Recently, I purchased the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation (US$36) and Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (US$24) through MyUS.com's personal shopper service while Tarte was having a 15% discount promotion. The Airbrush Foundation is not that new, as it was first launched on QVC several months ago but Tarte recently expanded the shade range to a total of 11 shades. I picked Fair-Light Neutral, which is for fair to light skin with pink and yellow undertones. It turned out to be a good match for my MAC NC20 skin.
The interior features a mesh that helps to control the amount of powder dispensed. Although I did purchase Tarte's Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation brush, I've been using my Sephora mineral powder brush instead as it has a smaller head that is easier to control. The protruding stopper in the cap works well by fitting over the mesh to prevent the powder from spilling out even when the pot is turned upside down and shaken.
The powder is ultra fine and light, with a tendency to fly up when I run the brush around the pot. It's hard to believe that such a fine powder can provide full coverage but it actually does work rather well to provide coverage of pores and redness. I think it is more medium coverage than full coverage though as a separate concealer is still needed if you have very dark under eye circles. In terms of oil control, this was not the best on its own with my T-zone showing shine in under two hours. However, when paired with Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, my skin stayed shine-free for much longer and I only had to blot every 3 hours or so.
The pot contains only 7g of product, which I expect will last just 3 to 4 months if used daily. The inner cap can't be removed easily.
Ingredient list for the powder foundation, which is made in the USA, below. It contains Amazonian clay, tourmaline for a brighter, more radiant complexion, pearl powder which has anti-inflammatory, invigorating & anti-bacterial properties, camellia leaf extract to fights free radicals and mineral pigments to soothe and soften the skin. There is no SPF listed though. On the skin, there is a very subtle shimmer but this is not that noticeable unless one looks extremely closely in bright sunlight.
The Maracuja Creaseless Concealer has received generally good reviews. I picked the lightest shade Fair, which turned out to be quite a good match. This has a creamy consistency and you need very small pin-head sized amount as it is very pigmented, so a tiny bit goes a long way. This was good for covering up my under eye circles and I did not notice any creasing during the day. The tube has a fine tip, which makes it easy to control the amount dispensed.
Ingredient list for the concealer below. I was surprised that this was made in China, given the price point.
The Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF15 was an earlier purchase. This provides greater coverage than the powder foundation. Unlike the powder, it offers broad spectrum sunscreen thanks to the inclusion of titanium dioxide (6%) and zinc oxide (3%). I purchased this in Fair, but Tarte has since expanded its shade range so there is Fair Sand, Fair Beige and Fair Light Honey. I'm not sure which of the new shades Fair corresponds to. This foundation worked well for me and was easy to apply and blend. The oil control was also pretty good if used with a mattifying primer. It is also reasonably priced at US$38. Ingredient list is below. This is also made in the USA.
Below are swatches of the three products. You can see the faint shimmer particles in the powder foundation.
Comparison swatches of Maracuja Creaseless Concealer with the other concealers in my collection.
The Stila Brighten & Conceal Correct 03 Medium was a total bomb on me as it was far too peach-toned and glaringly obvious on my skintone. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer #10 has a thinner consistency and is less pigmented than the Tarte concealer. It looks quite a bit darker but when blended out, it still matches. The Becca Radiant Skin Creamy Concealer in Praline was another total failure as the consistency was so thick, cakey and difficult to blend. I have to mix this with another product to get it to work. The Cover FX concealer in X-Light is not bad but it tends to separate in the tube, and so sometimes it comes out all watery and messy. This is also less pigmented than the Tarte concealer. This comes in a different packaging now so I'm not sure if the formula has changed as well. Right now, the Tarte concealer is the best of the lot for me so I use it pretty much daily.
In the pic below, I'm wearing the Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation. I like the natural finish which does not look overly powdery but on its own, it did not reduce the appearance of my pores as much as the Sofina Primavista powder foundation.
For better, longer-lasting coverage of both pores and redness, I layered the Airbrush Foundation over the liquid foundation in the pic below. This gives a more flawless finish that lasts well for me. If you have normal to oily skin, this trio of Tarte products is well worth checking out. It's a pity that Tarte is not available outside of the US but you can always use a personal shopping service or look for it on Ebay. MyUS.com charges a minimum fee of $10, which I find to be reasonable and it can be easily offset if the website is having a sale.
The interior features a mesh that helps to control the amount of powder dispensed. Although I did purchase Tarte's Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation brush, I've been using my Sephora mineral powder brush instead as it has a smaller head that is easier to control. The protruding stopper in the cap works well by fitting over the mesh to prevent the powder from spilling out even when the pot is turned upside down and shaken.
The powder is ultra fine and light, with a tendency to fly up when I run the brush around the pot. It's hard to believe that such a fine powder can provide full coverage but it actually does work rather well to provide coverage of pores and redness. I think it is more medium coverage than full coverage though as a separate concealer is still needed if you have very dark under eye circles. In terms of oil control, this was not the best on its own with my T-zone showing shine in under two hours. However, when paired with Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, my skin stayed shine-free for much longer and I only had to blot every 3 hours or so.
The pot contains only 7g of product, which I expect will last just 3 to 4 months if used daily. The inner cap can't be removed easily.
Ingredient list for the powder foundation, which is made in the USA, below. It contains Amazonian clay, tourmaline for a brighter, more radiant complexion, pearl powder which has anti-inflammatory, invigorating & anti-bacterial properties, camellia leaf extract to fights free radicals and mineral pigments to soothe and soften the skin. There is no SPF listed though. On the skin, there is a very subtle shimmer but this is not that noticeable unless one looks extremely closely in bright sunlight.
The Maracuja Creaseless Concealer has received generally good reviews. I picked the lightest shade Fair, which turned out to be quite a good match. This has a creamy consistency and you need very small pin-head sized amount as it is very pigmented, so a tiny bit goes a long way. This was good for covering up my under eye circles and I did not notice any creasing during the day. The tube has a fine tip, which makes it easy to control the amount dispensed.
Ingredient list for the concealer below. I was surprised that this was made in China, given the price point.
The Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF15 was an earlier purchase. This provides greater coverage than the powder foundation. Unlike the powder, it offers broad spectrum sunscreen thanks to the inclusion of titanium dioxide (6%) and zinc oxide (3%). I purchased this in Fair, but Tarte has since expanded its shade range so there is Fair Sand, Fair Beige and Fair Light Honey. I'm not sure which of the new shades Fair corresponds to. This foundation worked well for me and was easy to apply and blend. The oil control was also pretty good if used with a mattifying primer. It is also reasonably priced at US$38. Ingredient list is below. This is also made in the USA.
Below are swatches of the three products. You can see the faint shimmer particles in the powder foundation.
Comparison swatches of Maracuja Creaseless Concealer with the other concealers in my collection.
The Stila Brighten & Conceal Correct 03 Medium was a total bomb on me as it was far too peach-toned and glaringly obvious on my skintone. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer #10 has a thinner consistency and is less pigmented than the Tarte concealer. It looks quite a bit darker but when blended out, it still matches. The Becca Radiant Skin Creamy Concealer in Praline was another total failure as the consistency was so thick, cakey and difficult to blend. I have to mix this with another product to get it to work. The Cover FX concealer in X-Light is not bad but it tends to separate in the tube, and so sometimes it comes out all watery and messy. This is also less pigmented than the Tarte concealer. This comes in a different packaging now so I'm not sure if the formula has changed as well. Right now, the Tarte concealer is the best of the lot for me so I use it pretty much daily.
In the pic below, I'm wearing the Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation. I like the natural finish which does not look overly powdery but on its own, it did not reduce the appearance of my pores as much as the Sofina Primavista powder foundation.
For better, longer-lasting coverage of both pores and redness, I layered the Airbrush Foundation over the liquid foundation in the pic below. This gives a more flawless finish that lasts well for me. If you have normal to oily skin, this trio of Tarte products is well worth checking out. It's a pity that Tarte is not available outside of the US but you can always use a personal shopping service or look for it on Ebay. MyUS.com charges a minimum fee of $10, which I find to be reasonable and it can be easily offset if the website is having a sale.
