I must say I was intrigued when I heard about Tarte’s BB Tinted Treatment Primer. Was it just another Western BB cream or was it more? Does it work better than my current Too Faced Primed & Poreless primer? Does it control oil or conceal my pores? So many questions so I decided to try to find the answers!
It feels very much like a primer going on the skin. It has that silicone-slip kind of feel as it glides over the skin (perhaps because it contains silicones?!). Skin looks instantly less shiny which always helps to minimize the look of pores. The feel reminds me quite a bit of the Urban Decay Pore Perfecting Primer when I first put it on. The main visible difference is that the Tarte BB Primer is, in fact, tinted. I chose the shade “Light” which is actually rather dark for a Light (does that make sense?). It blends nicely into my skin tone and I do not notice a shade difference, but for the fairest complexions it may be too dark (Light is their lightest shade). The coverage provided by the BB Primer is sheer to light. I would say the coverage is certainly more than a tinted moisturizer, but not quite as much as many Asian BB creams. QVC’s website claims that it is buildable, but I did not notice it helped much to add more to trouble spots. For a quick run out the door, this will help even out skin tone, but it is not going to camouflage any serious unevenness. It does look nicer than no coverage, but it is not going to work miracles to even out your skin tone. It is not a foundation after all!
Since this IS called a Primer, I tried it with my Urban
Decay Naked Foundation as well. My skin was already a bit more even in tone
from Tarte’s Primer, which allowed me to use a bit less foundation. I was
really curious how it stacked up to my Too Faced Primed & Poreless Primer
since that has been the best I found for disguising the craters on my cheeks
and forehead (I know I’m probably too critical, but I used to have invisible
pores!). If you are not one with a lot of uneven skin texture issues, than the
Tarte BB Primer would probably work brilliantly for you. I found it not quite as good as the Too Faced for
disguising my huge pores, but it did an admirable job – probably my second
choice for that particular issue.
I feel like the Tarte BB Primer DID help my foundation stay truer longer and the finish was quite nice, which the Primed & Poreless is not as good at. It did not completely mattify skin, but it does help a bit with controlling oil and, thus, I think it might be better than a standard BB cream for oilier skins. I do not think Tarte claims this Primer will control oil, but I felt like it helped a bit. For those dry skin girls, I think this would work quite well also because of its super silky, slick glide-on texture. It does not seem to add moisture, but I do not think it is going to emphasize or worsen dryness either. My only real complaint about the BB Primer is that it seemed to take a fair amount to cover my face. Maybe I just expected too much coverage from a thin application, but I felt like I had to use more product than I ordinarily would.
One particularly intriguing aspect of Tarte’s BB Tinted
Treatment Primer is that it contains Diamond Powder. I am not entirely sure
what this does, but I would guess it is to help create a more luminous finish
or to diffuse light? If you know what this is intended to do, please let me
know! It also uses mineral pigments and, as with all Tarte products, does not
contain parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium laurel sulfate or synthetic
fragrances. According to QVC’s website, it also utilizes Tarte’s Beyond BB
Complex, whatever that means! It is considered a moisturizer, primer and
foundation in one.
Overall, Tarte’s BB Tinted Treatment Primer seems like a very nice multi-purpose, multi-skin type makeup Primer. For my personal needs (read filling in pores), it would be my second choice, but if you are looking for a great primer to keep foundation true and long-lasting, or just want a quick wash of tint that actually helps to even out skin tone, the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer is definitely worth a try!
Tarte’s BB Tinted Treatment Primer retails for $34.00 and is currently only available on QVC.com.
For more information about Tarte Cosmetics, see my post here.
No Makeup
With Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer
With Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer &
Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation
