Origins Brightening Musts Skincare Kit Review

 Hey! Another half-finished draft post! Woo! I bought this set from beauty.com ages ago, but I've already repurchased two of the three products since then.  I bought my first Origins skincare item back in Fall of 2011 and I've been a huge fan ever since.

This kit consisted of a full-size VitaZing SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer, a travel-size Modern Friction dermabrasion creme and a travel-size GinZing eye creme.

What I liked:

• VitaZing is great.  It's hydrating, tinted and it smells good.  It doesn't make me break out or otherwise irritate my skin.  I've repurchased this.
• GinZing is also hydrating and it has a little bit of peachy tint when applied so it brightens the eye area.  Works well and doesn't sting my eyes.  I've repurchased this as well.
• The kit as a whole was a good price, but it's now sold out.  

What I didn't like:

• VitaZing only came in one shade when I bought this.  The tint is good in the summertime when my face is a little more tan, but a bit dark and obvious when I'm paler.
• Modern Friction burns like hell.  It stung my skin, my nose, my eyes, my lips, everything.  To add insult to injury, it didn't even do a good job of exfoliating.  I don't intend to ever experience that again.  Bleh.
• GinZing in a jar dries out way faster than GinZing in a tube. 

My Origins holy grail is the Mega Mushroom line, but I love the "zing" things just as much.  I suppose the mushroom products are better for winter and these are better for summer.  Really, out of all the Origins stuff I've tried since 2011, Modern Friction is the only thing I haven't liked, and when it comes to me and skincare items, that's really rare.

Benefit Perk Up Artist Complexion Correcting Palette Fall 2012 Swatches and Review

 

Here's Benefit's newest complexion-enhancing palette: the Perk-Up Artist.  It has three color-correcting shades that can be used alone or custom blended to meet your concealing needs.

Benefit Perk-Up Artist Custom Complexion Correcting Palette

Correct is a light yellow concealer, good for counteracting redness and discoloration

Cover is a medium peach concealer, good for hiding dark circles and blemishes

Brighten is a light creamy pink concealer, good for adding brightness without adding shimmer

What I liked:

• The palette itself is small and compact, comes with a mirror and a very good brush, and has lids that snap over each compartment.  Excellent design.
• The concealer formulas are smooth, creamy, and blend into skin flawlessly.
• The pink really is great for brightening around the eye area.
• The yellow makes a good eyeshadow base in a pinch.

What I didn't like:

• My skintone is somewhat fair and the peach Cover concealer is sometimes visible if I haven't blended enough.  However, blending too much decreases coverage.
• The texture of the concealers stays a little creamy/sticky and must be set with powder. 
• Not ideal for heavy-duty concealing due to semi-sheer, creamy formula.  Best for slight color correction (brightening in corners of eyes, around nose and mouth, adjusting dark circles, lessening the look of small scars or hyperpigmentation).
• The palette is rather small and each product is only 0.05 oz, so $30 seems a little steep.  A full-sized Erase Paste is $26 and better for heavy-duty concealing, a full-sized Eye Bright pencil is $20.

Overall, I like the size and design of the palette and the texture of the concealers.  It's very handy for some quick color correcting and light concealing.  If you're looking for something with a little more coverage or need more than just color correction, I'd recommend the Confessions of a Concealaholic  set instead, as it comes with two shades of Boi-ing, a mini Erase Paste, Eye Bright, That Gal and Lemon Aid for only $36.

And I was also thinking... that goofy "Perk-Up Artist" on the front of the palette kinda reminds me of someone else. 

Benefit's Perk-Up Artist palette is $30 and is not limited edition.

(This was sent for review.)

Beauty.com $25 Beauty Favorites Set from Walgreens

I was at Walgreens over the weekend looking for Halloween stuff and stumbled across this little pink box of awesome at the beauty counter:

 

 Beauty.com Beauty Favorites

An exclusive collection of prestige beauty essentials

$130 value + free $10 promotional card

$25

The set includes:

• Borghese Linea Precisa Eyeliner in Black (0.015 fl oz) - full size!
• Mally Volumizing Mascara in Black (0.39 fl oz) - full size!
• LORAC Lips with Benefits in Mark (0.19 fl oz) - full size!
• Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten in Pink Grapefruit (0.176 oz)
• Bliss Lemon + Sage Body Butter (1.7 fl oz)
• Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask (2.0 oz)
• Perricone MD High Potency Amine Face Lift with DMAE and Vitamin C Ester (0.5 fl oz)
• Murad Age Reform 3 Hydrate + Protect Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture (0.25 fl oz)
• $10 Beauty.com Gift Card

 

 LORAC Lips with Benefits in Mark

(I really like these- I've previously reviewed them here)

Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten in Pink Grapefruit

(After watching Laura Geller talk about these on QVC for years, I've really been wanting to try one!)

I haven't used most the items in the set yet, but so far I'm loving the Bliss body butter (using it as hand cream at the moment, it smells lovely and feels even nicer!) and the Borghese eyeliner (it's a marker-style liner but it's nice and wet so it makes a smooth line). 

I thought this set was an absolute steal for only $25.  There's three full-size products in here, and the travel-sized items are also rather large.  Plus there's also a $10 beauty.com gift card, so that's just icing on the cake.  I'm really not crazy about beauty.com's shoddy customer service or the way they pack their shipments, but, hey, $10 is $10!

If you like try-me kits and getting a really good deal on them, you'll probably want to keep your eye out for this one next time you're at Walgreens!

Tarte The Miracle of Maracuja Eight Piece Skin Smart Collection Swatches and Review

The Tarte Miracle of Maracuja Skin Smart Collection was a QVC Today's Special Value a couple weeks ago. I've been wanting to try more of Tarte's new items after falling in love with the Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum, and this was the perfect way to do that since it includes eight full-sized items for nearly the price of one (the Maracuja oil alone is $46, the entire kit cost $60). The set includes:

• 1.7-fl-oz pure maracuja oil with dropper
• 0.28-oz Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
• 0.24-fl oz Lights, Camera, Lashes! Volumizing Mascara in Black
• 0.20-oz Envoke the Smoke Eye Shadow Quad with four eye shadows in Pink Cloud, Silver Mist, Purple Fog, and Dark Ash
• 0.19-oz Air Blush Bouncy Blush in Amused, a shimmering poppy
• 0.12-fl-oz Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Peaceful, a nude pink
• 0.01-oz Cashmere Waterproof Eyeliner in Black
• Blush Brush

Tarte 100% Pure Cold Pressed Maracuja Oil.

This is pure oil and has a thin and light but slippery texture. It's not as runny as pure mineral oil, not as thick as jojoba. It feels and smells a lot like canola oil to me, actually.

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light.

This has an extremely thick texture that's nearly impossible to squeeze out of the tube. It must be warmed on the back of the hand in order for it to spread. It's very similar feeling to the IT Cosmetics concealer.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Volumizing Mascara in Black.

It's refreshing to use a mascara with a normal, plain, old-fashioned brush since every mascara I'm used to has either a massively huge brush or some spiky rubber monstrosity. I've used this mascara before and liked it; it feels and applies the way I remember it. It's on the dry side but has very good coverage, even application and it doesn't clump my lashes together.

Tarte Beauty & The Box Eyeshadow Quad in Envoke the Smoke (Pink Cloud, Silver Mist, Purple Fog, Dark Ash).

The three dark shades feel very soft, smooth and powdery while the light pink has a hard, chalky texture. The pink also has extremely poor pigmentation; it's basically invisible on me, only leaving behind traces of slightly shimmery, chalky reside. The dark shades have good pigmentation but are very muddy. The purple turns grey when blended. Shades are swatched over a layer of Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Eye Base.

Tarte Airblush Maracuja Bouncy Blush in Amused.

This has a very interesting texture. It looks like powder but it's actually a cream. Despite the "bouncy" descriptor in the name, it's not one of those airy, bouncy mousse blushes. It feels light with a lot of glide, a little oily even. The color looks extremely bold in the pan but it actually goes on surprisingly sheer and you really have to build it to get it to show up.

Tarte Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss in Peaceful.

This is a click pen style gloss and you have to click it a lot to get any product to come out. The first use took me over one hundred clicks to get the product into the brush. Once applied, it has a smooth but slightly sticky texture and a very mild mint scent. It lasts for a reasonable amount of time, but it's so sheer that it doesn't provide any color, only shine.

Tarte Cashmere Waterproof Gliding Liner in Black Magic.

This is a pretty standard black liner. Goes on smooth, but not as smooth as it could be. Reminds me a whole heck of a lot of a Stila Smudge Stick, right down to the terrible non-retractable twist up tube. The liner itself is very good but I'm not fond of that style of tube at all.

Tarte Airbrush Finish Bamboo Blush Brush.

Soft, fluffy, not as dense as it looks. Similar in feel to a MAC 187 (soft white tips, firmer black bristles at the base), but it's domed. I've only used this for applying blush twice. It felt nice but it's a little too big for me. I have better luck applying blush or bronzer with a smaller, more precise brush.

And as a surprise, the kit also came with these little extras:

Tarte Brazilliance Skin Rejuvenating Maracuja Self Tanner and Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Eye Base.

I don't plan on using the self tanner, so I can't comment on that other than noticing that it's tinted and has a gel texture. I have used the eye base and found it to provide great color correction (it applies as a light beige pink), but it had an unusual texture and didn't grab onto or intensify the shadows like my usual primers do.

Here's a look I did using products from the kit. This was:

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Eye Base
Tarte Pink Cloud on lid and browbone
Tarte Silver Mist on outer third of lid
Tarte Purple Fog in crease and on lower lashline
Tarte Dark Ash to deepen crease color
Tarte Cashmere Waterproof Gliding Liner in Black Magic, smudged
Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara
Tarte Silver Mist on brows.

What I liked:

• Gorgeous packaging. I love the regal purple and gold tubes and the floral motif on the palette and gloss. Everything in here looks so pretty, even the sample tube of self tanner.
• The mascara gives me a really full, fringe-like, defined lash look with pretty decent length and volume.
• The gloss feels nice on the lips and is good for a little shine and a natural look.
• The stripes of shadow in the palette are wide enough to get a brush into without picking up the color next to it.
• The darker shadow shades in the palette are pretty nice for doing a smoky eye and the soft black is a nice staple color.
  
• The black liner is nice.
• The brush feels really soft and good, I'll probably end up using it for powder after I wash the blush out of it.
• The kit is an amazing deal. $60 for eight full sized items, most of which retail for over $20 each.
• This kit is available as an auto delivery with two more shipments of different products... Of course I signed up.
  

What I didn't like:

• I hate the lipgloss click pen. It's even more annoying to use than a Stila Lip Glaze because you have to click it SO MUCH every single time.
• The gloss is basically colorless on the lips. I wouldn't pay $21 for it by itself, but I like it enough to use the one I have.
  
• Why doesn't the eyeliner retract? Maybe it's more sanitary that way? Come on, though. Terrible design.
• The blush color is pretty awful on me. It's really orangey and ruddy, but not in a way I can pull off. I'm normally a fan of red and orange blushes (MAC Primpin'/Golden Kitty, Nars Exhibit A) but this looks like a rusty bruise on me.
• The Maracuja oil is a mystery to me. It smells like old fried food. I used it on my skin as a night serum for a few days and all it did was make me break out pretty bad. Seems expensive for me to just use it as cuticle oil.
  
• The pink shadow in the palette felt like chalk and had very poor payoff.
• The concealer creates (or highlights) the appearance wrinkles under my eyes. I never noticed that I had wrinkles under my eyes until I used this, and I don't see them when I'm not using it.
• The concealer creates a rough texture wherever I've used it on my face, and when I set it with powder, it looks very obvious.
  
• The concealer is so thick that it's very hard to get out of the tube, I feel like it's going to explode every time I try to use it.
• For some reason, my tube of concealer won't sit flat. It always rolls to the left. Huh?
• The concealer tube also feels like it's half empty, which is odd.
  
• The mascara flakes if I touch my eyes too much.

So far there's nothing in here that I really love, but it's not a bad kit overall. I was able to try a lot of things I've been curious about without having to spend a lot. I would like to try different shades of the gloss, liner and shadow for sure. I'd be interested in trying the blush again if there was a better color for my skintone, but I'm more curious about the Amazonian Clay ones everyone has been raving about, so I hope they include one of those in a kit soon. Definitely looking forward to seeing what's in the July auto delivery.

The Tarte Miracle of Maracuja Eight Piece Skin Smart Set is a QVC exclusive.

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum Review

I first discovered the Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum through one of those deluxe sample kits that Sephora sometimes does. It came as a 0.3oz sample tube in the In The Glow kit (the same kit which also led me to discover my beloved Boscia Black Mask) and I don't know if I ever would have tried it otherwise. I'm glad I did, because it's become one of my most favorite everyday beauty items.


I love the pretty purple box it comes in, but what's up with Sephora smashing everything to hell lately? Within the past year or so, every time I order something from them, at least one thing in the box comes looking smashed or mutilated and sometimes actually legitimately broken. Someone in their warehouse/shipping department must have anger management issues.


The actual product tube isn't pretty and purple, but it is still visually appealing. It's a fleshy-looking slightly sparkly squeeze tube with a star design and a purple cap with a plastic outer layer.


The squeeze tube is neither flimsy nor overly stiff and the opening of the tube is small enough to keep it from being messy and over-dispensing product, but not so small that it's hard to get enough product out.


The texture of the Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum is like a light silicone primer. It feels more wet than the average silicone primer, and a little more loose and lotion-like. It's more like a smooth gel with a creamy but not oily texture. The color of it seems worryingly dark, foundation-like and opaque when it comes out of the tube, but it blends out to almost nothing.


When it's blended onto the skin, it doesn't have much color but it does leave behind a slight golden shimmer and a soft-focus blurred effect.

Here's some of the product claims (taken from Sephora.com):

Tarte Smooth Operator™ Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum

What it is:
An illuminating serum fortified with Amazonian clay.

What it does:
Ideal for all skin types, this natural skin brightener is infused with Amazonian clay, vitamins, and tea extract to moisturize and replenish the skin. This healing clay completely neutralizes any negative skin condition so that you are left with a healthy, radiant complexion.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

What else you need to know:
Oily skin? Amazonian clay minimizes oil in and around pores to balance skin and keep product in place. Dry skin? This nourishing clay hydrates skin naturally to restore moisture so your makeup wears better, longer and truer.

-Amazonian Clay: Reduces dryness and flakiness, improves skin clarity, elasticity, firmness, and texture while removing oil from the skin's surface for smooth makeup application and wear.

-Chamomile Extract: Acts as a hypoallergenic and anti-inflammatory agent; treats and heals dry or damaged skin.

-Vitamin C: Fights free radical damage and prevents oxidative stress and premature signs of aging, while brightening skin.

-Vitamins A and E: Act as anti-inflammatory emollients and protect against free radical damage.

-Sodium Hyaluronate: Retains moisture to plump fine lines and wrinkles.

I actually don't wear this alone (like a primer) as recommended. I didn't really like it applied straight to my skin, but I adore it when mixed with my foundation. When I use this, I squeeze about half a dime's worth of product onto the back of my hand and then I pour out about a nickel-sized amount of my foundation on top and blend them together. I then use a damp Beauty Blender sponge to apply the mixture to my entire face and occasionally set it with powder.

I was already very happy with my foundation on its own (Revlon Colorstay for Oily Skin, I'm talking Holy Grail status happy), but this just puts it over the top. I'll try to explain what I like about in bullet-point form:

What I liked:

• Adds a subtle glow and luminosity to my skin without looking sparkly or greasy. It has shimmer in it, but when mixed with foundation, you don't see sparkles, just an actual, visible brightening effect. I am really happy with how this makes my skin look when used together with my Colorstay foundation.
  
• Makes my foundation go on extra smooth, much nicer than how it goes on alone.
  
• It both controls shiny spots and evens out dry spots. This is one of the packaging claims and it really does live up to it.
• Doesn't make me break out.
• When I have dry, flaky areas on my face, it helps make them look smoother and doesn't draw attention to them.
• The tube lasts forever. It took me months to finish the sample tube, and I've been using the full size (1.7oz) for almost four months and haven't even put a dent in it.

What I didn't like:

• When I use it alone (which I've only done twice), it sits weird on my skin and feels strange.
• Wish the tube was purple.
• If I overdo it and use too much, it makes my foundation too slippery and it won't apply evenly.
• It controls oil for a good long while, but around the 6-8 hour mark, I do need to reapply powder or use blotting linens.
  

I've been on this quest to start paying more attention to my skin/skincare routine and not just the fun things (why spend money on moisturizer when you can spend it on neon green eyeshadow, right?) and while this was an accidental discovery (would have never tried it if it wasn't included in that kit), it's turned out to be one of the best things I've ever used. I've been using it every single day since last September and I still love it. I love the glow it gives me, the brightening effect it has on my skin, the texture-smoothing aspect, the way it absorbs oil but also doesn't make my skin dry or cakey from the clay. Everything. It's not a miracle worker, it doesn't give me 100% perfect skin just from using it, but it does make an obvious, noticeable difference for me, and that's what's important.

Also, after using this and being really impressed by it, I have a renewed interest in Tarte. I tried a sample of the Amazonian Clay finishing powder and loved it, so I ordered the Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation (should be here any day now) and that Miracle of Maracuja kit that was the QVC Today's Special Value last week... Hopefully I like those as much as I love this stuff.

I got my Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum from Sephora, $32 for 1.7 oz.