Review: Tarte Rain Forest By The Sea Palette II

              When I first laid eyes on this pallete I was attracted to the darker colors 

             instantly. Tarte described how this palette's eyeshadows contained built-in 

             primer. The second thing that drew me in was the stunning packaging. It's

             not only stylish, but functional.The mirror with Tarte's logo is large and very

             helpful. Tarte is always generous with their mirror size inside palettes.

Swatches

My favorite colors are Pearl (Foiled), Sunset (Shimmery), Seaside (Matte), and Breezy (Matte).
The swatches above took a minimum of three swipes to be as pigmented as they look. I believe
that this is due to the built-in primer that the Rainforest By The Sea collection prides itself on. Having the built-in primer was definitely a selling point for me, but it seems to make it harder to blend once it is applied. The key to using this palette is patience and LOTS of layers in order
for you to get the pigmentation you see above. Please comment below if you have used this palette and let me know how it works for you.

RCK: Red Carpet Kolour Review

First off, I got this product awhile back and only tried once. I wore it all over the parts

of my body that would be showing for a Halloween event. The product did give me 

an amazing glow and lasted all night long (despite sweating and clothing contact).  

I didn't know you could also use it on your face if done correctly. I've noticed a 

couple reviews that are out there from people who are either sponsored or have a 

PR relationship with the brand itself. When I see reviews like that I think twice
  about believing their opinion which may be a bit biased. 

So, I grabbed a new brush intent on testing it on my face, something I have seen

in a blog or two from makeup artists recommending this product as a 'must-have'.

My skin is fairly pale and I was concerned that even the 'light' version of this product

would be vastly noticeable after drying. I washed, dried my skin, and applied some 

drug store primer before testing this product. My skin has been VERY dry as we are 

just coming out of a brutal winter here in Australia, therefor I recommend exfoliating

 and cleansing any dry dead skin away before application of this product. RCK Body 

Glow takes up to 5 minutes to dry. With a brush you have to be very careful how

hard you brush it in so that you don't leave lines or streaks (blend away!). 

Small Amount of Product Not Yet Blended In 

After blending product without Primer into my hand

With Flash it has a gorgeous golden undertone
and covers any uneven tones in your skin.

I applied the product to my face and made sure to blend it out as much as 

I possibly could with a foundation brush before it dried. It dries fairly quick,  

and if you ad additional product over the area you have blended some in already  

it will just build up and become darker as you can see on my left cheek above.  

My usually pale skin looked tanned and when the light is on my skin it has a  

almost pale golden shine to it (as pictured below). I am not wearing any blush, 

bronzer or using a contour palette.

The overall results were amazing! My skin looks sun-kissed  and relatively even.The only
two negatives I could find is;  One, that it dries quickly and if not blended out will leave
streaks. Two, you will feel it on your skin throughout the day as it is fairly thick after being
applied. I won't be using it as an everyday product, but it is nice to have if I want to use on
my body to even out skin tone or cover scarring. 

My Fav Swatches Coastal Scents 120 Five Palette

As you probably already know from this blog, I like to test products before fully
reviewing them. This palette was no different, and I wanted to give it the time

and respect it deserves by testing out a variety of colours. Coastal Scents put
out quality products that are also pretty damn affordable. So here some of my
favourite swatches from the 120 Five Palette.


The formulas vary from Matte shades that need building up. The foiled shades
are pigmented and go on so smoothly. Shimmery shades that have a buttery
formula which barely needs to be touched for a decent swatch. I did not apply
primer before swatching these shades. Each swatch took between 2-3 swipes,
but the matte shades needed to be blended more than the foiled and shimmery
shades. 

Number 3, 14 and 18 are comparable in quality to some of the shades/formulas
I have found in Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette. Yes, that is a big claim and huge
price difference between these two products. You get quite a bit out of this
diverse Coastal Scents Palette. They give you quality eye shadows that can
almost be compared to larger premium brands for just 1/4 of the price tag. 
If you want a wide variety of colours to play with without having to commit 
to buying an $80 (AUD) eye shadow palette...I highly recommend this one or
any of Coastal Scents range of products. 



Note: All images above are property of this blog and the owner.
          Please do not use without expressed permission.

Is it safe to buy 'Fake Makeup' from overseas?

This is a question that I'm sure you have asked yourself when
comparing the price difference between the real and 'fake'
makeup that will come up on online shops such as Ebay.
Suddenly, an eyeshadow palette that would normally cost
around $80 AUD ($50 USD) can be compared to a fake
eyeshadow palette that seems to look the same or close 
for around $6-$12 AUD ($3-$8 USD). 


We assume that the formulas and colours will be close and 
that actual effort would be put into making these safe for 
us to use. While you may find the occasional decent product,
the truth is there is no quality control for where these products
are manufactured and/or packaged.

According to other blogs/news sites (such as Dailymail.com.uk
& Mashable.com) these products allegedly can contain anything
from traces of rat feces to household cleaning products. Some
can even be tainted my cyanide. Needless to say the so-called
'quality' is a big question mark, and you are taking a gamble on
your health by using them.

Over this last year I have tried many different products that 
have come from places like China (the world capital for fakes),
Malaysia,Philippines and Singapore. For me, it is absolutely
worth the 'peace-of-mind' to pay the full amount for an authentic
product. I want to be able to trust what I am putting on my body
thoroughly tested as well as safe to use. 


Not only is it important that it be tested, but not tested on any
helpless animals! This is a practice that really needs to be 
eliminated from the cosmetic industry, and hopefully worldwide 
one day. 


Thank you for reading my blog, and I hope this post helps you. 

Tartelette In Bloom Palette Review (Swatches)

Firstly, let me just say how impressed I was upon first opened this packaging.
It is stunning and has a high-end feel the whole way through. The second thing
I noticed was a lovely smell, that was sort of sweet with a hint of flower. The
palette is scented. I had no idea it would be, and fully expected it to be similar to
other clay based products (such as Naturals). I have also received a bonus
deluxe 'Gifted' Mascara sample having spent a certain amount on Tarte
products which was a nice little surprise.

(No Flash)  

If you keep up with me on social media, you will have seen my 'Unhaul' video on
YouTube where I throw out toxic out-of-date makeup from my own collection. In it,
I throw out most of my mascara. For the past five days I've had swelling on my 
eyelids and my eyes are very sore after using out-of-date makeup as a test. For this 
reason only I will not be applying any makeup to my eyes and show you look I can 
create with this palette. Instead, I will swatch it and give an in-depth review. As
much as it sucks to wait to use this palette on my eyes, I am too excited to not 
swatch it for my lovely readers.

Note: Click to view larger image

(No Flash)

(Flash)

(No Flash)

(Flash)

As you can see there is a variety of Matte Shades and foiled ones as well.
I picked this palette because of the deep matte shades it has. Even though
a couple of the deeper colours go on slightly patchy such as Smokeshow,
Activist and Leader.  Be ready to blend with these three shades. If you apply
it quickly it will look uneven and patchy as you can see in my swatches which
were done using my fingers not a brush. Perhaps this has something to do
with the product being clay based? The formula of these eye shadows
feels silky and almost a bit buttery in texture. As I mentioned above some
of these shades need heaps of blending, and the swatches below were not
done in one swipe. 

A stand out shade for me would be Funny Girl. Not only is this a stunning
pale golden shimmery eye shadow, but can double as a highlighter if you
have a fairly light touch. I had to take a couple photos (below) with and
without a flash to show the beauty of this shade in either conditions. 

(No Flash)

(Flash)

I do recommend this palette for someone who loves earthy-warm tones.
This is also for anyone who wants a palette that is more compact than
Urban Decay's Naked Palettes range, but still has a good selection of
shades. 


NOTE: All images in this post are property of Samantha Marie and this Blog,
and are not to be used without obtained permission.

This is not a sponsored post, and I am not currently sponsored. 
As always my opinions and views are my own.

What I've Noticed About Beauty Guru's Lately

Now, Before I get into the theme of this post I don't want to offend anyone 

or seem judgey. These are merely my observations and opinions.

I am not opposed to 'some' cosmetic surgery, but it seems this is
happening to women that are younger than ever. I get there may be
something you are not happy with on your body, and some of you
have the 'guts' to do something about it. It's just not really for me,
and having someone you look at as a strong self-image get lip fillers
at the age of 18 seems a bit messed up. I'm fully aware that Kylie
Jenner has had a huge influence on both the illusion of having big
full lips as well as actual lip injections. 

Img crd: http://www.glamour.com

I've noticed so many big name YouTuber Beauty Vloggers between ages
18-25 getting lip injections, and making vlogs about their experience. The
crazy part is they don't need it at all. I think it's being treated as casually 
as going to the salon to get your nails done, and I don't think it should be
the norm for women so young. The next thing I wanted to mention is the
getting your eyebrows tattooed. This is another beauty trend that has grown 
to be as normal as getting lip fillers. Why would you want have one style
that is permanent??

Img crd: http://www.clinicalase.com.au

Is this an issue of them lacking confidence? Or does it affect their daily 
lives so much so that they have to have these procedures done to 
make their lives easier in some way? To me, when I think of women
having either procedure done, the age would be 35+. Again, I respect
personal choices and no I am not one of those 'Natural Only' women. 
I would just like to understand the thought process behind these decisions.

REVIEW: L'Oréal Glam Lights #3 Light Brown to Dark Blonde w/ B&A

This was actually pretty exciting for me to try out. Going 'Bronde'
has become a trend in late 2015, and the ad campaigns are quite
charming.

My colour had been looking quite flat lately, and my roots obviously grown out. I wasn't sure which direction to go with my hair until I saw this trend, which doesn't aim to be perfect. I picked the Light Brown to Dark Blonde which was still a bit light compared to my natural colour. 


So application can take Forever! 
I highly recommend you don't leave globs of this creme in, yet don't rub a huge amount of it in one spot either. Take your index finger and thumb; pinch a good amount between your fingers. Spread your hair out and comb lightly down from root to tip 1-2 times with the brush provided. I did this a bit too slowly throughout the layers of my hair and did not clip it up so the dye would not clump leaving a big bleach spot. 





I put a bit too much on the hair framing my face first, which is not a good 
idea unless you want it to be brighter then the rest of your hair! This 
developer formula is quite strong, so keep a close eye on the time. 


Even for thick hair like mine, I usually double the time but this was 
developed a bit more than I would have liked. After rinsing my hair 
I used a generic blonde toner to get the copper colour out of my hair. 
I had to reapply it after, because it didn't develop enough the first time
 (cheap).So after washing, toning, conditioning my hair 2 times. I used 
my Babyliss ionic blow dryer to dry my hair enough to see the results.

Click Image To Enlarge

There were a few spots where it developed faster than others, and I actually
don't mind them. My hubby loves my hair, and I am enjoying the change. It took me probably 1 1/2 hours to do this. I have really thick hair and there was more than enough to blend through my hair (maybe a bit too much!).