What They Say: "During the holidays we want to look our best! And that means beginning our healthy beauty routine with a clean slate™. This skinvigorating™ 4-piece discovery set includes all the tools for looking better, naturally. Whether you keep it for yourself or give it as a gift, it's the perfect start to a new year!" 

mini clean slate face primer
• Silicone-based formula contains natural ingredients to help keep skin fresh and healthy
• Avocado oil and safflower seed oil to moisturize
• Echinacea, rosemary & hibiscus extracts to soothe
• Mineral oil free an phthalate free
• Dermatologist tested

mini lock & roll creaseless eyeshadow duo (shade: slate)
• Vitamin E enriched cream shadow glides on eyelids smoothly and evenly
• Finely milled crushed mica in the powder shadow adds luminosity and creates depth and dimension to eyes
• Mineral oil free and phthalate free
• Dermatologist tested

mini lights, camera, lashes! 4-in-1 mascara
• Lengthening: Rice bran, carnauba & candelilla wax extend the length of lashes
• Curling: Synthetic film formers hold in curl
• Volumizing: ProVitamin B5 treats and thickens lashes
• Conditioning: Organic compounds derived from natural olive esters coat and treat lashes to protect against breakage
• Mineral oil free and phthalate free
• Dermatologist tested

mini Inside out vitamin-infused lipgloss powered by BORBA (new shade: serenity) • Acai extract helps strengthen capillary walls, reduce epidermal irritation and enhance skin's clarity and radiance
• Grape seed extract & Vitamin C help accelerate production of natural elastin, protecting skin against free-radical damage & restore skin's clarity
• Vitamins A & E act as antioxidants to give you that healthy glow
• Chamomile extract soothes skin and helps to counteract redness
• Mineral oil free and phthalate free
• Dermatologist tested

Jen's Experience: This gift set from Tarte contains four great Tarte products in a tiny, purse friendly cosmetics bag. The Inside Out lip gloss has long been one of my absolute favorite glosses, and the new color in this set is one of the prettiest yet. The mascara, while it doesn't have the staying power of some of my others, applies without clumping and really creates so nice volume and curling action.

The creaseless eyeshadow was a definite surprise in the pack. The duo contains two colors: one in a slate color, the other in more of a bronze. The slate color is a cream eyeshadow that applies so smoothly and with such rich color, you'd think it would have to crease. (It doesn't.) The bronze has a rollerball applicator, and while the color isn't as rich as the other, it's very pretty and like the slate, it doesn't crease. Both shades were really long-lasting and didn't smudge throughout the day.

I am not as sure about how well the face primer works. I have used it several times underneath my foundation, and while I think the foundation applies more evenly, I don't really find that it's particularly moisturizing or soothing.

Retail Price: $30.00 (TarteCosmetics.com)

What They Say:

• "Natural pigments actually float over skin, brightening the eye area
  
• Exceptionally lightweight formula neutralizes dark circles and blurs fine lines
  
• Contains Bioelements' exclusive MariBright Complex, a blend of Marigold, Golden Seal and Eyebright botanical extracts to heal, calm and soothe the eye area
  
• Fragrance free

How to Use: With fingertips, blend a small amount under eyes and on lids."

Melissa Says: Squeezing this out of the little tube, I didn't have a great feeling about it. This was because I'm used to putting something much lighter in shade under my eyes than this looks. It looks almost like a tinted moisturizer, and has the consistency of light liquid makeup. This first glance made me test it out on the back of my hand first, to see what the result would be. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the color sort of dissolved into my skin and blended in, and the result was a supersmooth finish with a barely perceptible sheen. Okay, sounds good! And so, the next step was applying it to my eyes.

Each time I used this, I felt like it did indeed glide over my undereye area. I wouldn't say that it disguised my dark circles the way I like them to be hidden on the worst days, but when they weren't so bad, this helped diminish the look, and I also thought it helped relieve a bit of eye puffiness as well. It held up fairly well, but at the end of the day (after work), it seemed a bit dry and therefore the smoothing effect on teeny lines was finished. However, I have to give it some credit for making me feel like my eyes looked more refreshed for most of those days.

As a lid smoother, I didn't see much point. I didn't notice an increase in shadow slip while using it, which was my main concern. Yet while I liked the immediate smoothing effect, I thought it was kind of a moot result by the time my shadow went over it.

One More Thing: I tried this both under foundation and over foundation. The effect was similar, but I did prefer to apply it under the eyes after applying my foundation.

I think I'd use this more in summer than winter, because of the extra bit of natural color that will make me feel less like I need the assistance of my regular concealer. While not really necessary, it did have some visible benefits...but it didn't exactly WOW me, either.

Retail Price: $22.50 (at select salons and spas)

DeLush Rating:

What They Say: (about the glōFace Primer) "glōFace Primer allows you to create your own picture perfect canvas by filling in fine lines and creating a smooth, even surface ready for foundation. glōMinerals’ Face Primer, containing the signature combination of antioxidants, helps extend the wearability of your foundation, assuring flawless looking skin." (about the glōHighlighter) "For radiant brilliance in just the right places – glōHighlighter is the ideal finishing touch. By dabbing this pink luminizer onto your cheeks and temple, you can instantly brighten your complexion, giving you a subtle, effortless glō.”

Alissa’s Impression: I’ll start off by saying I wasn’t expecting much from these two products based on my skin type and complexion. I thought that the primer would be too heavy to wear with everything else I put on my face and that the highlighter would only accentuate my paleness. Fortunately, both products proved me wrong.

I found that while the gloFace Primer is really an unnecessary step, it made my skin feel so silky that I might just use it for the luxurious effects. Even my fingertips feel amazing after applying this stuff. It goes on very lightly I tried it with two different foundations (Cover Girl and Lancome) but it didn’t seem to enhance the coverage or smooth application of either. In the areas where I don’t use foundation, the primer did seem to help my loose powder last longer than usual.

The highlighter, on the other hand, has the potential to become one of my favorite products. It made my face luminous both in daytime and at night. The product itself is pink but there was no added color on the skin, only brightness. It had just enough shimmer to highlight without overwhelming the face or looking unnatural, which was perfect on my cheekbones and the inner corners of my eyes. My only complaint is that the pump dispenser shot out way too much product to use in one day.

Retail Prices: (the Face Primer) $22.00, (the Highlighter) $15.00 (both available for purchase at gloskincare.com or go to glominerals.com for more information - or call 888.496.8007)

Delush Ratings:
(the Face Primer)
(the Highlighter)

What They Say: "Smashbox makeup artists use this product to create a perfect canvas for foundation application. The silky blend of vitamins and antioxidants does double-duty as a primer and a mattifier, while the unique formula helps to inhibit the destruction of collagen, and fills in fine lines."

Melissa's DeLush Downlow: This creates an incredibly smooth and velvet-like texture when applied to the skin. When wearing under foundation, it gives you a perfectly smooth surface, which makes whatever you are wearing over it simply glide softly onto your skin. I have noticed its slight mattifying properties on my combo skin as well, which is a definite benefit (there is no drying effect).

While it does everything it claims, and does indeed provide a slight visible difference to the overall look of your foundation, I don't believe it's entirely necessary. For most women, it will simply help even out skin texture and fill in finer lines, keeping makeup from settling into them. It is a completely clear formula, so it doesn't really add a glow to the skin, which is what you may be looking for in a primer (in which case perhaps you can try Smashbox's Bronzing Foundation Primer). If, however, you have slight uneven texture and combo skin like myself or some fine lines, this may be worth a try.

*Here's a tip: If you're anywhere near an actual Sephora store, buy the sample size they have up by the cash wraps for $14.00. It will last for up to several weeks and should give you a good enough idea of how much the product benefits your skin routine before shelling out for the full-sized product.

Retail Price: $36.00 (sephora.com or click here for Smashbox retail locations near you)

DeLush Rating: