January BoxyCharm Unboxing

Hi everyone!!

Omg, it's been a crazy month. I feel like this whole month has been me being sick and then trying to not get sick again.

It's been extra cold too so obviously there's been lots of binge watching shows.

I'm really into Dexter right now, I'm on season 7 and I don't want it to end *cries *.

Also almost finished with Jane the Virgin.

What shows are you guys watching right now?

Everyone seems to be recommending Gilmore Girls but I cant stand that show.

Leave me some suggestions in the comments below for some good shows on Netflix or Hulu.

So anyways here we are in January and I finally received my BoxyCharm so of course it's BoxyCharm time, let's just jump right in.

1) Pur Chateau Cheek Stain ($26)

I received the shade Cabernet which is a deep wine color.

The packaging is the same color as the product inside with dual ends and silver caps.

On one end we have the actual cheek stain which seems to be more of a balm type formula rather than a cream and comes off quite sheer in the swatch, which would make it easier to use being its a deep color. It did seem easy to blend out fine but also dries down and stains rather quick so you gotta work fast. When I opened mine to swatch it the whole stick of cheek stain actually fell out and honestly there wasn't much product in there but being that a little seems to go a long way I guess this would still last a while

On the other end is a brush for blending out the cheek stain. I don't really like the brush and could not see myself using it, it seems poorly made, mine was unevenly cut, and just seemed too small and stiff for it's purpose. I could see myself using this for a lip stain more than for my face.

2) Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind Illuminating Face Highlighter Set ($35)

In the shades Rose Quartz & Chocolate Diamond

The packaging was a simple antique white color with gold text and a large lid sized mirror on the inside and the highlighter pans were actually quite large which makes getting your brush in there quite easy.

I actually really like the way these swatched, they were very pigmented and they had a lot of shine, I was actually shocked at the colors themselves because in the pan they seemed quite dark like they would not work for pale and light skin tones but they definitely did not come off that way once on the skin and to be honest I wasn't expecting to like these as much as I do and I think these shades would work for all skin tones.

3) Deluxe Soft Fan Brush (SS017) byCrown Brushes ($12.99)

This is your typical fan brush which was a good addition to this month's box since they included a highlighter palette in here too. I really like getting brushes in my BoxyCharm because you can never have too many and if you wear makeup daily like I do then you know it's always good to have backups when you forget to wash a brush or when you're just being lazy.

4) Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray ($23)

I haven't used this yet so not really much to say. I have black hair so the true test will be if it leaves a white residue.

5) Adesse Ultra Suede Matte Top Coat ($18)

I am a simple girl when it comes to my nails. I usually just trim,file, and paint my own nails. I don't go crazy and do all the cuticle oils and stuff (even though I know I probably should) so I was really excited that this was a topcoat rather than some type of nail treatment. I will definitely be using this.

So that's everything I got in my January BoxyCharm.

Let me know what you got in your box below in the comments or hit me up on social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html


Products Mentioned (clickable):

Pur Chateau Cheek Stain

Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind Illuminating Face Highlighter Set

Deluxe Soft Fan Brush (SS017) by Crown Brushes

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray

Adesse Ultra Suede Matte Top Coat

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+

Hey everyone!!

I have a pretty gnarly cold right now (thanks to my husband) and since I haven't been wearing as much makeup this week, I figured it was a great time to try out the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+ ($38).

When I'm sick I usually just wear BB or CC cream, mascara, and a shit ton of lip balm.

I also like to wear BB and CC creams around the house, on “no makeup” makeup days, & when I'm sick because I like the added benefits that come from these creams.

They're full of vitamins, anti-oxidants, hydrating ingredients*, anti aging ingredients*, SPF, and if it's a CC cream then it also brightens and color corrects.

So even if this one might be out of your budget I do highly recommend them in general.

My favorite drugstore version at the moment is the Garnier SkinActive Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream ($12.99) and I use the Oily/Combo version, it dries down to more of a natural matte and is not overly drying at all.

The Garnier BB is a whopping 2 ounces btw (good ass deal).

(*exact ingredients vary by brand that's why I didn't name them)

Some might think it's a little unnecessary to wear makeup when you're sick and that's fine but it just makes me feel better when I already feel so crappy and it really only takes like 5 minutes so you can be back to moping around the house in no time.

The IT Cosmetics Your Skin But BetterCC Cream with SPF 50+ doesn't have the greatest shade selection as there are only five shades but that's pretty typical for BB and CC creams

(honestly I've seen a bunch of brands with even less shades usually 3 (lame af)).

I chose the shade light.

It comes in a 1.08 oz squeeze tube with a fine tip which I like because CC creams can tend to be a little more runny and it gives you more control.

When I squeezed it out for application it was more emollient and sticky and was slightly thicker than I expected, which instantly told me that this might be a bit too hydrating (aka greasy mofo) for my skin type. Easy fix though, I just put some mattifying primer on my t zone and continued on.

I thought the color (at first sight) was going to be a little too warm for me but because it's more of a light/medium coverage it sheered out beautifully and I could see this being more forgiving on shade matching.

It blended out super easy, smooth, and quick with a beauty blender and I instantly loved how it made my skin look and feel. It was super lightweight, my skin felt hydrated, had a natural finish, and it ending up matching me perfectly. It definitely needed to be set with a light dusting of powder (I have combo dry/oily t zone) but who am I kidding I freaking set everything anyway.

After my face was completed (super quick sicky makeup) I inspected my face in the mirror because that's what everyone does right?

It's definitely light to medium coverage which I expected because it's a CC cream so it won't fully cover any pigmentation marks or breakouts you might have but that is part of the reason I love this so much.

It gave me enough coverage to make my skin beautiful and glowing but my pigmentation spots and flaws just barely peeked through which gave the appearance of having naturally beautiful skin.

I have a couple small dark spots from dry skin and some new red marks from a recent skin care product fail (read about that here)

(below: IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+ in shade Light)

The IT Cosmetics Your Skin But BetterCC Cream with SPF 50+ held up really well throughout the day, my skin still looked naturally beautiful and none of my redness was visible, I mean there was a little patchiness around my nose but that's because I'm sick and tissues are my best friend right now, probably wouldn't have been patchy otherwise because the rest of my face was still going strong even after a couple short naps.
(as you can see in the pics below some pigmentation marks are slightly visible through the CC cream but I feel like that what makes it appear as though you have naturally beautiful skin)

By the end of the night when I went to wash my face I gotta say it still looked pretty good, obviously my nose looked like crap (lol) and there was a little bit of shine on my forehead but not a lot at all, nothing a little powder couldn't handle but I imagine it would have been a lot worse if I hadn't put that mattifying primer on last minute.
(FYI* I'm sick so I'm allowed to post gross selfies of myself lol)

Overall I absolutely loved the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+, I was afraid it was going to be too dewy for my skin type but it worked out so much better than expected and I didn't do any touch ups whatsoever mostly because I'm sick but it turned out to be a good test and it passed. If you have combo or oily skin just be sure to use a mattifying primer and set that shit, and although this works great in the winter I'm not sure that it'll hold up to oily skin in the summer especially here in the desert.

I was a little skeptical at first that I was going to love this as much as I did but I even shocked myself with this product and I can't imagine not having this in my collection,

I definitely think it's worth the money.

Let me know your favorite BB or CC cream below in the comments or on my social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html


Products Mentioned (clickable):

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+

Garnier SkinActive Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Noir

Happy New Year everyone!!

What did you guys do for New Years?
Any New Year resolutions?

Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on twitter (@alletse).

Let's talk shit *laughs *.

I stayed in wrapped up like a burrito in the blankies and binge watched the LMN channel,

ugh I love Lifetime movies.

I'm actually watching one right now while I blog (The Perfect Stalker).

I'm obsessed with LMN and the ID channel I find it super interesting especially the true stories and *bonus * I'm already a naturally paranoid person so these don't make me anymore paranoid than I already am (hahaha).

I was reading a post the other day and someone was saying that they can't watch Lifetime movies because they get too paranoid, a bunch of other people agreed. Made me wonder.

Do you like LMN movies? Do they make you paranoid?

Today we're talking about the L'Oreal Color Riche La Palette Noir ($19.99)

This drugstore eyeshadow palette launched early 2016 (if I remember correctly) and was the third palette in the L'Oreal Color Riche La Palette Collection.

I already had the L'Oreal Color Riche La Palette Nude 1 ($19.99) and the

L'Oreal Color Riche La Palette Nude 2 ($19.99) which I actually really liked.

The price does seem kinda high for a drugstore eyeshadow palette but L'Oreal has always been on the higher end of that scale but seems to have actually gotten even pricier in the past 2 years or so

(I guess most drugstore makeup has though).

You can usually find L'Oreal BOGO 50% off at Ulta which would make these palettes around $15 each.

The packaging is really good quality, quite heavy shiny black plastic with a clear window to see the shades inside and gold text details.

There is a mirror inside although it's a little on the narrow side, I personally don't like the mirror in this palette I would rather have no peek a boo window and a bigger mirror.

It also comes with a double ended brush inside, on one end there's a cute little eyeshadow brush which I actually kept and use only for my inner corner highlight. I can't see many other uses for that brush end because it's far too small and flat to really do anything besides detailing.

The other end is a your classic nightmare sponge tip applicator aka shit.

Just rip that bitch off and pretend it never existed.

This packaging is identical to the two previous L'Oreal Color Riche La Palette's.

When I saw this palette I was initially a little hesitant because although I really like the previous two palettes from this collection, I usually avoid an all cool toned palette.

Just a personal preference as I don't tend to reach for the colors in this palette as often and I already have high end neutral palettes that include a cool pop of black, white, silver, or whatever (you get it).

I kept seeing this when I would browse at Target and part of me just wanted to complete my collection I guess, and well as you can see I had no self control.

(swatched in same order as palette shown above, these required 2 swipes for semi decent swatches)

The shades in this L'Oreal Color Riche La Palette Noir Palette are a blend of cool toned whites, silvers, blues, grays, and black.

After opening and swatching the shadows I found it strange that the only mattes in this palette are darker shades and there are only 2, which means that you would have to use this palette in addition to another palette for the basics.

The shadows themselves are very poorly pigmented and powdery, the first three lightest shimmer shades have the most pigmentation of all the shades in this palette yet they still weren't very impressive.

When I finally got around to putting these on my lid I noticed immediately that when you try to blend it, it actually takes the color right off your lid and leaves you with a patchy mess.

I tried to build up these shadows to get more color payoff and to fix the patchiness but that was a fucking disaster and just made the patchiness worse.

Another thing I noticed was that because the color blends into almost nothing that all the medium - darker shades end up looking the same at the end and it was not a good look.

It kind of looked like I had slept in my makeup then woke up and rubbed the shit out of my eyes, I started questioning my own blending skills because I could not make this work.

Okay, okay *sigh * maybe I could make it work if I absolutely had to (like if I was on a deserted island and I found this bitch on the beach hahaha) but that would take far too much work for pigmentation that wouldn't even last, so I don't see the point.

I actually wiped off one eye and recreated the look with some Lorac eyeshadows on only that one eye just to compare and make myself feel better. 

Wish I would have been able to get some pictures, especially of the comparison but they were coming out horrible because I did this really late (or early?) it was 4am and the lighting and everything was just working against me. Plus I had no other makeup on and I looked like a troll but I tried.

My final thoughts?

Stay the fuck away from this palette, this is clearly not the same formula as the other palettes in this collection.

Normally I would say something with lower pigmentation is good for beginners as it hides mess ups and can be easier to blend out and build up but not in this case, this eyeshadow palette is a pass and requires too much work for a shitty outcome.

If you still feel the need to purchase this palette, take a $20 bill out of your purse and rip it to shreds as it's pretty much the same thing.

However I absolutely do recommend the L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Nude 1 & Nude 2 palettes,

they have good pigmentation, blendable formula, and a good range of finishes for a complete eye look in beautiful everyday shades.

Have you tried the L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Noir?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on my social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html


Products Mentioned (clickable):

L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Noir

L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Nude 1

L'Oreal Colour Riche La Palette Nude 2

Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum

Hey everyone!!

Can you guys believe that it's already almost the new year?

What's everyone doing this year?

I'll be staying home because I live in a total tourist trap city.

When I first moved here a few years ago and New Years eve came I was fucking stoked to go out but it all quickly changed into the worst New Years eve ever.

They block off freeway exits and main streets starting around 5pm which makes getting anywhere super difficult (including work and home) but at this time you're still pumped so walking 10 blocks (the closest the taxi can get you) doesn't seem that bad, but once it's 3-4am and you're shitfaced and tired, SURPRISE you're gonna need some good luck getting home, after walking another what feels like 100 miles to an unclosed off area for a taxi or uber (ha forget it), tashousands of others have also migrated to these areas in a drunken panic too. Hotels book months in advance for NYE here and obviously go way up in price so that's not an option and if you do happen to find one it'll cost you an arm, a leg, and your future first born son (lol).

We queued for a taxi and it was a 5 hour minimum wait, after maybe 3-4 hours of mindlessly loitering around a hotel luckily a friend whom had just gotten off work came and picked us up around 7am.

Obviously the in between time was fun but in my opinion not worth the huge hassle that the night turned into.

Needless to say I will never go out on New Year's eve here again.

Today is a skincare post because my skin hates me.

When it gets cold the lower half of my face gets very dry and I get dry patches which causes discoloration marks on my face because my skin is sensitive to marking.

This happens every year and I knew it was coming *cries *.

In a previous post (Night time Skincare Routine) I spoke about a spot lightening serum I was using and since I was preparing for my skin to turn on me, I had the brilliant idea to switch my lightening serum.

My logic was that if I switched to something stronger before my dry patches that I could prevent the dark spots from ever happening *eye roll*.

So today we're talking about the Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum ($60).

I have heard a lot praise regarding this serum and actually this whole brand to be honest.

When I read that this serum shows significant improvements in only one week, that's pretty much what convinced me that I needed this serum.

I used the Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum for 6 weeks.

(left side of my face & breakouts from this product)
FYI: I know you can't see the smaller white bumps but you can see the larger red breakouts on my skin and this is also a week after I stopped using it, it was much worse.

I went into this very optimistic, maybe too optimistic I was literally expecting rainbow rays to shoot out of my freaking face based around the crazy good reviews pretty much everywhere.

After about a week maybe a week and a half of daily use, I noticed small bumps everywhere that I applied this (lower half of face).

I do not have sensitive skin, my skin is only sensitive in the sense that it marks and scars easily and the only time I get a break out is around my period.

At first I blamed it on P.M.S. but as the days and weeks passed the bumps never went away and actually got progressively worse.

I told myself maybe my skin just had to get used to this super strong serum and that I should just stick with it a little longer and see.

By the sixth week when I had enough and called it quits I had far surpassed the small bumps and now looked as though I had a bad acne breakout, the worst part is that it didn't even lighten any of the spots on my face and now I have new marks from the reaction to this product as well. My skin is also drier than ever before.
(right side of my face & breakouts from this product)
FYI: I know you can't see the smaller white bumps but you can see the larger red breakouts on my skin and this is also a week after I stopped using it, it was much worse.

I could looked past the breakouts if it really was just my skin “getting used to it” and would have went away after a week or so.

I even could have looked past the intense drying effects had the serum actually done what it was supposed to do.

(chin & breakouts from this product)
In this picture you can see my pigmentation marks on my chin that aren't very dark yet this product still didn't work on them.
FYI: I know you can't see the smaller white bumps but you can see the larger red breakouts on my skin and this is also a week after I stopped using it, it was much worse.

I know that we all have different skin types and reactions to products and normally I would say, “Hey, although this made ME break out, it really does work and you might like it".

Fuck all that with this Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum, because not only did this make me break out, this did not lighten any of the spots on my face at all not even a little bit and they weren't even as bad as they used to be because my previous serum lightened them significantly.

I'm now in the process of nurturing my skin back to normal, I went back to my regular lightening serum about a week ago and my skin breakouts are about 50% healed.
The pictures above are current taken today at 50% healed.

Would I recommend this? No.

The Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum broke me out really bad but more importantly it also didn't lighten any of the pigmentation spots and marks on my face and they're not even very dark, plus I gave it a whopping 6 weeks which is more than enough time to see some kind of improvement.

I would instead recommend you try the

Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Treatment ($12.99)

Have you used the Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum?
Let me know your results in the comments below or on my social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html


Products Mentioned (clickable):

Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum

Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Treatment

Blogmas Day 23 - Random Chit Chat

Happy Blogmas Day 23!!

How is everyone's holiday prep so far?

We finished all our shopping two weeks ago so for once we're not a part of the last minute chaos.

Even more important everything is wrapped (cue fireworks) A+ in holiday adulting lol.

It's so crazy out there I've even been dreading going to the grocery store but at the same time I'm super excited because *surprise * I really love food and I enjoy cooking from scratch.

It's been a super busy month so even though I'm running behind on pretty much life in general, I'm making tamales the day after Christmas.

I know, I know I'm a horrible mexican wife to not have tamales before Christmas (*laughs *) but in my defense ever since I moved out of state away from my family I do all the work by myself, although my husband does try to help (let's just say his specialty dish is scrambled eggs).

As long as I get them in before the year ends then it still counts, right?

I'm gonna have to drag myself to the super packed grocery store tomorrow *ugh *.

Dude have you guys tried the Candied Pecan candle ($22.50 but no one pays this price) from Bath & Body Works? I got it in my Candle Haul on Cyber Monday.

It smells so freaking amazing, I usually stay away from the sweets and sugary type of scents but for some reason this one just caught my eye and I love it. It's not heavy at all on the overpowering sugary side, instead it's very nutty and buttery with hints of vanilla and caramel (or is it toffee?).

I tried to look it up but it's not online anymore. This scent fills my entire house, I have the candle downstairs on a shelf and I'm upstairs writing this in my room and I can smell it all the way up here.

My husband said when he comes home he can smell it as soon as he opens the garage.

Sorry this post was pretty much about nothing but I figured this was better than no post.

I have a skincare post planned for tomorrow though.

I'm off to make a grocery list and browse the new arrivals at Ulta & Sephora.

You still fighting the holiday crowds? Swearing off Christmas forever?
Let me know in the comments below or let's chat on my social media.
https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html

Blogmas 19 - December BoxyCharm Unboxing

Happy Blogmas Day 18!!

Yay!! My BoxyCharm came yesterday!!

I've been getting BoxyCharm for a few months now and I freaking love it.

I chose this beauty subscription box because I love the fact that everything you receive will be full sized. I'd rather pay $21/month for full sized products than $10 for dumb ass samples but obviously that's just my opinion because a lot of people tend to love those other subscriptions too (hahaha).

I actually really like BoxyCharm unboxings because everyone doesn't always get the same things and it's just fun to see what else people got the same month.

I know not all people feel that way because one day I decided to scroll through the BoxyCharm hash tag on Instagram and holy shit! People take these boxes so seriously. I read comments from so many people who were legit getting pissed because they didn't get something that someone else got, threatening to cancel, and just talking mad shit to and about BoxyCharm.

Seriously I was thinking to myself, if you want that Makeup Geek blush that fucking bad then go order it, it's only like $10. I mean isn't the whole point of these boxes to get a random box sent to you every month? You go into it knowing that you don't get you pick your items and it's the surprise aspect that makes it so exciting and fun.

People are a trip.

Anyway on to the unboxing.

1) Blinc Black Lash Primer ($26)

I found this brand is available on Sephora.

I loved the packaging on this mascara, instead of a box it came in a black tin canister type tube with a screw top lid. It was so cute I didn't want to throw it away.

The wand brush looked a little odd featuring a flat paddle shape with super short hard rubber bristles on the top and bottom of paddle.

While taking the pictures for this blog I also noticed the flat sides of the paddle brush seemed to carry quite a bit of product on it when you take it out of the tube which seems like it could be messy or distribute too much product but that's just a guess at this point.

2) IBY Lip Pencil ($14)

I got this in the shade Classic Red and is has a slightly blue under tone.

It's a simple black wooden pencil with white text and a color indicator on the end.

The formula was the perfect combo of creamy and stiff.

The swatch applied easily and smooth without pulling skin yet the tip held it's shape without breaking or smashing down.

3) Ofra Metallic Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick ($19)

I received the shade Napa Valley.

I was so excited when I saw this in my box because I've been wanting to try the Ofra Liquid Lipstick formula for quite a while now but I guess I just kinda forget about it until I see something about it.

Even though I'm a nude whore I actually really love this color. It's a very deep dark metallic purple.

When I swatched this it was fully opaque and not at all patchy with only one light swipe, I was blown away by the pigmentation for such a dark color especially a metallic where some formulas can be streaky and we all know purples can also be streaky or less opaque.

The packaging is sleek and simple with a black cap and silver text on a clear tube with a standard doe foot applicator.

4) Butter London Nail Lacquer ($15)

I received the shade Ruby Murray.

This brand is available at Ulta.

This shade is a beautiful vampy burgundy and appears to be a shiny cream finish.

I've never tried any Butter London products so once again I was excited to see a brand I've actually been curious about. I've heard good things about the formula and I actually do my own nails so this was perfect.

5) Pure Cosmetics Buff CollectionEyeshadow Palette ($50)

The packaging on this palette appears cheap and opens rather weird.

Although the outside appears to be tin (?) the inside is plastic and the lid top has these 2 prongs that insert into the bottom and make it difficult to open and tends to pull the bottom plastic out of the tin tray.

I couldn't find any kind of shade name for this palette but it is clearly a dupe for the Naked 3.

This palette is based around mostly cool toned pinks, mauves, and taupes, there's also a good range of deeper browns to add definition and since they're all shimmer shades they'd be beautiful all over the lid as well. The shimmer shades are creamy and were super soft when I did my swatches, which could lead to fallout and although they were beautiful in the pan there wasn't much pigmentation when swatched especially on the lighter shades. 

There's only 3 matte shades in this palette but seem to be sufficient enough to complete a look, the matte were also lacking pigmentation and were a bit powdery. I took a brush to the swatches after I took my blog photos and when I did that most of the color comes off when blending and the shimmers didn't hold their opacity either, even when patted. I did not foil these during my testing but I'd recommend it based on the horrible results dry otherwise these won't last long on your eyes. It came with a double ended duo fiber brush which seems to be the best thing about this palette. Hard to believe that this could really retail for $50.

So that's everything that I personally received in the December BoxyCharm.

I loved almost everything I received but I am kinda skeptical about that palette.

I haven't tried any of the products yet but I'll update when I do.

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments below or on my social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html

Products Mentioned (clickable):

Blinc Black Lash Primer

IBY Lip Pencil

Ofra Metallic Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick

Butter London Nail Lacquer

Pure Cosmetics Buff Collection Eyeshadow Palette

Blogmas Day 17 - Tarte Tarteist Pro Glow Highlight & Contour Palette

Happy Blogmas Day 17!!

It finally feels like fall here in the desert (even though it's winter), the leaves are barely starting to fall and I absolutely love the warm colors of the leaves and the hidden dog poops they hide (lol).
My fingers are frozen while I type this, no matter how high my thermostat is set my hands and feet are always frozen. I'm still drinking iced coffee though because I can't stop (*cries *), I just love iced more than hot. I don't give a fuck if it's snowing I want it iced.

So today we're talking about the other palette in the new permanent Tarte Tarteist Pro Line.

The Tarte Tarteist Pro Glow Highlight & Contour Palette ($45).

Unlike The Tarte Tarteist Pro Amazonian Clay Palette ($53)

(review & swatches here)

I had absolutely no doubts about purchasing this palette.

I knew from the get go that I was going to buy this and couldn't wait to get my chubby little fingers on it (*plot twist: my fingers aren't actually chubby even a little bit, it just sounded better lol).

I seen a couple negative reviews about this palette before I bought it saying that it was too subtle.

Now I'm all about a blinding highlight but I feel like with the highlight obsession going on those are pretty easy to find now a days in every form possible.

Yes, I definitely have them and I freaking love them but sometimes especially on more “natural” makeup days (no joke “natural” days still take a good hour minimum *cries *) I like a more toned down highlight, not always but sometimes.

The packaging is matte black with gold detailing which seems to be the standard for this expanding line

This palette packaging is a thick coated magnetized cardboard whereas the Tarte Tarteist Pro Amazonian Clay Palette is made of plastic which clicks closed.

This palette also opens differently as it has a split lid and each split lid flap has a small mirror on the inside.

Is it cool and innovative? Yes but I personally don't really like the split opening lid.

The mirrors are too small to be of any actual use, they're more like a decoration.

The flaps never stay open while I'm using it, unless I'm holding it.

These things aren't annoying enough to make me not like the actual palette though, just a personal preference.

The highlighters inside are gorgeous and I love the shade selection.

It's a good selection of the basic highlight colors which makes this a great and affordable palette for someone who might just be starting out their highlight collection and also for those who'd prefer a more sheer but buildable formula.

Shades included:

Lit (Champagne)

Strobe (Pearl)

Stunner (Opalescent)

Fire (Bronze)

Sculpt (Powder Contour)

Shade (Cream Contour

I was actually very shocked that I even saw reviews saying this was too subtle because while yes it does apply more sheer initially, it can also be built up beautifully which in my opinion makes it quite versatile.

I also did find that using these highlights without a setting spray and/or foiling had very little wear time, so if you're not really into doing one of those extra steps that could become a problem.

I rarely if ever touch up my highlight but I always use setting spray so I don't mind it at all.

I did notice that a couple of the highlight shades had a more shimmery effect but it in no way is glitter so don't let that scare you.

It's more of a micro shimmer almost making it give off duo chromatic feel that reflects so fucking beautifully in the light.

At first sight I was sure I would be unable to use the shade Fire (Bronze) as a highlight and honestly I'm so pale that I probably rarely will but of course I had to still try it out and see if I could make it work as a cheekbone highlight.

Surprisingly because this formula is more on the sheer and buildable side, the Fire (Bronze) shade when sheered out didn't even look terrible on me but could more realistically be used a shimmery bronzer if you're into that shimmery bronzer type of thing.

If you're on the pale or lighter side don't let the Fire (Bronze) shade or any bronzy shade in any highlight palette be the reason you don't buy an otherwise perfect palette for your skin tone, most palettes will have a bronzy shade because it works for a broader range of skin tones.

The shades that can't be used as a cheekbone highlight for you can be used in other ways such as eyeshadow or to highlight inner corners as well as lipstick topper and as previously mentioned bronzer.

That actually goes for any skin tone if you have a deeper complexion and think you can't use the Strobe (Pearlescent) shade or similarly more white highlights, pop that shit on your eyes, highlight your brow bone, and inner corners.
(Colors from left to Right: Lit, Strobe, Fire, Stunner)

I love the contour shades in here so much, I love even more that they included a cream contour because you don't have to buy an entire cream contour palette with colors you might not want just to try cream contouring. The shades included are very flattering for most skin tones, the cream contour Shade is a very flattering cool tone and that makes for a more natural contour.

The powder is similarly a more natural contour and is on the neutral side being cool toned with a hint of warmth. You can see that they were going for the more natural and softer vibes with this palette.

Which like I mentioned earlier was the reason I wanted this palette.

Both of the contour shades blended out quick and easy and didn't interfere with any other makeup applications.

I honestly don't see the contour shades in this palette working for med/deep to deep skin tones though.

I don't understand why brands always release face palettes in only one variation.

If they would have launched this in two variations such as light/med to med/deep that would have made this an even more amazing palette, especially for this being a “Pro” palette you'd think they'd cater to all skin tones. We can only hope they'll add that in the future.
(Colors from left to right: Shade (cream), Sculpt (powder))

Basically I fucking love this palette.

I get exactly what I wanted out of it, it gives me a beautiful and more natural look but can also be built up to be a little more intense and I'd recommend this for anyone looking for exactly that.

If you're looking for an intense highlight then this is not the palette for you, although it can be built up to me more intense it won't be a blinding highlight.

Also don't forget that I think 2 of the shades have some micro shimmer, whether you love or hate that just an FYI.

Tell me your thoughts on this palette below in the comments or on my social media.

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Products Mentioned (clickable):

Tarte Tarteist Pro Glow Highlight & Contour Palette

Tarte Tarteist Pro Amazonian Clay Palette