Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder Review

The verdict is still out on Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder! I’m still trying to figure out exactly what Tarte has going on with this formula.

At a glance I thought it might be like NARS Reflecting Setting Powder as it has that frozen ice appearance and texture but after trying it…well, I’m not sure what to think!

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder was released with the Tarte Summer 2014 Collection recently. And hey, just time for Summer too as it is an oil fighting powder that reduces shine.

This comes in a brown and gold compact with a half moon brush for application. Although the compact does not hold the brush which can be a pain if you’re traveling with it.

At first I thought this would be more like the smooth, ice-like texture of NARS Reflecting Setting Powder but soon realized it wasn’t quite different. Although it has a smooth appearance it actually feels gritty and almost paper-like. The density of the powder means picking up product is very difficult with a brush. I ended up trying it with a sponge but again I felt like I wasn’t applying that much. I finally resorted to using one of Tarte’s smaller dome shaped Bamboo Blush Brushes to apply and this sorta helped the situation along.

This isn’t like any silica powder I’ve tried. I was actually left thinking that it did sort of create that same soft focused you get from an HD Powder but without the chalky cast. This could be because you can’t really over do it due to the dense texture of the powder. According to Tarte the Amazonian Clay is used in the powder absorbs excess oil and shine while setting makeup. I have a bit of oil on my forehead but for the most part I’m drier. This did mattify my forehead slightly and blurred the appearance of visible pores I have on my nose but I felt like I struggled during the application as the texture is very unusual.

This one is an iffy one. You might want to wait for it to release in stores so you can play with it a little bit before you purchase it. I’m still kinda deciding whether I do or don’t like it. I’m heavy handed so I can definitely do over time with HD powder so I’m kinda appreciating I can only apply so much of this formula and I’m not able to over do it. But on the other hand I also feel like I’m not applying anything at all! So count me a little confused at this point 🙂

I’ll keep testing!

The new Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder is available now at tartecosmetics.com.