January 04, 2011

Collective Haul: Cargo, Tarina Tarantino, Benefit, etc.

bareMinerals Get Started Complexion Enhancers set includes:
- 0.02oz Well-Rested for eyes
- 0.02oz Feather Light Mineral Veil
- 0.02oz Pure Radiance All-Over Face Color
- 0.02oz Faux Tan All-Over Face Color
- Feather Light Brush
- Angled Face Brush
- Light Stroke Brush
- Instructional Brochure
- How-To DVD

I wanted to try Well Rested, but Sephora was/is always sold out. The girl helping me was kind enough to suggest the Complexion Enhancers instead. I'm so glad I got this set because I didn't end up liking Well Rested as much as I thought I would but have really been enjoying the Feather Light Mineral Veil and Pure Radiance All-Over Face Color. I use Pure Radiance as a highlight. Faux Tan is a little too dark for me right now but I'm sure it'll be perfect once I have a tan. I have heard many girls complain about the poor quality of Bare Escentuals brushes and say that they're too scratchy to use. I'm not sure if they've changed the brushes, but the three brushes included in the set are really soft and are the perfect size to throw in my little makeup bag. 
Oh by the way, the fact that I didn't like Well Rested wasn't because it didn't work. In fact, it worked too well. It's so brightening that my eyes looked smaller. Isn't that crazy? 

Cargo Blush in Tonga (8.9g) - Tonga is a beautiful muted/neutral matte pink. It's perfect for everyday use. My photo and swatches definitely do not do it justice. At first, I thought maybe it would be similar to NARS Douceur or Madly, but it's definitely more pink than both of the NARS blushes. Similar to NARS blushes, Tonga is incredibly pigmented so the best way  to apply it is by layering it little by little (I prefer using a large fluffy blush brush or a duo fiber brush rather than a smaller brush). As with many matte blushes, be gentle when swirling or tapping your brush in the pan, because it can turn into a powdery mess if you're too rough.
Much to my dismay, Sephora stopped selling Cargo products a while ago and I've noticed The Bay (a Canadian department store) offers a smaller and smaller selection of Cargo products every time I visit the counter. I'm happy to report that starting January 17th, consumers will be able to order from the Cargo website! If you sign up to be a "Cargo Insider," you'll receive 20% off your first order. I wasn't able to find anything about shipping costs on their website so I think I'm going to email their customer service and find out if it's affordable or not (I hate paying ridiculous shipping costs!)

Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek Blush in Feather (0.2oz / 6g) - this blush is the  darker, less coral relative of NARS Deep Throat blush. It's a peachy pink shade with shimmer. When I first bought it, I thought the packaging was a little bit tacky but it has really grown on me! 

Benefit Sugarbomb (0.42oz / 12.0g) - I LOVE the smell of this blush! It gives a nice glow but is fairly sheer, so if you have a medium/dark skin tone, this will probably be more of a highligher than a blush. When I use it, I try to avoid the peach (I have enough "peachy pink" blushes). It still ends up looking a little orange on my skin, so perhaps it will work better in the summer. 

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 & Scented Lip Balm #1 in Mango, Coconut, Cranberry, Vanilla - I went a little Kiehl's crazy. Originally, I purchased the Original for myself and bought the scented ones for family and friends, but I forgot to include them in people's gifts, so I'm going to keep a few for myself and save some for a future giveaway. 

Almay Bright Eyes Eye Base + Concealer - I'm not going to lie; I fully bought this concealer because of the name. Any concealer with the word 'bright' in the name will always catch my attention. I've read very good reviews on this concealer but I was a little disappointed when I tried it myself. The texture is very nice because it's lightweight, doesn't crease and blends easily. 

If you have very dark circles under your eyes, this probably won't provide enough coverage. When I use this concealer, I pair it with another concealer that has better coverage. Almay claims that the concealer "visually depuffs the eye area" but that definitely wasn't the case for me (in all fairness though, my puffy eyes are genetic and nothing helps). The packaging isn't the greatest. It's really difficult to squeeze the right amount for just one application. There are three shades: light, light/medium and medium. 

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse - I was so excited when I saw this in Shoppers because for the longest time, this product wasn't available in Canada. I picked up the shade 200 Creamy Natural. So far, I've really enjoyed using this foundation. Amazingly smooth texture and it has really great coverage. If you have dry or dry/dehydrated skin, I highly suggest trying the Dream Smooth Mousse if you haven't already. 

L'occitane Shea Essentials includes:
     - 0.1oz / 30ml Shea Hand Cream 
     - o.1oz / 30ml Shea Foot Cream
     - 3.5oz / 100g Shea Butter Milk Soap 
My cousins gave me this Shea Essentials set as part of my Christmas present. It smells incredible. When I shop, I rarely think of purchasing body/bath products, but I love receiving them as gifts for that exact reason.

Quo Individual Lashes - I'm not really one to wear a full set of lashes on a regular basis, so I thought I would try individual lashes. They're relatively easy to apply and they're so lightweight that I can't even feel them when they're on. They're also easy to remove. I remove my eye makeup with baby oil and the individual lashes just come right off with my mascara. They are very natural looking so I could probably get away with using them on an everyday basis, but for some reason I can't bring myself to add an extra step. I take joy in applying blush, but fussing with my lashes is probably my least favourite step. 


All of these products were purchased back in December. I'm going to try to avoid buying makeup this month. I hadn't even realized that I added 3 more blushes to my already too huge blush collection. I'm going to try to make January my skincare month. I ordered the Clarisonic Mia and a few Sibu products to try from the Shopping Channel last night. I just ran out of my Philosophy Hope in a Jar moisturizer so I guess I'll be needing a new moisturizer too. 

Can anyone suggest a good moisturizer for dry/dehydrated skin?
Is there a moisturizer you cannot live without? 


xx
Elise


18 comments:

Your style is your signature said...

I totally love the natural colors of bareMinerals Get Started Complexion Enhancers set and blushes :) great shopping!

white-lotusflower said...

Great post!!
I want to try Kiehl´s products!!
I love Clarins´moisturizers, They have great stuff.
Check out my blog, I started it in november, I hope you like it :)
xx

http://white-lotusflower.blogspot.com/

Devea said...

Origins moisturizers are really good.

FunnyFaceBeauty said...

Wow, so many great things. I love the look of that Tarina Tarantino blush but I feel like I have a few different ones that are too similar to justify purchasing it.
I have been interested in the well rested as well and will have to check it out next time I am in my Shoppers.
Can't wait to see your thoughts on the Clarisonic. I have yet to try mine.
xx
Alicia

GlamourMe said...

I love the colours you got in the set of bare minerals! Ive tried other eye colours in the shop and I was impresed by their bright colours.

m0chiii said...

wow! lots of great stuff!

i want to try that cargo blush.. esp because it is matte.. =) i've been loving my R&R matte blush..

Jewelrybead said...

Hello sweetheart! I have been a bit MIA as of late (I had my boys home on Chirstmas vaca and our schedule was super hectic). I've missed you dolly!

What great December products! I got the Clarisonic Mia for Christmas and I adore it! My skin looks so even and glowy- hardly a need for foundation now- I hope you love it too!

BIG HUGE HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Miss you!!
Jolene

socialitedreams said...

omg, sugarbomb looks soooo pretty!!

Vonnie
http://www.socialitedreams.com/

MsRinz said...

i love Tarina Tarantino packaging. Very girlish!!!:)

EmmaDee said...

hey elise! Ahhhh i wish we got cargo in the UK :( ive heard so much about their blushes!!
i gave u an award on blog so check it out :) ! xx

Shea Butter said...

L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Foot Cream - I have tried different foot salves in the past but none did anything to heal my feet from cracked heels, brittle toenails, continually blistering & peeling skin in front of my toenails and never ending fungus infections from the sand on the beach... I was getting worried and then by pure chance I stepped into a L'Occitane store in Honolulu attracted by the smell of lavender and I bought one of these tubes of foot cream...
Well within a week my feet felt 100% better... I just finished my first tube which lasted 2 months [morning & evening applications] and my feet are completely healed beyond my wildest expectations... my acupuncturist recently told me my feet looked like baby's feet... that's how good they feel too... I even noticed how much more sensitive they are... when my acupuncturist needles my feet and inadvertently brushes against them, I noticed they are as ticklish as when I was a kid...
Well I'm getting my second tube now and will continue to take good care of my feet as they are our connection with the earth...
Thank you L'Occitane...

Elise said...

Your style is your signature - the BE set is amazing and is such a great way to try out some of their face products without having to purchase the full size of each one! x

white-lotusflower - Thanks! I definitely want to try out a few more Kiehl's products and maybe try some of their skincare products. Thanks for the the suggestion I'll have to go by my Clarins counter soon! I'll definitely visit your blog right after this x

Chic Geek - Origins has been on my list for SO long! I have no idea why I keep putting it off haha thanks for your suggestion x

Alicia - You definitely don't *need* the Tarina Tarantino blush - at least not in that shade. You're right...there are so many peachy pink blushes out there already. It's similar to NARS Deep Throat and I definitely prefer the NARS blush because I feel it just blends a little better. Haven't tried your Clarisonic yet?? I don't know how you do it, Alicia haha! As soon as I get mine, I'm going to rip it out of the box and try it out lol x

GlamourMe - Bare Escentuals has really been impressing me lately. I'm the same way haha every time I'm at Sephora, I swatch a few of their eyeshadows because some of them are just so stunning x

siwing - I'm so jealous of you! I haven't been able to find any R&R products here in Canada. Cargo blushes are one of my favourites so definitely give them a try if you get the chance! x

Jolene - I missed you!! Happy New Year to you too, lovey! Can't wait for your next post...I don't care what it's about haha I'm just glad you're back x

Vonnie - haha I've only worn it a few times and thought it looked too orange on my skin, but now that I look at the photos, you're so right. It DOES look really pretty! I think I need to give it another chance. x

Rinz - It's definitely very girlish! My only gripe with it is that it can be really hard to open (I would be embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to open it when it was brand new haha) x

EmmaDee - Noo Cargo isn't sold in the UK? I'll have to remember to include something from Cargo in my next giveaway then! You girls have tons of other great brands to choose from though so don't be sad haha. Thank you so much for the award sweetie!! x

Musicalhouses said...

Great haul! Tonga is one of my all time favourite blushes!:)

Elise said...

Musicalhouses - It's such a flattering shade! x

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