Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Cargo OneBase, and why I didn't buy it today

I distinctly remember leaving a comment on Brutally Honest Beauty assuring her that I wouldn't be buying anything during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty event. I also remember saying that the only thing I found even vaguely tempting was the Stila Eyes are the Window palettes (suggested retail $49, today only $29).

Well, guess who was on the Ulta website this morning putting eyeshadow palettes in her shopping bag?

A woman with any self respect wouldn't admit to this so readily, but it was moi. Luckily a maintenance guy showed up and distracted me long enough for reason to prevail. You know, people complain about distractions, but they can be a life saver. If it were AD 79,  and I were a citizen of Pompeii, I'd probably have been gloating over my pots of kohl and been buried by volcanic ash, and it would have SERVED ME RIGHT.

OneBase in OB 02

Anyway, the only thing I wanted from Ulta wasn't on sale. It's a replacement tube of Cargo OneBase.


This product is an interesting hybrid; it's a combination concealer/foundation. You can use it just to cover circles, or use its sponge-tip wand to dot the product on, then blend it all over your face. I mostly use it as concealer, but the last time I tried to use it, I noticed it had changed consistency. I blame that sponge tip--touching the sponge to the face probably helps the product break down faster. Ordinarily, I'd be all "Whee! What an excuse to throw something out! Decluttering! Whoo!!" And I'd Kon Mari it before you could say Jack Robinson.

But with your permission, Internet, first I'd like to make a record of my shade. Sooner or later, I will get around to ordering a tube, and this way, when I do, I can just look up this post on my phone.

I hope you don't feel too used.

Anyway, this is the greatest undereye concealer I've ever used. It's light, yet highly pigmented, with excellent coverage and minimal creasing. It's not moisturizing per se, but it doesn't dry out the skin under my eyes (like Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, which I find neither radiant not creamy.) I've used other liquid concealers that are nearly as good; Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser is excellent. But the Cargo is an amazing color match for me. Also, it doubles as a foundation, so it's great to keep in my purse.

And yet, I didn't buy any today. It wasn't on sale at Ulta, and at $28, I wasn't going to qualify for free shipping. I figure I can order it from another site; Cargo's website, Nordstrom, Beauty.com, and DermStore all sell it. Sooner or later, one of those retailers will make me an offer I can't refuse ... something along the lines of a discounted price, with free shipping, free samples, and maybe a footrub. Oh, and eBates.

Until then, I will bide my time. Do you hear me, ULTA? Hmmm?


5 comments:

  1. I would never judge (ha!), but it sounds like you made the right choice. And now I am intrigued by this product, especially since I like that Maybelline concealer too, but the colors are wrong for me. Hmmmm.

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    1. I bought my original OneBase back when Ulta still sold Cargo in their stores. Unfortunately, even though Nordstrom sells Cargo (who knew?) the closest Nordstrom that has it is 45 minutes away, not counting traffic, and there's always traffic. So basically, I have to buy it online, which is why I'm making you guys remember my shade for me.

      I don't mean to go all Mephistopheles on you, but Nordstrom has that amazing return policy ...

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  2. I'm sorry, a concealer I've never tried? Dammit, now I want to try it even though I didn't love the Maybelline concealer the way everyone else did.

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    1. I feel that way about Nars Radiant Creamy concealer. The consistency is incredibly thick. It's not for a woman with dark circles, it's for a hot summer day when the Phantom of the Opera feels like leaving his mask off.

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  3. Wow, concealer...let me count the ways. And the concealers I have tried in 42 years since I started buying my own makeup at age 13!
    I have epic dark circles and very fair skin with a slight yellowish under tone. When makeup clerks take off my makeup when I am getting one of those makeovers at a department stores I recognize their universal looks of horror when they remove the careful camouflage I have speckled over the alligator handbags I carry under my eyes.
    LOL, yes welcome to my morning ritual.
    The good news is that my skin in in very good shape so my major issue is getting the under eye to match the rest of my face. I have found most foundations just are too heavy in the eye area so I stick with tinted moisturizer or light powder on my face and the concealer combination on the dark circles.
    Anyway, I am currently in a courtship with Bobbi Brown Intensive Serum Concealer and the same corrector. The jury's still out. My go-to for years has been the L'Oreal Color Match. Good value, good color range and decent coverage and texture. What I am running into as I age is that anything that dries too matte looks crepey and anything too oily is shiny and creases and draws attention.
    A good primer goes a long way. Dermalogica makes an under eye product called Multivitamin Power Firm that is an excellent treatment and primer in one. Really makes a difference in how a concealer goes on and wears. I am so happy to have stumbled on to it. See if you can get a sample somewhere.
    I am so interested in this subject because, lord knows, I have invested a lot of time and money and I don't think I have ever had a truly satisfactory result from any product.
    I also hated the Nars concealer by the way, and Stila, and Tarte. Haven't tried the Maybelline or Cargo yet!

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Gentle Readers:

For the time being, I have turned off comment moderation. Please don't spam; it's not nice.

xxx, Poppy.