Silk Naturals Valentine's Day Collection Haul and Swatches

Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this post were purchased using a gift card from a giveaway and with my own money. I have no affiliation with Silk Naturals, and all opinions are my own.

I know I've mentioned the brand Silk Naturals quite a few times here on my blog, but I still like I haven't given the brand enough love here. I've been buying from them since the summer of 2009, and I almost always do a haul whenever they release a new collection. Sadly, whenever I start editing my pictures to do a post, my pictures just feel so flat. They never seem to do the colors justice, so I never end up posting them. I'm working on it though and hope to go back and post more pictures from my eye shadow collection in the future.

Recently, I got an email from Makeup Detox saying I won her giveaway for a $20 gift card for Silk Naturals, and I was thrilled. The fact that I got my code on the same day that Silk Naturals released their Valentine's Day collection was just the icing on the cake.

Here's a look at what I got:

This is my whole haul, minus a few skincare samples a friend asked me to pick up for her. I'll also point out here that there was a mistake with my order. The little pods on the right are concealer samples, and I had ordered full sizes. I sent a message to Silk Naturals right away letting them know. They got back to me within about 30 minutes. That was on a Monday, and I had my full size concealers in my hands by Thursday (along with three extra gift with purchase shadows). Silk Naturals has amazing customer service!

Now for a close up look at each item.

HD Cream Blush in Dollface - $4.50

Dollface is a gorgeous rosy pink with lots of gold shimmer. The formula is soft and creamy. I prefer to apply this by brushing a small duo-fiber brush over the top of the tube and then blending it on my cheeks. I haven't tested longevity yet.

HD Peach Concealers - $0.99 for a sample pod and $5.50 for a full size

I'm always on the hunt for the perfect concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes, so I was thrilled to see Karen release these concealers. I wasn't sure which shade to choose, so I chose the lightest two. As I already mentioned, I ordered the full size, but I was originally sent sample pods, which works out well since I can show was the samples look like. The full size comes in the same slimline tube as the cream blush. I've only tried each shade once, so I'll have to follow up with a review later.

Eye Shadows in Touch, Kismet, and Rendezvous - $4.50 each

From left to right: Touch, Kismet, and Rendezvous

From left to right: Touch, Kismet, and Rendezvous

From left to right: Touch, Kismet, and Rendezvous

I have a serious weakness for eye shadows from Silk Naturals, so I couldn't stop myself from picking up the three new shades they released. Touch is a pale yellow gold shimmery shade. Kismet is a medium grey with purple undertones, and Rendezvous is a deep matte purple. This trio actually works beautifully together. I was also pretty surprised by how much I like Rendezvous. Darker crease shades intimidate me, so I was a little worried. It applied nicely and blended like a dream, so it wasn't overpowering on my fair skin.

Slick Stick in La-Dee-Da - $4.50

I'm not a lipstick person, so while I've tried a few lip colors from Silk Naturals, most of the time, I pass them up. The color La-Dee-Da was just too interesting to pass up though. I liked that the color was a sheer plum shade, and the green shimmer adds an unusual touch.

Products not Pictured in Detail

If you kept track from the original picture, you'll notice that there were a few items that I haven't shown up close yet, and I'm not going to in this post (it's long enough as it is). On the far left was the weekly gift with purchase shade, so it isn't available anymore. The two jars in the middle are samples of the Medium Sleep in a Jar and the relatively new Cloud powder. I find the Sleep in a Jar a bit drying, and the Cloud powder is supposed to help retain moisture, so I want to try mixing them. Then on the far right is a mini sample of the eye shadow Mousse (they always include a sample like this in every order).

That's my haul! Did anything in particular catch your eye? Did you pick anything up yourself?

Disclaimer: The products mentioned in this post were purchased using a gift card from a giveaway and with my own money. I have no affiliation with Silk Naturals, and all opinions are my own.

Products I Want to Use Up - 2014

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

Last year I did a couple of posts about products I wanted to use up. It went okay. Looking back, I thought I had done more updates than I actually did.

I'm going to try it again this year.

When I went through and picked out the products that I plan on working on, there were a couple of things I looked at. Some of the products were chosen because they are products in which I've already made a big dent. I also chose products that were getting old.

Another motivation for doing this is to get rid of some of the products I own that aren't cruelty-free.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Balancing Foundation in Fair - I've had this for a really long time, and you can see in the picture that I've used a lot of it, so I'd like to go ahead a finish this off.

Nars Sheer Matte in Siberia - This foundation is in the same boat. I've had it for a while, and it is about half gone, so I want to try and finish this one too. I know using up both will take a while.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer - I have several full-sized primers in my collection, so I decided to use up all of my mini sizes. This is the last mini size that I have. It's hard to see in the picture, but it is about half gone already.
 

Benefit Erase Paste in Fair - Benefit isn't a cruelty-free company, so I'd like to get this gone. I would guess I have about a third of this left.

Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer - I have a lot of bronzers, so I'm taking the same approach that I took with my primers. I'm using up my mini ones first. I'm just about to hit pan on this one.

Hard Candy Concealer Pencil - This little pencil came with the Glamoflage Concealer, which I threw out a long time ago. I've been using this to clean up the edges of my lips. I can't sharpen it anymore, so it should be finished in the next week or so.

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA - I've had this for a long time, and it seems like it is drying out a little bit. It's crumbled a couple of times when I've tried to sharpen it. I've really like it though, and I might repurchase it once I work through some other concealers first.

Too Faced Wrinkle Injection Extreme Wrinkle Filler - I got this in a swap a long time ago, and I tend to forget to use it.

Milani Eye Shadow in French Vanilla (largest pan) - I need to work my way through my extra matte browbone shades. Wet n Wild's Brulee is my absolute favorite, so I'd like to clear the clutter and stick with that one in the future.

ELF Shadow from the Day to Night Palette (triangular pan) - I pulled this out as a shadow to use up a while ago because the pan is relatively small. It's a cream with gold shimmer that I can use on the inner corners of my eyes nearly every day.

Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow in Funnel Cake (darker brown) - I have a ton of mineral eye shadows that I've pressed, and I don't use them often enough. I pulled this out because it is an easy crease shade. It does have some shimmer, but it doesn't show when applied.

Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow in Driftwood (lighter brown) - Another pressed mineral eye shadow. Again, I chose it because it is an easy color to use.

Stila Lip Glaze in Splendor - I was really sad when it came out that Stila is no longer cruelty-free. This is an easy gloss to throw on, so I hope I can finish it relatively quickly.

Chapstick Lip Balm in Cake Batter - Chapstick isn't cruelty-free either, so this will be living in my pants pockets until it is gone. I have another Chapstick balm to go through after this one.

Tarte fRxtion Lip Scrub and Balm - Another old product. The darker side is the sugar scrub, and the white side is the balm. I have a feeling this will break off before I can finish it.

Silk Naturals Blush Samples in Candie and Tart Light - I have a lot of mineral blush samples sitting around, so I pulled out a couple to work on. 

Tarte Double-Ended Lip Liner - I got this at the same time that I got the lip scrub. The colors are okay, but I'm much more likely to swipe on a balm or gloss.

Stila Smudgestick Eye Liners - Again, with Stila's change in cruelty-free status, I'd like to clear out what I can. Eye liners are easier to go through than powder products, and these colors are pretty easy to wear, so I'm going to try and wear them as much as possible to finish them off.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencils in Whiskey and Rockstar - It should be pretty obvious why these made the list. They are nearly gone to begin with, so I might as well use them up.

Those are all the things that I specifically pulled to use up. I've already mentioned that I'm working on my stash of lotions too. I didn't add in any pictures of them because I'm going through them relatively quickly using them twice a day on my arms and legs.

Are you trying to use anything up in the new year?

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

My Minimal Makeup Look

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

Well...the summer school I was teaching ended on July 3, and I had big plans for getting a lot of things done at home and getting caught up on blog posts. Sadly, plans changed.

My mom let me know that Friday that my brother was back in the hospital for an issue that he's been having regularly for months. On Saturday morning she asked me to come home to help out because she's not getting around very well because of a broken ankle. I was happy that she was willing to ask for help (it's hard for her to do), and was glad to help out.

However, my trip home ended up up lasting over a week, and most of it was spent sitting in two different hospitals. I didn't really care about looking good, but I also didn't want to look awful either. It gave me the idea to share with all of you my bare minimum when it comes to makeup. These were the only products I used for most of my trip home:

Clearly, concealer is important to me.

bareMinerals Correcting Concealer SPF 20 in Light 1 ($20) - I've got several correcting concealers in my collection, but this is the one I chose to bring with me. I really like the light, almost gel-like texture. I have used a brush for it, but lately, I've just been using my fingers to slick it on. As you can see, I just hit pan, and I will probably end up repurchasing it when I finish it off.

Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach ($6.50) - I consider this a holy grail item. I've gone through several jars. I applied this after all of the other products except my blush. It acts as my last defense against my dark circles.

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA ($19) - If you are familiar with Urban Decay products, you might notice that this is the old formula. I bought it when it was on clearance. I have really been loving the ease of this concealer lately. It is creamy and has pretty good coverage. The pencil style makes it easy to dab it on where I want it. This is another product that I'll probably repurchase after I finish the one I have.

Meow Pampered Puss Foundation in Inquisitive Siamese ($25.95) - The price of this mineral foundation might seem a little bit high, but I want to point out that the size of this jar is HUGE. It's an 85g jar with approximately 22-30g of product, so it will last a really long time. If you aren't familiar with Meow Cosmetics, they have an impressive selection of mineral foundations. They have three different formulas with 86 shades. I used this for a long time as my everyday foundation. Since my particular formulation has lighter coverage, I also regularly use it as setting powder with a liquid foundation.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed ($26) - These blushes are another favorite of mine. I chose to take this particular shade with me because it is such an easy, natural-looking shade to use. I didn't have to think about it too much when I was getting ready to run out the door.

That was my look. I know a lot of you are probably gasping that I didn't use mascara. I know that's an everyday thing for most women. I personally think mascara looks strange on me if I don't do any other eye makeup. I should also point out that there was always a lip balm in my pocket. I never go anywhere without a lip balm.

In case you were wondering, my brother is doing better and is back at home. They did a different procedure that should help him manage his issue better. 

When you are in a huge rush, what products are must-have items for you?

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

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Concealer - Review and Swatches

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

Well, my fiance and I survived our trip to visit his family. His mom is happy to have her toffee and lime flavored marshmallows that I found for her. His brother is thrilled with his lemon meringue flavored marshmallows, and his nieces generally enjoyed seeing us (even though they complained that we didn't stay very long).

Today I'm going to be doing a quick review of the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Concealer, which is currently exclusive to QVC. It is currently selling for $25.26 (with $4.47 shipping and handling); QVC has the regular price listed as $28. The tube includes 8g of product.

The concealer currently available on QVC comes with a dual-ended brush to help with application. Typically, when it goes to stores like Sephora, the price stays the same, but the brush is not included. At this point, it is only offered in five shades: fair, light, medium, tan, and deep. I purchased the fair shade.

Packaging

I like the fact that the tube matches the design of the Amazonian Clay Foundation. Tarte always does a nice job with packaging design. However, I'm not thrilled with the slanted tip where the product comes out. When I try and dispense the concealer on the back of my hand, I end up getting a bunch of product smeared across the tip. I much prefer the finer tip of the Maracuja concealer much better.

Product

 The first two swatch pictures above are of the Amazonian Clay Concealer by itself: the first one is a heavy dab, and the second one is blended out. In the third swatch picture, from left to right is Tarte's Amazonian Clay Foundation in Fair, Amazonian Clay Concealer in Fair, and Maracuja Concealer in Fair. You can see that the two concealers are darker than the foundation, but they still seem to blend in well when used in conjunction with the foundation.

 When I did my first swatch of the Amazonian Clay Concealer, I was happy that this concealer had a peachy tone to it. I wanted to use it under my eyes. Sadly, I find that it is too drying for me to use under my eyes. I already struggle with my undereye area being too dry, and this just made it worse. My fine lines stood out more, and I looked extra tired at the end of the day.

I've had better luck using it to cover blemishes and scars. It's a really thick consistency, but it blends out nicely and doesn't cakey. I do wish that it was a little bit lighter for using on blemishes and scars because I feel it would help counteract the darkness I'm trying to hide.

The Brush

 
The brush is a nice addition to the concealer. The two sides work really well together. The smaller side is nice for dabbing concealer where you want it on your face, and the larger, fluffier side does a nice job of blending. The bristles are soft and seem to be good quality. I wouldn't consider buying it at full price because Tarte brushes are really expensive when they are sold individually, but I know I'm going to enjoy having it in my collection.

Final Thoughts

Alas, my search for a Holy Grail concealer for under my eyes continues. In the meantime, I'll continue using this one for spots on my face. I like it and will rotate it in my with my other concealers, but I'm not likely to repurchase it when this tube runs out (if it ever does run out).

Have you found a Holy Grail concealer for under your eyes? What else should I try?


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Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

I am constantly battling with dark under eye circles. Being fair, they tend to make me look like a zombie. Think I'm exaggerating?

Here's my eye area without makeup:

Zombie eye - Eeek!!!

Okay...maybe not quite a zombie, but I swear they are darker in real life.

I have been testing out the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiant to see if it can keep me from looking like I want to eat brains for lunch. 

Swatches: 

Heavy swatch on the right; Blended out on the left

Aside from offering Radiant, which is their peach correcting shade, this line also has 5 other shades that are more flesh toned. The name of this product implies that there might be shimmer in it, but, thankfully, I can't detect any shimmer at all.

Here's the results:

The only products I've applied here are my Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer and the Maybelline Lumi concealer. It, of course, blends in a better around the edges once I apply foundation.

 This concealer is packaged in the click up brush applicator like the one used for Stila lip glazes.

I don't particularly care for this type of packaging. I find it harder to get the correct amount of product out, and it also tends to be packaging where you get less product. This particular concealer only comes with 1.5 mL/.05 oz of product. My Hard Candy Glamoflage concealer has .71 oz, and my Maybelline Super Stay Concealer comes with .18 oz. That's a pretty big difference in size, and I think (it's been a long time since I bought the Glamoflage or Super Stay concealers), that the Lumi concealer was the most expensive of the three.

As you can see from the pictures above, this concealer has a pretty thin consistency. It doesn't have completely opaque coverage, but I think it does a decent job of covering the circles under my eyes. I do get a little bit of settling into the fine lines under my eyes, but because the formula of this product is so thin, the settling isn't really obvious like it is with a thicker, creamier product.

I also get pretty good staying-power with this concealer. I still look human when I get home from an average work day. I would want to touch up under my eyes (and a little bit everywhere else) if I was doing something else in the evening because I wouldn't trust it to last all the way through, but it would probably make it through part of the evening as well.

Overall, I like this product enough to overlook my annoyance at the packaging, and I will probably end up repurchasing it when I run out unless I happen to run across something better before then.

Do you struggle with looking like a zombie? What helps make you look human again?