The Life of A Ladybug: tarte health couture collection

tarte was gracious enough to send me their new spring line, Health Couture. Except for the infinite glow bestsellers palette, I got to try all of the new products. (I previously have tried one of the products in the palette, the park ave. princess bronzer, and I love it!)

The collection includes four shades of the new double dose berry boost & gloss. That is a mouthful of name, but this is a nice gloss. According to the website, these glosses contain a "t5 super fruit complex concentrated pigment", which mixes with the clear gloss component to achieve a shiny lip color. The t5 super fruit complex is a blend of goji, acai, maracuja, acerola and pomegranate. Admittedly, I've only ever heard of goji, acai and pomegranate, but the five fruit complex made me think this gloss would smell deliciously fruity, similar to the Inside Out glosses of last year. I was surprised to find that they smell decidedly minty, then discovered that the glosses also contain peppermint oil, which supposedly soothes lips. From all that I've read and experienced, though, peppermint isn't all that soothing to the lips. When you apply this gloss, you get a cooling sensation on your lips, which made me think that it's supposed to be a plumper, but I think that's just the peppermint that you feel. It's not an awful sensation, but be advised.

According to tarte, squeezing the tube from the top gives a sheerer effect and squeezing in the middle offers more pigmented color. I found the opposite to be true when I tested it out. However, sheer or more pigmented, the colors are pretty, glossy and faintly shimmery, but not enough to be distracting. They go on smoothly and wear nicely. However, I do have to say that they feel a bit sticky on the lips, so if you have a texture issue, be on the lookout for that. These glosses put me in mind of Maybelline's Shinylicious glosses, so if you like those, you'll like these.

The glosses cost $21 a piece, which I find to be a bit steep, however, if you're environmentally and socially minded, be aware that every purchase of the gloss helps to preserve the Amazon Rainforest through forest conservation, improved living conditions and educational opportunities for communities in Brazil. tarte supports Sambazon's Sustainable Acai Project (SAP), which is a member of the Organic Trade Association and the Fair Trade Federation. (And, on a personal note, one of my friends works for Sambazon, so it makes me feel warm and fuzzy when I buy a tarte product because I feel like I'm contributing to their cause - and I look pretty, of course - LOL!)

The gloss comes in acai boost: sparkling raspberry (which I'm wearing today - I'll post a tarte FOTD later), acerola rush: sparkling golden peach, go go goji: sparkling blush, and pomegranate punch: sparkling red delicious.

Also offered is the rejuvelash declumping lash exhilarator. I have to say - I'm not sure I get the point of this product. You're supposed to use it before applying your mascara or as a mid-day mascara refresher (which I've never needed before, honestly). It supposedly protects from brittleness and breakage. I'm not sure whether it does or not. However, I didn't find that using it before my mascara made my mascara look any different and I didn't want to put it on during the day, for fear of smearing the mascara I was wearing already. Just don't get this.

I do get the lock & roll creaseless eyeshadow duos, though! I like them a lot. tarte has realized what all we beauty aficionadas have known for a long time - applying a cream shadow first and then powder shadow on top makes the color much more vibrant, as well as allows it to wear much longer. Kudos to tarte for putting both forms of shadow in a slim, easy to carry package. Each of the shades is a soft metallic, which is right on-trend for this season. I followed the instructions and brushed on a sheer layer of the cream shadow, waited for it to dry, then rolled on the matching loose powder. I was wowed by how much the color popped on my eyes, and, after wearing it since about 7 this morning, working all day, walking through the rain, and sweating during a workout, it's still there! It has faded slightly, but no creasing and it's still clearly visible - good job, tarte! According to the website, several of the shades are out of stock, so try Sephora for this good buy! They are $17 a piece, but I think that's reasonable for what amounts to two shadows.

And, finally, the full blossom cheekstain. I think I've already reviewed this (I know I've reviewed cheekstains before), but, suffice it to say, I love it. It goes on smoothly, blends easily with your fingers and lasts for hours. It's a natural flush, instead of a bright slap-in-the-face sort of color. cheekstains are $28, but they last forever, as long as you don't get them really hot (then they get all melty ... ew!).

You can buy the collection in Sephora stores, at Sephora online or on www.tartecosmetics.com.