Is the tarte CC serum a foundation? No, and here is what it actually is
It is not a foundation. It is a tinted serum that goes on white and then adapts to your undertone, which is why it reads like skin instead of like makeup sitting on top of skin.
· by Aerely Chacón
When I first heard someone say "this is not a foundation, this is skincare" I thought that was the silliest marketing line I had ever heard. I was wrong, and the difference is not just wording. It changes how you apply it, how much you use, and who it works for.
CC Color-Correcting Tinted Serum
Tinted serum in six shades that adapt to your undertone. I wear medium. It reads like skincare on the skin, not like a foundation sitting on top of it.
Video transcript
This is for my ADHD girls that are chronically running late but are way too insecure to leave the house without makeup on. I'm not even gonna say anything, just watch. Did y'all see the acne, the redness I had before? When I first heard that one girl said this is not foundation, this is skincare, I thought she was foolish. I'm gonna be completely honest. Like how does it go on white but then completely adapt to your skin tone? Oh my God, I got it in my eye. Can you guys tell I actually do have raging ADHD? I'm just trying to look like I have a full beat of makeup on in less than 20 seconds. I never claimed to be a pro at this, I'm just trying to look like I have my life together. Unless you've been living under a rock, this is tarte's new color correcting serum. Again, it's not a foundation. With all the good skincare ingredients you would want, and it doesn't feel cakey at all, which I love. If running late but still looking good was a crime, arrest me. This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but as someone that literally has oily acne prone skin, as you guys can see, I turn into a grease ball, so I'm just gonna take this. Tarte put their most viral creaseless powder into a brush and added an SPF to it. Genius. Watch this. Oh my gosh. Immediately creaseless, seamless under eye. I get extremely oily in my T-zone. From one sweaty girl to another, I really appreciate how this sets my makeup in for up to 12 hours. And boom, full face SPF and a husband that's not yelling at me because I'm actually out the door on time. I will take this duo over a cakey full face of makeup any day, because Lord knows I'm too lazy in the first place to even do that.
So what is it if it is not a foundation?
A foundation is pigment matched to your shade and laid over your skin. This is a serum with skincare ingredients in it that happens to carry colour. That is why it goes on in a thin layer and why you cannot build it up into full coverage no matter how much you keep adding. If you are expecting it to hide everything, you will be disappointed. If you are expecting your skin to look like your skin on a good day, that is the actual promise.
Why does it go on white?
Because the colour has not activated yet. You press it in and it adapts to your undertone as it blends, so the white you see on your fingers is not the shade you end up with. Give it a few seconds before you judge it. The mistake I see most is people panicking at the white stage and wiping it off, or piling on more because they think it is not working.
Does it actually cover acne and redness?
It evens redness out really well. Texture is a different question. Raised spots are still going to be raised, because a thin tinted layer does not fill anything in, and honestly nothing that thin will. What it does is take the angry red down so the spot reads as skin rather than as a red mark, which for me is the part that made me stop reaching for foundation on normal days.
Who should skip it?
Skip it if you want full coverage, genuinely. If you like a full face and you feel best in one, this will feel like nothing and you will be annoyed. Skip it too if you are matching a very specific shade for a photoshoot, because adapting shades are brilliant for everyday and less predictable under hard lighting. And if you have very dry, flaky skin, get your moisturiser sorted first, because a thin layer will cling to flakes and show them.
What do I set it with?
I use tarte's creaseless powder in their brush version with SPF built in, which I am not linking here because I could not find the exact one on Amazon and I am not going to send you to a lookalike. Any powder you already trust will do the job. The reason I set it at all is that I get oily through my T zone by the middle of the day, and a tinted serum has nothing in it to hold that back on its own.
Honest summary: this is for the days you want to look like you slept well and you have about twenty seconds. It is not for the days you want a full beat. Those are two different products and the tinted serum only fails when you ask it to be the other one.
Products in this post
CC Color-Correcting Tinted Serum
Tinted serum in six shades that adapt to your undertone. I wear medium. It reads like skincare on the skin, not like a foundation sitting on top of it.
Questions I get about this
Is the tarte CC serum a foundation?
No. It is a tinted serum with skincare ingredients that carries colour. It gives light, skin like coverage and cannot be built up to full coverage the way a foundation can.
Why does the tarte CC serum come out white?
The colour has not adapted yet. It adjusts to your undertone as you blend it in, so the white on your fingers is not the shade you finish with. Press it in and give it a few seconds.
Does it cover acne?
It takes redness down well, so spots read as skin rather than as red marks. It does not cover texture, because a thin tinted layer does not fill anything in.
Do I need to set it?
Only if you get oily. A tinted serum has nothing in it to hold oil back, so if you go shiny through the T zone a powder on top is what makes it last.
Watch the original: TikTok