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