Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface

I purchased a mini size of the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface alongside Tarte's Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess in a High Performance Naturals kit at Sephora in summer 2011. It cost me about $30 CDN for both products, though I don't recall the exact cost. This mini blush contains 3.20 g (0.11 oz) of product, but the full-size product (available from Sephora) contains 0.32 oz. Here's a blog post by My Kiss 'n Makeup about this little kit, if you're interested. Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush collection contains 12 permanent colors with various shades and finishes to choose from. 


Sephora.com says that these blushes are "infused with natural clay harvested from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun... [benefiting] all skin types for a fade-free flawless finish for an amazing 12-hours." For those with oily skin types, this blush is supposed to minimize oil in and around pores to prolong the wear of the blush. For those with dry skin types, this blush is supposed to hydrate and nourish skin. For those with combination skin types, it balances out both concerns by hydrating and keeping oil at bay where needed. These blushes are formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, and triclosan.


The packaging is almost identical to the full sized product, just in mini form. The mini version does not have a mirror inside. The compact is sturdy plastic, with a lid that snaps shut; sometimes I don't love this compact, because it can be so difficult to get open. The lid has the most beautiful raised design on it. So girly and chic. The product information is located on a sticker on the bottom of the compact. The color of the compact hints at the color of the blush inside, which is really fantastic for when you need to sift through your whole blush collection to find that single one buried way underneath everything else...

Dollface is described as a "light pink," but personally, it reminds me of a very candied, almost bubblegum, pink.


When I first bought this, it had a fantastic design embossed on the powder, which (unfortunately) has since worn off. If you click here, you'll see an image of the powder with the beautiful print stamped on it. Credit goes to Diane at Kiss 'N Make-up for the image.

No flash, natural light.

With flash.

This particular shade is moderately pigmented. It's pretty light in comparison to the other shades available in the collection. Fortunately, the pigmentation is buildable. 

With flash.
Left: swatch, Right: swatch blended in

No flash, natural light.
Left: swatch, Right: swatch blended in

The powder itself is not very creamy or soft, but it blends like a dream on the skin. It doesn't kick up a lot of powder when you dip your brush in, which is great if you're concerned about wasting product. I sometimes find this powder to be 'too' dense... occasionally it seems that I really need to scrub my blush brush in the powder to get any color on the bristles.


I like the color of Dollface for my fair skin, but sometimes it looks too... fake. The bubblegum pink looks nice, but I have to be careful not to be too overeager with my brush. I need to blend, blend, blend to make sure I don't look like a clown. Usually, this is a better summer blush for me, because I tend to have more color and thus this creates a more natural looking flush on my cheeks.


I can't really speak to the longevity of this blush. I never leave my blush on for 12 hours... and I never apply it heavy enough that I can tell whether or not it's still there how ever many hours later... I'd say that it lasts longer than your typical blush, but it's not permanent until you take makeup remover to it.


As for the benefits of the clay, I don't know that it's magic. My cheeks are pretty 'normal' as far as skin goes on my face - my T-zone gets crazy oily, and around my nose and mouth and eyes are where I get the driest. However, my cheeks are neither too dry nor too oily... so I don't really notice a huge difference while wearing the blush. Others with more pronounced skin problems might see significant benefits to this blush, but not so for me.


When I run out of the blush, I most likely won't repurchase it in the full size. At $33 CDN, I'd probably invest in a MAC or NARS blush, or even purchase several NYX blushes instead. And even if I did buy one of these blushes again, I don't think I'd reach for Dollface again.


Overall, it's a decent blush. It's neither here-nor-there for me. I like having it in my collection, and I've used it enough to wear the pattern off the face of the powder, but it's not something I'll miss intensely when it's gone.


3 out of 5 stars.
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What's your favorite blush brand??

Tarte Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess

I got a mini size of the Tarte Mineral Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess alongside Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Dollface in a High Performance Naturals kit at Sephora in summer 2011. It cost me about $30 CDN, though I don't recall the exact cost. This mini bronzer contains 3.20 g (0.11 oz) of product, but the full-size product (available from Sephora) contains 0.32 oz. Here's a blog post by My Kiss 'n Makeup about this little kit, if you're interested.


The packaging is almost identical to the full size bronzer, just in mini form. The tiny version does not have a mirror inside, and the packaging feels more flimsy, in my opinion, than the full-size version does. The compact is plastic, with a quilted, bronze textile on the lid. The product information is located on a sticker on the bottom of the compact.

According to Sephora.com, this bronzer is "whisper light... containing Skinvigorating ingredients like vitamins A and E, which act as antioxidants to fight free radical damage and mineral pigments that are known for their soothing and softening properties. Dermatologist tested." This bronzer is free of oil, talc, synthetic fragrance, parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, and phthalates.

With flash.

Park Avenue Princess is described by Sephora as being a "highly pearled golden tan." I would agree 100%. In the pan, this bronzer looks incredibly sparkly - borderline disco-ball face. On the skin, however, it comes off as 'glowy,' which I can only assume is the 'highly pearled' aspect of the bronzer as described by our friends at Sephora.

With flash.
Left: swatch, Right: swatch blended in

No flash, natural light.
Left: swatch, Right: swatch blended in

It is definitely a golden tan in every sense of the phrase, which is why I was worried that it wouldn't look fantastic on my skin tone. Because I'm a neutral-undertoned-albino, I can't do oranges, yellows, or browns... I can just do neutral-ish tans, which basically don't exist. This gives me a really healthy glow though... it makes my skin look sun-kissed and alive, without looking like I just gobbed on oodles of orange-y sparkles.


I use this powder with a larger brush around the outside and on the high points of my face. In fact, I like using my ELF Studio Powder brush with this powder... it applies and blends products so well, that it really gives a fantastic 'general' glow, instead of a streak of gold down the side of my face. Park Avenue Princess gives the illusion that I've been out in the sun getting some vitamin D, when really - I haven't seen the sun in quite some time, haha. It's not too shimmery, but it's about as far as I'll go on the shimmer spectrum. Too much shimmer can go bad quite quickly on my skin texture and tone... but this is okay.


I don't know that I'd describe the powder itself as "whisper light," but it is incredibly light-weight on my skin, and blends really easily. It's hard to blend 'too much,' so you don't end up blending this right off your face, which is a nice feature. It's very smooth and doesn't apply patchy or cakey... though the swatch in the picture below appears a bit powdery... so long as you tap off your brush after dipping it in the powder, you won't have that problem on your face.

With flash.
Left: swatch, Right: swatch blended in 

The lasting power of this bronzer is pretty amazing. I don't notice it moving or fading nearly as quickly as some other powders I have do - which I really love.


As far as the 'healthy' benefits of this powder goes, I really can't say whether or not my skin feels more or less invigorated or conditioned. It feels about the same, really... 


Lately, I've really been enjoying it, since winter has sucked the life out of my skin - and I look sickly all the time. I like being glowy... it's a good look to rock. I don't know that I'd spend the $38 CDN for the full-size replacement when I run out... I can just as easily pop in at my MAC store and pick up a cheaper bronzer there... but while it lasts, I'm really impressed.


4 out of 5 stars.
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What's your favorite bronzer?? Do you prefer shimmery or matte face powders?