Review: Tarte’s Smooth Operator (Micronized Clay Finishing Powder)

I purchased Tarte's Smooth Operator (Micronized Clay Finishing Powder) over a year ago at Sephora because I was looking for something that would help reduce the oil sheen on my face. At the time I was using Urban Decay’s De-Slick, but I still needed a little bit of help since I have oily skin and the more the merrier (product to help minimize the oil – not the oil itself!).

  
One of the girls at Sephora recommended I pick this product up because she said she used it all the time. So I purchased it and have absolutely LOVED it ever since. This product now comes in a bronze matte color, but when I purchased this the translucent white finishing powder was all that was available in the line. I believe it was a month after purchasing the bronze came out and I was considering going back to Sephora and exchanging it for the bronze, but I didn’t because I knew I loved the translucent and wasn’t sure I’d love the bronze.


Price:
This product retails for $28. You can get it for a discounted price on the Tarte website when they are running a sale, which sometimes go as low as 30% off.

Size:
You get a decent amount of product in the container = 0.32 oz.

Product:
The product is a micronized clay finishing powder. It’s made with Amazonian clay which a lot of Tarte’s products are now made from (particularly their blush line) due to this the product is known to last and to last all day. The product is colorless (unless you get the bronze and it’s tinted to a bronze color) and is made to mattify and minimize the size of your pores. According to Tarte’s research it’s supposed to minimize your pores by 20% after a four-week period.

Purchase:
This item is available for purchase on Sephora’s website/stores, Ulta’s website/stores and Tarte’s website. It might also be for sale on some discount beauty websites – but I am not sure of any.

Overall:
I give this product 4.5 stars and would recommend this to anyone who’s in the market for a finishing powder or even a powder which is going to mattify and help minimize the size of their pores. It really does a great job at helping reduce the amount of oil sheen on my face. I admit there are some days where I’m oilier than the next and I could use another application of this (but I’m talking 6-7 hours later).

A little of this product goes a long way. When you first open Smooth Operator there is a small hole at the center of the pot., I leave the cover on and turn it over and give the bottom one small pop or even shake it and it shakes a bit of product into the cap. I swirl a powder brush into the powder and then apply on my face. Quick and simple. If you apply a lot of powder onto the blush you will notice the white on your face, but just buff it out and it’s translucent!

I’ve purchased “translucent powder” in the past that has made me look like a ghost – so I give this one two huge thumbs up for being exactly what it states it is.

Have you tried Tarte’s Smooth Operator? Or would you?

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