Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain

Several weeks ago, I purchased the Tarte for True Blood Natural Cheek Stain in Sephora in the US. I used to own most of Tarte's cheek stains in the original formula (before they were revamped to include the T5 Super Fruit Complex) but didn't really like to use them in Singapore's humid weather. Plus they tended to get messy with age, so I cleaned them out from my stash.


When I saw the True Blood cheek stain in Sephora, the combination of the succulent bright crimson shade glistening with gold sparkles and the sleek black packaging was irresistible. Helped by Sephora's instore lighting, I was instantly "glamoured", so to speak.

The cheek stain is protected by a clear plastic cap which comes in handy when you want to push down the cheek stain after using it. To expose the cheek stain, you just need to push it up from the bottom of the tube. But given how little you need to use for one application, you can probably go a few weeks without needing to push it up even with daily usage.

When swatched on my hand without blending, it is a translucent watermelon red with a bit of shine and quite a fair amount of gold micro glitter bits. (Click the pic to view it in full size).


When blended out on the hand, the micro glitter bits are still very visible. This will immediately put off many ladies who are glitter-phobes and I have read reviews ranting about the glitter in this cheek stain. I'm also not a fan of glitter on the cheeks but I've learned that swatches on the hand are not always an accurate reflection of how a product will apply on the face. The method of application, the other products used over or under one product and one's skintype all affect the final appearance.

The cheek stain gives a healthy, sheer pop of reddish pink colour to my cheeks. I can hardly see the micro glitter bits unless I look really closely in the mirror. I think one reason for that is that you really need to dab only a very tiny amount of it with your fingertip for it to show up on the cheeks, whereas when I swiped the cheek stain across the back of my hand, a lot more product ended up on my hand.

The cheek stain dries down nicely without feeling sticky. I've used it over both liquid foundations and the Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder Foundation without any problems. It lasts about 6-8 hours on me. At US$30, the paraben-free cheek stain is pricey for a product that has an official shelf life of only six months but still, I like it.

For today's look, I also used Anna Sui Protective Foundation Primer L under the Body Shop Loose Powder Foundation, Fred Farrugia Eyeshadow #27, #34 and #37 over Lunasol Shining Ocean Eyes EX03, K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 01, Tarte LipSurgence in Sweet, Sleek Luminaire L02, Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Sequins and Benefit They're Real! Mascara.


On the eyes, I used the aubergine shade from Fred Farrugia Eyeshadow #27 (shown above) on the inner half of the upper lid and the metallic grey on the outer half, with the metallic baby blue from #34 along the lower lashline, the white shade from #37 over the browbone area and the grey silver shade from #10 above the crease.

Fred Farrugia has a mind-boggling array of shimmery, metallic shades. They look incredibly rich on the store display and swatch quite well. However, I was surprised when it took quite a bit of effort to pick up some of the shades with my brushes. Nevertheless, they wore well over more than 13 hours without creasing.

I like how nifty and compact the Fred Farrugia module system is. In my self-assembled palette, there are 8 powder eyeshadows weighing 0.05oz each (same as a MAC eyeshadow), a blush (0.15oz) and a mirror on the bottom module.