Tarte QVC Today's Special Value: Journey to Natural Beauty

Hey everyone!

If you've turned on QVC this morning, you're probably aware that the Today's Special Value (TSV) is from Tarte today! It's a 6-piece collection called "Journey to Natural" and costs $59.94. Click here to check it out on QVC's website. As you can see, it also comes with a cute little pouch that I've shown folded over-- could work as a makeup bag or an actual purse. If you're not familiar with TSV's on QVC, assuming the set doesn't sell out, the price will go up after today. Tarte sent me this set to review for you, and as usual, I did not accept any payment for this review.

As for the face makeup- the look is pretty classic/natural... and I've worked in some other products that I'll make note of as we go along. As far as the Amazonian Clay Full Coverage 12-Hour Foundation in medium-- I already own this, as well as the large "airbrush finish" brush- so I went ahead & used what I had in my collection currently. I most enjoy using my Sigma F80 brush with this foundation just because it can get in small spaces around the nose & eyes with more ease. I'm glad this foundation is being included in another TSV, because I truly enjoy it! In fact, in my first Beauty Broadcast Live a month or so ago when I was discussing foundations, I mentioned this one as a "rediscovered favorite". I had it in my collection for awhile, but really got back to using it in December... a time when my skin is normally a bit more dry than usual. While I've always thought of this as a skin-balancing foundation that works well when my skin is more oily- it actually did quite well during the dry months. I added a little concealer to a few areas but didn't require much and I feel that the foundation does have solid staying power for between 8 and 12 hours depending on your activity level. In terms of shades, I am definitely a medium in this foundation. (In the Maracuja foundation formula, which I believe runs dark, I am light.)

(Other face products used: Cover Girl & Olay Concealer Balm, Mally Diamond Un-Powder, Laura Geller Bronze & Brighten)

Along with the foundation, the Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in Fearless is my other standout product in this kit. I feel like my eyes must have built-in glitter detectors, because when I opened the blush, the first thing I saw was the gold-toned sparkle that this blush contains. However it's definitely more subtle than a couple of the other Tarte blushes I have. And when applied on the face, I can confirm that it really gives just a subtle glow to the cheeks- not major glitter. What I really love is the pink color-- it's incredibly fresh and falls in line with the nice pigmentation that Tarte's blushes are known to have-- as well as great staying power. This will be a blush that I reach for often! 

Next up: the brand new Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara. This is the first rubber-bristle brush from Tarte that I've tried (maybe it's the first they've made? not sure on that). It has similar packaging to Lights, Camera, Lashes - only it's metallic gold. The brush has some rather long, stiff bristles, and between every row of long bristles is two rows of short ones. The end is basically blunt, but if you really clean off the tip you can notice some extremely short bristles. The formula seems to be a bit more wet than Lights, Camera, Lashes and the Amazonian Clay Gifted mascaras. 

As a huge fan of both of those mascaras for their amazing volume and separation... I wasn't so thrilled with this mascara. I felt like it gave me nice length, but the brush was so loaded with product, I couldn't get the separation I'm accustomed to with Tarte's other thick-brush mascaras. Perhaps as I use up more of the product and it dries out a bit, I'll like it more (we all know that happens sometimes with mascaras!) But right now, I'm not loving it for the fact that it makes me look like I have fewer lashes than I really have. Keep in mind mascaras are one of those products that seem to work differently for everyone! And this didn't seem to smudge or flake off. 

Another brand new product from Tarte is in this kit- it's the Brow Archnitect Shaper, Liner, and Definer. It's a unique 3 in 1 tool that comes with a "universal pencil" (something I'm always a bit skeptical of), an "underscoring concealer" (used to hide strays and basically clean up the surrounding area), and a brush to get brows in place. The pencil part is retractable and is cut at an angle (reminiscent of IT Cosmetics universal Brow Power pencil). The light powder product is sort of "spring loaded" so as you use more of the product, it'll always come up to meet the tip as you screw it in (hard to explain, sorry!) All in all, you end up with 3 functions in a pencil that's no bigger than a typical eyeliner. 

 

Typically these "universal" brow pencil are marketed with the logic that the amount of pressure you apply can customize the color you get. With my three swatches, I applied more pressure with each one. Being a dark brunette, I need to apply more pressure to get the color I need, which is not necessarily something I like to do on my brows (I like to be able to make feathery light, hairlike strokes). I feel like I was able to get a natural look on my brows, but granted, I don't have a lot of areas that need filling in. I'm really curious how this pencil would work on a dark brunette who needed to basically re-create an eyebrow. As for the powder- this DOES come in specific shades: fair-light, medium-tan, and deep. I believe it depends on your foundation choice. I have medium foundation, so I have the medium-tan toned powder. As you can see from the swatch above, it's a little dark & peachy for my skintone. It does seem to cover strays, but it's just not the best color for me. I ended up using that feature for this look, but really, really sheered it out so it would be wearable.  

(Other eye products used: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Wet n Wild Knock on Wood Eyeshadow Trio, Wet n Wild Fergie On Edge Cream Liner in Brown)

The final product is the new Amazonian Butter lipstick. The shade is plummy rose, and I absolutely love the way it looks and feels. This is my kind of color! I also like that it has a bit of shine. The packaging is really lightweight- seems like cardboard. It goes on so creamy and feels as comfortable as a lip balm. I'm not wild about the scent... it's like there's a hint of mint, but it's a little different from that. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it's nothing super objectionable and I'll definitely keep using it. 

♥

Bottom Line: I've always been an advocate of these Today's Special Value kits on QVC because you have the opportunity to try a lot of products at really good price. The whole kit is valued at more than $165- and you're getting it for around $60. I think kits like this are worth getting if the majority of the products in them are interesting to you. My favorite things are the foundation, blush, and lip butter. I really think those products would be universally enjoyable for all who might try this kit (and that's impressive, because few foundations seem to work well for multiple skin types!) The mascara and brow products aren't total fails by any means, but I just wasn't thrilled with how they worked on me. I may come to enjoy the mascara as it ages a bit. As always, these are just my opinions and experiences, but I hope this post is helpful to you if you're considering this purchase! :) Thanks for reading!

Daily Nuggets...

• The tornado sirens are going off as I type... thank goodness it's just a test!
• Hope you got a chance to see my "Ask Emily" video- posted yesterday! 
• I had a very painful toe-stub last night, but it's all patched up with an Angry Birds Band Aid. I love the fun Band Aids!!
• In other earth-shattering news, (haha), I made the Ro-tel & Velveeta queso for my Super Bowl party and still have tons. It's not the type of thing I should be continuously snacking on, but I don't want to throw it out! What to do...