Friday, November 15, 2013

The Friday Forum - November 15 - and Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick

The only disappointment from my Sephora sale orders was Tarte's Amazonian Butter Lipstick ($16). I ordered Pink Peony, which must have been popular. It's the only sold-out shade. Here's the scoop on Amazonian Butter Lipstick.

A moisturizing, creamy lipstick infused with sustainably pressed Amazonian butters, Amazonian Butter Lipstick was inspired by the whimsical colors of the Amazon and infused with naturally derived ingredients from its lush vegetation. Amazonian Butter Lipsticks add a splash of rich color and creamy shine for a perfect pout. Each skin-flattering shade is enriched with sustainably harvested cupuacu and murumuru butters, shea butter, and mineral pigments to deliver intense moisture, help restore and soothe even mature lips, and provide good-for-you color.

I love Tarte, the lipstick sounded great, and the color I selected looked luscious. I was surprised when I saw that the lipstick bullet was presented in a cardboard tube. I didn't see that specifically disclosed within the listing. Worse, however, was that I saw the lipstick bullet had rammed into the top of the tube. Odd, I thought. How did that happen? It happened because the bullet was broken off at the base. Did it happen in shipping? Did it happen at the manufacturing facility? Who knows? What I do know is that I will have to return it.

You can see in the photo at the top of this feature that the color bullet was tilted at an angle when it arrived. That should have been my first clue that all was not well, but I found out why it tilted when I started to roll it up. I rolled it slightly, and the bullet fell out entirely. What a disappointment!

Knowing that Sephora could not sell it after I returned it, I went ahead and swatched it - just in case you are enticed to purchase one from Tarte - or later when Sephora restocks it. The color is a very sheer warm pink. I took my swatch photo below in full, morning sun.

The sheer shade is gorgeous. I'd buy it again, but since it's sold out at Sephora, I will have to return it for a refund.

It's time for the Friday Forum. I love this part of our week. What new products did you discover this week? Did you find any deals you couldn't resist? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By early the next week, most (not all) readers will have moved on.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora; other photos by Best Things in Beauty

11 comments:

Katey said...

This lipstick looks beautiful and the shade just great! Thanks for the suggestion.

nedian said...

Huh, that's weird that happened to the Tarte lipstick. I haven't gotten any from Sephora, but I've gotten the sets of them from QVC (they're all in the cardboard tube, but they hold up well) and they've all arrived in wonderful condition. So I suspect it was just that one -- don't let it stop you from getting others! They're fantastic.

As for a find, one of the things I picked up in the Sephora sale was Guerlain's Le Top Coat Gel and it is amazing. I already had Revlon's Colorstay basecoat and, on Cafe Makeup's recommendation, tried that in combination with the Guerlain. My polish didn't chip until day 7. Tip wear didn't show up until day 4 or 5. And I wasn't easy on my nails. It is almost always sold out on Sephora online, but if you can find it in a store, I highly suggest it.

Wunderwoman said...

I ordered during the VIB sale at Sephora also. Sadly, still waiting for my package to arrive. It's been FOUR days and still no updates on arrival. :-(

Melanie said...

That would be so disappointing! I have ordered a few lipsticks where the bullets have been loosened at the base. I wonder if shipping isn't the culprit. They get jostled around a bit too much?

I finally received the one and only Chanel holiday item that I wanted: the Id'O in Initiation. It has come away from the side a bit, but nothing too drastic. It was the same for the Illusoire that I also ordered. Interesting to note was the difference in the INCI between the two. I also finally got the Pinceau Touch-Up, but was so disappointed to see that it is made in China. I just assumed that the brushes from the older collection were all still French. Finally, I managed to get a Rouge Moiré nail polish. I just came across images of the Spring 2014 collection. Falls into the pink, plum, red range.

Today is my 8-year "cancerversary". Not of my diagnosis, but of when I believe I entered into the realm of "NED" or "no evidence of disease". Funnily enough, my family forgot and were only reminded by a post that I put on Facebook. The privilege of being given so much more time? I don't blame them. I almost feel now that these things can be marked quietly.

Have an excellent weekend! I'm going to wear my Initiation to the Santa Claus parade tomorrow! :-)

Anonymous said...

I ordered 3 things from the Sephora sale. First, was a 1.7 spray of Midnight Fleur by Nest Fragrances. I have spritzed myself frequently with it when I've been at our Neiman Marcus store in the Cherry Creek Mall in Denver. I love the fragrance! Hopefully my husband will as well. Next, I ordered a Kat von D blush called "Truth." This is my first Kat von D product ever . . . so I'm curious. Finally, I tried a liquid eyeliner from Dolce & Gabbana named "Peacock." It's metallic and absolutely beautiful, with a mostly sapphire tone with a small bit of emerald added. I'll wear all 3 tonight when we join friends for dinner out! So far, these seem terrific!

Lisa C said...

I picked up a few things at the sale, one being the new skincare kit from PTR. The camu camu set. I've been dying to get this, as I had picked up a sample of the serum and fell in love. I also love to pieces the OH vitamin C oil. I also picked up the Shiseido eye kit. I'm in love with every product of theirs that I've tried.

Eileen said...

Now that Sephora boxes are making their way into our eager hands, I'm sure we're all enjoying going through our purchases--I certainly am :-) I bought a number of gift sets and stocking stuffers for friends and family and some treats for me as well. For myself, I bought Rouge Volupté Shine in Pink in Paris and Corail Intuitive, Touch Éclat, Guerlain's La Base Protectirce, Murad's Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture cream, and SKII Cellumination Mask-In Lotion. Cellumination is an indulgence I've been wanting to try and at 20% off, I couldn't resist.

Nedian mentioned how great Guerlain's gel top coat is and I'd like to second that. I love that wonderful product and that's way I thought I'd give the base coat a try. Both products are really awesome. I've been wearing one coat of the base all by itself since Monday and still don't have any chips. This weekend, I'll give myself a mani with Guerlain's base, polish, and gel top coat and see how that wears.

Congratulations to you, Melanie, on your eight years cancer free. Every year we have with those we love is to be treasured and celebrated each and every day. Here's wishing all of you many more years together.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Claire said...

CG, you are the one who "introduced" me to Tarte and since I've gotten their eyeliner which is great & doesn't irritate my skin! So sorry about the skewed bullet on this one, I agree, though the color is very nice, everyday sheer-bright shade.

Charlestongirl said...

Claire, I don't think it's Tarte's fault. I would guess Sephora's warehouse or UPS. I have a lot of Tarte makeup, and it's all perfect.

Charlestongirl said...

Melanie, congratulations! THAT is quite an anniversary.

I think it was the shipping. Shipping in heat is especially bad.

I was surprised at the quality of the Chanel pots this season. I never did return mine. However, I will if I ever receive a bad one again.

Deb said...

Hi CG. I'm going to apologize sincerely in advance for the length of this post. I'm going to try to be as brief as possible but I have discovered two new life changing products and am excited to share.

1) African Botanics Neroli Infused Marula Oil. This oil has turned my skin around. For reference, I'm 57, have dry skin, large pores, and live in the desert. Winter is hell on my skin and my pores are a year round problem. After one week of using this oil at night, my pores were so visibly diminished in appearance I thought I was hallucinating. The pores on my nose are so large, they are visible from a normal viewing distance. No more. Makeup application was always a nightmare with all of the prepping and priming. No more. I have no idea how an oil has done such an amazing job of pore decongestion; I just know the results speak for themselves. And I've also experienced a noticeable decrease in fine lines and my skin is staying hydrated far longer than with any other product I've ever used. In one week! I'm mid way through week two and I'm still getting improvement. Ladies, if you are a face oil person, you NEED this! One word of caution: if you are sensitive to fragrance this does have it. To me, it smells like gardenia...which I loathe. But the product is so amazing I just hold my breath and apply. The smell does go away quickly. I bought mine from SpaceNK.

2) Touch Face Auto Makeup Device. This is a Korean product that is battery operated and applies makeup in a patting motion. It claims 5000 pats per minute; I'll have to take their word. I can't count that fast! Hands down, the finish this provides blows away every "airbrush finish" makeup brush I've ever tried. It makes a joke out of using fingers and the Beauty Blender. It applies every base product except powder. The finish is beyond perfection. It comes with 2 different sponges; one for makeup and one for skin care. The skin care sponge applies your serums and creams like you are at a spa and having them massaged into your face. It comes in different sizes, has a stand for sitting on your counter, and a plastic cap cover for travel. I ordered the larger (taller) one for home use and after trying it, immediately ordered the smaller one to keep packed in my "to go" makeup bag. You can find out more about it on google and there are also a couple of YouTube demos on it. I ordered mine from Cosedifilo out of the UK and shipping was lighting fast.

Again, sorry for the long post but I've not seen either of these products mentioned or reviewed on the blogs (except for two) and I really wanted to share the wealth!