Tarte BB tinted treatment 12-hour primer

“BB tinted treatment 12-hour primer
Broad Spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen”

What I am looking for in a BB cream:  When testing and purchasing a BB cream I look for a product that provides moisture, even skin texture and tone, with sunscreen and skincare benefits.  I want something that will let me use less products in my morning routine, especially in the summer when I dont want a bunch of layers on my face.

My skin type: Combination (Oily in t-zone, dry in cheek area)

My skin concerns: Controlling oil without drying skin, keeping my skin youthful and radient, minimizing pores, evening skin tone.

The Product (as stated on their website): 

“Indulge your skin with tarte’s innovative BB tinted treatment primer, a powerful multi-tasker that works as a primer, moisturizer, light foundation, anti-aging treatment and sunscreen to give you a youthful-looking glow.

Product Performance: Indulge and nourish your skin with tarte’s innovative BB tinted treatment which offers multiple skincare and makeup benefits in one eco-chic tube. This powerfully pure formula not only works as a skin-soothing treatment, but as a moisturizer, sunscreen, primer and foundation that visibly improves skin’s overall appearance for a youthful-looking glow. This 12-hour longwear, anti-aging, oil-free tinted treatment primer offers light-to-medium buildable coverage that helps even skin tone and conceals discoloration, acne and other skin imperfections. The creamy, silky formula goes on smooth, hydrates skin and blends easily leaving you with a natural, flawless finish while the broad-spectrum, chemical-free SPF 30 offers ideal protection from the sun’s harmful UVA/UVB rays.

Powered By: tripleB complex: a proprietary blend of natural diamond powder, plants and lipoamino acids that diffuses light and minimizes the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pores while improving the appearance of skin luminosity

Broad-spectrum, chemical-free SPF 30 offers ideal protection from the sun’s harmful UVA/UVB rays.”

Ingredient list: (from their website)

1 oz/ 30ml

Active Ingredients: titanium dioxide 4.55%, zinc oxide 3.50%

Fair Inactive Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, isododecane, mica, polysilicone-11, polymethylsilsesquioxane, hexyl laurate, PEG-10 dimethicone, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, stearic acid, cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, alumina, triethoxycaprylylsilane, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, diamond powder, iron oxides.
Light Inactive Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, isododecane, polysilicone-11, mica, polymethylsilsesquioxane, hexyl laurate, PEG-10 dimethicone, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, stearic acid, cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, alumina, triethoxycaprylylsilane, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, diamond powder, iron oxides.
Medium Inactive Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, isododecane, polysilicone-11, mica, polymethylsilsesquioxane, hexyl laurate, PEG-10 dimethicone, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, stearic acid, cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, alumina, triethoxycaprylylsilane, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, diamond powder, iron oxides.
Deep Inactive Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, isododecane, polysilicone-11, mica, polymethylsilsesquioxane, hexyl laurate, PEG-10 dimethicone, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, stearic acid, cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, alumina, triethoxycaprylylsilane, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, diamond powder, iron oxides.

formulated without parabens, formulated without mineral oil, formulated without  phthalates, formulated without sodium lauryl sulfates, formulated without synthetic fragrances, formulated without gluten.

My thoughts:  I love Tarte cosmetics; Their ingredients are safe, their products work, and they have an amazing color selection. Therefore, I was really looking forward to trying their BB cream, as I have been on the hunt for the perfect BB cream for a while now and loved the idea of one with mostly natural ingredients from a brand I enjoy.

I tried the “Light” shade out of the four shades they offer (Fair, Light, Medium, and Dark). In the morning after washing my face I used the BB cream without  a moisturizer or a sunscreen underneath, as this was supposed to provide those benefits in addition to coverage.  Immediately I was put off by how “siliconey” (Yes, I just made up this word) this product felt.   I should have known it was going to be a silicone bomb based on the fact that it is called a BB primer, but the silicone texture of this product actually left my skin looking and feeling more dry than before I put it on.   Throughout the day my skin felt semi dry, even in the T-zone.  I also noticed some flakeyness.  The good news was that I didnt have any oil in the t-zone area all day, but the dryness of the product left my skin looking a bit aged, and as stated before, flakey.  From the distance my skin looked flawless, because the product did smooth out my pores and evened my skin tone without looking matte.  But, the dryness make my skin look horrible when looked at closer.

Sometimes heavy silicone products break me out, but this did not break me out after a few uses.  The product did last all day, and the color blended well with my light to medium light skin tone.  The formula from a distance left my skin looking natural and not dewy nor matte.

Pros: 

– Leaves a great finish

– Good for a light to medium-light coverage

– Is also a primer which smooths out pores

– Ingredients are better than other comparable products (even though they are not all natural)

– Did not make me oily

– Did not break me out

– The colors seem to blend well

Cons:

– Leaves skin dry, flakey and aged looking

– Is loaded with silicones (all BB creams I have tried have silicones but this had a lot more)*

Overall:  I would not recommend this to those who are looking to wear only this product, as I felt I needed a moisturizer underneath, even with my oily t zone.  Worn with some sort of moisturizer on those who do not have dry skin, this product may be a good option for a natural look with semi-natural ingredients. In addition, this product may do well in wet and humid environments.

*Note: I tend to avoid skin and hair products with silicones. I will cover the details of why in another post.