October 10, 2011

Tarte's Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Concealer Smoothes Away Dark Circles


A lot of my base choices lately have been connected to my trip to the Philippines (where I am now as you are reading this), so I needed a concealer that was going to keep up with humidity, high heat, and long days. I've read good things about Tarte's Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer online so I decided to head to Sephora and pick one up for myself.

Here's what Tarte has to say about this product:

What it is:
A waterproof concealer powered by Amazonian clay, nature's most perfect ingredient, to balance and soothe skin.


What it does:
This waterproof, full-coverage concealer combines the calming properties of vitamins A and E and the soothing quality of Amazonian clay to nourish while completely masking discolorations and imperfections for better looking skin. Amazonian clay acts as a total skin balances by reducing dryness and flakiness while improving the appearance and texture of skin for longer, waterproof wear! The buildable, full-coverage formula is rich in pigments for truer colour without a heavy or tacky texture, making it ideal for hiding any and all imperfections from dark circles to blemishes to redness. Designed for brush-free application, blending this creamy concealer with your finger allows the formula to melt into the skin for an easy application and opaque airbrushed effect. 


What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Phtalates


What else you need to know:
Skinvigorating™ benefits come from: Amazonian clay a nutrient-rich, multitasking and total skin-balancing clay that reduces dryness and flakiness, improves skin clarity, elasticity, firmness and texture while removing oil from the skin's surface for smooth application and wear; Vitamin E, a natural preservative that also acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient and protects against free radical damage; and mineral pigments known to soothe and soften the skin. 




Ok, so that's a lot of promises Tarte is making. It kind of makes me want to fly over to South America, head to the Amazon and proceed to slather Amazonian clay all over my skin... That sounds weird O_o.

I can't personally attest to all the "Skinbenefits™" Tarte claims but I do know one thing: Smooth Operator is a kickass concealer! The texture is uh-may-zing - it smoothes on so effortlessly and blends like a dream. It never looks cakey and never makes my dry under eyes look, well, dry (unlike MAC Studio Finish Concealer).

The packaging feels quite luxurious, with a cap that stays on very securely. It feels substantial on my hand - not flimsy, but not heavy either. The lovely packaging and the ingredients are probably the cause of its $22 USD / $27 CAD (that's totally an estimation) price tag; though I do wish you get more product. 0.07 oz is definitely not a lot of product and with its creamy nature, I'm finding that I'm going through one of these tubes quicker than I would like.



(The BEFORE photo doesn't do my dark circles justice - they are much worse than that!)

Nevertheless, Smooth Operator conceals my dark circles SO well. It's no miracle worker, by any means (at this point I think the only way to completely banish them is to get a skin transplant :p), but it works better than any concealer I've ever tried. Not only that, it also lasts long on the skin! Even when I find myself rubbing away any migrating product (usually mascara) from my under eye area, the concealer still stays put. Now, I can't say that absolutely no concealer gets removed, but it's definitely not noticeable. 

I've been loving this concealer since I first started using it in August and I'm so glad I was finally able to find something that would do a great job concealing and still be long-wearing. I haven't tried and tested a massive amount of concealers, far from it. So it might be a bit of a premature statement to make, but I'll make it anyway: Tarte Smooth Operator Concealer is definitely my favourite concealer!





Any fancy tricks for concealing dark circles?





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