Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface

I purchased a mini size of the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface alongside Tarte's Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess in a High Performance Naturals kit at Sephora in summer 2011. It cost me about $30 CDN for both products, though I don't recall the exact cost. This mini blush contains 3.20 g (0.11 oz) of product, but the full-size product (available from Sephora) contains 0.32 oz. Here's a blog post by My Kiss 'n Makeup about this little kit, if you're interested. Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush collection contains 12 permanent colors with various shades and finishes to choose from. 


Sephora.com says that these blushes are "infused with natural clay harvested from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun... [benefiting] all skin types for a fade-free flawless finish for an amazing 12-hours." For those with oily skin types, this blush is supposed to minimize oil in and around pores to prolong the wear of the blush. For those with dry skin types, this blush is supposed to hydrate and nourish skin. For those with combination skin types, it balances out both concerns by hydrating and keeping oil at bay where needed. These blushes are formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan.


The packaging is almost identical to the full sized product, just in mini form. The mini version does not have a mirror inside. The compact is sturdy plastic, with a lid that snaps shut; sometimes I don't love this compact, because it can be so difficult to get open. The lid has the most beautiful raised design on it. So girly and chic. The product information is located on a sticker on the bottom of the compact. The color of the compact hints at the color of the blush inside, which is really fantastic for when you need to sift through your whole blush collection to find that single one buried way underneath everything else...

Dollface is described as a "light pink," but personally, it reminds me of a very candied, almost bubblegum, pink.


When I first bought this, it had a fantastic design embossed on the powder, which (unfortunately) has since worn off. If you click here, you'll see an image of the powder with the beautiful print stamped on it. Credit goes to Diane at Kiss 'N Make-up for the image.

No flash, natural light.

With flash.

This particular shade is moderately pigmented. It's pretty light in comparison to the other shades available in the collection. Fortunately, the pigmentation is buildable. 

With flash.
Left: swatch, Right: swatch blended in

No flash, natural light.
Left: swatch, Right: swatch blended in

The powder itself is not very creamy or soft, but it blends like a dream on the skin. It doesn't kick up a lot of powder when you dip your brush in, which is great if you're concerned about wasting product. I sometimes find this powder to be 'too' dense... occasionally it seems that I really need to scrub my blush brush in the powder to get any color on the bristles.


I like the color of Dollface for my fair skin, but sometimes it looks too... fake. The bubblegum pink looks nice, but I have to be careful not to be too overeager with my brush. I need to blend, blend, blend to make sure I don't look like a clown. Usually, this is a better summer blush for me, because I tend to have more color and thus this creates a more natural looking flush on my cheeks.


I can't really speak to the longevity of this blush. I never leave my blush on for 12 hours... and I never apply it heavy enough that I can tell whether or not it's still there how ever many hours later... I'd say that it lasts longer than your typical blush, but it's not permanent until you take makeup remover to it.


As for the benefits of the clay, I don't know that it's magic. My cheeks are pretty 'normal' as far as skin goes on my face - my T-zone gets crazy oily, and around my nose and mouth and eyes are where I get the driest. However, my cheeks are neither too dry nor too oily... so I don't really notice a huge difference while wearing the blush. Others with more pronounced skin problems might see significant benefits to this blush, but not so for me.


When I run out of the blush, I most likely won't repurchase it in the full size. At $33 CDN, I'd probably invest in a MAC or NARS blush, or even purchase several NYX blushes instead. And even if I did buy one of these blushes again, I don't think I'd reach for Dollface again.


Overall, it's a decent blush. It's neither here-nor-there for me. I like having it in my collection, and I've used it enough to wear the pattern off the face of the powder, but it's not something I'll miss intensely when it's gone.


3 out of 5 stars.
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What's your favorite blush brand??

Nicole by OPI Nail Polish in Kim-pletely in Love

I purchased this from my local London Drugs for $9.99 CDN (minus GST), however, these polishes can be purchased wherever Nicole by OPI is sold. One bottle contains 15 mL (0.05 fl oz) of product. This particular color is part of the Kardashian Kolor collection from Nicole by OPI that was released for the holiday season of 2011.

Kim-pletely in Love is a milky cool-toned light pink with blue, purple and green shimmer throughout. It has a sheer to medium pigmentation. Two or three generous coats will give you a decent opacity, while four or five coats will give you maximum opacity.

Here you can see a bit of the blue/green shimmer.

I was intrigued by this blog post on the Kardashian Kolor polishes, and knew immediately that I had to have this one. I was still lacking my holy grail pink polish, and after reading several other reviews and looking at a plethora of swatches, I felt confident that this color could be the answer to my dreams.


Needless to say, I was not disappointed.


When applying this in my dimly lit basement suite, I was thoroughly disappointed. Not only did it not appear to be showing up on my nails, but it looked like every other light pink polish I'd ever tried - not to mention the glitter wasn't even noticeable... or so I thought. When I went upstairs to get supper, I realized that the lighting in my basement left A LOT to be desired... the color is soft and subtle, yes. But the pigmentation and the tone of the pink are simply beautiful, and give me a manicure unlike any other polish I've ever had or used.

4 coats of Kim-pletely in Love with 1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

While the microglitter isn't visible from afar, it gives the prettiest blue-y green cast to the polish in certain lights, which makes it truly unique. It is SUCH a wearable, every day color, I'm considering buying a back-up bottle.


The application on this polish is fantastic. It's so incredibly smooth that application is a breeze. I have no issues with streaking or blotchiness as the polish dries. While the polish is somewhat sheer in nature, a few coats of this will get you a seamless finish. This polish dries SO fast for me... it rivals my Orly polishs in drying time, which I thoroughly appreciate.


If you have an opportunity to purchase this polish (should you be able to find any left at your local drugstore) I highly recommend picking it up. It's definitely one of those colors you will come back to time-and-time again when you're looking for a soft, feminine, every day color.


Definitely a 5 out of 5.
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Which of the Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors do you love? What's your 'holy grail' pink polish? Let me know in the comments!!!

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

Woooooo! The infamous Revlon Lip Butters finally find a place in my makeup collection. Or at least one of them does. 


These retail for anywhere between $7 and $11 CDN. Yikes! I know. You wouldn't catch me picking one of these up from Shoppers Drug Mart - where the regular-price Lip Butters will cost you both arms, ears and legs to buy. These can be purchased anywhere Revlon cosmetics are sold. I like to buy mine from (in order) WalMart, Zellers, London Drugs, and very rarely, Shoppers Drug Mart. One tube contains 0.09 oz (2.55 g) of product.


The ColorBurst Lip Butters come in a slew of shades, ranging from reds to purples/berries, and neutrals to pinks. Revlon Lip Butters are available in the following shades: Pink Truffle, Sugar Frosting, Raspberry Pie, Tutti Frutti, Brown Sugar, Peach Parfait, Fig Jam, Candy Apple, Red Velvet, Cotton Candy, Berry Smoothie, Cupcake, Gumdrop, Creamsicle, Cherry Tart, Lollipop, Strawberry Shortcake, Sugar Plum, Sweet Tart, and Creme Brulee. There is something (literally) for everyone. Shade pigmentation ranges from sheer to medium coverage, but for most of these butters (according to what I've heard), the color is very buildable. I bought Cupcake for my sister, but I only picked up Sweet Tart for myself.


The packaging is tres chic. Very similar to the ColorBurst lipsticks, Revlon's Lip Butters feature the 'quilted' cap in a translucent plastic. The very top of the cap is completely transparent, however, allowing you to see the color of the product inside the packaging. Each cap corresponds to the color of the product inside, so it's somewhat easier to distinguish between shades by the exterior. A definite bonus. Underneath the sleek cap is a silver twist up applicator. The butters do not sit above the applicator, as most lipsticks do when you first purchase them. They are slanted at an angle to keep them safe from nicks, scrapes and dents. Kudos, Revlon.

The Lip Butters are supposed to contain mango, shea and coconut butter to hydrate lips and boost lip moisture by a whopping 156%. Their special 'gel' formula pampers the lips with crazy hydration and allows for a smooth application of the product.


Sweet Tart is a medium pink shade, that very much reminds me of the infamous "Barbie" pink. There is no shimmer in this particular shade, which is a relief for me. In fact, this color reminds me of the BonneBell lipLITES in Angel Food Cake. The formula, however, creates a gorgeous glossy finish on your lips.

The application of these is INCREDIBLY smooth. I don't think I own anything with a similar texture. It glides on (literally) like butter. I almost feel like the texture of this lip butter evens out the texture of my own lips - that's how freaking smooth it is. I love rubbing my lips together after I've applied this... they just glide over each other.


The pigmentation on Sweet Tart is ridiculous. One swipe gives you a very decent amount of color, but go over it again (and even again...) and you get this intense color that looks like a lipstick.

No Flash. Natural light.
Top: 1 swipe.
Bottom: 3 swipes.

With Flash.

The wear time on these is not anything amazing. Because of how smooth and thin they are, they do not make any claims to be super h-core long lasting. With every day wear-and-tear, these will wear off gradually. Talking, eating, drinking, breathing is going to cause the color to fade. These last longer than a lipgloss, but not as long as a lipstick; they're like the love child of a lipstick and lipgloss. Fortunately, as this particular shade wears, it leaves almost a stain on the lips so even when it's gone - it isn't quite gone, but it isn't quite there either.

On my lips.
Yes, I am ridiculously white.
Yes, my lips are really dry.

I think these are fantastic. Well, not necessarily all of them, because I haven't tried all of them. I think Sweet Tart is funtabulous. The concept behind these are amazing. They're so smooth and very wearable for every day. You can build the intensity up for a great dramatic/night-time look or wear it sheer for a respectable wash of color. They're fantastic for people who don't want to feel the heaviness of a lip stick, but still want that pop of color. I can't speak to how hydrating these actually are, but they give my lips the illusion of being hydrated. Especially with how dry they are from my viral infection. So now I get to look like I have some life in me, without having to slather on a heavy, waxy lipstick. 

I'm super excited to try new looks with this. I recently watched a video by Cora of Vintageortacky on YouTube where she wore Sweet Tart Lip Butter over MAC's Embrace Me lip liner from the Tour de Fabulous collection. That made me want it SO bad... that lip combo looked SO flattering on her. 

Overall, I'd give this 5 out of 5 stars.

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Let me know what you think about these Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters. What are your impressions? Are there other colors that I should try? Let me know!! I'd love to hear what you have to say!!