Next up on the menu of beauty lifesavers that come in stick or wand form (see Pick Up Sticks) is Tarte's Rest Assured Brightening Wand, an eye pencil/highlighter duo. I had really high hopes for this one; for years I've been trying to pull off the "white-eyeliner-opens-up-your-eyes" thing, but I always end up looking like I tried to do some crazy 1960s mod eye look, and failed miserably.

The eyeliner here is a nude-pink shade, designed to be applied in the corners of the eyes to make people believe that you actually got some beauty sleep last night. However, once it actually made contact with my skin, it began to look somewhat peachy rather than "nude-pink," not natural at all. The overall effect was that of an allergy attack; not a good night's sleep. But, perhaps this will work for other skintones. Mine has pink undertones and perhaps this is why the liner looked so odd on me.

The highlighter, however, is a winner. It has a similar consistency to Benefit's High Beam, but the color is more subdued; Tarte's is more of a sandy beige pink. I tested it out on browbones, cheekbones, and inner corners, and the effect was glowy but not too shimmery. And it didn't cake up when applied over existing makeup, making it a perfect item to toss in your bag for mid-day touchups.

Next up on my Stick kick: Benefit Color Plump!