Tarte Clay Stick Foundation Review & Swatches
Tarte Clay Stick Foundation ($39) (0.32 oz) is a new 12-Hour matte foundation stick that the brand recently released for Summer 2017 in 12 shade selections. I happen to be a rather sympathetic fool for Benefit Play Sticks which is probably why I ended up purchasing one of the Tarte Clay Stick Foundations. I was having a nostalgic moment but also, I tend to forget how much I love the simplicity of swiping on my foundation, blending out, and just going.
I realized that the matte formula wasn’t exactly my ideal pick for foundation since I have dry skin but I had hopes that it would work as well as the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer did. And also, Summer is coming up and I tend to be a bit shiny and oily around my T-Zone so, I thought I might just be able to get away with the matte finish.
Tarte markets these new foundation sticks as a foundation and contouring tool all-in-one just like the Shape Tape Contour. If you’re purchasing a few different shades you can probably easily use these to contour with but considering the size and cost that might be a bit expensive. I purchased it solely as a foundation and that’s how I’ll be reviewing it in this post.
Tarte Clay Stick Foundation comes housed in a dark brown tube with gold accents and a tortoiseshell topper that matches the packaging of the new Clay Play Face Shaping Palette. The twist up barrel holds 0.32 oz of foundation for $39 which does toe the line at high-end pricing. Most mid-range foundation sticks are around $25-$26 at the same size such as Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation which is $25. In my experience, foundation sticks are never really cheap and most don’t contain a ton of product but Tarte’s near $40 price tag may or might throw you a curve ball. Considering I loved this formula I didn’t mind the price. I’m of the mentality if it’s good, I don’t mind paying the price.
So, this promises up to 12 hours of wear and it has a powder-to-liquid consistency that provides medium to full coverage that’s talc and paraben-free which apparently hydrates or mattifies depending on your skin type. Hmmm a foundation that knows your skin type?
I was a little surprised how much I loved this. It applies and blends very, very easily on my skin and looks smooth, even, and brightening. I didn’t cling to my drier areas and it had a lightly creamy texture that did feel powdery going on but ended up being a lot creamier during the blending process. I actually felt comfortable contouring under my eyes with it as it didn’t crease or cake up. The coverage was very natural and it brightened up my duller skin beautifully. It’s quite pigmented and should provide medium coverage but isn’t quite full coverage. I wouldn’t say I got 12 hours of wear from it but it did wear about six without setting with powder. It was comfortably lightweight without being cakey or mask-like on my skin.
I really liked how it worked as both a concealer and a foundation. If you prep well you can easily swipe and blend this under eyes to brighten up the area and use it as concealer. I applied it in the hallows of my eyes to brighten the area up. For those curious, it did not have any fragrance or scent that I detected thankfully because we all know how badly Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer smelled!
Tarte Clay Stick Foundation was a rather pleasant surprise. I expected this to not work out for my drier skin but it ended up looking and feeling great! The application was simple and the coverage natural and beautiful. If you want a simple way to apply your foundation this is it.
Tarte Clay Stick Foundation is available now at Sephora.com.
Tried it?
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Muse Approved.