Tarte Fantastic Foursome Blush Review + Swatches!

 This was the one item I allowed myself to buy during the month of October while I had a buying ban on. It was sold out online and was selling out fast in stores so I snapped it up. The Fantastic Foursome retails for $35USD/$46CAD (Canadian price is a guess, it's no longer available on sephora.com) which works out to be $11.50 a blush, which are half the size of the regular amazonian clay blushes from tarte which cost $33.

 From the top left you get Stellar which is a neutral, Magic which is a coral, Angelic which is a great highlighter and Fantastic which is a hot pink. The packaging is the same as their full sized blushes, a hard plastic in the colour of the blush. I like this better than the Nars or MAC packaging because it makes them easier to find in the drawer.

Each blush is embossed with a picture of the Amazon which is cute. Magic and Fantastic are matte blushes which I love, and Stellar and Angelic have some shimmer. I have to say Fantastic is my favorite out of the group, it looks a bit scary in the pan being bright pink but looks amazing on.

From Left to right: Fantastic, Magic, Angelic, and Stellar. Stellar is my least favorite of the bunch because it feels like a really light bronzer to me. I might start liking it more in place of my Nars Laguna bronzer when my skin gets even paler in the winter.

If you can still find this set I highly recommend it. It was my first Tarte purchase and I do not regret it at all. I can't wait to explore more of the Tarte line and share it with you!

Sephora VIB Haul!

A chatty video about all the stuff I got from Sephora for the VIB sale!

VIB sale preparation!

So I'm totally Type - A, a Ravenclaw through and through, yadda yadda yadda, I'm a nutbar with OCD who likes to prepare for things WAY IN ADVANCE OK? Anyways, the Sephora VIB sale is happening this month!! So in preparation I've been narrowing down what I'm going to purchase to make this time as minimally stressful as possible. I have a couple of goals/rules.

1. Only one thing from each brand (so as not to go crazy with any one brand)
2. Try and keep it under $200 (as I'm a poor student and this is to last me for a while)

Seems reasonable yes? Onto the goodies I'm ogling!

1. Nars Laguna Bronzer - $39 ($31.20 after discount) I already own this in a duo with Orgasm, but I hit pan last month (in a big way) and because I love this bronzer I feel like a full sized version is in order.

2. Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight Palette - $70 ($56 after discount) Ok this is crazy expensive for a palette I know, $7 an eyeshaow. I also know I've been lusting after this since early September. Kate of Gh0stparties has raved about this numerous times as well. There is a very strong possibility that this will come home with me. Also! It would be my first ever Bobbi Brown purchase (totally attempting to justify it here).

3. Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Palette - $45 ($36 after discount) So far more reasonable/way more bang for you buck is this Too Faced palette. You guys know my deep seated love of neutral palettes and of eyeshadow palettes in general (it's a little obscene). With this discount this works out to be $3 an eyeshadow and I don't own any Too Faced products. Plus the reviews are pretty good as well. This is a highly likely purchase.

4. Lorac Pro Palette - $55 ($44 after discount) Another eyeshadow palette you say?! Psh, of course! I'm obsessed! Amarixe talked about this in a recent haul video, raving about how awesome it is. 16 eyeshadows, half matte and half shimmery. I love me some matte eyeshadows, so this is a serious contender. This works out $2.75 an eyeshadow, which is an even better deal then the Too Faced palette! Need to do a bit more research into this palette to make sure though. I've been having trouble finding swatches of it.

 5. Nars Eyeshadow Duo in Portobello (or Kalahari) - $39 ($31.20 with discount) Ok so I know I said no repeats on brands, but as Laguna is a staple I'm tempted to make an exception. Essie Button raved about Portobello recently and Fleur De Force raved about Kalahari awhile ago. Both seem like perfect weekend away duo's in that I could throw that in a bag with my 217 brush and be good to go. Not 100% sold on this though, as I have so many palettes on my wish list that are much better deals.

6. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Natural Beauty - $33 ($26.40 with discount) So I did break my buying ban to purchase the set of four blushes back in October, which I love and expect reviews to come soon! Because I've never been much of a blush girl until recently, my collection consists of 3 blushes (two of the blushes from the Tarte kit are highlighter/bronzer) so I'm eager to add to my collection. This one was raved about by Essie Button recently as being the perfect Snow White blush. I'm also looking at Nars Sin/Nars Deep Throat. Anyone have any really good blush selections?

7. Shiseido Perfect Refining Foundation - $38.50 ($30.80 after discount) Foundation is a bit boring, but Fleur De Force raved about this in her foundation video, and my Chanel Vitalumier must be getting past the halfway point. With this discount this is $20 cheaper than my Chanel foundation and is supposed to be fantastic. I'm also eying the YSL Teint Touche Eclait, which my mum picked up recently and loves.

I think that's pretty much everything on my list! I need to narrow it down, I'm thinking of ditching the Nars duo's and getting rid of ONE palette. The Shiseido foundation and Nars bronzer are pretty much guaranteed though. Anyone else really excited for this sale? What are you stocking up on/getting ready to experiment with?