Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer Review

Hello lovelies!

Hope everyone has been well since my last post!
I just wanted to post about my experience with the Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer that I had blogged about a couple weeks ago.

For a while now, I've been on the search for a perfect face primer. For me, the "perfect face primer" would be one that doesn't break me out (this is a must!), evens out my skin, makes my skin smooth for foundation application, decreases the appearance of large pores, and controls oil. Most of the primers that I've tried have failed in the "doesn't break me out" category as most primers have silicone or dimethicone crosspolymer, which my skin seems to have a bad reaction to. It's too bad since silicone is what helps with the pores and makes the skin feel really soft.
I really liked the MAC Prep & Prime face primer (w/out SPF) since it made my skin really soft. However, I ended up getting some bad cystic acne on my forehead. I tend to break out mainly on my forehead and occasionally around my nose. Never really on my cheeks.

I went into Sephora determined to purchase another face primer (after trying several and failing) and this time I was set on getting one without silicone. I read all the ingredients carefully for each primer and most of them had the word "silica" which made me cringe and put it down. One of the Sephora sales associates picked out the Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer as she said that it contained no silicone. Low and behold, she was right and I felt ecstatic. I thought to myself that "this may be the end of my search for a HG primer!"

The Tarte Clean Slate is made of all natural ingredients and contains these benefits:

It all seemed too good to be true and I tried some on the back of my hand and loved the consistency of this primer. It came out in a clear gel consistency:

After rubbing it on the back of my hand, I loved the finish as it felt smooth and matte. Perfect for foundation application.

I was so excited to share this purchase on my blog and posted the picture of the ingredients to share that there was no silicone in this primer.

However, after posting, one of my lovely blog readers informed me that this primer does contain silicone as it contains DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, which is basically a fancy way of saying silicone. When I discovered this, my heart dropped. My high hopes for this primer went down low for me.

Prior to using and purchasing this primer, I've been dealing with some strange cystic acne that I've never really had before. Mainly all over my forehead and for the first time ever, I got acne on my cheeks. If you're a twitter friend, you may have read a few tweets about my skin. The cause of the acne was unknown for me since I didn't really change any skincare routine minus one moisturizer. However, I was using brand new makeup products and it hit me that these makeup products may contain "dimethicone crosspolymer" that may be triggering my strange acne.

The first thing I went for was my HG face powder, MAC Blot Powder in Medium, which I blogged about earlier. I was nervous to look at the ingredients but I bit my lip and checked to see that it contained dimethicone and silica. A double slap in the face for me. >.<

After this discovery, I stopped using MAC Blot Powder altogether, but I still wanted to give the Tarte Clean Slate primer a shot since it was $30 and I had promised to review it.

So the outcome?

The Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer broke me out. Or to be more specific, my acne didn't get any better. Actually, they ended up looking more red and puffy than usual (ewww).

It's such a pity since the primer itself is great! I think this primer won't disappoint those who don't have over-sensitive skin or to those who don't mind using silicone on their face.

For people like me.... you should stay away from this primer!

It's interesting since after I stopped using MAC Blot Powder and Tarte Clean Slate Primer, my skin drastically improved within 2 days. I've also changed my skincare routine (which I will be sharing later in a video and blog post) and my acne has gone down and almost disappeared. It's pretty crazy actually by how fast my skin recovered.

Since I can't use my MAC Blot Powder in Medium any longer, I am planning on selling it on a blog sale or to anyone who's interested. I still have sooo much of it leftover and it's too much of a waste to just not use it or throw it out. The Blot Powder is really a great powder since it even was at one point, my HG powder. If you want to learn more about this powder, check out my blog post about it HERE.

Let me know if you're interested in purchasing it from me. :)

Hope this post was helpful.

Make sure to read those ingredients lists carefully. Don't be fooled like me! LOL

-minky

New HG Face Primer? Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer

As many of my older blog readers and friends may know, I've been on the longest search of a face primer that will NOT break me out. I've tried several from MAC to other brands (high and low end) and most of them break me out. The only one that seemed to not irritate my sensitive skin was my Laneige Sebum Control Primer.
I've come to the conclusion that my skin is sensitive to silicone, which was in basically 98% of the primers I tried.
A few days ago, I stopped by Sephora and checked all the ingredients of the other primers I never tried. I was interested in the Laura Mercier Oil-free primer, but of course, silica was an ingredient in it.
The sales assistant suggested that I try the Hourglass Cosmetics Oil-free and all natural primer, but I honestly wasn't going to spend $52 on just a primer.

Many people find no use for a primer and I definitely have been one of those people before. However, recently with my breakout attacks on my face, I've decided to change up my face routine and include a primer that will mattify, control the oil on my face, and make my complexion look better.

Today, I went to Sephora again and purchased the Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer, which the sales assistant said that it is great for sensitive skin, has no silicone, and is made with all natural ingredients. I decided to make a small plunge and purchased it and I have high hopes for this primer.

Initially, I decided to just test it out on my hand and take pictures.  I will have a much more in-depth review once I've tested it out for at least a week.

The packaging looks nice and sleek.

I applied some moisturizer on half of my hand to pretend like it was my "oily" face. LOL. Hope that makes sense? xD

Ewww my hand looks dry. Sorry! >.<

I blended the primer all over my hand. It's nice and easy to blend.

Has no strange residue and feels matte.

There's no scent as well.

Could be a win!

I will keep you all updated in a more in-depth review. Hopefully, it's worth the money.

New HG Face Powder: MAC Blot Powder vs. MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural

I've been meaning to post this a while ago, but I finally have a chance to share with you guys my new HG face powder from MAC. After reading and hearing so many good things about the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural, I had to give it a try and see if it lived up to its hype.

Here's a brief intro about my skin:
I would consider myself very fair skinned for being Asian.  Lots of my friends say that I'm paler than a lot of their white friends. LOL. I am about shade NC 15-20 for foundations from MAC.  Let's just say, I lean more towards NC 15.  I hardly get tan, even in the summer because I try not to go outside much because I have sensitive skin that burns really easily (even with using high SPF products).  Also, I have sensitive, mainly combination (occasionally dry), acne-prone skin, and I tend to get somewhat oily on my t-zone (forehead and nose).

Anyways, my goal when looking for a powder is something that will set my foundation and concealer well, not oxidize too much into a dark color, not too cakey, and has long-lasting power.  To add to that, I also look for something that will control oil and not break me out.  In other words, I've been on the search for that "perfect" powder that would do everything that I mentioned before.

I've tried several powders before, but the powder that I've been loyal to has been my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - Cream, which is the lightest shade that they have.

As you can see, I've hit pan!

The reason why I liked the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - Cream was because it had nice coverage and felt great on the skin.  Also, it helped set my foundation and gave a nice matte finish.  It seemed to control oil on my face and the price was my favorite part about it! Under $10 it was a great buy!  The only problem I had with this powder was that it wasn't long lasting/wearing.  After going out for a little bit, I noticed that the powder seemed to be doing nothing for my skin.  

I decided to be a little adventurous and try out some MAC powders.  At first, I was slightly hesitant because MAC face products such as their primers and foundations tend to break me out. :(  The only thing that really works for me are their concealers (which I really love).  Anyways, I decided to go with the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish (MSF) Natural because so many people love it and people have been saying that the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder is a great alternative to the MSF Natural.

I went to the MAC store and looked at their MSF Natural shades and the makeup artist there told me that I would be better off with Light Medium.  I thought I may need to go with Light, but she said that it would be too light for me.  Being slightly weary, I tried it in the store, but just decided to try it and test it out when I got home.

At first glance, I noticed that the powder looked very similar to the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder and it had the same consistency.  The product itself is very powdery so I took note that I will not be needing much on a powder brush when I apply it.  However, when I looked at the powder, the powder appeared slightly darker than the Dream Matte Powder in Light.  When you apply this powder, remember to not use too much because it will appear cakey.  

Lot of people have claimed that this powder gives a almost flawless and natural finish and some people use this as a foundation itself.  For me, since I was looking for a setting powder, I applied this after my foundation.  

Here is what I experienced with this powder after using this for about 2 weeks:

The powder was slightly too yellow/dark for my skin when it oxidized after a few hours.  When I first applied it after foundation, it was a decent color match, but the powder kept getting darker and darker.  The MAC makeup artist explained that this is because when the powder mixes with oils, it will oxidize into a darker color.  My face ended up looking a lot more yellow throughout the day.  Another thing I noticed with this was that it did absolutely nothing for oil control on my face.  If I may say it, I actually thought that this powder may have contributed more oil to my face.  Because of all the oil, the powder also didn't seem very long lasting and at the end of the day, my skin didn't look good at all!  To add to that, I was beginning to see little bumps on my forehead and this is a big "no no" for me.  I don't think the MSF Natural was the main reason for these little bumps, but I got scared and stopped using this powder.

I'm not exactly sure why this product didn't work for me because I had high expectations and hopes because of all the good reviews that it was getting from other people.  However, this being $26 (which isn't exactly cheap) I decided to return this, thanks to MAC's 30 day refund/exchange rule.

Feeling slightly disappointed with the MSF Natural, I decided to give MAC another try and bought the pressed MAC Blot Powder.  Several people have expressed their love for this powder and said that they used this to control the oil on their face and to set their foundation, hence the name: Blot Powder. 

What's nice is that it comes with a sponge applicator, but I don't use the sponge applicator for hygienic reasons. I don't like the idea of putting the oil on my face back into a product. >.<

As you may see, I purchased this product in the color "Medium" and I have to say it's still very light and is close in color to my Dream Matte powder.  The MAC makeup artist told me that the Blot Powder in "Light" would be too light.  I actually agreed with her.

Here's a side by side comparison of the three colors:

The blot powder looks like the lightest, but it's very similar to the Dream Matte powder in real life.

Reading and watching some reviews, several people say that the MAC Blot Powder gives no coverage or very minimum coverage.  To be honest, I think that this gives a great natural coverage.  I make sure to press my powder brush into the product and instead of swirling it around my face, I press the product onto my face.  This way, it gives a smooth coverage.  I definitely prefer this coverage over the MSF Natural.  Also, because it is very light, you have to make sure to not over-apply this powder because then it could look cakey.  Just remember that less is more with this product! :)

My favorite part about this powder is that it is long-lasting and also it controls the oil on my face well.  I'm writing this blog post at around 7:30 pm and I applied this powder at around 8:00 am.  To be honest, I didn't have to blot the oil on my face at all, which is very surprising for me because with other products, I would have to use my oil blotting sheets to remove excess oil.  I wouldn't say that my face is completely matte right now, but it is not so oily that I can get away with not blotting.  Also, my skin still looks smooth and decent.  I would take a picture right now, but I kind of look like a mess so I'll make sure to post pics next time.

This powder doesn't seem to oxidize into a darker color and I have to say that I don't have any weird bumps or break outs from it.  Could this be my new HG powder? During my last couple weeks I've been using this powder, I must say that I am very satisfied and happy with every use of it.  I would say that this is a very good $22 purchase and I will definitely be re-purchasing it.  If I change my mind, I will let you know, but this has taken my place for being my new HG powder!!! :)

If you guys want to purchase this, check out your local MAC store or check online at www.maccosmetics.com.

I am planning on making a video about this in detail and how I apply it, but for now, I think I am done with this post! :)

I know this was super long, but I wanted to share this with you guys so that you can check it out and share your experiences with these products! Let me know if you would like to share anything! I would love to hear.

Love,

Mindy

Beauty Breakthroughs (New Products Put to the Test)

I was reading through some stuff online on instyle.com and came across an article that I found extremely interesting.  This article was about new beauty breakthrough products that InStyle tested out to see if these products lived up to the claim to accomplish certain results.  Although I myself haven't gotten a chance to test any of these products out, I am tempted to want to try out every product listed because of the raving reviews.

I'll share some products that I really want! :)

1. Eye Shadow that Lasts 24 Hours

Armani Metallic Eyeshadows (launching in October) $32

Claim: 
Yes! There could finally be a breakthrough eyeshadow that doesn't fade. Well, at least for 24 hours! This eyeshadow is a densely pigmented powder-gel hybrid containing shimmer with translucent emollients to lock the color in place.

From the Experts:
"These shadows are ideal for my red-carpet clients because there's no need for a touch-up," says makeup artist Joanna Schlip, who works with Jessica Simpson and Ellen Pompeo.  However, "Because the color is so rich, they can be tricky to apply.  I suggest dipping a damp brush in the pot and swirling it on the back of your hand until the shadow is a sheer paste."

InStyle's Verdict:
The color didn't budge, crease, or fade (applied on a hot, summer morning).  Lasted for at least 10 hours.


Sounds awesome, in my opinion.  However, the price is a little too high for my liking.


2. An All-in-One Polish

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, $8 (found at CVS)

Claim:
Think of it as five products in one bottle: a keratin-and-amino-acid growth treatment (which fortifies and protects nails), a filling base coat, a strengthener, color, and quick-dry top coat.  The extra-wide brush helps give a full coverage with just one sweep.  Could this be truly an All-in-One polish??


From the Experts:
"Home manicures typically don't last as long as professional ones because you rush through the coats and don't let them dry completely," says N.Y.C. manicurist Jin Soon Choi. "This eliminates that problem. I've even started using it at my spa." 


Instyle's Verdict:
"Our nails looked perfectly groomed in a flash. After four days of constant tapping on our keyboard (and occasional dish washing), the color was still glossy and chip-free."




I'm loving that this nail polish is a drugstore product and is so affordable.  This could definitely be a breakthrough product that may save us LOTS of money (since with this polish, there is no need to purchase separate top coats, base coats, etc.)


3. The Self-Adjusting Lipstick

DuWop Personal Color Changing lipsticks in Private Plum (left) and Private Nude, $22, duwop.com

Claim:

Within five minutes of application, the color morphs into one that perfectly suits the complexion of the person wearing it. 

From the Experts:

"These lipsticks react to pH and heat, so they do change color according to body chemistry," says cosmetic chemist Ni'Kita Wilson. "But they don't flatter everybody. The nude is hard to wear." 

InStyle's Verdict:

"Well, they definitely morphed! WE tried each shade on three staffers--one with very pale skin, another with a dark complexion, and the third with an olive skin tone--and it looked completely different on each of them. Basically, the fairer the skin, the darker the color looked. Of the two shades, each person found one that was flattering--but no one looked good in both." 

I want to test it out myself. It sounds so scientific! XD

4. 3-Setting Mascara

Almay One Coat Dial Up mascara, $8 (found at Walgreens)

Claim:

An adjustable dial allows you to vary the amount of mascara deposited on your brush so you can use the same formula for day and night.

From the Experts:

"The adjustable applicator is amazing," says N.Y.C. makeup artist Nick Barose, noting that it saves time and money. "It spares you from having to wipe away excess product when you want a more subtle look."

InStyle's Verdict:

"Love! The sheer, clump-free formula let us leapfrog from natural-looking lashes (setting 1) on Saturday afternoon to major volume (setting 3) later that night. Setting 2--which provided serious definition with minimal heaviness--was our sweet spot for daily office wear."

Could this be my new HG mascara? I'm a huge fan of Almay products and the fact that they made this mascara makes me so happy.

5. The Universal Blush

Stila Custom Color blush, $20 (stilacosmetics.com)

Claim:

So Stila does it again! A breakthrough blush! This bright pink cheek color is the first powder blush that adjusts to your skin tone, taking the guesswork out of picking the perfect shade. 

From the Experts:

"In fact, it isn't actually self-adjusting, but the color is just translucent enough to blend in with any skin tone," says Ni'kita Wilson. "The shade is bright, but the base that's used is not titanium dioxide, so there's no chalkiness." 

InStyle's Verdict:

"We tested the blush on five people (with complexions ranging from milky white to deep mocha), and amazingly, it gave a flattering, blushing-from-within glow to everyone. The color was bright enough to show up on very dark skin yet sheer enough that it didn't look clownish on pale complexions. "

I want to test it.  Actually, I'm more interested in testing it on different people to see if this really does flatter different skin types. LOL!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All these products seem so interesting and I really want to put them all to the test! I'm going to try to purchase some and then share the results with all of you! Thanks for reading!

Source: InStyle.com

Review of Foster Grant Sunglasses and Giveaway (Pic Heavy)

It's been sooo long! I haven't blogged for more than a month! Gasp!

I'm sorry everyone for being gone and not updating. Life has been crazy, yet again. To top that, I've been sick and also suffering from summer allergies.

This blog post and video is so overdue. I was very grateful to receive 5 wonderful pairs of sunglasses from Foster Grant and was planning on posting this long before, but I was internet-less for quite some time.



I was contacted by Foster Grant to review these sunglasses for the summer and also was given an opportunity to throw a giveaway for my readers/subscribers on youtube!

These glasses came well packaged and was wrapped nicely so none of the sunglasses came broken. What's nice about Foster Grant sunglasses is the quality and the amazing prices! I was very impressed by how sturdy they were and they don't feel cheap at all. I don't really like wearing super cheap sunglasses that seem like they'll break after a few wears.  Also, these are excellent for the summer since it's 100% UVA protected.

I'll just jump into showing you the sunglasses they sent me.  Foster Grant sent me 2 pairs of aviator sunglasses.  Aviators are "in" for this summer and lots of celebrities are seen wearing them.  For many years up until now, the popular wayfarers were the "it" glasses, but aviators have slowly taken over again.

The first style they sent me were a pair of gold aviators called Madonna.

I usually have issues with sunglasses sliding down my nose and falling onto my cheek bones because of the structure of my nose. I don't really have a prominent nose bride. What's nice about these aviators is that they seem to work with my nose really well and don't fall down onto my face.

The next pair of aviators that they sent me were white ones called Wireless.

The stock photo shows a purple one, but the ones they sent me were white in the same style.

These aviators are slightly larger than the Madonna, so I do have a problem sometimes with the glasses hitting my cheekbones or sliding down. However, I still like the style and usually the sliding down issue isn't that big of a problem.

The next sunglasses that they sent me were fashion glasses called Plaid. The design is very pretty because of the side plaid details of the glasses and the pretty purple colors.

These glasses are extremely comfortable as they aren't really round.  They have more of a streamlined look, but still super cute.  They also fit nicely above my nose.

The next pair of sunglasses are the unique-colored Safari.

What's cool about these glasses is the rhinestone details on the sides. These glasses are more rectangular shaped, which I'm not the biggest fan of.  Also, they don't really fit my nose and face very well since it sits right on top of my cheek-bones, which is my least favorite when it comes to wearing shades.

I feel like the Safaris don't really flatter my face very much since I have a long, oval face.

The last pair of sunglasses that they sent me are probably my favorite out of the 5, aside from the aviators.  These sunglasses are called Milan.

Something about these shades make it feel as if they were high-end, designers sunglasses.  As you may be able to see in the stock photo, the side details are divine with a snake-skin-like pattern and square rhinestones embedded. They also fit my face nicely and don't fall down. They're actually a little on the tighter side, but that doesn't keep me away from wearing them.

Foster Grant is so generous and is sponsoring my giveaway to my readers/subscribers to my youtube channel!

There will be one random winner. :) The winner will be able to choose a pair of sunglasses.

Please read all the rules:

1. You must be a subscriber to my YouTube channel: iAMminky3

2. Go to the Foster Grant website: www.fostergrant.com and tell me which pair of sunglasses is your favorite! (Please, no Enter Me comments!)

3. You can enter only once a day. I will make sure that you keep this rule. More than one entries will result in comment disqualification.

4. Open to all my YouTube subscribers, including international subscribers!

5. If you are under the age of 18, you will need your parent's permission to enter. I will need to get your shipping address for Foster Grant to send you your prize.

6. This giveaway ends on July 24, 2010.

7. I will post the winner on my blog and will be announcing the winner hopefully via YouTube as well. Also, I will let you know through twitter. Follow me on twitter! :) @iAMminky3

Good luck and have fun!


Oh and if you have facebook, makes sure to like their facebook fanpage!
Foster Grant on Facebook

Update: Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick Review and Experience

If some of you may recall from my May Drugstore Haul, I talked about a new product that I hauled, which I bought in hopes to quickly heal the breakouts and pimples on my skin.  The product was the Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick.

The reason I bought this was because the reviews and ratings for this product were fairly high and it contained tea tree oil.  Tea tree oil has been something that I've been looking into recently.

Tea tree oil is said to have beneficial medical and cosmetic properties when applied topically.  Tea tree oil has antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral action properties and is often times used in many skin care products.

I had the option of buying diluted tea tree oil that came in a bottle labeled "Tea Tree Oil" or buying the Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick, which not only contains tea tree oil, but contains other natural ingredients such as willowbark extract (natural source of salicylic acid), fennel oil, eucalyptus oil, lemon oil, and others.  Since the ratings were so high and was highly recommended to me from some other gurus, I just decided to spend the $8 for this product.

The bottle itself is really small and doesn't contain much product (.26 fl. oz)


The first thing I noticed about this product was the strong smell! The liquid smells like very strong black licorice mixed with herbs and the smell almost stings my nose.  Many people are also drawn back from the pungent smell from the product.  Whenever I applied this product, I would try my best not to have to smell the medicine.  Even as of today, I really don't like the smell.


With the roller ball technology, there is no need to apply with fingers.  However, I'm not sure how sanitary it is to use the roller ball so I would recommend not to share with other people or I would make sure to clean the top occasionally.

When applied onto acne and affected areas, the medicine stings the area.  The product comes out in liquid form, but the medicine dries really fast on the skin, which I like since I don't have to wait a long time for anything to dry. Also, before applying this product, it is recommended to wash the face thoroughly for a clean surface.

One thing for sure, this product is very drying so I would recommend not to apply all over the face, but mainly for small areas that need healing.

With that being said, surprisingly, this product did not work for me. I did see quick results at first since the redness from my new pimples seemed to be going away. However, it didn't end there because after the pimples seemed to be getting smaller, all of a sudden, the pimples became larger again.  It was strange since I thought it was working, but then I woke up one morning to see that the pimples on my face looked worse from before. The redness in the pimples had enlarged and it actually hurt to talk because the pimples had become more painful.

After reading some other reviews on the Herbal Blemish Stick, I found out that this product shouldn't be directly applied on pores. It should be applied directly on spots that need quick healing and it should be applied minimally to see quick results.

Since everyone's skin is different, I'm sure that this product works better on others, but I really feel that this did not work on me. I was so shocked by the worse outcome and I've put away this product and currently am using something else to heal breakouts (and I think I've actually found a winner! Updates on this new product will be up soon.).

If anyone has tried this and it works for them, please share your experience. Maybe, I may have been using it wrong? I'm not sure, but I plan on making a video about this as well to talk more in detail if needed.

Here's an overview~~~

Pros:
-Did see quick results with acne
-Small and easy to work with
-Dries fast

Cons:
-Awful smell
-Stings when applied over acne and breakouts
-After quick results, the pimples on my face got worse
-Overdrying