First Impression: Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer

I've been looking for an under eye concealer/corrector to brighten up my eyes and cover up my dark circles for a while now.  I've been particularly picky with what I put on my face this year just because, well, I'm not 21 anymore.  With the momentum from the argan oil movement highly branded by Josie Maran, it's only natural that other cosmetics companies join the "healthy oil" bandwagon.  Tarte Cosmetics introduced maracuja oil.  

I've never really paid much attention to Tarte cosmetics.  However, once I tried their Amazonian clay blushes and bronzers, I looked into Tarte cosmetics a little more.  As you recall from my previous blog post about the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush, I was mighty impressed with Tarte's use of Amazonian Clay.  So when I heard about their use of maracuja oil, I was immediately intrigued.

Extracted from a rare Brazilian fruit that harvests in August, maracuja oil is naturally rich in nutritious essential fatty acids (EFAs) and vitamin C (a skin brightener!).  Because of these qualities, maracuja oil promises to brighten dull skin, restore and rebuild dry skin, and combat signs of aging.

Maracuja infused concealer that's advertised to be creaseless?  Why ever not??

The texture of this concealer is creamy and a bit on the thick side.  The thicker consistency surprised me as it's a bit counter intuitive for the under eye area, where you want to keep product minimal and thin to prevent creasing.  As I rubbed the concealer between my finger tips, I thought to myself, "This concealer's gonna be a gimmick."

BOY, WAS I WRONG!

Using my ring finger to blend the concealer (ALWAYS use your ring finger when applying product to your eye area, ESPECIALLY the under eye), it literally glided onto and melted into my skin.  I believe it's actually better not to use a brush to apply this concealer as the warmth of your fingers will assist the product to blend into your skin for a more natural finish.  

The coverage is definitely full coverage.  My dark circles were instantly gone.  

Is it brightening?  Yes.

Is it truly creaseless?  I had it on for a little over 7 hours but it remained creaseless as promised.  The concealer stood up to a typical hot summery California day, air conditioning, and a nap.  

Likewise, it is long lasting.  Despite the heat, the AC, and a nap, the product remained in place for the 7 hours I had it on.  This is not surprising since it is advertised to last for 12 hours.

As to the ingredients, this concealer is formulated WITHOUT parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, synthetic fragrances, and gluten.  

Overall, I'm extremely excited about this new addition to my makeup collection.  It's brightening, creaseless, long lasting, waterproof, full coverage, and is formulated with healthy and safe ingredients for the skin.  

Verdict: C'est bon!

Understanding the Color Wheel and Makeup

Source

I don't have a background in graphic design or anything in the art field.  In fact, if you ask me to draw something, even my stick figures will look pitiful.  However, when you delve into the world of makeup, a basic understanding of the color wheel is necessary.  After all, makeup doesn't just involve brush technique and skin care, it's about mixing colors onto a human canvas.

I'm going to assume everyone knows that the three primary colors are Red, Yellow, and Blue.  On the color wheel, colors opposite from one another are complementary colors.  For example, the complementary color to yellow is violet.  Yellow and violet will pair very well together since they are...complementary.

In my previous blog post, I had a few people ask me if Alma had used contacts after her makeup was complete.  The answer is no.  The reason why her eyes stand out so much is because of the pairing of purple with her eyes.  Her brown eyes have specks of yellow in them.  Thus, the purple eyeshadow complemented her eyes, making them stand out.

When choosing which eye shadow colors to pair, looking at the color wheel to play with complementary colors is a great start.  However, feel free to stick to colors that match your eye color as well.

Now how does this relate to the application of products to your face?  Not all of us are blessed with beautiful picture perfect skin like Hollywood actresses.  We wake up with dark circles under our eyes; we suffer from acne; we have a natural red flush; we get skin discoloration; etc.  All of these "skin problems" gave rise to colored concealers.  These colored concealers will neutralize your skin and or blemishes depending on the color of the skin problem.  Rule of thumb: USE THE COMPLEMENTARY COLOR of the color of your skin problem.

• Green concealer = neutralizes red skin and or blemishes (green is opposite of red on the color wheel)

• Blue concealer = neutralizes orange-y skin from fake tans (blue is opposite of orange on the color wheel)

• Purple concealer = neutralizes yellow tones (purple is opposite of orange on the color wheel...see a pattern?)

• Yellow concealer = neutralizes pink undertones (yellow is opposite of purple and blue and close to red).  If you have a bruise (purple and blue!), a yellow concealer is great to help cover it up.  Blue and purple under eye circle?  Pop on a yellow concealer to neutralize the raccoon look.

• Pink concealer = neutralizes green veins.
  
  
  After you apply the colored concealer to neutralize your skin problem, you can then proceed with your usual concealer that matches your skin.