Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush | Review.

When it comes to high quality blushes, Tarte often tops the list. Not surprisingly, these are the blushes that appear in most “best of” or “favourites” lists. I caved a long time ago and got the much hyped Tarte blush in Exposed, only to be let down because it didn’t swatch as pigmented as some bloggers have raved and claimed it to be. Despite that experience, any time Tarte puts out a value set that includes the blush, I eagerly snap it up like a hawk. Not to mention, ever since Tarte released their first, highly popular Off the Cuff palette in 2013, and continuing the tradition with the equally popular Tarte Pin Up Girl, I’ve gotten another chance to give these blushes a try.

I don’t have the largest Tarte Amazonian Clay blush collection out there, but I must say that despite my experience with “Exposed”, I am glad that I gave this brand another try! I currently own three full-sized blushes, a mini, and the Pin Up palette from the 2014 holiday collection.

With a vast range of shades, from the subtlest hint of pink to bright, in-your-face coral orange there is a colour suitable for every skintone. Tarte also comes out with new shades every once in a while, so there’s a myriad of options, even for the pickiest blush hoarder. Tarte’s blushes features a nutrient-rich, fade-free formula that lasts up to 12 hours.

Although there are colours in the range that may make you think “I could / would never wear that!” the beauty with Tarte’s formula is that it applies naturally on the skin in such a way that one can rock any shades, without it looking overdone. Despite how bright it looks in the pan, once applied on the cheeks, you get that true “blush from within” glow, similar to what you achieve with the Make Up For EverHD Blushes. The texture is fine without being too powdery. My preferred application tool for these blushes is the Real Techniques Multi-Task brush which picks up just the right amount of blush to transfer over to the cheeks.

Most of the time, I stick to the lighter, subtler hues as they are my preferred kind of colours on the cheeks. I work in a relatively conservative environment, so it’s quite rare that I would want to rock bright cheeks. However, I’ve tried a number of Tarte’s brighter blushes in the past, including Tipsy (a bright coral orange), and I still find those colours wearable, even for someone who has the most simplistic approach to blushes as me.

Despite all the great things that can be said about these blushes, I’m not particularly fond of the price. At $31 a piece, I consider this on the very high end spectrum of blushes. I typically wait closer to the holidays when Sephora offers 20% off, or when Tarte releases value sets like the blush palette to repurchase any old favourites.

Tarte’s blushes are also depotable, which makes it easy to transfer over to your own palette. You just tap the back of the blush to pop the magnetic pan out.

Now it’s your turn! Have you tried the famous Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes? What are your favourite shades? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share with me comment section or through Twitter or Instagram!