A Contest and Review: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes

I'm a big Tarte fan. This brand is somewhat small, meaning they have a smaller product line of products that just seem to work. They have great lip and cheek stains, fantastic foundations, great pigmented eye shadows, I really could go on and on. One thing about this company is that they have a great way to find Tarte Sale on their blog.

So, I am a bit surprised that it took me this long to review Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes. I guess I've been secretly hoarding it? It made it's way into my regular makeup stash a long time ago, and when Tarte offered one up as a giveaway on my site I knew I had to finally review it.

The Perfect Cat Eye (Or, How to Perfectly Line Your Eye)

While the cat eye look is a classic, it's definitely one that can be hard to master. How thick should that line be, how far to extend it... how sharp should the angle be... so many variables! Here's an in depth video showing you how to get this look on your own at home.

This is the next installment of the easy to follow tutorials by the folks over at EcoTools!


EcoTools are available at massmarket retailers like Target and ULTA. The brushes used in this tutorial can be found at this on-line store. It's the most complete set of the brushes that I found on-line. Notice that some of the brushes (the bronzer brush in particular) are not available in the sets.

Disclosure: I once received a free set of brushes from EcoTools. You can read my EcoTools brush review to see how I liked them.

Vera Farmiga's Golden Globes Look

Exactly who is this woman? I kept seeing her and her name pop up over and over this awards season. I had no idea who she was. Turns out, she's the blonde that George Clooney fell for in up in the air, she's just a brunette now and I couldn't recognize her. Vera Farmiga actually looks better as a brunette the more I see pictures of her, and I really loved her Golden Globes look. She's truly just so pretty, there's no other way to describe it.

Runway to Prom: Thakoon Spring-Summer 2010

I remember well how stressful Prom season was. Will he ask you or not? Where did you buy the dress? Who even has time to think about hair and makeup?

Well, I thought I'd take a few laps through my giant backlogs of email (It's rather impressive how many thousands of emails I have managed to fully ignore in my inbox) and pull up a few looks that might help everyone out! For the next month or so I'll be showcasing a different look a day about 3-4 times week. It might be hair, it might be makeup. It might be from a runway show or a Hollywood event. Somewhere a pro took time to send me a pic and instructions on how to achieve the look at home. While I'm doing this for the girls preparing for prom, these looks would work just as well for another event, like a wedding. There will even be a few contests included in these posts, so be prepared!

As always, remember that these looks are a "jumping off point" meaning you can use them as inspiration to recreate the look on your own, use elements of the look (maybe you really love the cheek but not the eye) and that even the colors are just suggestions. If they used a rose colored blush but you already have one from a different brand or in a slightly different shade don't feel you need to rush out and buy the recommended one.

A Quick Trip: What does a High Maintenance Beauty Blogger Bring?

I admit that I love peeking into the makeup bags of my fellow beauty bloggers. The few times I've attended Total Beauty events, that's been one of the most fascinating things for me- visiting other bloggers and seeing what they've brought with them! This past weekend I travelled back to So Cal, where I spent a lot of time hanging out with friends and family (and I did some shopping, you can see my haul at the end of this post).

I thought that I'd share what I brought with me to California. I pretty much just pulled together stuff that I already have, though I have the advantage of my beauty closet and the huge numbers of products found there. While I was visiting with family, there was a lot of discussion about travel beauty products and where to buy them. In a few days look for a post about some of my favorite sources (this is for you Cathy!), and if possible I would love to make this a semi-regular feature on 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic! Please e-mail me what you bring with you when you travel, your beauty travel tips or where you buy your travel products from. I know I'm curious, I'm sure that others are as well.

YSL's Parisienne, the Fragrance for the Girl that Adopts Paris

YSL has just released their new Parisienne fragrance. This frangrance was created for the girl that isn't from Paris, but rather has adopted the city. I want that girl to be me! I love Paris. I want to go back sometime (my amazing husband says he'll take me). I want to wander the city and just take pictures of every street I see. I want to buy crepes from the street vendors, and I want to sit in a café for hours and drink coffee.

YSL describes Parisienne as a "grand floral with a woody structure," which I definitely have to agree with. The fragrance is predominantly a floral with the Violet and Peony notes taking center stage on me. The blackberry adds a bit of fruitiness without being overly sweet and there is just a touch of sandalwood and patchouli. Overall it is feminine, slightly mysterious and very sexy. I love it!

Top notes: Vinyl Accord, Cranberry, Blackberry
Heart notes: Damask Rose, Violet, Peony
Base notes: Patchouli, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Musk

My Disclosure Plan

So, you may have heard that today the FTC came out with new regulations regarding endorsements. They've been rumored to be in the works for awhile now, and I've been debating about what I would do for disclosure. Honestly, I've been thinking about this for even longer than that, given previous drama about bloggers receiving free products.

What I've decided to do is create little buttons for the bottom of each post that disclose my relationship for that particular post. Nothing fancy, just text that matches the site. If you click the button, it will bring you back to this post, explaining more in detail what my exact relationship is for that post. See? Not fancy, fairly direct. It will be at the bottom of every post, so easy to find.