Tarte's Smooth Operator Foundation: A Review

I always loved Tarte Smooth Operator. I tried it a couple of years ago as a sample and loved it ever since. As a brand, they have great products that are also great for your skin. The price is a bit steep at $35, but who wouldn't want an oil-free foundation with an added sun protection?

One thing I instantly loved about this foundation is the way it felt on my skin. Even though it is oil-free, it has a creamier texture than other oil-free foundations that I have tried, and because of that, it is very moisturizing. It is because of their "water-in-silicone" formula, which says on the Tarte website, "blends into your skin as easily as a moisturizer." Also, I like that it is oil-free. It feels very light even with the creamy texture and does not make me oily.

The coverage is light. I tried layering it to get a heavier coverage that I need but I found that it does not work. The best thing to do is to just use a concealer over it for trouble spots. But, because of its yellowish color, I found that it covers dark circles very well, and if your biggest concern is the dark circles, you probably will not need a concealer over it.

I have seen a lot of reviews of this product saying that all the colors are too yellow for their skin, and it is true for me too. I was a bit surprised because I am an asian with yellow undertones. I use the shade veil, which is light. It matches me pretty well (NC25 for reference). But sometimes, it seems a bit too yellow even for me.

Another good thing about this has to be that this does not crease. A few weeks ago, I was very stressed out and had massive pores and almost every foundation that I had creased into my pores and made me look ridiculous. But, this was one of the only foundations that did not make me look silly. It made me look very natural, almost like I was not wearing any foundation.

One thing that I did not like about it was that it accentuates dry spots. I was pretty disappointed about this since it has a creamy texture, but as you know, almost every water-based foundation accentuates dry flakes. I figure the best thing for me to do is just exfoliate.

This is absolutely one of my favorite foundations. But, I don't think I will buy it again any time soon because I need more coverage nowadays because of my acne scars. Maybe, after my acne scars fade, I will choose to buy this again.