She's Blushing! tarte's Maureen Kelly Scores a Major Award

Well congrats to you, Maureen Kelly, Creator and CEO of tarte Cosmetics!

She just won Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008 Award in the Retail & Consumer Services category. So fab! E&Y says they picked her for being an outstanding example of an entrepreneur who's building and leading dynamic, growing (and innovative!) businesses.

What makes tarte a pretty pick isn't that it's just an impossibly chic line of cosmetics, but that Kelly makes makeup better, loading her products with natural, healthy ingredients that help treat problems, not just cover them.

Of course, we've loved tarte since, like forever (well, since it launched in 2000, anyway). In fact, want to know a neat secret? tarte uses a magic ingredient that Kelly's team developed exclusively for tarte (and we know what it is!). This secret ingredient is eco-friendly, antioxidant-rich...and found in products like her Natural Beauty Cheek Stain.

So a big congrats to you, Maureen K.! We're tickled pink over your award.

Damage, Controlled II: Help Me Is Helping Me

To all the Cadillac-sized pores and root vegetable-colored brown spots currently squatting on my face:

Your days are numbered.

Exactly one week ago I started buttering a thin layer of Philosophy's Help Me cream onto my face every night before going to bed. My 7-day review so far? Hallelujah! It works it works!

Normally when I read about products that promise to minimize little lines and smooth out the rough stuff, all I can think about are the bridges in Brooklyn and oceanfront properties in Arizona I could be buying instead.

But there's just enough more face-rejuvenating retinol in here (.010%, exactly) than in other products I've tried, and that's just enough more to make the difference. Turns out there really is something to be said for that extra half an inch. And! There are also face-loving vitamins in here, too.

I'm not an all-new girl - yet. But I'm already seeing a visible difference in the tone, clarity, and texture of my skin. Pretty!

Word of warning: There's a note on the package that says, "Follow application with your favorite moisturizer." Yeah, you'll wanna. I skipped this part for the first few days and was rewarded with "Tight Face" until complying with the rules.

Damage, Controlled: Philosophy’s Anti-Aging Secret Weapon

“When it comes to anti-aging, our money’s on retinoids.”
- Linda Wells, Allure editor in chief and author of Confessions Of A Beauty Editor

I’m not what I’d call "actively wrinkled" [insert the harsh-sounding caw! caw! from the crow’s feet around my eyes], but I’m paying more attention to anti-aging products now than, say, 10 years ago when I ruled my face with a tightly coiled tube of benzoyl peroxide.

Apart from beauty booboos like using rubbing alcohol to dry up zits (hey, we all make mistakes!), at the peak of my brainless beautifications I even had standing weekly appointments at Tan A Rama. Note to my skin: I am sooo sorry, but honestly, shouldn’t you have said something?

So! I’m hitting the Edit/Undo button on my face with Philosophy’s Help Me treatment.

Billed as a retinol treatment for fine lines (I have ‘em), discoloration (yup), and large pores (check again), Help Me also has the highest percentage of retinol of any product at Sephora - .010%, which is the magic number at which results appear but irritation does not.

Help Me’s packaging has an encouraging little note explaining how regular use leads to clean pores, smoother skin, and an all over glow. How do I know they aren’t fibbing? Retinoids, in addition to zapping wrinkles, speed cell turnover and spur the production of new collagen.

(This is enough to make me write, “I love retinoids” and “Jenny + Philosophy = TLA” all over my Pee-Chee).

Anyway, if it’s good enough to win the Editor’s Choice award from Allure, I figure I’ll give it a shot myself.

Starting tonight, I’m changing my face by cracking open Help Me and applying my first layer. I raise my 1.05 oz tube as a toast to my future face!

Will it work? You’ll know when I do – I’ll be posting my results regularly.

Tarte's Natural Transformation

We've got five more reasons to heart Tarte: The super-fruits in their exclusive t5 super fruit complex™, açai, acerola, goji berry, maracuja, and pomegranate. Together, the antioxidant-rich extracts fight free radicals, promote cell regeneration, restore clarity, combat the signs of aging, reduce inflammation and redness, and soften skin. (Hello, amazing-ness!) If you haven't noticed already, Tarte has joined the natural beauty movement in a big and beauty-full way. “We’ve always had healthy natural ingredients in our formulas," says Tarte's founder and CEO, Maureen Kelly. "Now we’re taking it to the next level by creating our own t5 super fruit complex™. We’re also continuing to make sure that none of our products have phthalates, sulfates, or mineral oil.” They're scoring even more beauty brownie points by making contributions to Sambazon's Sustainable Açai Project for every purchase made of a t5-infused product. (This includes their Natural Swirl Cheek Stain and Double Dose gloss.) Their donations help preserve the Amazon Rainforest and improve living conditions and educational opportunities for communities in Brazil. (More amazing-ness!) Additional t5 treats are coming for summer, including a Lips Ahoy lipgloss set, gardenia-scented Glam Gams bronzing leg stick, and Enbrightenmint, a double-ended wand with lip gloss on one side and BriteSmile® teeth whitener on the other. High t-five, Tarte! —Mari Tzikas