the mirror as well as the shadows.  Is it wrong I could just look at this palette and justify the purchase?  Oh well.

     Now that all of that is out of the way, inside you will find 8 shadows that are - in my mind - perfect for autumn time.  You've got the coppery/bronze color,  the perfect deep cranberry color, a warm brown, and great frosty white.  The rest of the shadows are mostly matte - which is great!  The dusty gray/blue and navy blue make for such a beautiful spin on an ordinary brown or black smokey eye.  The peachy pale and light gray are matte and make for great blending colors.  I think that the formula of the mattes are really amazing - not too dry and chalky, but have great staying power. 

     Whenever I need a statement eye look, but not sure what to do or do not have a lot of time to plan it out - I grab for this palette! Recently, I've been loving a look with the pearly white on the inner 1/2 of my lid, the medium gray on the rest, and the deep navy in the crease and outer corner.  Navy shadow! Try it.

     One thing that I have to mention is that the eye shadow formula I talked about in my review of the Tarte of Giving set is different than these - since this palette is a little older.  I find that some of these take a little more working with, but still give a great end result.  I think the matte colors work about the same, but it is the shimmers that they have improved - which is funny because it is usually the other way around (matte formula's usually need improvement).  None the less, I've still been reaching for this palette for fall-time!

     Make sure to leave a comment and let me know what your favorite Tarte products are!  Hope you all enjoyed!

Maybelline Dark Circle Eraser Brightener Review and Swatch

     The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser Concealer has been raved about by quite a few bloggers - I've been using it for a couple years now!  Recently I decided to try out the "Brightener" version of this concealer.  You'll find it in the same display, but the shade will be Brightener.  It's a little pink compared to the others, but entirely amazing.      First off, some people like to use yellow concealer to correct their dark circles under their eyes - but if you don't have very warm-toned skin this won't look very natural for you.  The pink tone really brightens the area and covers up the blue/purple/black pigment that we can get under our eyes.  No, it doesn't look like you smudged pink marker under there.  It looks naturally bright.      One of the best things about this product is that while it is very pigmented, it is very LIGHT.  This makes it easy to use the actual concealer on top of it if you need to - it's thin enough that you can layer these products without making your under eyes look heavily caked with concealer.  On a daily basis I actually find that this brightener alone has enough coverage for my under eyes!  This provides such a natural AWAKE look.  I think it can shave years as well as built up stress off of your face.

My Tips:

♥ Lightly pat the applicator around the inner corner of your eye extending down over any dark areas underneath the eye.  Avoid dragging towards the outer part of the eye because this can actually bring out the look of bags (It highlights and brings out the uneven and slightly puffy part some people may have - keep it towards the inner corner!). ♥ Use your ring finger to gently pat in the concealer and blend it.  Using your finger will warm up the concealer allowing it to smoothly blend into the skin. Also, the ring finger is the weakest and gentlest to use on the delicate under eye skin. ♥ If you need a little extra coverage, let the brightener set and then apply a concealer over the top in the same way.  Keep each layer light and thin. ♥ If you want to set your under eyes with powder only use very finely-milled powder that will not make this area look cakey or dry. ♥ Always invest in a good eye cream - even if you have no bags or circles under your eyes dehydration can make you look tired or aged.

     I've been loving this awesome under eye brightener. Best part is it's easily accessible at the drugstore for around $8.  Let me know what you think!

Maybelline Shine-Free Stick Foundation Review and Swatch

     Shine-free foundation in an easy-to-use stick?  You know this was on my Wish List as soon as it came out (seriously, click on "wish list")!  Apparently Maybelline Shine-Free Stick Foundation was on everyone else's too because every time I was at the store I could never find the right shade.  They were either sold out or had been opened and pawed upon.  No thank you.  When Ulta finally replenished they're stock, I grabbed it!  I've been using this foundation for days when I just want to even my complexion out, but don't want to spend a whole lot of time on it.  Now that I have been using it for about a month (and STILL haven't done a review on it) let me give you the full break-down of this foundation. (and how you can prevent it from breaking down on your skin!)
Coverage: I would say Maybelline Shine-Free Foundation has medium coverage.  It's definitely not full but it isn't light either.  I think it's perfect for everyday wear.
Staying Power: I found that this foundation could be broken up by oil very easily.  It has this very weird balance - it keeps you from LOOKING oily, but still suffers wear from oil as any non-oil-controlling foundation would.  Weird; extremely weird.  But after trying a few different things I found that there are ways to really get the shine-free no-fading longevity out of this foundation.  For starters, it controls oil better when you DON'T use a primer.  Odd, I know.  Whatever "shine-free" stuff is in the center of this foundation does not work over the top of a primer.  Also, the way I apply it changes not only the finish, but the staying power.  A wet brush or beautyblender are the best methods. Controls oil great once you figure it out!
Finish: Applying with my fingers makes the coverage and finish a little uneven.  If I use a foundation brush the "shine-free" formula can actually be over drying (yes, even on an oily-skinned girl like myself).  If I wet my brush - perfect!  I've been using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (of stinkin' course, right?).  When I apply it this way, I get a great coverage that dries down to feel just like skin (not heavy or cakey), looks natural, keeps oil away, and is so quick and easy to apply.

My Tips:

♥ No primer ♥ Run your brush under the tap for a second and wring out the excess with a towel.   ♥ Swipe the foundation on the major plains of your face and use the damp brush to blend it out. The moisture makes the foundation go on so smooth and flawlessly! ♥ Wait until the foundation has dried and only use a small amount of powder to set it.

     Let me know if you have any favorite foundations or even BB creams that are nice for everyday wear for us oily-skinned girls!