Glow, Baby, Glow!

Hey folks! Today I have an update on the Smashbox deal, and the highly-anticipated (just go with it) Part II of the Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum review!

 

First, to recap yesterday, Smashbox has a deal called "Let's Do Lunch", where on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you get a special bonus full-sized product as a gift with any purchase made from 9am to 2pm PST. Tuesday's gift was a $22 shadow liner, which is pretty darn nice, if you ask me. Today's is a $15 medium-sized gloss. Anyway, in addition to the gift, you also receive a bonus jumbo sample (the size of a deluxe 100-point sample at Sephora) and a mini-sample. Well, on top of that, I had another bonus sample--a mini reflecting lipgloss--mysteriously appear in my order confirmation. Where could that have possibly come from?

 

I'll tell you where. I found out today that if you sign up for Smashbox Pretty Points (which I did), you automatically get another bonus deluxe sample added to your order. That's where the gloss came from! Plus, you get five points for every dollar that you spend. When you hit 500 points, you get $10 to spend on the site. Oh, and did I mention free shipping on every order? Yeah, I'm in big trouble now.

 

Alrighty, now for Tarte Part Deux. In yesterday's review, I talked about wearing this product with makeup. Today, I thought I'd discuss wearing it alone, as suggested by the folks at Tarte. 

 

To recap, here's what Sephora says about this:

 

"Ideal for all skin types, this natural skin brightener is infused with Amazonian clay, vitamins, and tea extract to moisturize and replenish the skin. This healing clay completely neutralizes any negative skin condition so that you are left with a healthy, radiant complexion. Oily skin? Amazonian clay minimizes oil in and around pores to balance skin and keep product in place. Dry skin? This nourishing clay hydrates skin naturally to restore moisture so your makeup wears better, longer and truer. Use fingertips to apply a pearl-size amount alone or mix with your foundation."

 

I tried it with makeup, over my foundation, for a few days, and saw little to no difference in the luminosity of my skin, or in its condition. I achieved a better level of "glow" with a little bronzer and some mineral powder. 

 

Disappointed by that experiment, I thought I'd give wearing it alone a go. Last night, after I'd washed off my makeup, I applied the pearl-sized amount suggested to my clean skin. Um...wow. And not a good "wow". I looked like I'd been dunked in a vat of oil. Where I saw very little illumination with makeup, I sure as heck glistened without it! It was just too much. I decided that I'd give it a little while to calm down (I had just washed my face, afterall), and see how things looked in a couple of hours, before I went to bed. 

 

One Netflixed MST3K later (Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster, for the curious), I ducked into the bathroom to see how I looked...and was sad. It's just not flattering. Yes, the shine had worn down some, but my skin was nowhere near even. I'm not splotchy, to begin with, but this wasn't doing me any favors. Worse yet, the area under my eyes looked horrible! I don't have dark circles, but I do have hollow areas that I camoflage with concealer. Without makeup, they're not embarrassing, but they look better with, at least, a little foundation. With this, they looked sunken in. It was the first thing I noticed when I looked in the mirror. I was a shimmery zombie, and I must say, it's not my best look.

 

I immediately washed it off, put on my night cream, and went to bed. This morning, I didn't touch the stuff.

 

If you want an illuminating primer to wear under makeup (or even over, really), save $4 and get Benefit's That Gal. It's brightening, holds makeup in place, and makes skin look really pretty.

 

If you want a highlighter for cheeks, shoulders, or anywhere else you want to show off, save $3 and get NARS Orgasm Illuminator. It's a beautiful color that can even be used as a sheer liquid blush. I would use it on the entire face, due to the peachy-pink color, but it's gorgeous on cheeks and browbones. If you prefer powder to liquid, or just don't want to add any more color, LORAC Perfectly Lit Oil Free Luminizing Powder is amazing. Just don't use it all over your face. You won't save any money, but the effects are much more appealing.

 

Now, if you just want something to make you look airbrushed, you can save a whopping $13 (!!!) and get Bare Escentuals Hydrating Mineral Veil. It's hydrating (duh), absorbs oil, and has a slight shimmer that minimizes the look of fine lines. I use it every single day, and am completely in love with it.

If you're just begging for something to wear instead of makeup, though, I'd suggest a good tinted moisturizer. This Tarte stuff isn't it, but one I can recommend is Stila's Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer. It's actually $2 MORE than the Tarte, but at least it does what it says it does. It's lightweight, good for your skin, and has SPF 15. It's out of stock until June, but worth the weight. Fun Fact: During my time on the road, I had to wear heavy stage makeup every day, sometimes ALL day. In my off time, I wore this to give my skin a rest, and never had a breakout. Another Fun Fact: This now comes in an illuminating form. I haven't tried it, so I can't recommend it, but if anyone out there has used it, I'd love to hear from you in the comments.