Beauty Bumble

Beauty Finds, Wallet Health, and Life in General.

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Deals: Naturally Bold Eyes

I worry about what goes into or near my eyes.  It's such a delicate area, and I would hate to irritate it with harsh chemicals.  If I didn't worry about chemicals, I love the felt tipped liquid liner from L'Oreal.  However, I'm always looking for natural alternatives, especially after finding out that some Tarte Cosmetics products (emphasEYES eye liner in black) contain some questionable ingredients.

So, today and tomorrow, you could score a fruit and tea stained gel liner from 100% Pure for a special 25% discount!  Choose from 4 colors, add on some cruelty free brushes, and enter the code "Gorgeouseyes."

I have splurged on too many makeup items lately, so I'll not indulge in this offer, but if you have some cash laying around, I would certainly take this offer!

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Deals: 100% Pure AWAKEN Promo

not only will you get a Free Gift when you spend over $80, but until midnight tomorrow (August 11th, 2011 PST), you can use the code "AWAKEN" to save 20% on the coffee bean eye cream, concealer, healthy skin foundation, satin eye shadow, powdered blush, pink champagne luminizer, lip gloss, and meyer lemon body cream.  Now isn't this a naturally gorgeous deal!? I'm all over it.

They also have two weekly special value kits available at $62 ($101 value).  You can pick from a "Sweet," or "Seductive" gift sets. Find them here!

 Mimosa Blush, 100% vegan, gluten-free, mostly organic

This is one heck of a deal! I'm going to shop when I get home - pronto!

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Deals: Kiss My Face

Have I posted a review about some of the Kiss My Face products before? NO? Oh dear, I must change that sometime soon.  In the meantime, you might want to use the code "SAVE20%INTRO" to receive 20% off of your entire purchase on their web shop.  Visit it here!  The offer expires on August 14th, 2011.  A company that started in the Hudson Valley with two men selling olive soap, is now a large international firm continuing to sell passionately natural products.

My mom swears by their olive oil - now with new packaging!

Pure Olive Oil Soap $2.99

Active Athletic Shower Gel $10.95

Ginger Mango Lip Balm $3.49

C the Change Ester C Serum $21.00

Happy Shopping!

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Review: Lip Lustre from Tarte

Oh Tarte Lip Lustre, you glittery devil!  It slides on easy, lays a hint of color, and despite the fact that many people complain about their lips drying up, mine seems to do relatively ok.  But oh, the glitter!  I love the normal lip tint and am hoping to also try the matte lip tints soon.  The lip lusters on the other hand will leave your lips and sometimes face all glittered up!  The worst part is, your lips will have glitter, but little moisture after a sip of coffee, chat on the phone, or bite of a cookie.

My beauties (all lip lustres except for the magenta lip tint on the left end)

Swatches of the lip lustre: from L to R are achiote, glisten, adored and sweet.

On my lips, adores looks like icing pink - almost like barbie pink, because of the sheen that it produces.  For medium skin colors, achiote has the right coral tone that will work very well with your complexion.  Sweet is a versatile color of rose, which comes out with enough color to avoid the "oops, I have too much glimmer on my lips," look.  Glisten is similar to adored, because it's also relatively light colored.  The peachy shade is difficult to work with.  It's a great pick to balance out turquoise or dark navy jewel tone eyes.  I pair this lip lustre with the glam or glisten cheek stains from tarte.

Don't get me wrong - these lip lustres are very easy to apply.  They really glide on.  If the staying power was longer, that'll be much nicer.  However, if you like glitter, just retouch with balms such as "This Works," lip balm.  The result? Your lips will be moist and smooth, with a decent amount of glitter left over from the lip lustre.

Is that something you're interested in?  Then hop on over to Tarte's Friends and Family sale now!  Use code "FFAUG" (which is the same code every year!).

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Review: Better Flushing Cheeks

I'm definitely not one to blindly trust products.  Therefore, I tested out the "lab sample" of Tarte 100% pure cold pressed maracuja oil for a few weeks to make my decision.

Pure Maracuja Oil - available at QVC.com $46

For 1.7 fl. oz, this seems like a steep price, but you only need two drops of oil every day to keep your complexion going.  I only used this in the evenings, because I use my Josie Maran Argan Oil Daily Moisturizer with SPF 40 in the morning.

The Maracuja oil is pressed in Brazil and packaged in the US.  After a day of starting to use this, I saw that my skin looked supple, and the pores also refined.  On second day of use, I saw that my cheeks had this natural flush that made me think - I don't want to wear any foundation to hide this flush, then top it off with artificial blush.  It was a great complexion that I just wanted to wear as little product as possible and run out the door.

The scent of the product might scare some people off.  It's oily smelling.  You won't know by the morning, when the oil has worked over night.  It's definitely an interesting smell (not scented), but it'll wear off relatively quickly.

My verdict on this product is that it's a nice high quality oil that seems to work with lots of different skin types.  I have oily skin with some dry patches.  Of course, with my current wallet health, I may not be purchasing a bottle of it, but I still have two sample bottles to use up.  These were included with the 8th World Wonder and the Glow Your Way to Gorgeous Kits.

Overall, two thumbs up!

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Review: Pores Gone, Naturally

Tautropfen Rose Water $32

It's been my challenge to have flawless poreless skin - as a teenager, my skin was fabulous and I only needed cold water to wash my face.  Now, my skin needs a bit more help :(  This Rose Water from Tautropfen is one product that I love. After washing my face (and sometimes toning), I spritz this onto my palm, dab my fingers with the rose water, then pat it onto my face.  I see a clear difference in the porelessness of my copmlexion when I use this product. 

It's great on a summer day, straight from a refrigerator.  Right now, this product is on sale (20% off) at Cosme-De.com.  I've never shopped at this site, so no guarantees about the service, but 20% off is a good deal for this product.  Will you be trying this out?

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Deals: butter London

I was interested in butter London for a few different reasons.  One is the lovely names of their nail polishes, second is the tagline "3 free" nail polish (I thought you buy one, get three free), the third is the fashionable logo.

Well, the most important reason to consider this brand is the real meaning behind the "3 free" nail polish.  This stands for freedom from formaldehyde, toluene and DBP.  I'm not one to be able to talk about celebrity nailists, but apparently, the Creative Director of butter London, Nonnie Creme is known for her ability to translate catwalk trends into lovely nail colors.

Right now, purchase $30 worth of products on beauty.com and receive a free No More Waity Katie lip gloss (worth $18?).  Oh, hold on, that's at Ulta.com.  Hahaha, here is the link.

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FOTD: Tarte Super Natural Cat Eye

Tarte Royal Collection $43

Sheesh, I'm surprised that this palette is still available online.  It takes me a while to go through these monster palettes, and I'm making an effort to use these more often.

Today's look features subtle dark rose shades for the cheeks and the lips (using Benetint from Benefit), skin perfected with Josie Maran SPF 40 moisturizer and Tarte Maracuja Oil concealer, and eyes glammed but nude with the Royal Collection palette.

I started off with Tarte's eye liner brush dusted with the dark blue metallic shade at the bottom left corner of the palette.  I lined the eyes and flicked the ends in a cat-eye shape.  I lined them multiple times for maximum color pay off. It'll look almost black to you.  In the sun, it has a hint of blue.  Beautiful.

Next, take the dark green shade, and line the outer half of the lower lash line.  Use the same liner brush, clean it on your leg (I take out all the excess on my legs..., yeah, silly.  It works though.), then apply the glittery silver color to the inner half and the inner V of your lower lash line and the upper lash line.

Use the top left shadow on the inner lid, pale pink shadow (2nd from top left) on your brow bone, and the beige color in the crease.  Blend any harsh line with the pale pink color by tapping on the crease with the color you have left from the brow bones.  To finish off, I dabbed and patted down the colors with my fingers, and applied a thick thick coat of Korres Rice Bran mascara.

This is my supernatural cat eye look, and it is lovely but easy as all get out.  Cheers.

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Deals: Lavera Naturkosmetik

I was introduced to Lavera a long time ago at my local food co-op.  They had a goody bag of makeup products from lavera, including their famous eye liners in two shades, and a few lip products.  Since then, I've used their Rose shampoo, Calendula skin care series, and samples of their base makeup.  I also tried their shadows at German Organic food stores, and these are silky pigmented products!

Right now, there are two promotions you can enjoy.  Use code "TRENDKIT" for purchases of $60+ and save 10% on make up products and receive free shipping.  Use code "FACESKIT" for purchases of $70 or more of skin care products and save 15% and receive free shipping.

There are also some makeup kits that you can pick up (as well as some other normal priced items that I love):

Cosmetics Starter Kit in Black $25 (25% off)

ECO Beauty Sexy Shimmery Eyes $81

Black Currant Lip Balm $6 So delicious, and smells real!

Their shampoos are SLS free, and smell gorgeous.  Sometimes, I find discounted items at a local Target.  You might want to check that out too!

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FOTD: Naked with KvD

You just realize every now and then, why wearing eye primers is awesome.  Today was one of those days.  I started my look with Tarte lifted eye primer with firmitrol. This glides on smoothly, and I've collected a few bottles over the past months; they come with most Tarte palettes.

For my eyes, I chose to use the Kat von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in True Love.  I got this $34 palette with a lip stick, two primers, and one eye liner pencil (all full size) for a price of $54.  If you're interested, check out the set here. I realized now that the ingredients include paraffin, which is usually mineral oil based - it could be bad for you.  So, that's a disclaimer from me.

Today, I first applied the bronze cream shadow (2nd from Left) to the lid, concentrating more on the lash lines.  Then, I followed up with the shimmery brown shade (3rd from Left) on the crease and outer V.  After that, start from the brown line and overlap partially with other colors, using Peanut (1st shade from Left) to achieve a half foiled, and more natural neutral look.  Despite the "bad ingredients," I'm happy with the color pay off. Actually, I'm very impressed.

Kat von D has some Do-It-Herself videos online, where she starts with darker shades and finishes off by lightening up the look with a lighter shade.  For her formulas, this works great.

To finish up the look, I smudged on Tarte Cheek Stain in Glisten (bronzey apricot) on the cheeks, dabbed on Lotus Organics lip gloss in melon (makes your lips very whitey pink), and penciled in my brows.  That's all, and ready to go.

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FOTD: Matchy Matchy Fuchsia Look

Allure Magazine had an article called "Match Point," which featured makeup looks with matching colors for two featuers: nails and lips, lips and cheeks, eyes and lips, etc.  The easiest and oldest way that we saw that happen was way back when revlon introduced the matching nail and lip colors.  But I'm more familiar with what Stila Convertible Color or Benefit Tints could do in realizing a more subtle matching look.  (I used to love Benefit's Poesie Tint, until I found out a lot of the mysterious ingredients were bad for me.)

(Sorry, this was the best photo I could find.)  Usually, convertible colors cost $25 a pop.  The sakura shade is similar to the fuchsia and petunia shades.  The convertible colors are mostly all matte, with little shimmer nor glitter.  The only one with shimmer is the lily shade from the Making an Impression in Moscow Palette.

The texture works well under very sheer powder face color, or over cream or liquid based foundation product.  I use the #33 brush from Stila, which also has a smaller brush on the other side for the lips.  Keeping the colors sheer, and adding gloss or balm over the lips as you see fit, will make this matching look work.

I don't really like the Tokyo palette, but I just went with what I had.  I used the yellow gold all over the lid, the pink shade on the inner half of the lid, blue shade as an outer crease color, and black as liners.  The black shade has shimmer, but to be honest, it's almost the same (but worse quality) as the black shade in Stila's Floral Chic palette, which was available at Urban Outfitters last year.

Good coat of mascara, and just a layer of Josie Maran Argan SPF40 Moisturizer completed the look.

What are your thoughts on matching makeup looks?  For me, it makes things harmonize without effort; just don't over do it!

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Review: Nuxe Bronzer

Nuxe Paris delivers natural and products based on  phyto and aromatherapy.  Apparently, their products are also hypoallergenic and non comedogenic (which many other products also are - just look at the labels to make sure).  I tried the Beautifying Self-Tanning Body Lotion, and here's what I thought about it.

First, I will put in a disclaimer that I usually don't use any kind of body lotion or bronzer/tanner on a regular basis.  I did exfolitate and such before application of this trial product.

Here's how the cream looks right out of the bag.  This cream has tiny tiny pearls that you can somewhat see in the picture.  It is creamy, but spreads relatively well.  In a few minutes, the color of the cream turned much darker and a bit orangish.  I hurried on and applied the product on my arms, shoulders, and legs.

The product is very moisturizing.  With very little application, your skin looks healthy with a bit of sheen.  However, if you use this liberally (or not sparingly), you end up with orange skin, peeling of the product, and greasiness.  I wasn't paying enough attention and my feet, shin, and hands turned orange.  I knew that I shouldn't put any on my elbows and knees, so these body parts were saved.

The personal lesson is that I don't really care for nor need bronzers and self-tanners, and this was a bit superfluous for my regimen.  I don't think I'll try this again, but wanted to at least share with you, what the product is, what it does, what to watch out for, and the ingredients.  I hope it helps one way or the other.

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Review: Stretchmark Banisher

I scrounge through deals to look for great discounts on great products.  That's how I stumbled upon the Blackthorn Body Oil.  It was about 25% cheaper than the original price, and the product description was very alluring.

The product, a combination of blackthorn, beech leaf , st. john's wort oil, promises to provide warmth and reduce the appearance of stretch marks.  I don't have stretch marks per se, but I could use less prominent fold marks on my tummy, which has become a bit chubbier than last year.

After showering, I applied this oil to keep the moisture locked in.  The refreshing scent is enjoyable, and the oil doesn't keep me greasy for too long.  I applied a few times, and alas, I think my "stretch marks" have dissappeared.  The product promised to only "reduce" the appearance of stretch marks, so I was amazed.  Of course, as I originally mentioned, I don't really have stretch marks.

Anyhow, I am happy to say that this was a great purchase, and I am confident in Dr. Hauschka's natural products.  I believe that natural products can deliver results, and this is certainly one of those brilliant products.

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Review: Kai Fragrance

This is one magnificent fragrance that makes you experience the Kai motto: breath, life, flow.  I had the chance to try the fragrance oil, and I definitely feel full of life when I sense this scent.

It's a gardenia based fragrance, which also makes you think of thick-petal flowers.  For my personal sense, I also think of pepper, especially ground white pepper.  I'm not sure if that would be an ingredient, but there's a bit of spiciness.

This natural fragrance oil is certainly not harsh, and is welcoming.  You almost feel the time slow down to a casual pace.  Added bonus includes lack of parabens, pthalates, sulfates, and cruelty.  All Kai products are also made in the U.S.A.

See the list of online retailers on Kai's web page.

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Tarte NeutralEyes Look How-To from Youtube!  I like how this product comes with the aquagel liner.  You can purchase it here.

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Review: Fragonard Solid Perfumes

A while ago, I went crazy on Crazylibellule and the Poppies and purchased a series of $10/each solid perfumes.  I love their Tamara Charleston solid perfume.  When I made these purchases, I also purchased four solid perfumes from Fragonard Parfumeur for $7/each in order to reach the free shipping limit.  (You do that too, right?)  Here are my thoughts about these little charmers.

I purchased two each from the Paris and Good Luck series.  These are a bit bigger than a quarter, and very light.  It is so easy to carry them around in your purse or pocket.  The solid perfume is basically not colored as well as alcohol-free, and will be useful to place on your inner wrist, back of your ear, or personally, also on the neckline.

Eau Fantastique $7

This perfume with a picture of the Notre Dame (which I visited back in 2009), has a strong scent of the jasmine and freesia. It is simly flowery in a very fresh manner.  Officially, they claim a hint of currant and grapefruit, which I can sense if I try hard.  Bare essence of amber rounds up this perfume of fantasy.

Ile d'amour $7

Paris Ile d'amour perfume is signified with the picture of the Sacre le Coeur on Montmarte.  To visit this church, you need to climb up a mean set of stairs.  The view, however, is fantastic!  This is a sweeter mellower scent than Eau Fantastique.  I'd even say that this is a bit more mysterious.  The brand promotes this as a marine note with harmony of osmanthus, rose, jasmine, lilac, and lily of the valley with a backdrop of musk and amber.  I definitely agree that this is a marine note.

Eau de Hongrie $7

This is perhaps the manliest scent I own in my collection of perfumes (aside from the ones with oud, of course).  I can promote this as a unisex scent.  It almost reminds me of the Paco Rabanne perfume for men that my father used to wear.  The brand coins this as a 14th century composition of soft bergamot and jasmine with the warmth of amber and citrus.  When it is on your skin, the scent does turn much warmer than it is in the case.

Juste un baiser $7

Last but not least, I have this cute little perfume called Jusete un baiser.  It has a straight forwardly cute top note of sweet fruits.  The scent leaves behind vanilla and musk (as well as amber) after the fruity scent starts to retreat.  Personally, this scent is for play, when I want to feel mischievous and innocent at the same time.

I love  collecting little perfumes, and I have a stash of samples too.  Recent article in Allure magazine called "French Lessons" about the French philosophy of wearing perfume was extremely interesting.  There are so many options out there, and it's such an adventure to look for a great perfume for your moods and personality.

Last note: Read about this supposed scent from Marie Antoinette. I'm interested to know how it smells...

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Review: Tarte eye couture palette

I get so happy when I see that I've made a dent in my shadow.  One of the shades in the eye couture palette has had the honor of getting a cute little dimple.  I'm ecstatic!

Alright, the picture's upside down, but here we go.  This palette is one of my favorites, because it includes enough easy to wear pastels, as well as coordinating darker colors.  You can see that there's light lilac, orange, gray, and champagne.  These match well with the darker shades which are grouped by tarte into the charcoals and the bronzes.  If you only use the bottom (or top in the picture), you can make a nice slate smokey look or a softer lavender look for day.  If you only use the top (or the bottom in the picture), you can create a brown smokey eye, or an all out shimmery copper look tightened up by deep brown shades along the lashes.

The pencils are bronze and charcoal. It's difficult to draw a skinny line with this pencil - you're better off trying to dot along the lashes.  Overall, I enjoy this palette, but I don't reach for it as much as I like.  If I have to make a choice between purchasing another one of this and the new neutralEyes palette, I might try the NaturalEyes one, because I've got multiple palettes from tarte with shimmery shades.  Of course, that's a personal choice.

I'm also continuing to hope that tarte's ingredients become more trustworthy in the future...