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Welcome to my fourth installment of “Real Girl Beauty”! I started this series a few months ago (feat. Chanel, Benefit, Clinique) where I chat with my friends (or readers) who are non-beauty bloggers about their beauty routines. Something about getting a peek into what the every day woman is using is interesting to me, so today we’re talking Real Girl Beauty with my best friend since I was four years old, Amanda, who is a new mom (her little girl turns one in a couple of weeks) and needs products that work, and work quickly since her time beautifying is extremely limited. One of Amanda’s Holy Grail brands is tarte cosmetics, so let’s check out what her tarte makeup favorites are…
For added fun, I wanted the ladies to take photos of their products themselves… non beauty blogger style. This means I expected that the products didn’t look pristine and many of the pics would be taken simply on an iPhone (not some fancy DSLR)… because let’s be honest. Before I take pictures of my makeup for posts with my ginormous camera, don’t think that there aren’t a plethora of Clorox wipes and rubbing alcohol involved to make sure everything looks as perfect as possible 😉
(image c/o my private IG. bottom pic L to R: amanda, me, …)
Amanda is an elementary school teacher, but she’s also now a mom. All of her focus has been on Ella, her baby girl. She’s been the best mom I’ve ever seen, but being a new mom comes new beauty challenges – dark circles, dull skin, and long days (as I’m sure many moms can attest to). Amanda’s tackled many of these issues head on with her tarte makeup picks…
“I was also looking for a more natural brand, free from parabens and other nasty crap that we really shouldn’t be putting on our skin and after reading tons of reviews on Sephora.com, I finally tried a few products from tarte,” said Amanda on how she first got into finding her tarte makeup favorites. She currently owns and uses the Maracuja Creaseless Concealer; Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara; and a couple of shades of the Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush.
When I asked Amanda what is her must-have product from tarte (the one she would have to immediately repurchase if it ran out), she said, “Definitely the Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush. I LOVE those blushes. They are super natural, yet very pigmented. You can pack it on for a more dramatic look. I use Captivating for my every-day makeup. It’s a nice peachy color that I think complements my skin tone well.”
There’s always unique little tricks we all learn when applying certain products to get the most out of them for our needs. Amanda shared with me a few of her ‘secret tips’ on how she maximizes her tarte makeup favorites:
I feel like a little bit goes a long way with this brand. I have VERY (hereditary) dark circles under my eyes. Like, I-look-like-I-might-be-dead-kind of dark circles, and still I only need a little bit of the Maracuja concealer. At first, I thought it was too much, but after applying it lightly with my index finger, I have found that it does the job quite nicely.
I have pretty long eyelashes and I find that most mascaras look the same on me, however the LCL definitely stands out. It makes my lashes extra long and feathery with only two coats… sometimes just one! The only probably is that I do NOT like the waterproof version, and I prefer waterproof formulas. The good news is that I can take it off easily at night. The bad news is I can’t go in the pool or cry while wearing it, lol. So I avoid wearing it on days I feel like I might be emo or want to hang in the sun.
tarte has had quite a few newer releases lately (the sold-out-everywhere Shape Tape concealer, Swamp Queen palette, Amazonian Clay Highlighters, Rainforest of the Sea (earlier this year)). As a fan of the brand, I was curious if there was anything that caught Amanda’s eye for her next tarte purchase. She said, “Yes! I want to try the Shape Tape concealer! I have heard great things about it and am hoping it’s even better than my Maracuja!”
What are your tarte makeup favorites? Let us know in the comments! I love their blushes, as well, and recently picked up the Amazonian Clay full coverage foundation (two thumbs up). I am also DYING to try the Shape Tape concealer. It was recently restocked on Ulta.com, but it’s gone now :(. Literally, every Ulta in Houston is sold out.
BIG GINORMOUS thank-you to Amanda for sharing her tarte favorites with me. Her time is limited, so I’m glad I was able to get these answers from her to share with you because she’s always told me how much she loves tarte stuff.
If you’re interested in being featured in an upcoming “Real Girl Beauty” (drugstore or high-end brands welcome), shoot me an email at steffanie@brighterdarling.com with “Real Girl Beauty: [INSERT BRAND NAME]” as the subject.
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Happy tartelettes,
-Steffanie
I feel like a little bit goes a long way with this brand. I have VERY (hereditary) dark circles under my eyes. Like, I-look-like-I-might-be-dead-kind of dark circles, and still I only need a little bit of the Maracuja concealer. At first, I thought it was too much, but after applying it lightly with my index finger, I have found that it does the job quite nicely.