October 11, 2013

Tarte Amazonian Clay Volumizing Brow Powder in Medium Brown - pics, before & after, swatch, review

Hello, Beautiful!

I love trying new brow products, and Tarte recently launched a new brow product on QVC called the Amazonian Clay Volumizing Brow Powder. It's exclusive to QVC until January 31, 2014. I've been playing around with it for a little - I'm not exactly sold on it yet, especially compared to previous Tarte brow products that I have and have loved a lot. The shade, Medium Brown, is much different than their other Medium Brown shades but it still works for me (it's more of an ashy brown). This brow powder also can be used on your scalp to fill in bald spots or sparse areas. Includes a duo-ended brush: one side for the brows and one side for applying to scalp. Check out my full review below, including all the product info and even a comparison to their other brow products I own, after the pics!

Tarte
Amazonian Clay Volumizing Brow Powder
Shade: Medium Brown












Tarte Amazonian Clay Volumizing Brow Powder Info & Review:
Cost/Availability: $38.00 - although currently at a featured price of $34.56 (price for 0.10 oz full size brow powder & duo-ended brush). Currently only available on the QVC website -- this product is exclusive to QVC until January 31, 2014 - after that time I'm assuming you'll be able to find this on the Tarte website, at Sephora, at Ulta and other retailers that sell Tarte.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Kisses

Tarte's Amazonian Clay Volumizing Brow Powder is a brow powder infused with nature's most perfect ingredient: Amazonian Clay. Fills in sparse eyebrows to create a naturally defined arch without any harsh lines. The finely milled powder creates a soft, weightless finish for the look of fuller, beautiful brows.

Apply using the included precision brush, using the brow liner end, to achieve a professionally styled look at home. Since this unique formula mimics the appearance and texture of natural hair, it can also be used on the scalp to blend away roots and create the appearance of volume for thinning hair.

This brow powder is sold to also include a duo-ended bamboo brow brush: one side for your brows and the other side for your scalp.

Currently available in four shades: Blonde, Medium Brown, Rich Brown, and Grey.

I was really excited to get this, as I've really liked all of Tarte's brow products previously and they've been some of my go-to, most reliable brow products. I ordered it without hesitation, in the same shade I've ordered previous Tarte brow products in, Medium Brown. When it arrived I was a little shocked at the color difference compared to their other Medium Brown brow product shades. This Medium Brown was very much more ashy in tone, more of a cooler undertone, which actually works out good for me still but may not work for everyone who previously used Tarte's other Medium Brown shades who like/need that warmer brown. I also found it to be a bit lighter/softer in tone on my skin.

If you go back to my blog posts on the other Tarte brow products you will see the difference in tone between the Medium Brown shades and this Medium Brown Shade. There are two with the "Medium Brown" shade name: Tarte emphasEYES for Brows Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Pencil in Medium Brown and Tarte emphasEYES Waterproof Amazonian Clay Brow Mousse in Medium Brown. Then there is the Tarte The Brow Architect in Medium-Tan - which I got in a kit from QVC, but it's still closer in shade to the Medium Brown of the pencil and mousse than this powder.

The effect is very soft yet defined brows - very natural, soft looking brows. But if you have very sparse brows, or bald spots, you may still feel like you need to use a pencil first to kind of shape and define/make little hair strokes, then fill in with this powder.

In the before & after pic I show my brows using this powder alone and you can see how it doesn't look all that natural in the very sparse areas (although keep in mind it is a very close-up pic and looks better in person). When I use this powder in everyday life I will use a pencil first, then apply this powder.

I don't find it really volumizing at all - I don't see any effect as far as it "mimics the appearance and texture of natural hair". To me, it's just a brow powder. I do find that when it applies over my brow hair it makes those hairs look a bit more full-bodied, but also a bit powdery too (but when I set my brows with a brow gel that goes away or if you comb through with a spooley brush).

This comes with a duo-ended brush, and I think it's a nice brush but I prefer another one of my angled brushes to apply this powder as I feel the angled end of this brush is very soft. The other end is intended to use on your scalp but I don't really have a need for that. However, I do like the shape of the other end and think I will use this brush more to contour my nose or even for my eyeshadows. I also think when you have a brow product you need a spooley brush to help blend and comb the product through, and while I have spooley brushes of my own, I still prefer if one is coming with the product to have everything I need to use it - know what I mean?


Here is a comparison of all four Tarte brow products I have:






Overall, I'm still on the fence with this product. I like it because the tone is more of an ashy/cool toned rather than a warm tone, which sometimes can look odd on me - but it's a little weak to wear on its own for me, unless I want a very soft brow look. For a more defined look I have to use a pencil with this, but I don't mind.

It's really high in price too for a brow powder. Yes, it does include a brush but a lot of time you're paying for the product itself and they make it seem like a bigger value because of the brush but you pretty much don't pay for it (did I even make sense trying to explain that, lol). Tartes brow products have always been less -- with their Brow Mousse selling for $28, their Brow Pencil selling for $19.50 on its own (was $28 for a duo awhile ago on QVC), and even their Brow Architect is selling for $32 for TWO pencils on QVC. With that being said, this is the most expensive brow product Tarte has come out with and I'm not even sure it's worth the price. I still really love the Palladio Brow Powder, which is just $6 and does an incredible job. In fact, I think it may be a dupe for this and I would recommend that one over the Tarte.

I really love Tarte products - and have been a huge fan of their brow products - but this one may just be one not for me. My current brow routine has been three products: Anastasia Brow Wiz in Brunette, Palladio Brow Powder in Brown, and Eyeko Brow Gel. Even though I love trying new products - and will continue to try more - I think I'll stick with my current routine and pull out this Tarte brow powder every now and then. Who knows, maybe in a few weeks or a few months I'll end up loving this but right now I'm right in the middle, slightly leaning more towards the like it side. Either way, check it out because if you don't have very sparse brows like I do, or just want a softer brow look, then this may be great for you!

Now let me know what you think...
What do you think of this brow product? Have you tried this or is this on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.

2 comments:

  1. I find that funny and very gimmicky that they would throw in the word "volumizing" in a brow powder. Other than that I like how natural it looks on your brows. What contacts are you wearing on the last pictures? Looks nice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @ Pang Ly: I agree that it can seem gimmicky - especially from a powder that seems and feels like any other powder. The contacts are prescription - I completely forget the brand, maybe Acuvue? The color I know is Sterling Gray.

    ReplyDelete

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