Tarte's achiote collection and conealer = HOMERUN!

I made a trip to Sephora yesterday and came home with a few summer essentials thanks to Tarte, one of my favorite brands, known for long-lasting formulas and natural ingredients. I've never been disappointed with their products, and these are no exception. I made two purchases: the new "Gifts from the Lipstick Tree" collection with correlating blush, gloss, and Lip Surgence lip color, and a Smooth Operator concealer stick in the color Light.

The Lipstick Tree collection features gorgeous, warm shades of coral called "Achiote," which really has a cool story behind it! I would've loved to travel with Tarte on this trip (or any, please!). Here's what they say on their website:

Our most recent finding from our Rainforest travels is achiote, a secret amongst Brazil's beautiful women, Achiote is known for the honeysuckle shade produced from the seeds of the fruit it bears.

With natural pigments derived from this "lipstick tree," the warm, shimmering golden pink shade is universally flattering, so this limited-edition set is sure to complement your skin tone and deliver a glowing radiance.

The blush glides on, soaks up oil with its Amazonian clay, and lasts for a full work day, but probably not the full 12 hours it claims if you have more oily skin like me. No layering necessary -- in fact, your brush needs to only graze the surface to pick up plenty of noticeable pigment. This shade is universally flattering and screams "I'm ready for summer" from the rooftops. The Lip Surgence lip color has an orange twang to it, but still sits in the pink family and feels cool and moisturizing, with delicious peppermint. The gloss has a slight tingle to it and lasts about as long as Buxom glosses, which for me is perfect. I don't like reapplying every half hour and I don't think there are many ladies out there that do. The gloss is sheer but the Lip Surgence packs color when applied to the lips. For some reason it does look kind of light on my hand and bright on my lips. Either way, it's a perfect shade. I can't wait to wear it on a cruise this summer, prancing around the Caribbean.

Now onto the Smooth Operator concealer. Oh man, I have been eyeing this one for a while. I've applied it to many customers (back when I worked at a beauty store) both under the eyes and on blemishes. It works wonderfully on everyone, packs enough pigment to cover anything, and best of all ... it's WATERPROOF. Yeah, I've never seen a waterproof concealer myself, so when I saw that, I just about fainted. Hello summer swims without a worry! You can see the swatch on my hand in the photo above. I have to say, Tarte did not disappoint. Their products are a little pricey but seriously worth it. You pay for the quality. Overall, these are the best summer buys because of the gorgeous coral color and waterproof concealer!

Note: the photo of me wearing the achiote blush and lip surgence were taken toward the end of the day, so I took one this morning with the makeup on fresh so you could see what it looks like when first applied.