Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector (Oily/Combination Version) Review

Hello again!

Everyone and their mother knows BB creams have taken the US by storm over the past year. Garnier was one of the first to put out their version, the Miracle Skin Perfector, and it has won multiple awards, including an Allure Best of Beauty. I tried to make it work for me for most of last summer, but as someone with Normal/Oily/Combination skin, I ended up feeling greasy after a few hours. I think it's a great product, just not for me. That's why I was soooo excited to see the oil-free mattifying version hit the shelves a little over a month ago! The Miracle Skin Perfector for Oily/Combination skin promises to control your oil while giving you coverage and a great finish.

 I picked up the Light/Medium and Medium/Deep shades. There is also another dark shade available. First, I am going to talk about the packaging. I have been using both of these for about a month, and as you can very obviously see, they are a MESS! The formula is very thin, much runnier than the original version, which is a thicker cream. As a result, after a few weeks, you will find the product oozing out of the sides. It is really annoying and I do wash them after every use because I don't want the product getting all over my shelf! I have heard of this happening to other people, too, so please don't look at these photos and think I am just some gross individual with gnarly bottles.

The product itself, in my opinion, does exactly what it says it will. It leaves my face matte for at least 8 hours, even when I have been running around. I can't say how they will hold up in summer heat and humidity, but I would bet it will be pretty impressive.

I purchased both shades ecause sometimes the generic "light" is too light even for my fair skin. Here's a swatch when first applied to skin:

And after setting/oxidizing for five minutes:

I think the swatch shows the matte finish really well. When applied with a flat top kabuki brush, I get great, streakless coverage. Color wise, my only issue is the Light/Medium shade looks rather peachy on me. It definitely has pink undertones, which makes it not a great match for my complexion. In some lights, I even found it to show up orangey. It's weird because it comes out looking really neutral! By contrast, the Medium/Deep shade does have yellow undertones but doesn't look orange, no matter what light I look at it in.

Overall, I think the Garnier Skin Perfector for Combination to Oily skin is a great product. It gives the matte finish of a higher end product at a really nice cost (I paid $12.99 at CVS). The coverage is light to medium and buildable, and it does last all day. Sometimes I find it even a little too mattifying and find if I don't put some moisturizer on before using, it can highlight my dry spots. Aside from that, I wish they would come out with more shades! Perhaps a yellow-toned light just to add to the mix (selfishly, of course!). I am hoping once the summer rolls around, the Medium/Deep shade matches me better.

XO
Beauty Cents

Tarte Smoldereyes Liner Review

Hello all!

Tarte's Smoldereyes waterproof Amazonian clay liners are a product I've wanted to share my opinion about for a long time. I received their Holiday 2012 value set, which included five of the jumbos and one bonus skinny pencil.

The variety in colors for this set was what really sold me. I was picturing doing really quick and easy looks with the Gold, Gunmetal, and maybe even the Champagne shade. I thought Ash Violet and Rainforest Black would be great for making my hazel eyes pop. And the bonus skinny black liner? Woohoo! Who doesn't love a creamy black eyeliner? A total classic. Right?

Swatched, left to right: Rainforest Black, Ash Violet, Gunmetal, Gold, Champagne, and Skinny in Black

Rainforest Black is actually more of a deep emerald.
Ash Violet is a medium purple with grey undertones.
Gunmetal is a pretty true steel grey.
Gold is a dark, well, gold!
Champagne is a pale highlight shade with pink undertones.
Black is self explanatory. This is the Skinny Smoldereye.

Alas, my predicted love affair with Tarte Smoldereyes never came to pass. While they are highly pigmented and have solid staying power, I find them so incredibly hard to work with that they have been banished to Beauty No Man's Land, a.k.a., the back corner of my hall closet where underperforming products go when I feel too guilty to toss them.

Why so bad, you ask? They don't blend well, at all. They will smudge a little bit for a smoky liner look, but they dry too quickly to buff them out on the lid. You end up with a very strong one-color-on-the-lid look, which most of us are not going for. The second issue - creasing! They crease very easily. Not cute.

Ironically, the skinny black Smoldereye was the most disappointing of all. This one feels creamier than the others, but this backfires and makes it very difficult to draw a precise line. Without fail, every time I use the black liner, I regret it. You can even see from the swatch that it really is not much thinner than the jumbo liners.

I think if you have larger eyes that can carry off the thick liner look that these pencils can deliver, you may like these - only if you aren't also trying to wear other shadows. I tried for months to like these more...but to no avail. Sorry, Tarte!



XO, Beauty Cents