bareMinerals Glamour Now QVC TSV - Love!

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

I've tried writing an interesting introduction for this post multiple times. It isn't working, so I give up. I'll try again on the next post. :-)

I recently ordered a bareMinerals QVC Today's Special Value set called Glamour Now. It contains: a Ready eyeshadow quad in The Main Event, a Ready luminizer in This Magic Moment, a blush in Glamour, the Brightening Pearl Perfect Light Mineral Veil, Smoke & Define double-ended liner, a Marvelous Moxie lipgloss in Dazzler, a Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara, a contour blush brush, and a tapered shadow brush.

This set of 9 pieces is set to air on QVC on November 25. It is selling for $49.98 with $6.72 shipping and handling through the official TSV date. If there are any left after that date, the price will go up to $61. Don't count on any being left though. Last year's bareMinerals holidays TSV sold out well before the end of the day. As of right now, QVC doesn't have a retail value listed for this set, but just a Ready eyeshadow quad and a Lash Domination mascara sell for $48, so it is almost like getting the other 7 items in the set for free.

If you sign up for the auto-delivery version, like I did, you'll receive sets with new colors in April, July, and October. If you don't want the auto-delivery shipments, you can pick up the individual set here.

I'm not obsessed with all things rose gold, but I have to admit that the rose gold packaging in this set is gorgeous. The shiny finish does show fingerprints, but it can wipe clean easily enough of they bother you.

Eyeshadows

The Ready shadow quad included in the set is called The Main Event and has the shades Celebrate, Ball Gown, Cheers, and Stiletto.

From right to left: Celebrate, Ball Gown, Cheers, Stiletto

Celebrate is a satin-finish cream shade.
Ball Gown is a shimmery peach-champagne shade.
Cheers is a shimmery grey-taupe shade.
Stiletto is a brown with a plummy undertone that has lots of multi-colored glitter (with most of them being gold and purple).

The shadows are pigmented and buttery smooth. I love the combination of shades. The warmth of Ball Gown works surprisingly well with the coolness of Cheers.

Face Products

The Ready Luminizer included with the set is called This Magic Moment. It's a beautiful rose-gold highlight that adds sheen to the skin without a lot of glitter.

The shade itself is a little bit awkward for my particular skintone. It's too deep to be a highlight for the tops of my cheekbones. I tried using it as a blush, but it has too much sheen to be used on its own that way. So far, my favorite way to use it in conjunction with a blush on the apples of my cheeks.

The blush shade Glamour that comes in this set is a light, neutral pink with fine pink shimmer. It is a really nice, everyday color.

Even though it isn't new, I have to comment on the closeable sifter. The products in this set are the first ones I've owned since they added this feature, and it is really nice. It's well constructed, so there's no risk of product leaking through the sifter holes. Also, the fact that there are only 3 holes allows for a lot of control when dispensing the blush.

From right to left: Glamour, This Magic Moment, and Brightening Pearl Perfect Light Mineral Veil

The last face product included is the Brightening Pearl Perfect Light Mineral Veil. I'm pretty sure this is a new variation on Mineral Veil. I didn't take any close-ups in the packaging because it is essentially the same as the packaging of the blush.

I've only used the Mineral Veil once because the shimmer in it makes me nervous. I don't want to look like Edward Cullen. Once I have some down time and a few days when I don't have to leave the house, I'll experiment with it more.

ETA: I've used the Mineral Veil a few more times now, and I, thankfully, don't notice the shimmer when it is applied. I don't think it's going to become my go-to everyday powder, but I do like it and will continue to use it.

Liner, Gloss, and Mascara

The two-sided liner in this set is an interesting idea. One side has a kohl liner and the other has a liquid liner.

The kohl liner side is a dark brown. In the above picture, I have it swiveled out to show the amount of product it has. It isn't as soft and smudgy as Urban Decay liners, but it still applies easily. Because it isn't as soft, I feel like I have better control over how much of it gets applied. I get my typical fading around the outer corners of my eyes, but it lasts really well.

I'm not a fan of liquid liner, so I wasn't all that excited about this end. However, it has a nice felt tip and is a deep black.

The lipgloss in Dazzler is beautiful. It's a soft peach with gold shimmer. It isn't what I would normally pick out for myself, but it is sheer enough that it's really easy to wear. The formula is slightly sticky but not annoyingly so, and it smells like a candy cane. I'm really bad about reapplying colored lip products, but I can see myself reaching for this one because it is easy to apply without a mirror.

Left to right: kohl liner, thin and thick lines of the liquid liner, lipgloss

I have had the worst luck with mascara lately. Everything seems to flake or smear. I switched to waterproof mascara at the end of the summer. I was hesitant to try this one, so I was thrilled when it didn't flake or smear. The listing doesn't say that it is waterproof, but it is tough to remove. With my current mascara troubles, I'm okay with that. The spiraling brush seems to do a really nice job of separating my lashes too. Overall, this mascara is a winner for me.

Brushes

I owned a couple of bareMinerals brushes back in the day, and I wasn't impressed. They were scratchy. Based on that past experience, I wasn't expecting much from the brushes in this set.

The first brush is a contour blush brush. The natural-hair bristles are soft, but they aren't as soft as the synthetic bristles that I prefer. The shape isn't bad. I've only used it once for contouring, and it worked okay. It also seems fluffy enough to work for blush as well. I'm not in love with this brush, and it won't be one I reach for regularly, but I could use it in a pinch.

I haven't used the tapered shadow brush yet. I keep meaning to, but I automatically reach for my regular brushes and keep forgetting. Just the look and feel of the brush though is disappointing. The bristles are scratchy, and the cut of them looks really crude. It's not a high-quality brush. I'll keep it around for when I get desperate, but it won't make it into regular rotation.

Final Thoughts

If you are considering picking up this kit, get it! It's fantastic! I might not love all of the products, but even just for the products that I do enjoy, it's an amazing value.

Will you be indulging in this kit? Are there any other holiday TSV sets that have caught your eye?

 Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Tarte Journey to Natural Beauty 6-pc Collection - Review and Swatches

You know I'm completely in love with Tarte Amazonian clay blushes. They are my favorite blushes to use, and I've amassed a decent sized collection since their release.

When I saw that there was an Amazonian clay blush in the new Tarte Today's Special Value on QVC, I couldn't resist ordering it (and signing up for auto delivery).

The set is currently selling for $59.94 plus shipping (the price will jump to $72.50 if there are any remaining after the official TSV date of February 5) and comes with:

• Brow Architect Liner and Shaper
• Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Fearless
• Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Plummy Rose
• Tarte Lights, Cameras, Flashes Mascara
• Makeup Bag

Brow Architect Liner and Shaper in Fair/Light (Estimated Retail Value: $18)

Full product

Spoolie

Defining Powder in Fair/Light

Liner Product

Liner Product

I've never really done much to my brows. They are naturally full, so the most I normally do is pluck and wax them. This product was my first real experiment with a brow pencil. I surprisingly like the little bit of definition the liner part adds to my brows. According to the pamphlet sent with the set, the liner is a universal shade. Sadly, I can't get the defining powder to work for me. It applies cakey, uneven, and extremely obvious. The spoolie is nice to have right with the product.

Aside from not liking the defining powder, the other major negative to this product is that there isn't much of the liner product. The second to last picture above shows the liner product twisted all the way out. That's all there is there.

Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush (Retail Value: $32)

I already have one of these from a previous purchase of the Amazonian clay foundation. It's a super dense, soft buffing brush. I used it a lot to apply mineral foundation over the summer. I find it a bit too large for applying liquid foundation.

What makes this version of the brush unique is the decorative handle. I think it's really pretty, but I'm worried about how clean it will stay and how well it will hold up over time. One minor feature that I really like about this version of the brush is that the bottom is flat. It's such a large-handled brush that it seems to make the most sense for me to just stand it up on my table, but the original one that I have is curved at the bottom of the handle, so I have to keep it in a brush holder.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation in Fair (Retail Price: $38)

As I mentioned earlier in this post, I've purchased this foundation before. I like it. It's a really good color match for me, which is always nice since I have a hard time finding foundations that match me. I also feel it's worth pointing out that you are getting 1.7 fl oz of product when most foundations only have 1 fl oz.

My biggest gripe with this being included in the TSV is that it's included in TSV's too often and is included in the auto delivery shipments. I already had a tube-and-a-half of this foundation in my stash before I got this tube, and I'll have two more coming my way in future shipments. Even if I didn't have any of this in my stash already, I don't know anyone who can go through a foundation in three months (the amount of time between shipments). I wish Tarte would mix it up by including different face products in each shipment.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Fearless (Retail Value: $25)

The pamphlet states that Fearless is a warm pink shade, and I would agree with that. It also has fine gold shimmer. It's a beautiful shade that is up to par with the regular shades in the line.

Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Plummy Rose (Estimated Retail Value: $26)

 

I'm not a lipstick wearer, but I was curious to try this one, and I'm thrilled that I did! It doesn't feel heavy on the lips; it feels more like a balm. The color is also a really nice, everyday color. I'm really curious to see what shades will be sent in the following shipments.

Lights, Cameras, Flashes Mascara (Estimated Retail Value: $19)

 

If you've followed me for awhile, you know that I'm not a fan of the Lights, Cameras, Lashes mascara. I was skeptical about trying this new variation, but I figured I might as well give it a shot.

I'm happy to report that I'm liking it, even though there's been a couple minor issues. The first issue I had was figuring out how to deal with the brush.  I'm going to go ahead and link you back to the product listing for this set to see a better picture of the brush for this mascara because my picture doesn't show it very well. The brush has a slight curve to it, and, according to the pamphlet, one side has shorter, softer bristles, and the other side has longer comb-like bristles. The shorter bristles, as best as I can tell, are on the underside of the curve. The first few times that I used this mascara, the wand felt really awkward; I was worried I was going to poke myself in the eye.

My other issue was having it smudge onto my browbone during the course of the day. So far, this has only happened once, so I'm assuming it was some freak occurrence. I'm not noticing any flaking during the day, which is the usual problem I have with mascaras. I'll make sure to give an update if I discover down the line that I actually dislike this mascara.

Edited to add: I had the smudging issue again today. I've come to the conclusion that it was because I was too warm and ended up with a light sheen of perspiration on my face. Not good. I'm the type of person who sweats at the drop of a hat (lovely image, I know), so this is really unfortunate. I will probably still use this mascara some, but it couldn't be an everyday mascara for me. It'll have to be relegated to days when I'm just running a couple of errands or days when I'm just playing with makeup and not planning to leave the house.

Swatches

From left to right: Plummy Rose Lipstick, Fearless Blush, Brow Liner, Brow Definer, Foundation

 

The Bag (Estimated Retail Value: ???)

 This is a really cute bag that's a good size. All of the products from this set fit in this bag with plenty of room to spare. I don't know how much I'll actually use it, but since I just consider it an extra, that doesn't bother me.

Bonus Item:

 Tarte always throws in a deluxe sample of product with the first shipment of a TSV. This time it was a sample of their Brazilliance Skin Rejuvenating Maracuja Self Tanner. I was a little disappointed because they've sent this sample before, and I don't use self tanners. Then again, it's a bonus, so I'm not really bothered by it.

 Total Estimated Value: $158 (Note: I didn't assign any value to the bag or to the self tanner samples.)

Final Thoughts:

As with all of the other Tarte TSVs that I've gotten, this set is an incredible value. You are getting the entire set for less than buying the foundation and brush individually. If you are interested in a couple of these products, it's worth checking out. If you aren't sure whether to get the auto delivery option, get it. You can always cancel future shipments if you decide you don't like the colors in them (the future colors haven't been released yet).


Are you going to indulge in this Tarte TSV? If you've picked it up, can you give me any tips on how to get the defining powder to work.