Eco-Friendly
Hi tartelettes (meet CB- tarte intern)
Hello beautiful tartelettes! I’m Charlotte, one of tarte’s marketing & PR interns as well as a freelance makeup artist for the line. I’m so happy to announce that I’ve been given the incredible opportunity to blog about all of my favorite things – clean eating, fun exercise, the gorgeous outdoors, fabulous fashion, and most importantly: amazing makeup! tarte’s high-performance natural™ products are staples in my professional kit as well as in my personal stash, and I hope that you gals enjoy them just as much!
I guess you can say that liquid lipstick runs through my veins. At age 20, my grandmother Marie moved from a tiny town nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires to NYC, which was a quite daring move in 1945. She soon found a job at a certain famed red door salon, working her way up from “treatment girl” to on-call makeup artist for numerous NYC socialites and celebrities. She later left the salon to freelance, painting the faces of Marilyn Monroe, famed 60s supermodel Verushka, and the Beatles, all whilst working on national campaigns for major cosmetic and hair companies. Her whirlwind career inspired me; from the time I was a young girl, I wanted to be a makeup artist. At age fifteen, I began working on editorial photo shoots in NYC, and I continue to update and improve my portfolio to this day.
What attracted me to tarte, at first, was their huge array of products that are not only pretty (both in the packaging and on the face!), but that they’re formulated without many harmful ingredients, such as parabens and phthalates. The fact that they’re vegan is also a major plus – as an animal-lover, it breaks my heart to think that many commercially-available cosmetics are tested on animals. tarte’s “green beauty” philosophy suits my lifestyle to a tee – and I hope you gorgeous girls feel the same way! I’m so happy to have the opportunity to be here and share my experience with you.
Peace, love, and health!
xoxo,
Charlotte
Jul 8th
tarte loves TOMS
Our office is obsessed with TOMS shoes. As an eco-friendly company, we truly appreciate brands that have a real mission, and TOMS does so much more than just sell shoes.
TOMS shoes are not only stylish and comfortable for gallivanting around the city, but every pair purchased buys a pair for a child in need: one for one. Blake Mycoskie the founder of TOMS, traveled to Argentina where he found children of this country had no shoes to protect their feet. So vastly taken by this issue, he created a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. I mean, how incredible is that?!
Many children all over the world grow up barefoot which puts them at risk of contracting diseases that can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Barefoot children also can’t attend school because shoes are a requirement. And the domino effect begins: If they don’t have shoes, then they don’t receive an education. These children don’t have the opportunity to excel to their highest potential. One small change can make a BIG difference.
So not only are these shoes eco-chic, but more importantly they are giving back to people in need.
What do you think of TOMS? Does a company’s mission matter to you when deciding on what product to purchase (shoes in this case)?
xo,
Jen
Jul 6th
tarte™ for True Blood™
Hey there tartelettes!
Unless you’ve been sleeping in a coffin (and no judgment here), you should’ve heard that HBO® series True Blood premiered over the weekend! And with that we released our new tarte™ for True Blood™ limited-edition collection.
We’ve put together some killer products for the supernatural beauty and vampy vixen. Inspired by the hit show, the tarte™ for True Blood™ limited-edition palette is packed with 17 new eyeshadows to take you from dawn to dusk, and well into the night. Open after dark: buried in a pullout drawer is a full-size emphasEYES™ aqua-gel eyeliner in black, a deluxe lights, camera, lashes! clinically-proven natural mascara and a deluxe lifted™ natural eye primer with Firmitol™.
Want more? We also have a lust-worthy natural cheek stain and LipSurgence™ natural lip tint in shimmering red! Now there’s something for you to really sink your teeth into. And be sure tune in to True Blood™ Sundays at 9 pm on HBO®.
Will you be turned?
xo,
Jen
Jun 29th
When tarte met BabyCakes…
For those of you who have not already met, let me introduce you to BabyCakes, NYC’s (& LA’s!) most-celebrated vegan bakery. This fantastic sweet shop offers all your favorite treats from cupcakes and brownies, to their signature (must-try) cookie sandwiches. Although all of their organic goodies are free of gluten, wheat, soy, casein, egg and refined sugar, they certainly don’t taste like it! Yesterday we had an office birthday (Happy Birthday Kate!) and celebrate we did with a cake plate piled high with BabyCake’s cupcakes in the dreamiest of pastel colors (a la ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg). What’s sweeter than red velvet frosting? The fact that BabyCakes is just a 10 minute subway ride from our office (score!) Located in the super-hip lower east side at 248 Broome Street (between Orchard and Ludlow), it’s our ultimate snacking destination. Be sure to stop by if you happily find yourself in New York. Say goodbye to your prior notions of “crunchy granola” health food and hello to beautiful, colorful cookies and cupcakes that are impossible to resist!
Tell us what’s your favorite local bakery?
xo,
Jen
Jun 16th
Cosmopolitan features our lights, camera, lashes, mascara!
Whoa tartelettes! Don’t cruise by that newsstand so fast. Be sure to pick up the July issue of Cosmopolitan featuring our lights, camera, lashes! clinically-proven mascara! Our award-winning and best-selling mascara increases your overall lash volume by an astounding 424%. Create your own summer breeze with each bat of those bombshell lashes!
Jun 9th
Green Gifting
This holiday season make a conscious effort to gift green! With more options than ever, why wouldn’t you? Seriously, it’s just silly not to give green! I’ve pulled together a great group of eco-friendly items for everyone in your life; hopefully, you can find the perfect something for that special someone in your life.
- the stocking stuffer: re-hydrate and reduce waste with the Bobble Bottle water bottle with filtration system
- for him: a Sprout Watch, the band on this sleek chronograph watch is made from black corn resin
- for her: tarte’s ring it in natural cheek stain trio and cocktail ring
- for kids: Phresh Kids yoga mats are perfect for having fun and staying fit
- for pets: enjoy a day outside playing fetch with 30 LOVE Eco balls
Happy Holidays!
xo,
Kristin
Dec 17th
Eco-friendly holiday giveaway with bioserie!
The holiday season is a time to catch up with family & friends! Whether I’m traveling to visit relatives or having a phone date with my bff, I love hearing holiday shopping stories (the good & the ugly!) and seeing some of their favorite gifts. Speaking of presents, I’m still going through my long list of what to get some people in my life. I always try to buy meaningful gifts; ultimately, something that person will truly appreciate.
For those like me, I found the greatest gift for that eco-conscious person in your crew: bioserie iPhone biodegradable covers. bioserie uses the latest in bioplastics technology; offering less greenhouse gas emissions in manufacturing and the prevention of environmental toxic pollution once the cover is discarded. Essentially, bioserie is transforming annually renewable plant material into an iPhone cover that is slim, strong and stylish. This biobased phone accessory is made of plants not petrochemicals! And they have covers in an assortment of colors for not only the iPhone, but also the iPad, iTouch and iPod.
That said: it’s green giveaway time! We’re giving away 2 bundles of bioserie’s bioplastic covers valued at $99.85:
- iPhone 4 case (white: $34.95)
- iPhone 3G/3Gs (purple: $34.95)
- iPod nano 5 G (green: $29.95)
Keep one for you and give the others as gifts!! All you have to do to enter is tell us how you’re being eco-conscious this holiday season! Post your responses here and enter to win!! We’ll reveal winners on Wed, 12/15.
Happy Holidays!
xo,
Kristin
Dec 8th
Les Khakis de Chanel…Homemade!
For Fall 2010. Chanel has released Les Khakis de Chanel; an exclusive nail polish collection consisting of a trio of camo hues. These colors are a twist on the neutral trend that is popping up all over runways this fall. Naturally, we’re obsessed, but definitely not willing to dish out a pricey $25 per polish.
After unsuccessfully scavenging the internet for doppelganger shades, we came to a frightening conclusion—we had to make our own.
We decided to delve into the world of Frankening, the art of mixing polishes, to make your own custom hue. After concocting countless recipes, we’d like to think we’re pretty spot on (bonus: it’s made with “big 3” free green polishes). Eat your heart out Coco!
Want to make your own? Here’s How:
Materials:
ZOYA nail polishes in:
- Envy
- Pippa
- Marcella
- Gretchen
- Dea
Non-Acetone Nail Polish Remover
3 empty nail polish bottles
- either recycle from a bottle of nail polish you no longer wear (like we did) or a bottle of topcoat
Step #1: Clean out old nail polish bottles. This can be done by pouring out the excess polish and swirling a small amount of non-acetone nail polish remover around in the bottle until it’s clean.
Recipes:
Khaki Brun:
- Fill the empty bottle half way with Dea. Finish off the bottle with ¼ Pippa and ¼ Envy. Shake!
Khaki Rose:
- Fill Empty bottle half full with Marcella, then 2/6th of Dea. Finish off the final 1/6th with Pippa. Finally, add a small splash of Envy. Shake!
Khaki Vert:
- Fill Empty bottle 1/3 full of Envy, then add another third Gretchen. Split the remaining third between Pippa and Dea. By now your arm is probably falling off, but you must shake!
And there you have it. Enjoy and good luck!
-Allie & Amber
Sep 24th
Big Bambú
Now through October 31st get in touch with your inner green girl right here in NYC’s urban jungle. On the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, twin artists, Doug and Mike Starn, have created an elaborate and intricate 100ft long 50ft wide bamboo structure. Big Bambú was created from poles of bamboo! Professional rock climbers lashed together the bamboo with 50 yards of rope—insane! The aesthetically, beautiful structure forms the shape of a cresting wave. Set against the backdrop of Central Park, the exhibition has winding paths and a bridge that you can walk on. Walk on?! Yes, bamboo is quite the incredible plant. With more strength than many steel alloys, bamboo is also the fasting growing plant on Earth! Some varieties can grow up to 4ft in 24 hours! What’s even better? Bamboo can be sustainably harvested—that means no negative impact to the soil or greater environment! With each new day, environmentalists are discovering new industrial uses for bamboo. If you’re in the New York area, I encourage you to head over to 81ST street for a perfect green experience on a September afternoon.
Xo,
Kristin
Sep 2nd
Amazonian White Clay—What is it?
As many of you know, tarte is a natural brand that formulates with high-performance natural ™ ingredients. That being said I wanted to provide some more insight on what we mean when we talk about these HPN ingredients. Maureen Kelly (the Creator & CEO) scours the earth for nature’s secrets that will clinically correct your skin (whether it’s wrinkles, fine lines or moisture issues) while helping you look your best! Our newest products contain clay, but not just any clay: Amazonian White Clay! You’re probably wondering: what the heck is that and why should I care?
Amazonian white clay is nature’s most perfect ingredient. It works for ALL skin types. Yes, I said ALL—I know, we didn’t think it existed either! So, today I wanted to share all the deets on what exactly it is/does and why it must be the newest edition to your makeup bag.
While recently vacationing in Brazil (the tarte team is going back June 20!!), Maureen noticed that women of all ages had such flawless skin and healthy complexions. She was on a mission to determine their beauty secret. Enter nature’s most perfect ingredient: Amazonian clay.
A quick eco-history lesson: The Amazon River spans 4,000 miles in length, and as it flows it collects nutrient dense fruit and plant matter. At the most downstream region nutrients are at its highest concentration. At this location tarte extracts the purest clay sediments; and along the River’s edge, we refine the raw clay on-site while in its most active state. By using the sun’s natural heat we solidify the clay into blocks to sustain and protect the nutrient concentration. The clay is then shaved down into a finely-milled powder that can be carefully added to our high-performance natural™ formulas to gently balance and correct any skin concerns while simultaneously stimulating circulation.
So how does this multitasking and total skin balancing clay work for everyone?
- Oily skin: removes surface oil to mattify skin
- Dry skin: hydrates skin reducing the appearance of dryness and flakiness
- For problem/redness/acne skin: helps correct and balance
- Dull skin: improves the appearance of skin clarity and texture
- All skin: Gives skin an overall smooth and even appearance
Well, this was a mouthful but it’s so important to know what your makeup is doing for you. Check out our new for summer 2010 emphasEYES™ clay shadow/liners & get your daily dose of white clay. A bunch of additional clay-packed tarte goodies can be found on our QVC.com page.
Xo, Kristin
Jun 3rd
