Alright, this is a product that I've been wanting to review for a while now because it's so amazing. But I guess that now that I've been using it for 3 months, I have a great idea of how it works for the long-haul: it has been through many types of weather and many days of scrutiny, so I know it can with stand the test of time.
This, my friends is Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer.
It is an all-natural product, free of parabens, preservatives, dyes, mineral oil and a ton more. Not normally one to stray far from my favorite, MAC, I actually was introduced to this primer by Sephora, who sent me a sample in one of my orders. Coincidentally, my sister also received one from her order, at about the same time. After just a couple of days, we conferred, and decided that this was one miracle product if we'd ever seen one.
It has a filmy, slightly opaque finish. Feels velvety when applied, and seems to fill in pores for a smooth, foundation-ready surface.
Here it is in a blob on my hand:
As you can tell, it is more matte, and while it is clear in color, it has a bit of the scotch tape effect.
And now, here it is spread out a little bit so you can kind of get an idea of what the texture is. Note that this is not, by any means, blended out. When blended on the face, it is completely invisible.
Why I love this product:
-I get a greasy face fast. However, I feel like with this primer, it staves off the grease a lot longer than with any other primer I've tried. My face looks great all day, even in to the evening.
-It can be worn under liquid/cream foundations OR powder/mineral foundations. Sometimes I find that powder + primer= huge mess, but not with this one. In fact, I find that it makes my mineral foundation look even and blotch free; it does not cake.
-It does not flake or dry up on the face. I've had this happen with some of the cult-fave primers. This one does not ever manifest itself in an unfortunate way. If I ever apply a little too much, it doesn't seem to adversely affect the way my makeup looks.
What I would change:
-The packaging is a little unfortunate. It is small (1.16 fl oz) and kind of hard to get product out. After the first few uses, it takes a lot of strength to squeeze the rest out, even though it appears as though there is a good amount left.
-The price is kind of steep: $27 for as I said, 1.16 fl oz. However, Tarte occasionally has friends and family sales (last one was 30% off), but I'm not sure how frequent these are.
Despite the logistics of the product marketing, the actual product has been a life saver to me this summer. Living in Alaska (on the coast, no less), I have experienced cold, wet and windy weather, but I've also experienced hot, humid, 90-degree weather. I've had only the best experience with this product in all situations. And yes, I've been using it now for 3 months, so it definitely works the same the 50th time as it does the first time. :)
