Tarte be MATTEnificent Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette

I don't know about you, but on some days when I'm bored I like to go through the Sephora website and check out any new products that have come out that I may have missed, or not heard about...and what did I happen to stumble upon- the Tarte be MATTEnificent Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette. This is an all matte eyeshadow and blush palette that features new shades. I thought I would review this palette since I haven't really seen many people talk about it!

I have to admit, the outer packaging is something that really caught my eye- even through a website! Plus, it looks so compact and travel friendly.

This palette comes with a blush shade, 6 shadows, 2 deeper shadows that are specified for liner (however, they are powders) and a dual ended brush. Before I get to the shadows, I have to mention that the brush is completely usable. One end is an eyeshadow brush that would be good for getting color onto the lid and layering it, as well. The other end is a blending-type brush, that is a bit smaller than what I usually use. However, I do think this would be good for getting color a little bit more precisely into the crease or even blending out the lower lash line. Both sides are very soft, and I do think you could create a complete look with just this brush if you were really pressed for space.

Now, onto the good part (swatched in the same order as shown in the palette)! Starting with the blush, this is in the shade Elevated. It has a beautiful soft texture and creates a very natural flushed look that blends in flawlessly with any type of look- it has those mauve tones with a hint of rose.

Moving to the first row of shadows, you can see Sand Out from the Crowd (a creamy off-white with a bit of peach), Peach for the Stars (a medium brown with some peach) and Two Plums Up (a deep violet plum). In the second row is Pink Outside the Box (a very light pink rose), Rose to the Occasion (a medium mauve with rose) and View from the Taupe (a taupe mauve). Below those are the two liner shades, which are Dream in Chocolate (a deep chocolate brown) and Don't Stand Black (a deep charcoal black).

As I mentioned before, these are all powder products but their consistency feels almost creamy. These products blend effortlessly, yet are still very pigmented. I do like the variety of dark to light in this palette, including blending shades, which I feel like can create plenty of looks for any occasion. If you are looking to try out some Tarte products, I feel this palette is really worth getting- between the beautiful blush and the great consistency of the shadows, PLUS the fact that they are matte, creates for one great deal. Also, I must mention that these are basic shadows that can supplement other palettes that possibly lack these simple, yet necessary shades.

At $36 I really think this is a great purchase. Between the packaging, a very usable brush and the matte cheek and eye powders, you can't go wrong. The large sized mirror and compact-ness of the palette also make it very travel friendly.

I hope this helped any of you who had their eye on this palette. Let me know if you are planning out and getting it!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

January 2014 Glam bag

Of course you know what time it is- my Glam bag came again! I actually kind of forgot about it because I had gotten so many goodies recently between Christmas and end-of-the-year sales. But before I get into this month's bag, I want to do a little recap on my thoughts from last month (view last month's bag here). None of the products stood out to me that much, now that I think of it. Although I did use all of them and will continue to get use from them, yes, even the Copper lipstick, I didn't find myself reaching for these over other products I typically use. Enough of that- let's get to the contents of January's bag!

I have to say, the first thing I noticed about this bag is the smell...kind of like a mixture of plastic and moth balls, and then it ended up making all the products smell like that. I wasn't too fond of the bag but like I have said in previous posts, these make great gift bags! Now, on to the products.

The first pictured product is the yaby Liquid Foundation in Buff. This is supposed to give you a natural flawless finish, but I didn't find that to be true. It was a matte finish on my face, but then after about an hour I got oily in the center of my face. It does have a very thin and airy consistency and I say it gives about light to light-medium coverage. Also, even though it can be built up to a medium-heavy coverage but it does start to get a bit cakey. In the swatches you can see a dollop of it straight from the tube and then how it looks a bit more blended.

The second product pictured, which is also swtached, is the MicaBeauty Tinted Lip Balm in Natural. The hand swatch is probably the most accurate and I would say this is the typical "your lips but better" shade. I really think this is what my lips would look like if they were very pigmented. I truly do enjoy the shade, but the feel is kind of awkward. It's called a balm, but feels more like a very thin lipstick. It doesn't have that moisturizing feel that I associate with balms and chapsticks.

The middle product you see are the Proactive+ Mark Fading Pads. You get four samples of these and although I haven't tried them, I can't imagine four uses making a big difference. I will definitely give them a try...but I am a bit weary. Also, I have tried Proactive before and personally it did not do much to prevent breakouts on my skin.

The final two products I received are the Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask and the Epice Purifying Exfoliant. I quite enjoy both these products, the hair mask because it uses natural ingredients and leaves my hair feeling soft and nourished and the exfoliant because it is gritty enough to get all my dry skin- I even used it with my Clarisonic!

Before I conclude this post, I want to do a little comparison to last year's January bag (which that post, here). I do feel that last year's bag was a bit better. Lately, I have been becoming disappointed when I actually receive my Glam bag because I had hopes of different products...whereas last year, everyone received the same products. I do personally still enjoy getting my Glam bag, even just for the fun of trying different products, but I do sometimes question whether spending $120 on it is worth it? Just my thoughts...

With that aside, let me know what you got in your Glam bag or if you have tried any of the products I mentioned above! Have a great week, and for everyone in the northeast, stay warm and cozy through this blizzard!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

Makeup Geek eyeshadows

If anyone who doesn't know who "Makeup Geek" is on YouTube, you really need to check her out (click here)! If you do know Marlena, then you know she has recently come out with some of her own makeup products- and you can tell through her videos that she dedicates so much time and effort to producing high quality, yet affordable, products. I had been meaning to try some of her eyeshadows for a while and I finally got around to it!

So when you get the shadows, they come in this adorable sleeve (when I ordered them, only the pans were available...but I believe they now come in compacts). The packaging is so cute, but not over the top. When choosing what shadow shades I should get, I wanted to get colors that I knew I would use but that I didn't yet have in my collection. I chose the shades Creme Brulee and Cocoa Bear, which you can see swatched to the right, respectively.

I can't say enough good things about these shadows. First, they are very pigmented- not that I expected anything less from someone who makes YouTube videos for a living! Second, they have a great texture and are very easy to blend. And finally, they barely have any fallout and aren't powdery. Sometimes more pigmented shadows can run into this problem, along with deeper or more colorful shades. I did not experience this at all with these shadows!

Above you can see a look I created using these two shades. I really recommend these for anyone's makeup collection because they are neutral and can be worn in so many ways. At $5.99 a piece, these shadows are absolutely worth it and rival many higher end brands! If you are interested in purchasing any Makeup Geek products, you can find them here.

I hope this gives anyone who has been interested in Makeup Geek products more motivation to go out and try them! And if you haven't checked out Marlena on YouTube, yet, you should go do that too!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

beauty blender vs. all its "dupes"

Oh, the controversial Beauty Blender! There has been so much talk about this sponge and whether it really is that much better than all the others...and I am here to give you the scoop.

The first sponge I tried was the Ulta Super Blender Sponge. It was very hard and didn't really absorb any water...so it kind of got pushed to the back of my drawer. I ended up throwing it out when I moved from college back to home, in hopes of cleaning up my makeup collection a bit.

Next came the Beauty Pro Revive Makeup Blending Applicator, which I found at TJ Maxx, and I thought this was great. I did like how it blended out my concealer, but didn't find myself using it for foundation really. Although it was still a bit hard it did absorb some water and grow. I did include this in my current must haves of November 2013, which I will link here.

Then Christmas came around and my sister kept asking what she should get me. I personally hate spending money on brushes and sponges, so I thought the Beauty Blender would be a great present for her to get me. I did not have super high hopes for this sponge, but I thought, what the heck...

I can honestly say, the Beauty Blender is the best makeup related gift I have gotten yet! Don't get me wrong, I love my palettes and foundations and concealers, but this sponge makes my makeup look amazing! I'd like to give you some comparisons of what makes this sponge better than the others.

Pictures above are both sponges dry- excuse the makeup residue on it! You can see the Beauty Blender is a bit bigger and you can see that it is more porous. In the pictures on the right, you can see how much "spongier" the BB is...it is not as hard and absorbs much more water. A lot of people I see on YouTube use the word "pounce" when referring to how this sponge applies makeup, but that's exactly how I would describe it, as well. The BB pounces the makeup on so flawlessly, every foundation looks airbrushed.

Also, because it is so porous, I think it applies foundation without getting too much on your face, all the while providing your skin with some hydration. I have also used this to apply thick foundations and concealers and the blending work it does is beautiful and effortless. I have noticed this especially with the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer.

Above, you can see both sponges when they have been wet and then squeezed dry through a towel. In this picture you can really see how hard the Revive sponge is in comparison to the BB. I have also used the BB to apply powder and it puts enough powder on your face without looking cakey or heavy.

So in terms of how I use the BB, I first dot foundation onto my face with my fingers and then pounce the foundation onto my face. I do this for concealer, as well. For powder, I just dip the BB in loose powder or swipe it across pressed powder and then, again, pounce it in the areas I want powdered. To clean it, I just use a soft soap that I would use to clean my brushes.

I cannot say enough about it, the Beauty Blender is just awesome! Every day, even when I'm breaking out, I look at my foundation and admire how beautiful it looks- I don't even want to use a brush! Even at about $20, this is worth every penny!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

let's get Naked!: rose ombre

Finally, I have gotten my hands on the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, so of course I had to do a look using it! I really enjoy this palette a lot- possibly more than any of the others, if I dare say. Thanks to my mom for getting me this palette and feeding my makeup addiction (even though she doesn't like it sometimes)! So let's get to the look.

I started this look by priming my eyes using the Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base to keep the eyeshadow on my eyes all night, since I do have oily eye lids. Then to give even more of a colored base, I used the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Shadow Paint in Chestnut Taupe.

Moving on to the eyeshadows, I used only the Naked 3 Palette. I started off with the shade Dust, which is a light very shimmery pink (first swatch in middle), and placed that in my inner corner as a highlight. Then I took Strange, a matte white, and placed that under the brow to highlight that area, as well. I then took the first crease shade, Limit (a light mauve that is matte), and put that in the upper crease. I took this a bit higher than I would a normal look because I really wanted the ombre effect to be more visible. Next, I took the shade Nooner, which is a darker version of limit, and placed this all over the lid and into the crease. I did this a few times to deepen the color a bit. I also brought this shade onto the lower lash line very lightly to create a smokey look. Then taking Factory, a deep plum shimmer (second to last swatch), I placed this very close to the lash line and then faded it up a bit- but only half way up the lid. I also took this shade very close to the lower lash line and made it quite deep to line the eyes.

I then lined my upper and lower water line, along with my upper lash line and created a wing, using the Smashbox Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx. Taking a pencil brush, I traced along the lower lash line to fade that black, we just put on the lower water line, onto the roots of the lashes. As a last step, I used Blackheart (a black with pink glitter) from the Naked 3 Palette and smudged the pencil liner out on the top first, and then I took whatever remained on the brush and gently ran that along the lower lash line. To complete the look, just add your favorite mascara!

I really liked how this look turned out and I have been using the "ombre" technique on my eyes quite often lately. I've been wondering if I should make a separate post on this- let me know if that would interest you. I pretty much explained my technique here, but I could make a pic-torial! I got some new palettes, including the just-released Tarte Be MATTEnificent Colored Clay Eye & Cheek Palette, so look for possible tutorials/reviews!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

drugstore discovery: Maybelline "The Buffs", e.l.f.

There have been so many new products coming out this January from all different makeup brands- great for my makeup addiction, bad for my wallet! As I was scouring the drugstore one day, I came across two new lip products that I really wanted to try.

First I found a new collection that Maybelline came out with. These lipsticks are called the Maybelline Color Sensational The Buffs and I got the shade Nude Lust 920. I guess the "purpose" of these lipsticks is to be neutral, and they range from pale to a bit deeper. These lipsticks have a great creamy consistency and are not drying. This color in particular is not cool or warm, but very neutral. It does match my current skin tone so I have to apply a bit of a darker lip liner to separate my lips from my face.

I wouldn't call this an absolute must have, but I do like it. I tend to lean more towards pink-nudes so that may be a reason I don't reach for it as much as others. If you want to check out the collection I do encourage you to get one because Maybelline makes great lipsticks!

Another product I have been meaning to grab, but could only find online until I ran across it at Harmon, is the e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator. This looks like a lipstick but is a lip scrub in bullet form. I have used this several times and I do think it works well. However mine broke already when I was using it- you can barely turn the product up when using it or else it will snap in half. I'm not sure how long this will last, but I will keep you updated!

Let me know what new products you have discovered at the drugstore- or even high end, I'd love to hear your suggestions! I hope this gave a little snippet of info if any of these have caught your eye.

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

2013 beauty smackdown: best in beauty

Where has 2013 gone?! I cannot believe a whole year has passed, it feels like just a few months ago I was telling you about my 2013 resolutions! Because I don't really do monthly favorite videos, I wanted to do an end of the year type of thing to let you know my favorite products in each category. I tried my hardest to narrow it down to my absolute favorites, but for some of them I really just didn't have one or I had too many so I just included all my favorites.

Starting off with face products:

• primer- L'Oreal Revitalift Miracle Blur Instant Skin Smoother Finishing Cream
• foundation- L'Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light
• concealer- MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15
• powder- Coastal Scents 6 Contour Blush Palette (white shade)
• blush- MAC Powder Blush in Blushbaby
• bronzer- Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder
• highlight- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle, Dior Diorskin Shimmer Star in Amber Diamond

Moving on to eye products:

• eye primer- Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
• eye shadow single- Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eye Shadow Single in Nutty
• eye shadow trios/quads/etc.- L'Oreal Colour Riche Eye Shadow Quad in Cuppa Joe, CoverGirl Eye Enhancer 3-Kit Shadow in Shimmering Sands
• eye shadow palette- I can't just pick one...I LOVE THEM ALL!
• brow product- Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel, e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit in Ash

And last, but never least, lip products:

• lip balm/chapstick- Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
• lipstick- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Lingerie Pink 7
• lip gloss- Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Dolly, Nars Lipgloss in Turkish Delight

So those are my favorites for the year! I know I didn't include some categories, but that's because I haven't found products that I love yet (so...obvously I am looking for your suggestions)! Let me know what your favorites for the month of December and 2013 were in the comment section below!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

best of Glam bag 2013

Yesterday I told you about my least favorite products of this year's Glam bag subscription, and today it's all about the best! Unlike yesterday's post, today's was pretty difficult. I found myself going back and forth on which products I really loved, because there were just so many. But I have narrowed it down to my favorite five!

In my first ever Glam bag I received the Nailtini Nail Lacquer in Bloody Mary. This is just the perfect red shade for my skin tone. The polish itself is also very nice. It has a great consistency and glides on easily. You can get away with one coat- but I usually do two for good measure. Also, it has kind of a shiny finish already so you could skip going with a top coat which can save some time if you're in a hurry! Definitely a great polish!

My next favorite product came in the March Glam bag and it is the GLAMRX Mini Freestyle Palette. This is a perfect travel kit for single eyeshadows and ones that you use every day. I raved about this for a while and I still get so much use out of it. I currently have four shadows in mine so you can fit a whole look in the palette. I would definitely rank this as the top product I have gotten the entire year!

In the July Glam bag I got the pop Pouty Pop Crayon in Rose Romance. This is such a great pink nude color for every day wear. I wore this just about every time I did my makeup in the summer because it really just complemented any look. It does get a bit harder to wear the more tan I am, but I think it looks great even if you have to sheer it out a bit or layer with another lipstick.

The last two products that I have loved came from the October Glam bag. First is the Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Volumizing Gel. This is great for creating volume throughout my limp hair. I only put this in my roots and then blow dry my hair upside down. Another great thing is that a little goes a long way, so I see this sample lasting quite a while! This is definitely something that I have to use in my hair routine or else my hair will be laying flat against my head.

Last but not least, is the Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Dolly. This is not only a great color, but the formula is amazing as well. Although this gloss doesn't have opaque pigmentation it gives some color without being sticky. It also has a tingly feeling and smells somewhat minty, which I personally love!

So those were my absolute favorite products from the 2013 Glam bag subscription. I did have some other favorites, but I really wanted to narrow it down. If you've been following along with my Glam bag posts, you'll know I definitely think this is worth the money because of the variety, quality and size of the products they send you. I encourage everyone to check it out!

I hope everyone from the northeast made it through this blizzard alive and that y'all from other parts are staying warm! Look out for my favorite products of 2013 coming soon!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina

2013 Glam bag fails

As promised, I wanted to let you know about the 2013 Glam bag products that I loved and disliked...and of course, I had to start off with the ones I didn't like. Surprisingly (or not), I didn't find many products that I completely considered a fail- just a few. So let's jump right into it!

The first product didn't come until the July bag, and that is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray. I did not speak highly of this in my initial impression and throughout using this my opinion didn't change much. It left my hair feeling crunch and dry- and I'm talking just bleached your hair five times in a row dry- and the kicker...it didn't even give me "beachy" waves. I have wavy hair and I thought this would just enhance those, yeah...no. I just wanted to wash my hair right away because my ends looked FRIED. Not a fan!

The next two products are mascaras, one from the September bag and the other from the November bag. I know I generally say that you can make any mascara work with a primer, but honestly all the mascaras I have received from the Glam bags have been one-of-a-kind horrible. In the September bag came the Elizabeth Mott It's So Big Volumizing Mascara which just left me looking like I had 2 lashes. It did nothing in terms of volumizing and doesn't live up to the claim that it's name makes. The November bag had the em Lash Gallery Lengthening Mascara in Brown. Mainly the color is what turned me off. I have absolutely no use for a brown mascara because my lashes are so light already. Of all the things I want, even in a natural look, are dark lashes. My sister, however, who has dark lashes likes this for natural makeup.

A product that is not pictured because I gave it to a friend is the be Delectable Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream, which came from the October bag. The product wasn't necessarily bad, but the smell was too much for me to handle. It was so intense! I sometimes can get a headache when scents are too strong so I didn't want to push it.

The final fail of Glam bag came in the December bag. It was the Starrily Nail Polish in Bzzzz Bzzzz, mainly because of the colors and the how it applied. I'm personally not a Steelers fan so I don't wear black and yellow nail polish, plus the glitter applied so sparsely. If that's the look you're going for then you might like it, but it's not my cup of tea.

I hope this was helpful and informative in some way. It also allowed me to reflect back on the Glam bags I received to see if they were really worth it- which I believe they are! And most of the products I didn't like were given to a friend who could get some use out of them. I hope you had an amazing and enjoyable new year's and are ready for an awesome year!

Happy 2014!

Always stay happy and healthy! :) Tschüss, Katharina