Tarte Shape Tape Concealer (in 3 different colours)
If you have watched at least one makeup tutorial on YouTube, you probably know of this concealer. A lot of people rave that it is full coverage yet creamy, doesn't crease and is absolutely amazing. Matt coverage. This concealer costs $27. Unfortunately, it is not full coverage on us-- it is a maximum of a very good medium coverage. It does crease a bit, but when set with our favourite powder, seems to work well and doesn't make our under-eye area look old. For this price, however, we expect more, especially when Tarte claims to give us more.
Tarte Timeline Smoothing Primer ($39)
Tarte Cosmetics' promises the following for its bestseller: -Formulated to fade out your biggest beauty boundaries such as large pores, fine lines and wrinkles -Antioxidant-rich formula gently melts into the skin delivering a surge of moisture, peptides and other naturally-derived elixirs for a firmer, smoother appearance -Has a lightweight texture How to apply: "Smooth a pearl size amount over skin before applying makeup or wear alone as a treatment to minimize the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles". Please have a seat, we are going to share our experience, cause that's quite a story. When we first tried it, it started to slightly roll up on our face, but we thought that we may have used too much product. The second time, it happened again, but it was worse! We took a tiny bit but the product was just sitting on top and once we put foundation on, it turned into a rolled up mess on the face (but together with foundation). We turned to Tarte for comment. We thought, maybe we have received a faulty one or maybe it rolls up on top of certain moisturisers? Tarte said that they couldn't send us a new one, but that they will issue a full refund instead. They also were surprised to know that it would react like that with certain moisturisers. We went further, we asked an independent person to try it. Theirs rolled up as well! Something wasn't right. Today, after DE's moisturiser, we took a bit onto our hand, warmed it up by massaging it in a bit, and then dabbed into our skin, and guess what? It worked beautifully, no problem, no rolling up! This is really weird. Would recommend? Unfortunately, a primer that is not universally suitable for most moisturisers, for that price, will not receive our recommendation. Or directions of use are wrongly written. Either way, as a customer, we are not going to be trial&testing. Ain't nobody got time for that!
Tarte Base Tape Hydrating Primer (30ml for $30)
A face primer with coconut-- we are getting off to a shaky start already. This is what Tarte has to say about it: "What It Does: Extends wear of foundation & keeps skin hydrated for 12 hours Jojoba & grapeseed extract help moisturize Infused with coconut for smoothing benefits & delicious scent" Alright, yes, it is fast absorbing, but as a hydrator, it is mild. So if you have dry skin, it might not be enough. If you have oily skin, avoid putting things on your face that has coconut in it-- it may clog your pores and increase breakouts. Overall, choose a better hydrating primer, not really this one.
Product review:
Tarte Face Tape Foundation ($39 Each)
I was not sure about the colour, so I bought both an 8 and a 12. First time, I applied only 12, but it was a tiny bit too dark, so now I am mixing them 50/50. I find that this foundation (cream) is very economical. A little goes a long way. It is very pigmented. The finish is satin, and it is medium to full coverage. I love this foundation. It gives such a smooth appearance, it's crazy. And it doesn't feel like you have much on. 1 coat gives you medium to full coverage, while a tiny bit more makes it full. It barely creases into my smile lines, and is rather long-lasting. The only thing I noticed that it started slightly separating on the sides of my nose, but I tap it back in and it solves the problem. However! This foundation does have its fault. It needs to be set with powder-- and by "set", I mean, with a sponge, and not just a stroke with a brush. It eats that powder like crazy, but without it, the foundation would have received a negative review from us. First time, I only set it in certain places, leaving the cheek area "unset". The contour powder basically stuck to that area and did not want to be moved (and that's a huge problem when you actually need to apply it properly). So, a huge warning. Set it with powder! Otherwise, you can't put more products on top of it.