Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation

I’ve been on a foundation binge lately and have purchased quite a few, most of which I have not yet reviewed. My biggest issue (other than my dry skin) is that my face runs cool and my neck runs warm (and significantly lighter than my face). In September, I also had a “Color IQ” session at Sephora (my color is 2Y04). The makeup artist took samples from my neck and face and this is what we came up with. When purchasing foundation on the Sephora site, I like to look at all the shades in the range, including the lighter and darker choices. It’s amazing that shades I thought would never match actually do and better yet, they strike a balance between my light yellow neck and my light pink face.

Anyway, I was looking for a fuller coverage foundation and Tarte’s Amazonian Clay option in Fair-Light Honey was a match so I decided to give it a try. I’ve had my eye on this product for quite awhile and liked what I saw from the testers in the store. It wasn’t until the beginning of September that I tried it but I’m finally getting around to writing this review!

Fair-Light Honey

Tarte’s website promotes this as a “supremely blendable, buildable, full coverage formula” and that it is. The texture is really lovely and I was able to achieve full coverage fairly easily. More often than not, I wear it with a more medium coverage and the Fair-Light Honey shade (which is described as for people with fair to light skin with peach undertones) blends really well with my skin. I would describe the texture as almost silky and dry. The sheen runs from matte to satin. In my opinion, this foundation is perfect for normal to oily (and possibly very oily) skin types. Since the formula contains a small amount of kaolin clay as well as a few other ingredients regularly found in mineral makeup, its oil absorption capabilities are pretty good! Here’s a list of the ingredients in the shade I’m wearing:

Water, cyclopentasiloxane, octyldodecyl neopentanoate butylene glycol, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, dimethicone crosspolymer, PEG/PPG-18/18 dimethicone, mica, dimethicone, silica, phenoxyethanol, cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, stearic acid, aluminum hydroxide, sodium dehydroacetate, caprylyl glycol,  phytantriol, hexyl laurate, triethoxycaprylylsilane, sodium chloride, hexylene glycol, lysine, tocopherol, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, nylon-12 fluorescent brightener 230 salt, polyvinylalcohol crosspolymer, kaolin, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, zinc chloride, sodium hyaluronate, potassium sorbate, iron oxides

For my dry skin, the formula was just not moisturizing enough. In the winter, my skin can get very, very dry and this foundation picked up on every dry patch that I had. See the picture below for an example.

In the summer, my skin is much more stable and moisturized, making that season a much better time for me to use Amazonian Clay foundation. But if you don’t have dry patches like me, you should be fine.

All in all, this product photographs very nicely (see below) and I can recommend it whole heartedly for its texture, build ability and coverage. Available in sixteen shades for $38, you can purchase this Tarte’s Amazonian Clay foundation at the Tarte website and at Sephora. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Ages of Beauty rating: **** 

Product Review: Mac Face & Body Foundation

I’ve been reading about Mac Face & Body for years but it wasn’t until this summer that I decided to try it. My continued use of the St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse necessitated a different shade of foundation. Add that to the fact that I like to use a much lighter foundation during the summer than in the winter and things were ripe for a change!

Since I have never used this product and since it has been years since I’ve had any kind of tan on my skin, I ventured to my closest Mac counter at the local Nordstrom. I”m “normally” an NW20 in Mac foundations but Face & Body uses a different methodology for naming colors. Since I wanted to cover both my face and my neck/chest (which I do on occasion), the counter associate matched me to C3 and C4. It turns out that either color on its own, or a mixture of the two colors works great as my fake tan fades. To give you an idea of my coloring without the St. Tropez tan, I believe my match would be either N1 or N2 in F & B.

C3 and C4

C3 and C4

One of the great things about Face & Body is its consistency. It’s very thin and watery, which makes it ideal for summer. Not only can it be applied in thin, buildable layers, it doesn’t sit in pores so the skin looks smooth and luminous. F & B is moisturizing and lasts extremely well in the summer heat. As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in Arizona in 110 degree heat and I’ve been going in and out all day. I didn’t even set with powder and while my skin is definitely not matte, it is luminous and the finish is still great!

“Buildability” is what Face & Body is all about so I took some pictures without makeup, with one thin layer of F & B and then with two thin layers of F & B. In each of these pictures, I’m wearing a coat of mascara on the top lashes and a neutral lip gloss. I am NOT wearing any powder and when these pictures were taken, I was literally in the desert where temperatures were over 100 degrees every day. As a result, my face is more "glowy" than normal. It is not oil but it is due to the heat!  Here are the results:

No makeup

One layer of Mac Face & Body in a mixture of C3 and C4

Two layers of Mac Face & Body in a mixture of C3 and C4

No makeup, one layer Face & Body, two layers Face & Body

You can see that my face is luminous and natural looking, even with two thin layers of foundation. I haven’t applied more than two layers yet, but I would imagine you’ll get subtle increases in coverage with each additional layer. In these pictures, I’m not wearing any concealer (a review is coming on my favorite Mac concealer) but, admittedly, I have very good skin (with a few minor discolorations at the jawline and maybe a blemish every so often). If you’re looking for a high coverage foundation, Face & Body is not your answer. But for those of us who appreciate the positive impact that a sheerer foundation has on aging skin, this one’s a keeper!!!

Mac Face & Body is available in two sizes: 1.7 ounces for $27 and 4 ounces for $33 (holy cow---great value!!!). I got the smaller size and this stuff will last me for a looong time! You can find this product at your local Mac and Nordstrom stores or online.

Ages of Beauty rating: *****

Sneak Peak

I’ve been busy doing research on skin care along with my normal search for new products to love. Here are a few shots of products that I’m testing right now. I’ll report back over the next few weeks on which ones I love (and don’t love so much!).

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer; Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 “1970”; Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum

Julep Glycolic Hand Scrub; Hampton Sun Continuous Mist Hydrating Aloe

Smashbox CC Cream; Chanel Soleil Tan; Becca Luminous Skin Color Ultra Sheer Foundation

The Balm and Tarte Blushes

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer

The Balm Schwing Eyeliner and What’s Your Type Mascara; Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quad

Maybelline Studio Quad; L’Oreal Eyeshadow; Blinc Mascara

NYX Lipgloss; elf Pout Perfector; Nars Chubby Pencil

Ulta Fragrance Mist

Stay tuned!

Product Review: Almay Smart Shade Mousse Makeup

Not too long ago, I picked up a jar of Almay’s new Smart Shade Mousse Makeup in shade Light 100 at my local CVS. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge consumer of Almay’s cosmetics and had not heard of this particular item but it looked interesting so I thought, “What the heck?” This took place right before I joined my parents in Florida and since this was the only foundation I packed, I wore it for a full two weeks.



The foundation itself is whitish-gray in the jar. It’s light and airy, just like….mousse! (Imagine that!) I was pretty skeptical that it would transform itself from a dingy gray to match “my” color but it actually does a good job of that. Actually, I think what it does is transform itself into a particular color, not necessarily my perfect color and if it matches I just happened to pick the right color. Okay…I said I was skeptical and I didn’t have anyone with slightly different skin to test on, so there’s that. Needless to say, the “light” color does match my skin pretty well. Here are a couple of swatches that show the “transformation.”

Right out of the jar

Half Blended

Fully Blended

Almay’s Smart Shade Mousse Makeup feels very light and smooths onto the skin easily. Coverage is light/medium and is build-able up to a full medium. It looks natural and wears well. The color also looked good. One thing about this foundation is that it does not contain sunscreen, which is fine, so you’ll need to wear a moisturizer containing sunscreen (or a regular sunscreen formulated for the face). The one minor complaint that I have is that it is packaged in a jar, which is not that sanitary. Not a huge deal to me but it could be for some.

Overall, I think this is a good foundation and I recommend it for someone who wants a light to medium coverage. You’ll need to use concealer over any darker spots or circles but this wears really well, in my opinion. Check it out at your local drugstore. I paid $13.99 at CVS and consider it a good buy.

Ages of Beauty rating: ****

Product Review: Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup has been around for awhile (a year?) and I've really been meaning to review it since I think it is fairly unique in the beauty market. Revlon promises a long wearing, flawless look. Does it deliver? Click below to find out!

Product Review: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

As my obsession with foundation grows and grows, it was only a matter of time before I tried Nars Sheer Glow Foundation! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!!!

Face of the Day: Drugstore Brands

I've been working for the last few days to get back on track after being away for over a week. Today was the first day that I actually took the time to put on makeup so I thought it would be a good time to do a Face of the Day (FOTD) post. 

Every item I used today is from the drugstore. Just about every item I used has not been reviewed yet so you can look forward for more reviews of some quality drugstore products. Click below to see what makes up this look!

Product Review: Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

I love trying new foundations and probably have about forty of them so it's not surprising that for several months, I was obsessed with getting my hands on Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation.

Illamasqua is a British brand so I was thrilled when Sephora started carrying part of the Skin Base color line. Did Skin Base live up to my expectations? Click below to find out!

Product Review: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation

I had always heard how wonderful Chanel's foundations were so a few years ago, I decided to take the plunge. Vitalumiere Aqua was the first Chanel foundation that I had ever purchased and I was anxious to see if it lived up to everything I had heard.

Face of the Day: A Simple, Chic look

I'm a big fan of Lisa Eldridge, a famous celebrity makeup artist from the UK. Not too long ago, she did a You Tube tutorial on a makeup look she called "Flawless and Chic," available here.

It's a look that can be worn during the day or for an evening out and I've worn it many times. Click below to get the details and the products I used.

Product Review: Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

Revlon has launched it'sline of foundations and powders, apparently to compete with Urban Decay's foundations with a similar name ($38).This very affordable (I paid a little over $7.00, I believe) liquid foundation offers a light, natural coverage that let's your skin show through. It's not cakey or heavy in any way and looks really great on the skin. I will say that with my dry skin, I do have to add some extra moisturizer and it's not as emollient as I usually like in a liquid foundation but it looks nice and doesn't dry me out. I did not need to use powder with this foundation. Normal to slightly oily skin should do well with this. Oily skin will definitely have to apply powder.