I came across this foundation at the start of 2019 and I just have to share as it’s pretty good, easy to get a hold of, and perfect for those of you who want a long-lasting, easy to wear foundation.
Tarte has been one of my long-time favourite brands, although I did stop using it for a while there while I was 100% natural makeup only. While it’s definitely not a natural brand, they do include natural extracts and don’t use parabens, SLS, phthalates and triclosan (the nastiest chemicals). Their formulations are also cruelty-free and hypoallergenic. Some of their products do still contain some ingredients I’d rather avoid, but for the most part, they are definitely better than many other brands out there. Many of their products also score really low on the EWG Skin Deep database which is good.
For basically all of 2019 this foundation was my go-to (until I became rather obsessed with the Lust Minerals Pro Finish, which I will review shortly!). Tarte Face Tape is a medium to full coverage foundation that offers a matte finish. I’m not a huge fan of matte finishes usually, but this one is really nice and actually looks really natural when blended correctly. It is very hydrating for a matte foundation, and instead of leaving skin looking dull and flat, it’s matte but also bright and luminous. It’s also amazing at smoothing and evening out your skin, to provide an absolutely flawless finish.
I’ve tried applying this with both a brush and a foundation sponge and sponge definitely wins. This tends to not blend brilliantly when applied with a brush and can look a little streaky and is harder to blend well. I’ve used both a Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques Foundation sponge and both give a flawless and natural looking finish. The trick to applying this foundation well is to make sure your sponge is damp and dab and roll to blend and press the foundation into the skin.
The below photos are before and after. I have used no other makeup on my face yet – just the Tarte Face Tape Foundation.
For a full coverage foundation, it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin, and I’ll be honest, I totally forgot I was wearing it during the day! Some foundations can be so heavy and cakey, but this one just feels like skin, so that’s definitely a bonus!
It’s also really long wearing. I wore mine for 10 hours yesterday, and by the end of the day it still looked flawless. The foundation hadn’t moved or transferred (and I had been wearing sunglasses a good chunk of the day), or settled in to any lines. I feel like this foundation would be fab for people who have oily skin, as it also controls oil beautifully. I sometimes can get a bit shiny on my nose and forehead towards the end of the day, but I had not even the tiniest amount of shine after the full 10 hours. Pretty impressive.
Face Tape comes in 50 different shades, with 5 undertones (beige, neutral, honey, sand & golden), which is fantastic. I opted for the shade Fair-Light Neutral #16, which is the absolute perfect shade for my natural skin tone. I had no clue what shade I’d be and buying online can be a bit tricky, but Sephora’s Foundation Matcher was actually really spot on for me!
#16 Fair-Light Neutral is perfectly neutral, and to be honest, it’s quite nice to find a foundation which doesn’t lean either too far warm or too far cool! With 50 shades to choose from, I’d like to hope that most people could find a shade that suited them.
If you are on the hunt for an everyday full coverage foundation, then you really can’t go past this one. I’m super impressed and I actually really enjoy wearing this one. It makes my skin look absolutely flawless, both in person and in photos, and doesn’t offer up any white cast in pictures. You can grab this foundation from Sephora here.
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