Hello, beauties!
I adore highlighters. I never miss a chance to apply it over my skin, even if I wear daytime nude makeup. In general, I can’t say that I’m into delicate highlighters. I think I love those which are visible from orbit. 
I just can’t do anything about it.
Today I’m here to bring you my review of the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Highlighter, which I don’t know how to treat, really. I can say it for sure that this is the only product in my makeup collection which I both love and hate at the same time.
I call it “my little sly”. It doesn’t want to find its way to the garbage and always tries to bribe me…
I love mini samples because they help us to save money and not to splurge on a full sized product. They are just to understand whether we like this or that product. I’m really happy that I have a mini of this highlighter. If it was the full size for $29, I’d be really frustrated…
Packaging:
Absolutely plain plastic compact without mirror inside. The full size has it, by the way.
The weight of the product in my mini is 2.2g and that’s really a lot. This size will surely go a long way.
Shade:
The collection comes with 3 shades of the product. Mine isn’t the fairest. I opted for the second shade which is called Stunner.
The shade itself looks amazing! It’s cool-toned and a tad pearlescent and there’s even a hint of champagne to it, which doesn’t make it look warmer but makes it more sophisticated and golden-based.
The only disadvantage about this highlighter, which is absolutely crucial for it, is that gray base. In the swatches you can witness it, though not so brightly. In life, it looks even more vibrant and visible of course.
On my hand:
Aroma:
It’s there and I have to say that it’s pleasant. Sweet and confectionery and I can feel it only if I place it really close to my nose. During application, the smell of the product vanishes and I can never feel it from that time on.
Texture:
The highlighter is chunky by touch, though it still feels soft. The pigmentation is insane and I can see that it was created on purpose to make the product visible and super glowing. The pigment itself seems to be thick and intense. Even if you apply the product with the thinnest layer, it’ll still look vibrant on the skin.
If you’re into subtle and subdued delicate highlighter glow, then this product is a definite toss for you.
Well, aside from the gray base, this highlighter has actually got one more flaw. And that it the grain of the product.
The product doesn’t look to be nicely grained, that’s why it willingly accentuates all my skin fine lines and it is sure to settle into my pores.
You’ll probably want to say that all highlighters are famous for accentuating skin texture. And I partly agree with you. However, there are still some exceptions. For instance, the Soft&Gentle Highlighter by MAC really makes my skin look photoshopped and smoothed out. Here, this highlighter does absolutely the opposite.
Wear time:
Here I want to assess the product with 10 stars out of 5. I mean it! It’s able to stay on for 12 hours, without any hint of losing its pigmentation. It always looks as though I've just applied it or touched-up.
In my makeup:
I really like the way it looks in pictures. It is so alluring in the shots when the light is refracted. It appears visible literally from orbit by the right angle.
The shade is vibrant and appealing, but that gray base is killing me. My skin texture seems to be accentuated so much, that I already hate this Amazonian Clay 12-hour Highlighter for showing me all that.
I use my favorite Zoeva 105 brush for its application, which is goat bristled. Honestly, I don’t think that it’s the best highlighter brush ever. However, it’s better not try to apply this Amazonian Clay 12-hour Highlighter with natural-bristled brushes at all.
The highlighter is camera-friendly, but in life it looks terrible. It not only looks gray, but it also looks sort of dusty.
In life one can easily detect gray stripes on my face, which aren’t detectable in pictures.
It turned out to be tough for me to show you the way this Amazonian Clay 12-hour Highlighter looks in life through the camera. But take my word, the gray base of the product is so active that it really stops me from wearing it at all.
To top it off, the product is almost impossible to blend out. It always remains applied with a gray shiny stripe on my face. I’ve tried to catch the gray base here and this is what I managed to get:
By trial and error, I’ve found the way how to make this Amazonian Clay 12-hour Highlighter look more or less bearable on my skin…
I use the cheapest synthetic brush to apply it and blend out over my cheekbones with light circular motions. This is the result I get (by the daylight):
Can you see those shining stripes? I can’t blend them out at all… I can try to blend them out for a very long time, yet the results will still look the same.
The shade is a total failure. I can’t think of a person who’ll find it flattering. But I know that the collection also offers a lighter shade, maybe that one will look better.
Cons:
Gray shade
It SEVERELY accentuates my skin relief
The coverage is too thick for a highlighter
It’s impossible to blend out
Pros:
The longevity is impressive
The glow looks amazing (besides that nasty gray base)
It’s highly packed with the pigment
I don’t recommend this highlighter for purchasing. There are many other decent highlighters in the market which look a hundred percent better than this one. I can’t even use it as an eyeshadow, because the color looks utterly ugly and it terribly accentuates my eyelid's skin texture.
Thanks a million for your attention!
