Review: Tarte Matte Waterproof Bronzer

Tarte Matte Waterproof Bronzer packaging

When looking for a product to contour with, it is recommended to go for a matte bronzer/blush. I generally love Tarte because it doesn't irritate my skin. However, this would be the exception to that statement. I wanted to try to add some definition to my face so, I was immediately searching for a decent matte bronzer on MakeUpAlley. It came down to this and MAC's blush in Blunt. Somehow, my brain was drawn to this (perhaps the nice packaging...) and I was off to Sephora on my next free day. 

I tried to contour with this with my MAC 109 brush. Nothing too off the charts extraordinary, just the simple "E" makeup artists always recommend. Let me just say, it look ALOT of building to even show up on my NC30 skin. I eventually gave up and just let it be so I could be on my way to finishing my eye makeup. 

That night, after some tedious scrubbing with my Clarisonic MIA, I got it all off. The next morning was something I was not pleased about! I looked in the mirror and my jawline which usually breaks out because of hormonal acne, had 3 big pustules forming. My hairline was broken out, but it's like that always so I really don't blame the bronzer for that. However, what really clued me in was my cheeks! The area where I placed the bronzer, on both of my cheeks, was forming multiple hard pustules; all of which were right in the area where I contoured. I think it's safe to conclude that my angry skin did not react well to this product. 

Tarte Matte Waterproof Bronzer swatch

Sadly that is heavily swatched...

After waking up to my face being worse than the usual mess that it is, I looked up the ingredients.
They include: 

"Boron Nitride, Dimethicone, Silica, Nylon-12, Zinc Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polysilicone-11, Aqua, Pentylene Glycol, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Lauroyl Lysine, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Methicone, Capryloyl Glycine, Mica, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)."

If you are acne-prone and are sensitive to any of those ingredients (such as silicone) stay far away from this. 

Who would I recommend this for?

• People with lighter skintones
• People in the market for a matte and waterproof bronzer
• People with skin not sensitive to any present ingredients (such as acne-triggering titanium dioxide or silicones) 

Pros
-Silky texture
-Truely matte
-Looks nice on lighter skintones
-Is waterproof

Cons
-Price
-One shade offered 
-Not going to show up on darker skin
-Not great building up abilities 
-May upset skin due to silicone 


I still love the brand Tarte, but this product and me have a hateful relationship. 

--Linh

Review: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes

(L-R Blissful, Achiote, Charisma, Natural Beauty)

While browsing through the aisles of Sephora, the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush display is bound to catch a handful of customer's eyes. While some of the colors are very vibrant and bright, they look beautiful and less frightening once blended out. So, please do not allow the pan color to scare you.  I currently own 4 and I love every single one of them! 

What does Tarte claim?

"Infused with natural clay harvest from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun, this nutrient-rich blush benefits all skin types for a fade-free flawless finish for an amazing 12 hours."

My verdict:

These blushes are absolutely amazing and I highly recommend them. The four shades that I own are great for everyday wear. On my oily skin, it really does live up to the claim of lasting 12 hours. They are highly pigmented so you only need a very minimal amount to get color to show up on your cheeks. While you can easily build it up, you can also sheer it out for a nice flush. Although I question the overall benefits of the longtime use that Tarte claims, this blush is great for what it is and doesn't break out my very acne prone skin. Overall, I highly recommend stopping by the display and swatching a few. I'm sure one of the fifteen shades will catch your eye and you won't regret biting the bullet of buying one!

Pros

-Very pigmented

-Great for everyday wear

-Works for dry or oily skin

-Doesn't irritate sensitive skin

-Not powdery

-Minimal amount of product needed

-Long lasting (14 hours for me)

-Smooth
-Wide range of shades

Cons

-Price

Swatch Gallery: 

Blissful

Achiote

Charisma

Natural Beauty

Blissful - matte warm peachy/pink (My personal favorite)

Achiote - matte a tad warmer peachy/pink than Blissful, but EXTREMELY similar

Charisma -  shimmery warm pink (Similar to BeneFit's Bella Bamba)

Natural Beauty - matte muted strawberry red (VERY pigmented. Use a very light hand or stippling brush. I use the MAC 187.)

Heavily Swatched (L-R Blissful, Achiote, Charisma, Natural Beauty)

With Flash (L-R Blissful, Achiote, Charisma, Natural Beauty)

Although I love these, I don't think I'll be buying all fifteen. Gotta give love to the blushes I already own! 

-Linh

Hello everyone!

After alot of contemplating, I've finally decided to start a blog!  Being snowed in by Blizzard Nemo gave me the chance to sit down and start.  I know that I personally love exploring beauty blogs by other bloggers so why not join in!

I'm not going to constrict this blog to just make up. I plan to post about a range of topics that I hope you guys find helpful and interesting. I know that alot of ladies out there struggle with their skin, and you're not alone! My dermatologist classifies me as having moderate/severe acne and I'm about to embark on a 5 month journey of Accutane (isotretinoin). I plan to make a log of symptoms that occur along the way to keep you guys informed incase it potentially helps any of you who are considering the drug. Needless to say, I aim to use products that hide acne while not making it worse.

I'll talk to you guys soon!