Review and Swatch: Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation

Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation (50 ml/1.7 fl. oz)

As far as full coverage foundations go, Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation is ranked pretty high. For good reason too. Its does a great job at covering discoloration, hyper pigmentation, scaring and blemishes. 


I picked mine up during the 20% off sale Tarte held last month, but it retails for $49 on Tarte's website and Sephora. 

I did a haul of all the products I picked up during the sale, check it out here.

Now, is this my holy-grail full coverage? Not really, but then again, I haven't found a full coverage foundation that I am 100% happy with. 

My problem is simple - I have dry skin and I have a some seriously ugly scaring left over from a really bad bout of adult acne. I find hat most full-coverage foundations look cakey on my dry skin and always leave me looking like an insecure about my skin. I am of course...hence the full coverage foundation, but I don't want other people to know about it...on my face! 

This foundation leaves about the same finish as my Revlon ColorStay, but it't not as cakey as Kat Von D's Lock-it Foundation. I do like it, and I will continue to use it, but it's probably not a product I would repurchase. 

I tried applying it three different ways. First with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, then with my Beauty Blender and finally with my fingers. These are basically the only three ways I apply any foundation. 

I really disliked using the brush as I found the foundation moved around a lot and wouldn't just stay in place when I buffed it. It left my skin looking streaky and cakey. 

I liked using my Beauty Blender as it gave the most natural finish and due to the dampness of the sponge, I felt it helped add moisture to my skin The only problem I had with this application technique was the lack of coverage I get. I found the Beauty Blender sheered out the foundation too much and did not give me the coverage I was looking for.

Now, lastly, I applied it with my fingers. I'll tell you right now, that I really liked how the foundation applied this way. I got the most coverage and looked the least cakey. If I felt that I needed any extra blending, I would just whip out my Beauty Blender and blend a little. Usually I would have to blend out around my nose and under eye as I tend to have foundation cake-up around these areas. 

Now, the claim is that this foundation lasts 12 hours, but I only got a good 10 hours out of it before I noticed some breakdown around my nose and chin. That might be because of my touching these areas throughout the day, so take that into account.

I would like like to point out the colour I have which is Fair. It's not a perfect match. I found it very difficult to find a perfect match to be honest. Tarte could really use a few more shade and undertone variations. This is probably the biggest issue I have and the reason why it hasn't taken the place of my Revlon ColorStay. 

All in all, I do like this foundation, but as a dry skin gal, it has its challenges. If your more on the oily, combination or normal side, this foundation would be a great arsenal for those full coverage days. 


Let me know your thoughts!
How do you apply your full coverage foundation?

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