Tarte: Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Dollface and Exposed

Follow @charlotteg0h

I've finally found my holy grail blush!

*jumps around in excitement*

Introducing....

*drumrolls*

TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY 12-HOUR BLUSH!

Okay, wait! Before I proceed to tell you how amazing and awesome this is, you just have to read up bits of my grumble mumble (this is a trap! muahahhaa) or you can just scroll down to the bottom if you want :(.

I've gotta say that I've been lemming for this ever since I saw a video review made by MakeupbyTiffanyD and the urge to own this grew stronger when other beauty gurus speak so highly of it as well.

I've searched high and low for this baby in Melbourne to no avail, so my last resort was eBay. It was my first time shopping at eBay. I was quite skeptical, hence besides looking at the sellers' feedback scores, I actually went to search if anyone had written any reviews of these sellers on their blogs and have decided that if I found one with good reviews and many positive feedback scores, I would buy from him/her straight away. After much googling and searching, I bought it from m-a-c lover.

I made my payment at the end of October last year (2011). I was expecting the items to be delivered to my doorsteps two weeks later but it didn't. I contacted the seller and she replied almost immediately claiming that the packages might get delayed in the customs. Since it was November, people are sending gifts to their friends and family, I figured that her reasonings about the delayed packages were acceptable. Apart from that, she also ensured me that she has already insured my package, so if it were to go missing or if I did not receive them, I could get a refund or replacement.

After that, I've been checking my mail box and been getting disappointed every single day for the next two weeks. I contacted the seller again. This time around I was quite worried as I was heading back to Malaysia for my summer holidays soon. So even if the package got delayed, I might not be in Melbourne to receive it. I told the seller of my concerns and she said that, at this point she would assume that the package had gone missing and all I have to do is to sign an insurance form and she'll send me a replacement package right away. She even offered to have it sent to Malaysia for me.

Two weeks (again!) later, I found a parcel sitting in my mailbox! I was thinking: could this be it? could this be ittttt?! Without much hesitation, I opened up my parcel, and there they were, my very own Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes!

TADAAAAAAA!!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush

I've picked out two shades: Exposed (left) and Dollface (right)

So here's the review

What is Amazonian Clay?

According to Tarte, it is the clay that gathers in the Amazon River's basin where it is at its highest nutrient concentration.

The amazonian clay has been known to:

1. Remove surface oil to mattify skin
2. Nourish all skin types
3. Reduce the appearance of dryness and flakiness
4. Give skin an overall smooth and even appearance
5. Improve the appearance of skin clarity and skin texture
6. Hydrate dry skin

Dollface is a bright light pink.

It shows up well against my fair skin. Pretty!

Exposed on the other hand, is a plummy pink.

I'd normally use this when I want a natural glow.

It gives a "it's-there-but-it's-not-there" kind of glow :)

These are the ingredients.

Here are my thoughts:

Packaging

I like the packaging, it's so girly and sleek. Not too bulky, you can definitely fit it into your bags or makeup bags. Like many other blushes' casings, it has a small mirror too. I also like that the color of the casing is the same as the blush itself. This made the searching process through a whole stash of makeups so much easier :)

Does it really last 12 hours?

To be honest, I haven't wear the blush for 12 hours straight yet. I'd say it's still good at the 8th hour without any touch ups, it looks as if I've just applied it. Which is really amazing. I have combination skin, so my blush usually wears off by the third or forth hour. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush here is the exception!

Pigmentation

I love how pigmented these blushes are. The color really shows up a lot. Especially Dollface. If you have fair skin tone, do use it lightly. I'm sure you don't want your face to look like the ass of a baboon's :)

Finishes

Both of these have matte finishes, which is my favourite for blushes. Blushes with shimmers and frosts tend to accentuate your pores.

Besides, it also leaves my face looking smooth and the area where I apply my blush doesn't look greasy!

Shades

There are altogether 9 different shades of Amazonian Clay Blushes from Tarte. I'm sure you'll get to find at least one that suits your skin tone.

Does it cause any breakouts/irritations?

I've been using this every time I apply make up for the past month and it did not break me out.

Can it be depotted?

Yes, and I'll show you how.

There's a small little tiny hole behind the casing.

Use a needle or a bobby pin and poke it through.

The pan will be lifted.

The black thingy in the middle is the magnet that holds the pan.

There you go! Fit it into your favourite UNII palette or Z-palette!

Where to buy?

So far, I have yet to come across any authorized stockists in Malaysia or Melbourne. But you can definitely get it from eBay. I'd recommend m-a-c lover, even though there has been a delay for my order, I believe that it was not her fault. She's really friendly and responds to my requests almost immediately.

What is the price?

It costs $25 a pop from tartecosmetics.com. I've paid $30.99 for Exposed and $25.99 for Dollface and an extra $8.98 for the postage. It cost me about $33 for each blush which is $8 more expensive. Don't ask me why is Exposed more expensive, I have no idea too.

In conclusion, I'm sold! I love this product to the max, I'm actually thinking to get another shade: Blissful, which is a peachy pink *excitement*. Will definitely repurchase this!

P/S: Sorry for not posting up any pictures of swatches of this blush as I couldn't get a picture that shows up well. Will definitely do so, once I get the perfect swatches!

Hugs and kisses,

Charlotte

Tweet

Nail Polish? Never Enough! NEVER!!

Follow @charlotteg0h

Just when I thought that I should stop buying nail polishes, well at least for awhile, I stumbled across this online store that sells branded nail polishes like OPI, Essie, China Glaze etc at a much lower price. Lower? Yes, like seriously, MUCH LOWER! How much lower? RM33 per bottle of OPI! *gasp!* How to resist?! (FYI, OPI are being retailed at RM59 per bottle at most nail salons or authorized stockists.)

The first thing that came to my mind was that the products might be fakes! And what was worse is that there wasn't any note or FAQ stating that their products are genuine. (Well, maybe they did, but I couldn't seem to find it -,-) However, on their site, I found these 'Reviews' and the 'Testimonials' columns with a list of blogs or customers reviewing their shopping experiences. I randomly clicked on a few blogs. The feedbacks are pretty positive and many have recommended them.

I couldn't help it when the devil in my head kept whispering: buy..buy..BUYYYY!!

And I gave in.

Left to Right:

So Many Clowns...So Little Time,

Color to Diner For,

My Address is "Hollywood"

I've 'inspected' all three of them and I found that My Address is "Hollywood" to be a bit different. It has two different codes on the bottom label.

The top code matches the code on the side of the bottle, but I don't know why is there a second code?

Hurms, anyone have any idea?

Other than that, My Address is "Hollywood" along with the two other bottles passed the general 'original OPI' test. Don't know if that's the name for it. But it's just a list of a things to look out to ensure that your bottle of OPI is original.

Anyway, since the items I've ordered are listed under the "Ready Stocks", I received my parcel exactly two days after I placed my order. Logically speaking, I would have expected them to process and get my items shipped out this soon. But I'm still happy when I receive it this soon. If that makes any sense at all -.-.

OMG, after blabbering for so long, I still haven't tell you what store this is! It's Secret Alluree!

www.secretalluree.com

This is my first time buying nail polishes from them. Haven't participated in their spree event yet. Will definitely do so, after confirming that the double coding thingy does not mean a fake OPI. fingers crossed. Pray. Pray.

But for now, all I can say is:

• Great service, they reply my email within 24 hours.
• Great price. RM33 per bottle!!!
• Wide range of brands
• My items were being bubble wrapped tightly
• Efficient

I can't wait but to try them on and this is the first one that I've picked out.

So Many Clowns...So Little Time

I actually lol'ed at the name of this

It is an off white with a hint of pink.

Looks sweet. I would imagine this to be on a bride.

It is work appropriate too.

I've used 3 coats and the whites of my nails are still peeking out. But not that obvious though.

Like most OPIs, the application was easy. Thanks to their Pro-Wide brush.

I wouldn't say I love this color. It's kinda a 50-50 thing for me. Sometimes when I look at it, I think 'Mmm this is nice!', but sometimes I find it to be quite a boring color. Hmm, what do you think?

Love,

Charlotte

Tweet

Haul and kissandmakeupNY.com Shopping Experience!!

Follow @charlotteg0h

KissandmakeupNY.com is a New York based online retail store and it provides a wide range of brands such as NARS, Smashbox, Beauty Blender, Kiehl's, Laura Mercier, Butter LONDON et cetera.

There are two shipping options available: with or without insurance, which are USD14.95 and USD9.95 respectively. Both shipping methods are flat shipping rates.

Frankly speaking, I was more than relieved when this parcel arrived at my doorstep. Reason being when I went to google this online retail store up, there were quite a handful of negative reviews, some even said that they waited bout 50days and still didn't receive their items. In the end, they have to dispute their charges with Paypal. However, these negative reviews were quite backdated. So, I narrowed down my search and the recent reviews turned out to be fairly acceptable. I even emailed them personally to enquire about their shipping policies and I received their replies within 24 hours. Having gone through all that, I figured it'll be alright to place my order. Upon placing my order, I wrote an extra note saying that I wished to have my items bubble-wrapped.

Two days later I received an email stating that my items have been shipped and about ten days after that the parcel has arrived safely. And my items were being wrapped properly just as I've requested. It is always nice to know that the seller take your requests seriously, even though it is something as minor as that :)

The only downside is that they do not accept any returns or exchanges. The sales are final. That is also why I requested my items to be bubble-wrapped, just in case the items were to break during delivery or whatnot.

So, enough of my shopping experience. Time to see what's inside the parcel:

*gasp* excited!!

• Beauty Blender's Blender Sponge and Cleanser Kit
• Laura Mercier's Tightline Cake Eye Liner
• NARS Nail Polish in Galion, Night Flight and Night Rider
• NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna
• NARS The Multiple in Orgasm

Jealous not? :P

Love,

Charlotte

Tweet

Sephora.com's Friends and Family Sale!

Follow @charlotteg0h URGHHHHH!! Why doesn't Sephora.com ships internationally already? Then, I don't have to search and flip Google upside down to find a seller that sells a product that I'm interested! After finding one, I need to check and read the reviews on that particular seller to ensure that it is safe to shop! Seriously, time consuming. grrrrr...

Anyway, I'm still going to share this out to my US readers (if there're any). Sephora.com is having a Friends and Family Sales from 26th of Oct till 2nd of Nov! The Friends and Family discount (20%) is a benefit only for Sephora employees to extend their personal networks. I happen to come across this through TiffanyD's blogpost.

CLICK HERE!!

• Get your unique promo code (the code can only be used once) and enter the code before you check out!
• You can always cheat by using a different email address and get another code to place another order (just in case if you forget to buy something during the first order)

If you have friends who live in US, simply place an order with the billing address being your friend's address and ask them to mail it to you upon receiving your items.

To those who are able to purchase, enjoy shopping! :)

To those who are unable, join me and be jealous together! >;3

Love,

Charlotte

Tweet

[Haul] From Crush Cosmetics!

Follow @charlotteg0h

*ding dong!* I just received my parcel from Crush Cosmetics this morning! Such a great start for the day! So decided to share with you guys..

• Nyx Mega Shine Lipgloss in Sugar Pie and Golden Pink
• Elf Matte Lip Color in Natural and Coral
• China Glaze Nail Polish in Peachy Keen, Something Sweet and For Audrey
• Milani Baked Blush in Corallina and Luminoso

Can't wait to try them on! *skips around the room*

Oh ya, before I forget, I have always wanted to do a shopping review on Crush Cosmetics. So here goes: I've bought a few products from them in the past few months, if I'm not mistaken this is my third time receiving their parcel. You can purchase brands like China Glaze, Nyx, NYC, Ardell, Milani, Elf, Coastal Scents etc from them. The service provided are quite consistent:

1. Shipping takes only 2 days to arrive after placing your order (in my case)
2. Any enquiries through email take less than 24 hours to get a reply
3. They do not ignore your request (i.e. I told them to bubble wrap all my items, and they did!).

Besides that, they have a flat shipping rate! and if you were to purchase more than AUD60, you're entitled for a free ground shipping!

They are Australia based and they don't do international shipping :(

Wrapping everything up, it is safe to say that Crush Cosmetics is a trusted site to shop!

Have a great day!

Cheers,

Charlotte

Tweet

[Review] EOS Lip Balm: Smooth Sphere in Honeysuckle Honeydew

Follow @charlotteg0h

I get to know of this lip balm while browsing through makeup videos on Youtube a few years back in Malaysia. However, it is hard to find a lot of international brands when you're in a country which is kinda ulu (not up to date) when it comes to cosmetics. The fact that I'm in Aussie now makes things much easier! *muahahahah*

I'm a sucker for cute packaging and this egg-like lip balm definitely did catch my eyes! Besides that, this happens to be the favorite lip balm for a few of my favorite Youtube makeup gurus. It's sad to say that I am quite gullible when it comes to beauty slash skincare products. So after hearing so many great reviews, how can I resist such a cute thing right? *I WANTED IT! teehee!* and I BOUGHT it...

JUST LOOK AT THE SHAPE OF IT!! SHOOO CUTE!! ;)

Lets have a brief introduction for this lip balm. It is from a company called Evolution of Smooth (EOS). The range of their products is quite narrow; lip balm, hand lotion, body lotion, shaving cream. The following info was taken from their official website:

This lip balm was a love at first 'swipe' for me!!

The Pros

1. It has a really good smell! Trust me, it is addictive! (not literally of course)
2. The texture is not like other ordinary lip balm. It is not as sticky and gooey; it doesn't feel as though you have a layer of oil on your lips! Hence, you can definitely apply it when you're out on a date, if you know what I mean. *wink*
3. The packaging is so adorable! Some people might find it bulky, but for me it is good in a way where I don't have to rummage through my makeup bag 1234567 times before finding it!

The Cons

1. It does not work as a treatment lip balm, your lips will still feel dry when you don't apply it. But I don't mind applying and re-applying it again and again, just because I absolutely love the smell and texture of it!
2. As I've mentioned, the packaging might be bulky for some people. But worry not! EOS has another range of lip balms - the smooth stick, and it is shaped like any other ordinary lip balms, and I believe it is as good as the smooth sphere:

Source: evolutionofsmooth.com

Overall, this is a great product!

[APPROVED!! BUY BUY BUY!!]

Since we're here, I'll review and rant a bit about my online purchase experience for this product.

I was about to get this from EOS official website, they were selling it for USD3.29 and I thought it was a good buy. As I was about to check out, I realised that the international shipping fees is completely out of mind - USD 15! Whaaaaatttt..the shipping fees itself is 5 times more expensive than the price of the product!??! So I went to have a look at their shipping policy. It says that shipping for orders less than 6 or fewer individual lip balms is a flat rate of USD15! I was going to buy only ONE lip balm so I decided to search for another alternative and that is how I came across Addicted2LipBalm.

Addicted2LipBalm sells EOS smooth sphere for AUD6.35, which is almost twice the price of the official website. Before rejecting this site, I went to check on their shipping rate, it was a flat shipping rate of AUD4.95. Though it seemed to be pretty reasonable but being the greedy me, I googled and gotten myself a free shipping code! (*hooray* ALWAYS google for promo/discount codes before purchasing anything online, who knows you might get lucky. Like moi! I would love to share this code, but the code expired the day I made the purchase) So, without thinking twice, I bought it. Okay, back to reviewing this website, like the name suggests, they sell lip balms of course, besides that they also offer a wide range of lip products, from lip stain to lip gloss. They do ship internationally, the flat shipping rates varies according to which country you want your items to be shipped. I waited a week before receiving my parcel, which I find it to be very slow for local shipping. Apart from that, all new customers are entitled to get a 10% off for their first order, so don't forget to input the code: 1ST ORDER before checking out! :)

I'm not saying that it is not a good idea to buy from EOS official website. If you are going to buy in bulk or share the purchase with your friends and family and end up getting 6 lip balms or more, do the maths and it'll definitely be more worthy to buy from the official website than from Addicted2LipBalm.

I hope my review helps and have a great day! :)

Love,

Charlotte

Tweet

[Haul] Sigma Beauty

Follow @charlotteg0h

Received my parcel from Sigma Beauty just yesterday, was super duper excited! I literally hugged the parcel with love and smiled while skipping my way back from the post office to my apartment. :D

These pretty stuff was sitting nicely inside the box:

• 12 Brush Kit in Make Me Blush: Coral
• Angled Top Synthetic Kabuki in F84
• Dry n' Shape
• Eye Shadow Palette in Bare
• Mini Palette - I got this for FREE!

I've been wanting to purchase their brushes for the longest time ever!! It is like a dream come true to finally get to own them!

This is my first shopping experience with Sigma Beauty. Well, I would say that the customer service is good as they reply to my email enquiries almost immediately. Given the good quality of their products, it is safe to say that the prices are fairly reasonable. Besides that, it is quite easy to find their 10% discount code online, just google and you'll get it! and they do ship internationally, BUT! *there is always a but!* the shipping fee is a bitch. *here comes the ranting* They offer 2 types of shipping: the USPS First Class International Shipping and the USPS Express International Shipping. The first class shipping is plus minus 1/3 of the total purchase, and the express one is obviously much more expensive. If the purchase is less than a certain weight limit (in my case 4 items), you have the option to choose either one, however if it is more than that limit, you can only ship through the USPS Express International. So for example, if your total purchase adds up to 200bucks, you'll be paying approximately 67bucks EXTRA for the shipping! *pfft* This is the main reason why I've waited so long to actually buy them! Like any other marketing strategies used by other companies, the shipping fees will start to increase at a slower rate at a certain point, giving the twisted psychological idea that 'it is worthy to buy more', but seriously who will splurge that much at one go (I'm talking about hundreds of USD here)? So, my advice is to combine the purchase with your friends, the more the better!

You might wonder, what made me finally decided to get them.

1. really really really really wanted it for a very very very very long time. It's been about a year since I know of these brushes and been craving for them ever since! Believe it or not, I've been browsing their website for at least 3 times a week!
2. I've finally got permission to buy them! :) though I am feeling kinda guilty now after all that rantings about the shipping fees

Guilts aside, I am still very happy that I've received these babies! Will prolly do a review on them soon. Stay tuned!

Cheers,

Charlotte

P/S: I receive my parcel 3 business days after placing my order. Not too bad for international shipping, but then again, I would expect it to be this fast after having to pay that much on shipping! So, I wouldn't consider this to be a plus point.

Tweet