Underrated Fave: Tarina Tarantino LOVELY Jewel Shadow Palette

With images of fall/winter collections now looming in our horizon (some of those fall collections have already hit the stores -- groan), I find myself salivating over some of the new choice options. I enjoy summer best out of any season, but when it comes to makeup releases, fall/holiday collections can't be beat. High on my "to swatch" list is the elegant and decadent looking CHANEL Mystère Quad. While I've been known to safely navigate the temptations of juicy, summer shades, the same can't be said for cooler seasons when makeup has more longevity on the face and I find myself looking for ways to cheer a gloomy weather day. In anticipation of the annual frenzy, I think it might be a good idea to go through the shadow palettes that I already own and assess their merits, to weigh against what I might (probably won't) need.

First up is Tarina Tarantino Jewel Shadow Palette in Lovely (USD$32). I managed to snag it for CAD$23 when the brand cleared out of Sephora last year, and it's a purchase that I don't regret in the least. The only reason I probably didn't own more TT products previously is due to its repetitive adolescent designs featuring skulls, hearts, butterflies and bows. If not for that, I might even find the exterior of the palette charming.

Lovely features five very wearable and neutral shades: pearl vanilla (top), pearl gun-metal (right), matte black (bottom), silver shimmer (left) and pearl taupe (centre). This palette has been accused of being "boring" on a number of reviews I looked up, but one person's boring is another person's exciting. I love this palette.

As you can see, the taupe shade is nearly invisible against my skin and might just be THE elusive shade of taupe that I was half-heartedly searching for. (Short explanation: most beauty bloggers are taupe-fiends for some reason, and taupe is a mysterious shade that spans the grey/brown/silver/lavender zone. So basically, anything can be taupe. Your grandmother can be taupe.) I wasn't searching actively for a perfect taupe but always had one eye peeled like a good beauty blogger that I am. And as you may know, I have a thing for barely there shadows.

Also, at the time of purchase, I didn't have a palette with a basic black shadow or even a single black shadow, so the acquisition felt justified for that alone, because this matte black shade is seriously the smoothest thing I've ever felt. It's even a little bit too soft, in the same vein as theBalm shadows tend to be, but I'd rather a buttery smooth black shadow over a hard, crusty one. And the silver shade is surprisingly smooth and has no fallout despite the high shimmer factor. The most problematic shade is the gun metal, which is the toughest in terms of texture and doesn't seem to be as finely milled as the others. But even then, it doesn't take much to build and make it perform to your desired level of opacity. As for the vanilla, I think we all have a highlighting shade like this. This is fine, has good texture, but isn't not worth a huge rave. I do like that it sits slightly more in the yellow zone than stark white which looks weird on my yellowy face.

Left to right: taupe, silver, gun metal, black, vanilla.

Despite my quibbles with a shade here and there, this is a solid palette with great neutral basics (if a tad on the shimmery side) that is worth every penny that I paid. Now, you are asking "Why are you showing us a palette that we can't have?" Well, apparently Tarina Tarantino makeup has quietly reappeared on her website, and the Lovely palette can be found here, along with the other five quads that I hear equally great things about. There also seems to be a "buy one eyeliner, get another free" deal going on that ends tomorrow... not that I'm telling you to buy in bulk or anything. *looks away* I'm just happy that TT makeup is back, because did you know I also love their blush? SURPRISE.

Recent Favourites

The weather is still psychotic here in this town, with temperatures running anywhere from 0 degrees celcius (winter coats again) to 30 (take all your clothes off now!) within a week. But for all intents and purposes, it's now summer to me. There are 2.5 precious months of it left, and I intend to wring every last sunshiny drop of it to my benefit. It also means the makeup colour palette shifts yet again. Hello to bronzed skin, coral flush and sunscreens!

When temperatures spike, I opt for powder coverage over liquid. My trusty SilkyGirl provides great coverage, matte finish and SPF 20.

Milani Baked Blush in 08 Corallina is new to the lineup. Larie sent this to me some time back, and I've been eyeing the shimmery pan with deep mistrust and suspicion. With the resurgence of matte makeup lately, I had been debating whether to banish shimmer for a while, if not forever. But one should never banish a pretty blush without swatching! At first stroke of the brush, I fell in love. Shimmer be damned. Shimmer my face, baby.

Through a twist of fate, I now have two of these mini Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes in Angelic. One is sitting in the blog sale pile, and I was tempted to throw in the second one there as well. But my preoccupation with perfecting the complexion has bled over into highlighting. (See swatches of my highlighter collection here.) Angelic is fuss-free and goof-proof, so I'm going to keep one after all.

Other recent faves: Always heard good things about La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid SPF60 and now I believe it. The texture is much more liquid and milky than I'm used to from sunscreens, but it spreads well over face and under makeup. I'm contemplating picking up a full size to last through the summer. As for lippies, I decided to give some love to Clarins Colour Quench Lip Balm (but really a gloss) in #14 Blood Orange and MAC Suntints SPF20 Liquid Lip Balm (but again, really a gloss) in Abalone. Clarins Blood Orange creates a great echo of the cheeky coral shade on lips and MAC Abalone leaves just barely a hint of healthy colour while providing sun protection.

I think the swatches prove my case.

(L to R: Milani Corallina, Tarte Angelic, Clarins Blood Orange, MAC Abalone)

What kind of seasonal switches are you making or have made already?

Orange Nail Polish Comparisons

Old posts with pics from Photobucket won't be back up until the 21st. In the mean time, I'm going ahead and posting new things regardless. I want to get this orange comparison over with.

I was never a huge fan of warm colours like yellow, orange and red, but I began populating my closet with pops of red about seven years ago and love its effect against a classic, neutral collection. Currently, I'm all about orange-reds and recently conducted a lippie comparison here. (Sorry, those photos are down right now, but they'll be back soon.)

As luck would have it, I did not have sufficient time to go batshit insane over orange-reds and have just four nail polishes in the orange family: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed, Deborah Lippmann Lara's Theme, Sephora by OPI Caliente Coral, and CHANEL Holiday (limited edition).

shade

direct sunlight

The darker oranges appear to be more or less similar in direct sunlight, but they are not dupes at all. Sally Hansen Sun Kissed is a yellowy mango orange that I detest but felt I needed to have at some point for whatever reason; Lippmann Lara's Theme is as close to a neon orange that this collection will have (reviewed here); Sephora/OPI Caliente Coral is a blur of that frustrating orange/coral zone; and CHANEL Holiday is closest to red while still retaining its orange status and therefore my favourite of the lot.

L to R: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed, Deborah Lippmann Lara's Theme,
Sephora by OPI Caliente Coral, CHANEL Holiday

R to L: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Sun Kissed, Deborah Lippmann Lara's Theme,
Sephora by OPI Caliente Coral, CHANEL Holiday

In terms of formula, the worst is Sally Hansen Sun Kissed (watery), followed by Sephora/OPI Caliente Coral. The best is surprisingly CHANEL Holiday. Let's face it: CHANEL formulas are never the best. I revere their limited editions for the uniqueness of shades and cutting edge forwardness and never expect much from the formula. But sometimes they surprise me.

I love Holiday paired with clean summer whites. Below is a pedicure I did for my baby sister last year. I thought it stood out nicely against her white Birks.

In short:

Keeping: CHANEL Holiday, Lippmann Lara's Theme.

Tossing: Sally Hansen Sun Kissed, OPI/Sephora Caliente Coral.

Minimal Makeup Capsule

In order to actually minimize the hoard, there has to be an end goal. Sometimes I lose sleep over what that might look like! How do you part from the multitude of beautiful things in the stash? Why would you even want to?

I can't help being that person who looks a few steps ahead, preparing for some of the less appealing inevitables. Like the fact that I will most likely have to move to a smaller space in the near future and cannot take all my preciousssssssssss with me. And reducing the makeup stash is also the original goal of this blog. As much as I have embraced "having fun" aspect of being a makeup junkie, I cannot let go of this idealistic vision of what it might like to be to have just a few things in each category that are the absolute best for me, requiring less variety and headache in daily living.

So, I took a stab at what that makeup capsule collection might look like. I know it hardly looks minimal, but I was trying to be realistic at the same time.

1. Face Primer - I'm torn between Hourglass Veil Mineral and Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum. But if we don't have to take skincare into account, I opt for Veil Mineral because of the SPF factor, low as it is. Still better than nothing. And after not using it for a while now, I miss it.

2. Base - MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation would make a great option because it can be applied lightly, built up to a heavier coverage, used as both finishing powder and a foundation -- the list of pros go on and on.

3. Concealer - I would need one for both under eye and spots, such as BECCA Dual Coverage Compact Concealer.

4. Highlighter - I would have left this out in the past, but highlighting has recently become an important step in faking a great complexion. Benefit's Watt's Up! is a great option.

5. Exciting Blush - Can it get any more exciting than Illamasqua Cream Blusher in one of its eye-searing shades? I think not. This can totally be left out in a normal person's capsule, but I need at least one crazy blush to remain satiated.

6. Eye Shadow Primer - After countless reviews and recommendations, I've become convinced that NARS Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base is the right shadow primer for me. Mimi @ Makeup Withdrawal conducted a great comparison of eye shadow primers here. 

7. Blush/Bronzer Duo - NARS has an Orgasm/Laguna Duo which is brilliant because the goof-proof shades of Orgasm and Laguna will be great for quick and easy everyday application. After years of disbelief, I've finally fallen for the classic cult shade that is Orgasm. I hate having to pick it over all the other pretties in my stash, but what works works.

8. Nail Polish - I could have done without nail polish as well, but to be realistic, I'd probably want at least one elegant shade to rely on for events. My vote goes to Deborah Lippmann Naked. And if I really need a second polish for fun, I'd pick some sort of aqua shade.

9. Lip Balm - This actually belongs in the skincare category, but I had a gaping hole in the Polyvore collage and needed to fill it in. Rodin is a brand I've been admiring from afar, so Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm is only here as sort of wish item.

10. Eye Brow Shader - I really like pencils but the longevity of MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Brow makes it a clear winner when you have only one choice. I got some samples from Sephora and am in the process of choosing my perfect shade.

11. Eye Shadows - As much as I adore giant-sized palettes with a multitude of options, I don't make use of them enough to justify them being in this capsule. In reality, I work with just a few neutral shades when I bother with shadows at all, and lately I've fallen back in love with powder shadows. I regret not picking up CHANEL Ombre Contraste Eyeshadow Duo because it's basically the perfect representation of my shadow minimalist tendencies. And for fun, I threw in an Armani Eyes To Kill Intense Eyeshadow because even the most minimal person needs at least one amazing shimmery option.

12. Mascara - I go back time and time again to Clinique Lash Power for its budgeproof formula that removes easily with warm water. It's the most fuss-free mascara ever made.

13. Lip Gloss - I've decided recently that I don't have any need for nude or pale glosses. I'd pick one in a fun orangey-red shade, such as BITE BEAUTY Lush Fruit Lip Gloss in Spice.

14. Tinted Lip Balm - Laura Mercier HydraTint SPF 15 in Crimson Tint has been on my radar for almost a year now. I keep putting it into my shopping basket, only to take it out when I think of the multitude of other lippies sitting at home. But if I could pick one to have right now over any other, this would be it.

15. Neutral Lipstick - I threw in a CHANEL for the hell of it because it seems like "the thing" to have on a short list, but I recently fell in love with BITE BEAUTY Luminous Crème Lipstick in Cin Cin. It's described as a bright coral but on me looks like an easy neutral rose.

16. Bright Sheer Lipstick - One of the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine looks like just the thing to have, so in it goes.

17. Luxe Red Lipstick - THE lipstick to end all lipstick lemmings, right? The honour goes to Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color in Cherry Lush. Not sure if it actually lives up to the expectation, but this capsule has blurred into a wish list by this point.

17 items is a small list for me, considering that I have triple that amount of blushers alone. And notice the lack of eyeliners, which I never wear and don't care about. I'm going to use this as a list of something to aspire to without setting hard lines about achieving it, because it's mostly for fun, to be used as a guideline and not a rulebook. A balanced life requires both control and spontaneity, the latter of which I sorely lack at times and don't want to kill off in its entirety.

What would your makeup capsule look like?

Progress Check and Things I Don't Buy or Need

While we wait for the blog photo issues to straighten out, I'll seize the opportunity to go on a text-only ramble. I've been wanting to mention this for a while, seeing as how I'm supposed to be all about reducing and what not. What am I actually reducing? Have I reduced anything in the 2.5 years that I've been slaving under the Reductionista moniker? It's up and down, although I will venture to say that I have improved quite a bit on many fronts -- especially in the last year and a half.

• The days of wild binge splurging are over, although perhaps credit is due to income issues rather than feats of self-control. But that is how I have learned that it's okay to not have it all. A few years ago, I may have been in constant pain and turmoil at not being able to go on a spending high (the signs of a true addict), but right now I feel quite content -- and gasp! even happy.
  
• I still love to experiment and test new products, and that is something that will probably never change. Now I rely more on careful sampling at counters instead of impulsively purchasing something that looks intriguing, only to be disappointed at home.
  
• It's a struggle trying to reduce the size of the hoard now with the addition of PR samples that are constantly in rotation. I receive a few packages each month and I never know how much I'll end up with until the items arrive. I try to wait to purchase essentials sometimes, if I know that certain items are en route. Blogging has been great in that regard, and it's something I really didn't expect to do when I first started. Silly me, I thought I'd reduce my stash within the year and close up the blog. Hahahahaha.

On the flip side, here are the things I don't buy or need. I've been good about cutting most of them out of my life to some degree.

• Deodorants -- I don't smell unless I don't take a shower for an entire week. (Tried, tested and true.) I also think that it's weird that we want our pits to smell of ocean tides or honeyed figs. But I know I'm super lucky to not struggle with detectable body odour and I thank my parents' genes for that every single day. However, I do need antiperspirants, which I feel iffy about. Can anything really prevent sweat from escaping the pores, and if so, what the hell are we doing to our bodies? Yet I need an unfragranced antiperspirant in the summer if I want to wear anything that covers the arm pits. First world problem of the highest degree.
  
  
• Lip Scrubs -- As a crusty-lipped person, it would seem that I require this tool to keep my lips smooth and polished. But I don't see the need to go out and buy one unless I'm in the mood for that extra pampered feeling. (Once spent CAD$40 on a Sarah Happ and nearly killed myself.) I can use a clean toothbrush to gently exfoliate, make my own scrub with some lemon, honey and sugar, or just go to bed with a thick layer of Vaseline on the lips and wipe off an entire layer of dead lip skin in the morning. I'm not sure why the lack of need for lip scrubs doesn't translate to face/body scrubs as well, but sometimes I like to use the lemon and sugar mixture for the face and stave off purchasing facial scrubs. (Don't send me DYI body scrub recipes -- I already know about them. I just don't like having to make them, I guess. Also, sometimes I like using exfoliating body gloves rather than a scrub.)
  
  
• Eye Creams -- Controversial, I know. I'm of the age where eye creams are deemed absolutely essential by anyone with the slightest interest in beauty. But 99% of eye creams make me break out and I'm not convinced that they're essential to my routine. I don't find the area around my eyes to be especially dry or delicate. In fact, the parts of my eyes that are actually dry and delicate are my eyeballs. No creams will help those guys. The skin itself remains firm and smooth, and if there are lines at the outer corners, they're expression lines that I feel just the slightest bit of self-consciousness about. As for dark shadows or puffiness, I rarely get the puffs and the faint shadows at the bottom inner corners are easily dealt with a light illuminating concealer.
  
  
• Volume Boosting Hair Products -- I used to experiment with them back in the day, but now I couldn't care less. The main reason is I don't care much about hair to begin with. The other reason is my belief that volume boosting is owed to technique more than product, and I don't ever spend time in the bathroom trying to boost volume. When I leave my hair short and curly, volume isn't something that I lack to begin with, so maybe I'm again lucky in that regard. And when I am preoccupied with hair, the effort goes to smoothing out frizz.
  
  
• Hand Creams -- I love hand creams but there was a time when I didn't buy things exclusively labelled as "hand cream." There's no reason that body lotions, creams or butters can't be used for the hands. My hands never suffered from the substitutions. I have a lot of hand creams now because the size in which hand creams are packaged are made for carrying around, and there are times I can't resist the small bit of pampering that comes in the form of a hand cream. But there's no real need for "hand creams" in my life. It's just... they're so nice. *sigh*
  
  
• Shaving Creams -- I rarely shave. Again, lucky East Asian genes at play here. Sometimes I only shave my arm pits and ignore shaving my legs for years. It hardly makes the separate purchase of a shaving cream necessary. I've been using an EOS for a long time now, but when I'm finally finished with that, I'll use hair conditioners or body lotions or something else lubricating in its place.
  
  
• Hair Dyes -- I don't colour or highlight my hair. I consider it a huge waste of money and time, because once you start, you have to keep it going. (This is for myself personally. I don't judge those who do indulge in it. In fact, I probably admire your hair all the time.) When I was growing up in Korea, my mom used to take me into the salon to get perms all the time, because perming the hair curly was a huge thing there back then (and still is with her generation). Maybe because of it, I developed an aversion to chemicals used in salons for hair. Honestly, it was like going to the dentist. I may have preferred going to the dentist instead of the hair salon, even. And ironically, my hair started to curl by itself all of a suddenly during middle school. Goddamn, a part of me still wants naturally glossy straight hair so badly. But I won't subject myself to 3-hour straight perms to get that either.
  
  However, recently I discovered two stark white hairs in the middle of my head. (Tracy (aka Professor X) calls me Rogue, and I think it's working.) I've always said rather proudly that I wouldn't dye my hair as I got older and that I'd grey with dignity. Well, I choked on those words as I yanked out the white hairs with so much speed that I didn't even have time to think. I can't go on yanking out my hair like this. If I go grey in my late 30s and 40s with the face of a 20-something, it might look really odd. But that sounds kind of awesome in a way too? I don't know. We might have to return to this topic later.
  
  
• Deep Conditioning Treatments -- I don't have any right now. Sometimes I think about getting one, but even after an entire year of not trimming my hair, I don't have split ends. I think it just helps if you lay off the chemicals, heat styling and be gentle with hair generally. Maybe I'll get one at some point and see if it helps with the high shine glossy factor, but it's not exactly a priority.
  
  
• Hair Brushes -- I haven't put a brush to my hair in years. I finger-comb out the tangles after conditioning and just let air dry most of the time. You do not take a brush to a curly hair because it blows up the hair 300% its "normal" size. (Hair brush is as bad as rain and humidity.)
  
  
• Pore "Erasers" -- Can't erase your pores, people. You can cover them or shrink them, but you can't get rid of them. I tend to ignore anything that talks about pores in general. I love hearing that a product "clears out" the pores because it sounds lovely, but I'm always super skeptical. (Then I'd run out to buy it at the first sign of proven result.)

I think there's more, but this is the bulk of it. This is in no way a how-to or a manual for other people -- it's exclusively how the products do or don't pertain to me. We're all different with different needs. Sometimes I think it's easy to read about other people's stresses and make them our own. I wasted a lot of time on hair in the past because of guidelines like "brushing hair 100 times before bed to make it extra shiny" which don't apply to me at all. And the whole eye cream thing -- I'm not going to bother myself about it. I do moisturize the eye area with my anti-aging night cream and that seems to be working just fine. My mom's eyes look fine and she never bothered with eye creams either.

I'm curious. Do you find that you don't need certain things that are deemed essential to others? Are there ways that you can work to cut out unnecessary pile-up of products? Like those lucky ducks with near-perfect skin who still wear foundation religiously: seriously. We love/hate you.