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Monday, February 27, 2017
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Boxycharm February 2017 Review--So far, I'm loving Boxycharm.
My second Boxycharm* was just as delightful as the first--I am finding that the value is WAY OVER the $21/month that the box costs, and they are all products that I will use, so far. This month's box included the following items:
Small Z-Palette with custom Boxycharm branding, $14.00 value
Sedona Lace Trio Eye Kit (brushes), $39.95 value
Japonesque Pro Performance Lipstick in Shade 04, $20.00 value
Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator, $79.00 value
Total Boxycharm February 2017 Value: $164.95
I really like the Z-Palette! I have a larger custom Glam Tech magnetic palette that I like very much, but it is too big to really travel with. The Z-Palette is a coated cardboard with a magnetic base and a magnetic closure, and it will hold 9 standard eyeshadow pans. The closure seems sturdy, but if I were to travel with this I would put a rubber band around it to make sure it stayed closed. This isn't a drawback--I would do the same with any of my high-quality palettes that have magnetic, rather than click, closures. It comes with round and square metal stickers so that if your eyeshadow pans aren't magnetic, you can still use them in the palette. I'm going to see if I can get my UD singles out of their packaging and put them in here.
One of the things I have enjoyed about Boxycharm is that it gives me the opportunity to try online-only brands that have great reputations but without paying shipping costs for a small order. Makeup Geek is one of the brands that I've wanted to try for a while but never pulled the trigger.
The two eyeshadow singles seem nice, I haven't tried them on my eyes yet but in swatching they seem comparable to MAC, maybe a little better. Beaches & Cream barely shows up on my skin--it will be a perfect base color. Glamorous is a shimmery warm golden light brown; the swatch was very pigmented and I love the shimmer.
The Sedona Lace Trio Eye Kit includes an eye blending brush, an eyeliner brush, and an angled brow brush with a spoolie on the opposite end. They all have really pretty synthetic bristles, kind of a purple ombre. They are soft and the ferrule and handle seem sturdy on each brush. I am looking forward to comparing the angled brow brush to my go-to Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 Duo Brush.
It looks very similar but the Sedona Lace brush seems softer. I like the stiffer brow brush, so I'm curious how this one will perform. The brushes seem to be good quality, so that would just be a matter of personal preference.
I really like the tube that the Japonesque lipstick came in! It's glossy black, with the color of the lipstick on one end, and a pretty pattern on the other end. I have to admit, I was hoping that in my box I would get the Real Her lipstick that some other boxes came with--simply because the shade names are so great and empowering (Women Rule the World, I Am Powerful, I Define Beauty Myself). Aren't those wonderful? But I have honestly had no experience with that brand so I don't know if the lipstick is great or not (I hope it is though)!
Shade 04, the one I got, is a glossy coral/orange/red. I have recently discovered how much I love orange lipstick so I was pleased with this shade choice. I also was pleasantly surprised by the glossy finish because matte has been the order of the day for so dang long. It's very pretty! As far as performance, the lipstick feels comfortable and moisturizing, and has good pigment, however, it lasts about as well as any other glossy/moisturizing lipstick does (not super long) and transfers very significantly. If you are accustomed to long-wearing or liquid lipsticks, it may not work for you. I don't mind retouching this type of lipstick so I was fine with it.
I have not yet tried the Dr. Brandt exfoliator but I am looking forward to it. I couldn't believe that an $80 product was included, and that the value was not inflated--it retails on Sephora.com for that price, and it has 900+ reviews with an average of 4.7 stars on their website. There are also 20 reviews averaging 4.4 stars on MakeupAlley.com, and that site tends to have really unbiased reviews. I am currently using COSRX AHA and BHA as chemical exfoliants, and Clarisonic with the "cashmere" brush head or a konjac sponge for gentle physical exfoliation. This product has both chemical and physical exfoliants--it is a scrub containing lactic acid--so I didn't want to try it right now, my skin is all jacked from having been sick this week. Especially around my nose--can you imagine this stuff scrubbing and acidic on my poor red peeling nose? YOWCH. So, I haven't tried it yet but I have high hopes.
So far, as I've said, I definitely feel that the value is there for Boxycharm, and I will continue to subscribe. I like that it is all full-size products, and that the products are mid-range (not drugstore) and generally from brands I have heard of (either available in local retail stores, or popular online-only brands). I enjoyed Ipsy, but it was often brands that were unknown to me, and mostly drugstore-level. Of Ipsy, Allure, Sephora Play, and Boxycharm, so far Boxycharm is my fave.
If you enjoyed my review, and you want to try out Boxycharm, you can use my referral link. It just gives me points towards a discount if you do--no biggie either way! :) Have a great week, darlings!
*I purchased the Boxycharm subscription with my own money and did not receive any financial compensation, products, or promotional consideration for this review. The only referral link included in this post is for Boxycharm.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Is this Kylie palette I bought on AliExpress fake? A definitive answer. (And how to save $$ on legit stuff)
I discovered r/makeupaddiction on Reddit around the same time that I started hanging out on r/AsianBeauty, and during that time the most common question we all see is,
"I got this $50 palette on Ebay (AliExpress, Wish) for $10, is it fake?"
Short answer:
Yes. It's fake.
Now for the long answer:
If something seems too good to be true, it is. You will not be able to legitimately buy a $50 palette for $10, you just won't. But you will see listings claiming this amazing deal. How is this happening?
Counterfeit cosmetics have become a huge business, particularly for companies working out of China. Unfortunately, the Chinese government does not have the same consumer protection laws as many other countries, and they are also lacking intellectual property law enforcement. This has allowed an industry to bloom that sells fake makeup for cheap on the internet. Some of the most popular brands, such as Anastasia Beverly Hills, Urban Decay, MAC, Benefit, and Kylie Cosmetics have spawned many shady and unsafe "replicas" that, on first glance, appear nearly identical to the legitimate product. There are certainly ways that you can differentiate a "replica" from the real thing--different fonts or paint on packaging, flimsier packaging, strange product order... but why risk it? It is VERY unlikely (if not impossible) that you will get real brand name makeup for super cheap on Ebay, AliExpress, or Wish.
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| I feel pretty confident that Eye Fungus is a thing you could get from fake makeup even though I didn't see any confirmed reports. |
And what you are risking if you decide to purchase these fake products is scary AF.
Ok, my darlings, now that you aren't going to buy fake makeup, what should you do instead?
- AliExpress and Wish are both places to get cheap, fun, NON-CONSUMABLE stuff like:
- Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers Stickers
- Cosmetic brushes (unpredictable quality, but I've got some really nice ones this way)
- Cute brush containers and lucite makeup organizers
- A Hermione Granger wand that lights up for $10
- A compact mirror that says "Star Trek" in the "Star Wars" font that will infuriate your nerd friends
- Know your authorized resellers. First of all, there are no authorized resellers of Kylie Cosmetics, get it? But other brands, like Sugarpill, Charlotte Tillbury, Viseart, and Natasha Denona do have authorized resellers, like Beautylish.com. Amazon is an authorized reseller of The Balm and LORAC cosmetics. These sites can have great deals.
- If you're buying on Amazon, choose PRIME (preferrably "Shipped and Sold by Amazon"). Amazon is much more careful about their Prime sellers, and I have successfully bought legit Korean beauty products through Prime. Third party sellers on Amazon are still suspect so avoid them.
- Coupon codes: HSN (Home Shopping Network) is an authorized reseller of a lot of great brands (like Too Faced) and they have had some amazing coupon codes (like $20 off $40) so check for those if you are looking for something specific.
- Subscribe to a beauty box. I have gotten wonderful full-size products through Ipsy ($10/month) and Boxycharm ($21/month, but it's my favorite so far). Boxycharm box value is often $100+ for $21. You won't get counterfeits from them.
- Beautylish Lucky Bag. I missed out last year but you can bet your ass I'm going to get one this year. Beautylish.com offers a "Lucky Bag" for $75 each January that contains WAY MORE value in brand name products. I saw a Lucky Bag that was worth over $400. They sell out fast so sign up here with your email address so you can get notified for the January 2018 bag.
- You can get free drugstore, mid-range, and high-end cosmetics to review from Influenster. Full disclosure: I haven't gotten a VoxBox yet, but I'm working on it. From what I gather, if you're younger (18-25) and have a lot of social media followers you're more likely to get a VoxBox. If this describes you, it's worth signing up here. You've got nothing to lose, right?
- Nordstrom Rack! I have gotten some DEALS from Nordstrom Rack's cosmetics shelves. I've seen LORAC, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Stila, Laura Mercier, The Balm, Michael Kors, and other high-end brands there for very cheap. Make sure to check the clearance area too.
- TJ Maxx and Marshall's also carry closeout products from popular brands. I haven't had much luck there but I've seen some great stuff others have gotten (like Anastasia Beverly Hills and Kat Von D).
- Enter giveaways. The Instagram accounts of popular brands, as well as other beauty bloggers, give away makeup all the time. Again, nothing to lose!
So I hope you heed my warnings and avoid fake makeup from now on! Note: I did not receive any products, financial or promotional considerations for this blog post, but I did include a referral link for Influenster.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
K-Beauty Routine Follow-Up: Estimated Costs of My Routine!
Thanks everyone for the great responses to my previous post! I got one question that I want to answer as best I can--because it's an important one--how much would I be spending to do this routine? It's hard for me to answer based on my order history for a few reasons--first of all when I discovered K-Beauty I did exactly what you're not supposed to do and went nuts and bought ALL THE THINGS, so I started products in March of last year but I had a bunch of things I tried out but don't include in my regular routine; for example, since March 2016 I have emptied 2 bottles of cleansing oil that wasn't my fave and then started my Kose Softymo which I really like and the bottle is about 5/6 full right now. Also, I'm not perfect and there have been weeks where I didn't keep up much on my routine, especially if travelling, and sometimes just did micellar water cleansing and Clinique DDM instead of the whole shebang. So I want to give a more accurate estimate based on my now-solidified routine and how, ideally, I use my products. This is a lot of math so I hope you appreciate it because I don't much care for doing math! XD
First off, how much I use: for serums, it's generally 2-3 drops. I googled how much is a "drop" and it said 0.05 ml, so for those products I'll estimate 0.15 ml per use.
For thin liquids, like Hado Labo lotion or the COSRX active liquids, I'd estimate 1/4 tsp, (it's like 3 shakes to get drops out of the bottle) so I'm going to say 1.25 ml.
For creams I'd say 1/8 tsp so we'll say 0.75 ml. For sleeping packs I'd say 1/4-1/2 tsp so let's say 2 ml.
KEEP IN MIND: I wanted to be sure to overestimate rather than underestimate! This is how much I use of these products based on eyeballing it, but your products could certainly last longer than I'm estimating...
So here we go, I'm going by today's prices on each product:
Purchase price $9.85
2 ml 1x/day--Bottle should last for about 4 months.
Purchase price $22.30
This is a solid product so I'm not even sure how to measure but I will tell you that I've been using it at least 1x/day since September and it's still got a ways to go so I'm going to say it will definitely last at least 4 months. **I'm being told from other k-beauty fans that this lasts WAY longer than 4 months. We'll see but that would certainly affect my totals a little.
Purchase price $12.25
Since I use this on a cotton pad I'll say 1/2 tsp 2x/day. At 5 ML/day this would last about 2 months.
Purchase price $17.55
I think I use about 1/2 ML 2x/day so this bottle would last 2 months.
Purchase price $16.49
You are supposed to use 1/4 tsp on your face which is about 1.5 g so a 2-pack would last a little over 2 months. **An anonymous commenter reminded me that you are actually supposed to use 1/2 tsp per day--1/4 for face and 1/4 for neck--so this would likely last for a shorter period of time. I've likely overestimated on other products, though, based on reddit feedback, so I'm not going to update the totals just now. :)
COSRX BHA liquid 100 ML
Purchase price $16.80
3x/wk 1.25 ml this would last about 20 weeks or 5 months. Let's go with 4 months just to make things more consistent.
COSRX AHA liquid 100 ML
Purchase price $14.40
Same use as BHA liquid so 4 months.
Hado Labo Gokujyn Lotion 170 ML
Purchase price $12.15
1.25 ML x 2x/day--this would last about 2 months.
Purchase price $25.48
I use 3 drops maybe 2x/week. Love it but I don't need it often. 0.15 ML at 2x/week means this bottle would last about 2 years but it'd probably be expired so let's go with 1x/year purchase.
Purchase Price $26.30
3 drops (0.15 ml) per day, this bottle would last about 1 year.
Purchase price $25
Based on my estimates if you used this every day it would last you two months, however, I've had my first jar (which is close to being done) for much longer. I don't use this every day because I don't always need this much moisture. I'm going to go with every 4 months purchase.
Purchase price about $9
0.75 ml daily this would last about 2 months.
Rosette Ceramide Gel 80 G
Purchase price $11.93
0.75 g 4x/week
I don't know what I'm doing wrong with the math but it's saying this would last 26 weeks but I don't think so. So let's go with 4 months.
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| JUST LOOK AT ALL THIS MATH |
Purchase price $12.56
2 ML 3x/week means this would last about 3 months. **I was told by another k-beauty fan on Reddit that this lasts much longer than 3 months! I really slather this stuff on (it feels so cooling and tingly in a good way) so I don't think it will last me much longer but we'll see!
Sooooooo....
TOTAL INITIAL COST FOR THIS ROUTINE: $232.06
TOTAL MONTHLY COST TO MAINTAIN THIS ROUTINE (basing on annual cost for all products but NOT including the initial outlay so you would actually be paying less than this for a while):
(Seriously this was some intense math!)
$66.25.
BUT WAIT!!! Don't freak out. Depending on your circumstances, this may seem like pocket change or it may seem like an Ivory Tower. I am quite fortunate that I'm able to keep up my routine but I KNOW it is not costing me that much.
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| Shifu puppy photo to help you relax |
1. DON'T YOU DARE GO OUT AND BUY ALL THIS STUFF AT ONCE SO HELP ME. You need to introduce things slowly, and patch test new products. What works for me may absolutely not work for you. Start with cleansing oil, foaming cleanser, sunscreen and a moisturizer. Jolse.com and RoseRoseShop.com offer sample packs of MANY of these products so start with those before you buy full size products. You can also often get decanted samples on r/asianbeautyexchange.
2. I am often able to get items on sale for much cheaper. If you know things work for you, you can place a big order on RoseRoseShop.com and the lower costs will make the shipping worth it. Google coupon codes, sign up for mailing lists and wait for sales.
3. Almost all of these things are available on Amazon Prime. Ask for Amazon GC's for birthdays and holidays if you need to :) Keep your Amazon Wishlist current. I got several of these items for Xmas.
4. For me, skin care is self-care. It's a routine that makes me feel good, shows me positive results, and is enjoyable and relaxing to do. This is why I feel comfortable spending money on skin care, and I'm economically privileged enough (but not wealthy by any means) to make it work. My ultimate blog goal is to use it to support my product habit. :)
5. Be careful to use your products sparingly**. Even though I tried to estimate as best I could, I know I'm not going through this stuff as quickly as I've estimated. Maybe I'm not as consistent with it as I think, or maybe the amounts are very generous estimates. One thing that allows me to use my products more sparingly is I don't 100% let every layer sink in before applying the next. This gives you a lot of "slip" so that you can evenly apply less product in each layer.
6. Before you blanch at the cost, do you know what you are currently spending on skin care? I have never looked at it in-depth like I've done on this blog post. This may not be much more than you're already spending, and you may have spent even more impulse-purchasing products with spectacular claims that didn't end up working for you.
So, my darlings, there it is. I do wholeheartedly feel that the K-beauty style routine that I've developed is worth the price and is far less expensive than quality Western products in a lot of cases. You're worth it!
**Except sunscreen. DON'T SKIMP ON SUNSCREEN. 1/2 tsp for face and neck, darlings!
**Except sunscreen. DON'T SKIMP ON SUNSCREEN. 1/2 tsp for face and neck, darlings!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
How K-beauty changed my skin
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| Before/Beginning K-Beauty: Summer 2016 |
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| After K-Beauty: January 2017! |
I never really had a great (or even passable) skin care routine before this and I'll tell you the reason why: before K-beauty, I never found any moisturizer that didn't break me out into painful cystic spots on my cheeks (an area where I never usually break out). Oil-free moisturizers, those for sensitive skin, those especially for acne, those for dry skin... All broke me out. A couple of years ago I discovered Clinique Dramatically Different Moisture Gel and for once, it didn't break me out, so it is all I used. It's really not very moisturizing but at least it didn't break me out! I do still use the Clinique DDM as an AM moisturizer, but most of the rest of my products are now Asian, and most of those are from Korea.
Last year I saw several articles on Buzzfeed etc. about the "weird 10-step Korean skin care regime" as K-beauty started to rise in visibility--and most of my friends, when I told them about my new routine, immediately said "I don't have time for that". So, yes, I do have several steps in both my morning and evening routines but it really doesn't take that much time at all, and I do most of my evening skin care in bed while I watch Bob's Burgers and wind down for sleep.
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| I wanted to take a glam Insta-worthy pic of my skin care routine but Elvis the Beagle wants to be famous. |
AM Routine:
-Cleanse with Su:m 37 Miracle Rose Cleanser stick and a washcloth or konjac sponge
-Wipe with a simple alcohol-free rosewater toner (Thayer's is great)
-Two pumps of Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence (hydrating and soothing)
-Light moisturizer (Clinique DDM or Mizon Snail Recovery Gel)
-Sunscreen (Biore Watery Essence or Biore Perfect Milk, depending on my makeup plan)
PM Routine:
-First cleanse/remove makeup with Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil
-Second cleanse with Su:m 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick
-Wipe with rosewater toner
-4x/week: CosRX BHA liquid on T-zone, CosRX AHA liquid on the whole face
**Wait 20 minutes while watching Bob's Burgers**
-If I'm feeling extra parched, apply a sheet mask (I like My Scheming, Innisfree, and Tony Moly masks) and wait 15 minutes (Keep in mind--I live in Colorado which is so damned dry it's like living with a bunch of those silica packs that come in handbags)
Then I swipe on my products, letting each one sink in for a few moments. It's usually recommended that you "pat" them in but I generally just rub them on very gently.
-Hado Labo Gokujyn "Lotion" (more like a hydrating toner, this includes hyaluronic acid for hydration)
-Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence
-(Optional--maybe 2x/week) Banila Miss Flower and Mr. Honey Essence Oil
-Missha Time Revolution serum in the purple bottle (it has a ridiculously long name!) 2-3 drops
-A sleeping pack, which is meant to seal everything in: I rotate several, but my favorites are Rosette Ceramide Gel and Innisfree Wine Jelly Sleeping Pack
-Eye Cream (currently using Tarte Marajuca Eye Treatment, but I'm not married to it, I'll try something new when I run out)
-Lip balm (currently Dior Creme de Rose and while I enjoy it, I don't think it is worth the shocking $$$ that I paid for it. My other favorite is Smith's Rosebud Salve.)
Yes, I know it seems like a lot, but actually if you don't count the time I wait for "actives" (BHA/AHA) it only takes me about 10 minutes, if that.
Reasons I love Korean Skincare:
-Korean consumers are very skin-care conscious, very picky, and have very little brand loyalty. What this means is that there is a large amount of market competition and brands race each other to put out effective products at a reasonable price. You can get really effective products from Korea for "drugstore prices".
-The packaging is often adorable.
-I'm able to find a wide range of products that don't break me out.
-Asian brands do sunscreen on a whole different level than Western brands. Sunscreen is another thing I almost never wore because even the oil-free ones felt sticky and greasy and broke me out horribly. The Biore brands that I love are weightless, and the Biore Perfect Milk is actually the best mattifying primer I've ever tried.
-Self-care: Keeping up with my skin-care routine gives me some self-care time every day and makes me feel luxurious and glamorous. Fifty Shades of Snail's "FiddySnails" wrote an excellent article about how her skin care routine helps her depression and I can relate to this so hard.
-RESULTS. Seriously, look at my skin. JUST LOOK AT IT.
So, now you want to try Korean skincare, right? IMPORTANT TIP: Don't just throw everything on your face at once. Patch-test everything, introduce products one at a time to make sure that if you have a reaction, you know what did it. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) is a concept that definitely applies to K-beauty--what works for me may not work for you!
If you want more info about K-beauty, I recommend these blogs:
I've linked all the products I've mentioned, but in case you are looking for retailers, I have ordered from and would recommend the following:
Amazon (but be sure to order Prime products ONLY. Items that are not prime-eligible are far more likely to be counterfeit.)
Memebox (big markups for some items, but some are only easily available to US consumers through Memebox, like my favorite Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream)
Jolse (free shipping on any amount)
RoseRose Shop (high shipping but low prices--if you are ordering a large amount, it's worth it)
**I purchased all of the listed products with my own money, and did not receive any product or promotional consideration for this blog post. I do not currently have any referral links.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
My first Boxycharm! January 2017 First impressions.
I've enjoyed Ipsy for a while, but I had become somewhat unexcited about the products I was getting so I decided to cancel Ipsy and try out Boxycharm. Boxycharm** is a subscription beauty box that provides 5 full-size beauty products each month for $21. I had looked at many reviews on My Subscription Addiction and I felt that the value for the price was there and they seemed to include some great products.
Boxycharm's boxes have some variation, as far as I can tell there are generally 1-3 products that are in every box, and then a few products that are variables. In my box, I received (all full size):
- Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind Illuminating Face Highlighter duo (retail $35)
- So Susan fan brush (retail $18.95)
- Pur Cosmetics Chateau Cheek Stain in Peach Bellini (retail $26.00)
- Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo (retail $23.00)
- Adesse Velvet Matte Top Coat (retail $18.00)
- TOTAL BOX MSRP: $120.95
I was pleased because there were a few variation items that I really didn't want, and I really wanted the cheek stain. I am listing these retail values as stated on Boxycharm's website and from retailers if possible--Pur Cosmetics are sold at Ulta but they do not carry this particular item. Oscar Blandi seems to have disappeared from both Ulta and Sephora.
My favorite item in the box was the Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind highlighter duo. The two shades are "rose quartz" and "chocolate diamond". First of all, the packaging is beautiful--sturdy matte plastic with a vintage aesthetic and a mirror in the compact. Both highlighters are so silky soft (almost creamy) when swatched with a finger and did not have any visible particles of glitter--just a shimmer glow. In this lighting I did not see a big difference in the two shades when swatched but I am sure in natural light there will be a difference--however, both shades worked well on my fair skin and I think that they would be lovely on a wide range of skin tones. 
As far as the rest of the products, I liked the cheek stain but it has somewhat limited use in my arsenal; I usually wear matte liquid or powder foundation, and this type of product is much better suited to sheer, dewy base makeup. However, the shade is quite nice, it blends well and I like the feature of the brush on the opposite end of the package.
The fan brush is fine--it's not luxe, but it's not garbage either. I'm glad to have another because I've been wanting to dedicate one fan brush to sweeping away eyeshadow fallout and this will work well.
I haven't yet tried the dry shampoo or the nail product but they will both get use so I'd call this box a win.
To take advantage of my new products, I did a minimal/dewy look using the cheek stain and the highlighter. As you can see, they both blend well and the highlighter really is just stunning.
Other products used:
Clio Gelpresso eyeshadow stick in Hold Me Tight (glitter peach)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow in Ash Brown
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Demolition (matte brown)
Benefit Rollerlash mascara
Tarte Lipsurgence Lipgloss in Fearless (shimmering coral)
All in all, I am happy with my first month of Boxycharm, and after seeing some spoilers for the February box, I'm pretty excited for that too. I'll have to have a few more months under my belt before I give it a seal of approval, though!
**I purchased my Boxycharm subscription with my own money and did not receive any product or promotional consideration for this review.
**I purchased my Boxycharm subscription with my own money and did not receive any product or promotional consideration for this review.
Friday, January 20, 2017
So, yeah, as it turns out Tarte's Shape Tape IS as good as the hype suggests.
I went to Ulta last week and had planned to pick up another Tarte concealer that has gotten very good reviews (the Amazonian Clay Waterproof 12-Hour Concealer) and they had an end cap of Shape Tape with nearly all of the shades out of stock except miraculously the shade that appeared to be my own match, Light Sand. So, thanks to Ulta's very generous return policy, I could try it out with no real risk. I'm quite glad I did.
First off, this concealer tube is HUGE. The amount you get for the price is excellent. To compare, here are the other concealers I've tried in the past year or so:
NYX Hi Definition 0.11 oz for $4.99
NYX Concealer in a Jar 0.21 oz for $4.99
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer 0.22 oz for $29.00
Benefit Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer 0.10 oz for $20.00 (SERIOUSLY Benefit? Eff you.)
Tarte Shape Tape 0.34 oz for $24.00 Thanks Tarte!!!
The applicator is huge, too, which some people have not enjoyed--you definitely do need to use a light touch to avoid splooshing concealer all over the place. That would be my only complaint, but really not a complaint because it's just such a great product.
Before Shape Tape, Maybelline Fit Me was the best I've tried, but not as good coverage as I'd like and not as crease-resistant as I'd like either. NYX HD was basically no coverage. NYX Concealer In A Jar broke me out in painful spots. NARS RCC was too thick and creased badly on me. Benefit Boi-ing is super greasy, not a great shade and not great coverage either.
Enter Shape Tape. When I swatched it in store, I actually said "Wow" out loud. It seems like almost pure pigment, but blended out it's a very natural skin-like finish. The coverage is to die for.
When I picked it up a few days later to use on my face, I was so delighted with the effect. Tiny, tiny dots under my eyes blended out with my BB for totally full yet weightless coverage. Then I got ideas. I haven't used concealer really for anything other than my undereyes or an occasional blemish. I have VERY ruddy cheeks in the totally wrong spot (why couldn't I have flush on the apples of my cheeks and therefore not need blush... huh?!) and I decided to see if the Shape Tape could cover up that redness without wasting too much product.
If I'm doing a full-glam face, I will use Estee Lauder Doublewear foundation in 1N1 Ivory Nude (which is ALSO as good as everyone says), but even with its excellent full coverage I generally have to use 2 coats on my cheeks to cover up that Nordic ruddiness. For everyday wear, I use Dermablend Intense Powder Camo in Ivory, and again, I have to use a lot to cover up that red, even though it really is the best coverage powder foundation I've tried.
I dotted just a little bit of Shape Tape over the red areas of my cheeks and blended in with a Beauty Blender. It covered EVERYTHING in one pass. I used my Dermablend powder lightly on the rest of my face and my skin looked as even and flawless as I get with a hardcore coat of Doublewear. It seems like they put some sort of magic in there.
I am so psyched to be able to get a totally full coverage face without a complete layer of foundation. I'll still use my Doublewear for special occasions as I have, but this stuff is, as they say, a game-changer.
I am so psyched to be able to get a totally full coverage face without a complete layer of foundation. I'll still use my Doublewear for special occasions as I have, but this stuff is, as they say, a game-changer.
Tarte Shape Tape in Light Sand (on undereyes and cheeks)
Dermablend Intense Powder Camo in Ivory
applied lightly with
Too Faced Retractable Kabuki Brush
NARS blush in Orgasm
Urban Decay Afterglow highlight in Sin
Urban Decay Primer Potion
L'Oreal Infallible Eyshadow in Amber Rush (cult classic)
Rimmel Exaggerate eyeliner (black)
Kiss Me Heroine Make Waterproof Long & Curl Mascara
Anastasia Dip Brow in Ash Brown
Sephora Collection Lipliner (clear)
Lipstick Queen Saint lipstick in Nude
In summation, I'm skeptical of products that everyone seems to rave about since the monetization structure of beauty Youtubers and bloggers doesn't necessarily incentivize totally honest reviews. But Tarte's Shape Tape is legit. I'll definitely repurchase it when I run out, and I'll be recommending it to all my friends. WTG, Tarte!
**I purchased this product at full price from Ulta and was not paid or given any product or promotional consideration for this review.
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