Tarte Amazonian Clay Automatic Waterproof Gel Linerr - Review

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I love brown eyeliners. I love dark brown, shimmery liners, because they make my green-ish eyes more green in appearance, and don't look harsh on my fair skin. One of the Tarte kits I had on auto-delivery from QVC included a liner right up my alley - an Amazonian Clay-based formula in a convenient pencil liner.

I actually received a few of these, but the only color I was interested in was Deep Bronze, since it's brown and shimmery looking. It's a touch lighter than I usually like, but it's still a member of the brown family. It wears well, and glides on fairly easily. The pigmentation could be better, however. I usually have to go over my liner at least twice to get the best color depth.

This liner doesn't smudge after it sets on my lids, which is great. It lasts best on my upper lash line, most likely due to my primer system on my lids. I don't wear a primer on my lower lash line, and I've noticed this liner tends to wear off by the end of the day.

I tried to find these, and was not really able to other than in the QVC kits. I'm certain it's available via eBay, however, should you wish to try one. It's a nice formula, pigmentation issues aside. I don't think I'll repurchase, as there are other brown liners I prefer.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Balancing Foundation SPF 15- Review

I'm a sucker for QVC beauty shows. And they're Today's Special Values (TSVs) can be a really good deal. So, when the latest Tarte TSV started getting talked up on MUA and the blogs, I figured "Why not? I need a new foundation anyway," and set myself up for autodelivery.

The foundation was/is exclusive to this kit until later this summer. It boasts about offering full coverage without the apparently nasty stuff that other brands include in their products. After careful consideration, I selected the "Light" shade, after others reported the foundation ran very light, color-wise. Off the cuff (0r, more appropriately, out of the tube), the foundation appears a bit dark, however, after blending it in, it looks great on my light NC15 skin. After a few hours (about 5, on average), it starts to oxidize. It's not terribly noticeable until after about 8+ hours, though. I will say that it appears I can control the oxidation a bit, depending upon the primer I use under it. I've noticed that if I layer MAC's Prep + Prime finishing powder under my Murad Oil Control lotion, and use BE's Hydrating Mineral Veil, the oxidation is not as bad. I need to keep playing around with this, though.

For whatever reason, this picture makes the tarte foundation look really, really dark and yellow. In real life, it is slightly more yellow than the Chanel and MUFE, but not so dark.

The texture of this foundation is mousse-y. I really like it, and it sort of gives that "velvet" feel to the skin after application, like Philosophy's the present, or Benefit's Pore-Fessional.

Although Tarte prints on the tube this is a full coverage foundation, I wouldn't bet money on it. On me, without concealer and my MUFE primer, the slight ruddiness of my cheeks comes through, and the 2 weird red blemishes I've had this week were very obvious. I'd say this foundation wears and feels more like a medium coverage foundation. I can't really build up the coverage with this foundation, either. By the end of the normal work day, it's very cakey where I've attempted to get more complete coverage. Where I haven't added an extra layer, however, it looks fine.

I've used my MAC 187 and the huge brush that came with the kit to apply this product, and both work equally well. I don't believe the brush is a must have, but it is nice (and I typically don't like synthetic brushes!).

Finish-wise, this foundation has the same effect as many of the "natural" finish foundations - sort of that glowy finish that usually translates to oily on me after a few hours. I will say this foundation lasts all day, but even with my imperfect primer system (I still need a good, oil controlling primer - any suggestions?), I'm a grease-ball after 8 - 9 hours, the usual time frame I have makeup on.

All in all, I'm glad I got on auto-delivery for this. I may try and switch the foundation color, however, or try and get my hands on the Fair foundation, to see if it works better for me. I like the foundation, and I'm pleased that it really does last all day.