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??