Tarte's Cloud 9 - FAIL

Oh man oh man oh man oh man.  This product was definitely a huge disappointment.  My first cheek stain ever, and it sucked so bad.  I was so excited to try it out, and when I actually did, I was so sad.  In my opinion, there are several reasons why Tarte's Cloud 9 Cheek Stain failed.

First, the color didn't show up on my NC30 cheeks.  There was absolutely no difference.  I tried to check myself out under different types of lighting, only to find out that the product looked like it just wasn't there.  Perhaps if a very fair skinned person tried it out they might have better luck, but as for me, I guess I was too dark.

Second, the consistency of the product was a bummer.  It felt like I was rubbing wax onto my cheeks.  Bleh!  And once I had finished application of the product, my cheeks were screaming for air.  If you have oily or acne-prone skin, this product is not for you!  I could definitely tell this stuff was blocking my pores.

Third, there is no smell!  It is advertised as having some kind of grape smell, but honestly, I tried to sniff it a zillion times and I still couldn't discern a scent.  I was very disappointed with this aspect of the product, because I had been hopeful that since it was purple, it would have a nice smell.  At least give me a little bit of a berry smell, come on! 

Fourth, Tarte's Cloud 9 is not very easy to use.  The way you get more product to come up out of the tube is if you push up from the bottom, and once the product has come out, there is no way to push it back down.  It would have been nice if it was like chap stick, where you could twist the product so the stuff goes back down the tube, but no.  With my luck, I accidentally pushed too much product up and I couldn't stuff it back down.  Plus, in trying to do so I damaged the product that was sticking out of the tube.

So all in all, Tarte's Cloud 9 was a FAIL.  I would have to describe it as such: it's like a big purple glue stick that applies no color, has no scent, is very sticky and gooey, and you don't want this stuff on your face skin.  If you did get some of this gunk on your face, you would probably want to wash it off right away, which is exactly what I did as soon as I tried it out.

Don't waste your money, avoid Tarte's Cloud 9.

Love,

Geneys  :o)

Eye Shadow Swatch

Since I did a swatch yesterday of all my MAC Lustre lipsticks, I thought why not do another one?  Except this time I decided to swatch all of my eye shadows, which aren't very many, but I think these are a few of the staples that makeup users tend to use the most.  I am just doing this to try and be helpful, because before I buy a makeup item, I know I like to see it on actual skin!

Below are a couple of pictures, and the colors are labeled below them.  I am sorry if some of the colors are not very visible.  I tried every combination of lighting with every function of my camera, and these pictures were the best I could do.  Perhaps they might be easier to see if you click on the pictures so the pictures are blown up.  Also, just so you know, according to MAC my skin color is NC30/35.  Right now, it's winter and I'm not getting very much sun, so most likely I am NC30 right now.

Top Row: Vanilla, Shroom, Brule, Ricepaper, Bisque

Bottom Row: Naked Lunch, Gorgeous Gold, Kid, Amber Lights

 

Top Row: Woodwinked, Satin Taupe, Mulch, Antiqued, Twinks

Bottom Row: Embark, Swish, Sushi Flower, Sketch, Crystal Avalanche

I hope this helps, and if you are interested in acquiring any of these eye shadows, they are available at www.MacCosmetics.com for $14.50 potted, and $11.00 de-potted (palette refill).  Let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for visiting my blog!

Love,

Geneys  :o)

How to Find Your Ideal Foundation

A couple of things to keep in mind when choosing your foundation.  First, there is no one foundation that will match you perfectly under every single type of lighting.  The guy at the MAC counter who did my face thought he had found my perfect match in terms of foundation, but when I looked at myself with outdoor lighting, it was a different story.  My second point, though, is that there is hope!  There are ways to try and avoid that jaw 'line.'  

If you really study your jawline under different types of lighting (check out fluorescent lighting, home lighting, outdoor daylight, and outdoor moonlight), you will find that your foundation looks different under each.  And this is okay.  But try to figure out where you will spend most of your time today.  If you spend 40 hours a week in the office, then I would suggest you try to match the foundation to what works under fluorescent lighting, and perhaps keep a different shade of foundation for when you stay at home (personally, I prefer not to wear makeup if I don't have to, plus my hubby hates makeup). 

So you're not going to get your foundation to be perfect under every single type of lighting, but you can still come darn close.  I would highly recommend that you first take a look at the veins on the insides of your wrists.  If your veins are blue, you will try to get a foundation with a cool tone.  If your veins are green, you will go for the foundations with the warmer tones.  Then go to the store and try rubbing a few foundations on the inside of your wrist.  Take a q-tip and remove the makeup through the middle of these spots.  I have done so below and written the foundation numbers where I cleaned it with a q-tip.

This way, you can tell which foundation is the closest to your skin tone.  Ideally, it should seem like a seamless blend between your skin tone and the foundation.  For me, it appears NC30 is the closest to my skin color.  It's a tiny bit darker than the skin inside my wrist, but this much allowance is still okay.  And try to keep a darker and lighter shade on hand.  During the winter you get little exposure to the sun, while in the summer you get a lot of exposure to the sun.

If your forehead is darker than the rest of your face (as mine is), then you can try blending a combination of the darker and lighter shades on your face, with the darker shade on your T-zone and the lighter shade everywhere else.  And as always, try to blend really well all over, especially your jawline.  Don't be afraid to put foundation on your neck.   

These are the only tips and tricks I know, please let me know if you have any others!  And good luck finding your ideal foundation!

Love,

Geneys  :o)