I have to admit, I initially HATED this foundation. I purchased the Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation on QVC, as I do all my Tarte and IT Cosmetics products. I’m usually not a fan of buying foundations online without previously swatching them in store, but I had just repurchased my trusty lightening drops from The Body Shop so I was feeling a little braver than usual. I had no previous experience with Tarte foundations but wanted to treat myself so I took advantage of QVC’s Easy Pay plan offer and went for it.
I purchased the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation (50ml) with a kabuki style bamboo brush for £37 (2 Easy Pays of £18.50). The foundation has an incredibly thick, mouse-like formula that gives a satin-matte finish and full coverage. The brush is a kabuki-style buffer that I kind of love more than the foundation itself. It’s beautifully soft and very dense, so doesn’t absorb half the product. It’s a brilliant tool and one of the only foundation brushes I own that rivals the seamless coverage of my beauty blender.
The first thing to remember when using this product is that a little goes a long, long way. Less is definitely more. Apply too much and you’ll be left feeling and looking absolutely caked. The very first time I applied this foundation my skin was still recovering from a bad reaction to an exfoliator I was trying (the dangers of being a beauty blogger) and my skin was very dry and irritable. I used far too much and the foundation clung to the dry patches and settled into my fine lines and creases. Now that my skin has returned to its normal oily self (Wait, is that better or worse?) I find it applies more evenly. It fills in pores giving a beautiful airbrushed effect. I actually forgot to put on my undereye concealer the other day because it did such a brilliant job of hiding the discoloration; the coverage was that good! I personally can’t get the promised 12 hours coverage from this foundation as it tends to break down around my nose and chin around the 8-hour mark.
Despite the poor first impressions, over the last couple of weeks, I’ve come to love this foundation. It’s incredibly long lasting and gives a beautiful satin finish that looks flawless – when you use the correct amount! It helps to control my oil levels during the day without feeling too heavy, however, I do not recommend this foundation for anyone with dry or mature skin as it’s incredibly unforgiving. What also frustrates me about this product is that QVC currently only stock 6 of the 25 shades available which is just ridiculous. So, yeah, I’ve had my ups and downs with this foundation but if you have oily skin and are looking for long-lasting full-coverage I’d definitely give this a try, that is, if you match one of the six shades currently available *sigh*.
The Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation & Brush Set retails for £37 and is available here.
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