tarte CC Color-Correcting Tinted Serum: which of the six shades is yours

My verdict

The thing worth knowing before you buy is that the shade is an undertone decision, not a depth decision. Six shades, three lighter and three deeper, and inside each group the split is undertone. I wear medium. It is a tinted serum rather than a foundation, so it softens tone while it does skincare work instead of sitting on top of your pores. Light coverage. If you want something that erases, this is the wrong product and no shade will fix that.

How I use it

Swatch it, blend it, then walk away for a minute. It settles, and the stripe straight out of the tube lies to you.
Match your undertone first, depth second. Off depth blends out, wrong undertone never does.
A few dots over moisturiser, pressed in with fingers, not buffed like a foundation.
Over the areas I actually want evened out rather than the whole face.
Skip powder on top unless you need it. The point of it is that it reads like skin.

Who this is for

Anyone who wants tone evened out without full coverage, people who break out under foundation, and anyone who has been guessing their shade from the name alone.

Who this is not for

Full coverage wearers, anyone trying to cover active breakouts completely, and very oily skin that hates a dewy finish.

Questions I get about it

How do I pick my shade?

Undertone first. Light is fair with a peach to neutral undertone, medium is tans easily with a neutral undertone, tan is a strong olive undertone. Rich suits light to olive, deep suits caramel to brown on warm or olive undertones, and espresso is the deepest.

Is it a foundation?

No. It is a tinted serum, so the coverage is light on purpose. It evens tone and leaves texture visible.

What if I am between two shades?

Take the one that matches your undertone. A shade slightly off in depth still blends. One that fights your undertone goes grey or orange no matter what you do.