Review: Love me some Tart(e)s

As you may guess, I'm always on the hunt for fantastic "friendly" makeup.  By friendly, I mean products that skip gross chemicals, like parabens, and at least somehow seek to make the world a little friendlier through a lack of animal testing and an honest use of recycled packaging, etc.

One of the first lines I've found that embodies many of my values in terms of "friendliness" while providing truly fantastic products is Tarte.  This brand, the brain child of Maureen Kelly, boasts impressive color and product ranges that not only make you look fantastic, but contain richly beneficial ingredients such as maracuja oil, natural fatty acids, Vitamin C, and it's signature Amazonian clay.

In 2013 I "updated my collection" (a kind way of saying I spoiled myself by purchasing) the brand's new BB Tinted Treatment and a summer sample collection containing a blush, eye shadow paint pot, finishing powder, primer, full size concealer, shadow brush, and sample of their pure maracuja oil.



A huge proponent of BB creams, I was thrilled when a sales associate at Ulta suggested the new BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer, touting it as the ultimate all purpose base with amazingly light-yet-impactful coverage.  At $34/tube, and based on the aforementioned hype, I had high hopes - imagining a poreless and discoloration free complexion in my near future.  Unfortunately, the formulation is extraordinarily high in silicones, making it very slippery and difficult to apply on my combination skin.  Over a moisturizer, regardless of how long I let it sit prior to application, the primer slid around and wound up patchy.  Without moisturizer, my skin flaked and looked chalky and parched.
With that said, the coverage is fantastic, the color range is perfect for paler folks and, truthfully, it stuck around all day and definitely hid my pores (.......and then clogged them).  If you don't have dry or super oily skin and are looking for a great coverage product that will last all day, even in the summer, then this might be a fantastic product for you to try.  According to the product description on Sephora, it boasts: "tripleB complex, a proprietary blend of natural diamond dust, plants, and lipoamino acids that diffuses light and minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and pores while improving the appearance of skin luminosity".  Sadly for me, my skin just didn't jive with the silicone heavy formulation.  (The ingredients honestly do list diamond dust.... Kinda wacky!)

While the BB primer left much to be desired, the tiny sample of their Clean Slate Poreless Perfecting Primer is absolutely amazing (much to my surprise, as my skin seems to hate silicone based products).  I use just a tiny bead for my nose, chin, and between my brows where my pores tend to be more visible.  A little bit definitely goes a long way (tip - gently pat your primer and slightly graze your fingers over the surface to smooth it, don't rub it in as this will make its effectiveness negligible).
The product description claims its benefits primarily include: "-T5 Super Fruit Complex™: Loaded with naturally occurring, antioxidant rich nutrients and vitamins that have been known to deliver refining, antiaging, and skin-restorative benefits with each application."  I don't use the primer often enough to discern whether it truly provides these benefits, but it makes my BB creams, BareMinerals, and traditional foundations look absolutely fabulous.  I wouldn't say it's the best for keeping your makeup going all day, but it definitely helps!

One of Tarte's products that does, without a doubt, last and last....and last... is their Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush.  I currently own the full size in Charisma and it's the absolutely brightest of bright pink color in the packaging, yet translates to a luminous "just kissed by the spring sun while walking quickly down the block" glow on the skin.  Like their primer, a little goes a very long way, and the color payoff is (IMO) unparalleled [side note: it's also a matte shade, which I love because I find that shimmery blushes don't suit my crazy pale complexion and also tend to clog pores].  The summer kit came with another matte shade, Nude, which appears slightly pinker than you'd expect when applied.  The impact of this blush is not quite as great as Charisma, but it's definitely intended to be more subtle.  For some reason, I feel that this color doesn't last quite as long as its counterparts, but that might just be me forgetting that it's intended to be more subtle.  A full size runs about $26 dollars at Sephora or Ulta, which is rather pricey, but you won't be sorry - it will last you much longer than you'll feel you can keep it while remaining hygienic....

 

[Swatch: Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Nude]

 The kit also came with the brand's signature setting powder, aptly named "Smooth Operator".  In adorable packaging, the powder appears bring white and not at all like something I'd want to dust on my already pale face.  If you're going for a long night out and don't mind that powdered look, then this is for you, but I'd absolutely suggest going light on the dusting, as it tends to cake a bit.  Smooth Operator indeed, it helps add to the complexion perfection created by their aforementioned primer.  At $29, I think you could find something a little more natural from BareMinerals or even Smashbox.

On an average day, I try to swipe a layer of a golden/bronzey toned paint pot on my lids to help myself look at least slightly more polished (my place of business is extremely casual and I often feel very out of place with a full face of makeup on... I'm also lazy in the mornings...).  I've loved the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze for it's consistency and staying power, but actually almost completely replaced it once this gem found its way to my door!  The kit claimed it would come with a color entitled "Shimmering Moss" - a color I wasn't too thrilled about, but figured I could use on a day I was feeling a bit bolder and trendier.  The color that came is actually the bronze version and OOOH baby is it gorgeous!  Not a true bronze, it blends out to a warm taupey-bronze that refuses to crease, budge, or smear.  The color is fantastic - not too bold and not nearly as shimmery as it looks in the pot.  It's a perfect "natural face" color and can be used alone as you can blend it to create the illusion of a carefully crafted crease to lid color job.  At $19 dollars, it's kind of expensive, but if you're into breaking the bank on shadows, I'd say go for it.  If you're a little more reserved, try Maybelline's Color Tattoos!

[Swatch: Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow in Bronze]

In terms of the Maracuja Creaseless Concealer ($24), I love it.  The color matches my skin perfectly and it's ultra creamy, soothing formulation blends effortlessly into my daily BB cream.  What I love about this product is that it is insanely moisturizing, making it perfect for use around the eyes where skin tends to be more delicate and dryer, as well as on blemishes that can dry out with the use of Benzoyl Peroxide or time in general.  It's absolutely a thicker consistency and the tube actually wound up exploding from the back end when I tried to squeeze the product out (massage it first!), so I now use a little concealer brush to dip in the opened back and grab a little product.  An itsy bitsy bit is enough to blend out on your eye circles, as well as to cover discoloration.  AH - it's also the BEST for using around the nose where redness tends to dwell and, since it maintains a dewier consistency (great if you are using a BB cream), you can use it as a semi-highlighter.


Have you used or fallen in love with any of the Tarte products?  Let me know what colors you're loving, or if you have any recommendations on how to work the BB primer. I'd hate to waste the ginormous and expensive tube!  Let me know in the comments section!

OH - I've also absolutely completely fallen in love with Tarte's mascaras and will have a review on those sometime soon.  Can you say magic lash growth? Yep. It's true.

Thanks for reading!