Literal Miracle Product for Redness

I think we all hold out hope for miraculous beauty products even though, deep down, most of us have a sinking feeling that there’s no such thing.

But don’t get it twisted ladies, because all beauty products are certainly not created equally. In the last couple of years, I’ve made the grudging transition from drug store beauty to more high-end and high-quality items. And I have to say that, generally, they do a better job.

And the older you get, the more it matters. By the time you reach your mid 30s, you realize that most of the cheap stuff acts and looks cheap on your skin. Not cute.

I deliver this preamble only to explain why I wasn’t laughing and quickly backing away from a $52 cream that promised to neutralize AND improve sensitive, red skin.

Fair-Skinned Maidens

As a fair-skinned maiden of Irish and French descent, I’ve always dealt with a good deal of ruddiness in my skin. I don’t have rosacea and I’m very lucky to have never struggled with serious acne, but I still frequently find myself trying desperately to neutralize the red in my skin so I can get a nice, even tone before applying the rest of my makeup.

Good, full-coverage foundations and concealers do the trick, but I hate that I have to use a bunch and risk getting that yucky cakey look. I even use green-toned primers and they may do a tiny bit of neutralizing but even the pricey Smashbox one doesn’t do much in terms of color correcting.

Enter The Tiger Grass 

On some beauty blog or another, I came across Dr. Jart+ Cicapair ™ Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment and then proceeded to read several reviews where people raved about it and claimed it could even take the place of foundation. Pssshyeah right! I was dubious but I decided to order the small size for $18 to see what all the fuss was about.

It would be an understatement to say I was happily surprised the first time I tried it. This thick cream has a bit of a sunscreen consistency (which makes sense since it boasts SPF 30) and goes on green but quickly turns to a light beige on your skin.

I was pretty much in awe as I applied it – my whole face immediately had a more even, neutral tone. Most of the redness was pretty much gone and my skin had a lovely, moisturized, dewy finish. My first thought was, “Ummm, do I really need foundation?” Yep, it’s that good. In the first picture below is me after a hot shower (redness city) post moisturizer and in the second picture, I’ve just applied the Dr. Jarts all over. And just for good measure, I did pictures after some foundation and concealer and then after the rest of my makeup.

If I were just doing a quick, natural makeup look I would absolutely skip the foundation. Just add a little concealer where you need it, some blush or bronzer, mascara and lip gloss and you’ve got that fresh-faced, no-makeup look that’s so hot right now. Plus your skin won’t look like it’s under 8 layers of makeup.

And the best part? This stuff is actually really good for your skin, so you’re not just camouflaging, you’re treating. The most badass ingredient, of course, is tiger grass. This is a real plant that tigers in Asia would roll around in to help heal their battle wounds.

From my brief research, I’ve gathered that it should be used after your normal skincare routine. I err on the side of more moisture, so I use my normal moisturizer as well but this probably could stand in for it if you’ve got oily skin. But I have been skipping my primer when I use this. If you’re going to try it, I’d suggest experimenting with what works for your skin.

If you decide to put Dr. Jart’s Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment to the test, let me know how you like it!