I have become a fan of Tarte cosmetics, and recently bought their Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow. This product was, at least for a short time, exclusive to Ulta stores. I picked the Slate shade, as its slightly silvery taupe shade was right up my alley. Plus I'm a cream eyeshadow junkie, so this was a no-brainer for me.


Product Details:

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow is a cream eyeshadow that comes in a small, square, clear glass pot. The top of the pot is round, though; just the bottom is square. It has a shimmery cocoa brown-colored plastic lid that screws off and on. The pot contains .10 oz. of shadow, which is about average for a cream eyeshadow in a pot.

The Slate shade is described by Tarte as a "shimmering silver" shade but it's more of a taupe shade with silver shimmer than it is an actual silver shade.

From TarteCosmetics.com: Powered by skin-smart Amazonian clay, micronized Amazonian clay intensifies color pigments while working double-duty as a primer, which binds the pigment to the skin so it won't slide off midday. Thanks to a botanical blend of natural plant waxes, the shadows glide on smooth and form a budge-proof layer that protects against sweat, tears, and creasing for hours of wear time. Not only is it super long-wearing, but it covers delicate eyelids with Amazonian clay, carnauba wax, mineral pigments, and vitamins A and E.

In addition to the Slate shade, this eyeshadow also comes in four other shades: Seashell Pink, Plum Smoke, Shimmering Bronze and Shimmering Moss.


Ingredients (taken from TarteCosmetics.com):

Isododecane, mica, dimethicone, polyethylene, disteardimonium hectorite, candelilla cera/euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax/cire de candelilla, cera carnauba/copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax/cire de carnauba, squalane, hydrogenated polyisobutene, lecithin, kaolin, barium sulfate, propylene carbonate, trihydroxystearin, tocopherol, tocopheryl acetate, retinyl palmitate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, phenoxyethanol, titanium dioxide (CI 77891), iron oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499). (+/-): Yellow 5 lake (CI 19140).


My Experience:

I wasn't sure what to expect from a product containing Amazonian clay, as I didn't know much about it and clay, to me, seemed to be a drying ingredient since I've heard of clay as an ingredient in masks and other products for oily skin. As it turns out, I like the addition of the Amazonian clay to this eyeshadow, because it does neutralize oiliness on the eyelids.

First, I like the packaging of Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow. I like "old school" packaging such as glass instead of plastic - glass has a higher quality feel and doesn't get beat up in my makeup bag like plastic containers do. The little eyeshadow pot is also small and compact and fits nicely into a small purse and doesn't take up a lot of room in my makeup bag.

This eyeshadow is applied with your finger. It doesn't come with an applicator, so your finger or a cream eyeshadow brush are your only options. I opt for using my fingers instead of a brush, as it's fast and easy and I don't have a brush to clean. The eyeshadow is creamy and smooth, and a little goes a long way. One sweep across the top of the eyeshadow pot gets enough on my finger to apply to about 1/3 of my eyelid. I do have to dip my finger back in two more times to get enough to cover my eyelid. If you want a bit of a lighter or more sheer look, you can definitely spread the eyeshadow thinner on your eyelid. But I don't like a sheer or lighter look and tend to put this on a bit heavy-handed because the shade is more of a light to medium shade. The color is buildable to an extent, but it's only going to get so dark before there is no difference no matter how much you apply. You can get it to a medium shade by applying just two "coats".

The look of this eyeshadow is very smooth. I love the smooth, shimmery finish. To me, there is no better look for my eyelids than a cream eyeshadow. These types of shadows have a shimmer and smoothness that I can't get from powder eyeshadows. The color is really a gorgeous color and is great for daytime or evening wear. The taupe shade is light to medium, and the silvery shimmer gives this plenty of shimmer without being too shimmery or downright glittery.

One of the best things about Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow is that it doesn't crease. I wear this for 12+ hours and it never creases. This is a MUST for a cream eyeshadow, as there are plenty of cream eyeshadows out there (mostly drugstore brands) that are useless because they crease, which takes eyeshadow away from the lids, so the color fades away a lot faster. My eyelids can get slightly oily as the day wears on, and the cream foundation I wear doesn't help. This eyeshadow seems to help control the oil on my eyelids as well (probably the Amazonian clay ingredient). It definitely doesn't make my eyelids or the surrounding area dry, which alleviates my concerns about clay being an ingredient in this product.

Tarte claims that this product is waterproof. I don't have much need for a waterproof eyeshadow, so I'm not sure if it's truly waterproof. I haven't noticed it wearing off at all if my eyes water, so I would bet it is waterproof.

This eyeshadow is really a great product and is one that I will buy again. It is in my regular rotation of eyeshadows and the Slate shade is a neutral shade that goes with anything. In addition, this eyeshadow is also made in the USA!


Price and Purchasing Information:

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow is $19 and can be found online at Sephora.com, Ulta.com and TarteCosmetics.com. It can also be purchased at Sephora and Ulta brick and mortar stores.

Recommended: Yes