12 Years Later... I Finally Review Tarte

Hello, hello. I know that nobody reads this blog, so I don't actually need to apologise to anyone - but, I'm going to. A very long time ago, I said that I would be reviewing Tarte and approximately 3 months later - I'm actually doing it.

ONE THOUSAND APOLOGIES TO MYSELF and any other sad souls who stumble upon this blog in the depths of the internet.

Better late than never, right? Here we gooooo

Oooh that looks fancy, right??

I purchased six items from Tarte; (1) the Clay Stick Foundation in the shade light beige; (2) the limited-edition Don't Be Afraid to Dazzle Contour Highlight Palette; (3) the Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer in Park Ave Princess; (4) the Lip Architect Lipstick and Liner in the shade Romantic; (5) the limited-edition Clay Pot Waterproof Shadow Liner in the shade Crystal Ball; (6) and the Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 mascara. It all came in a cute purple beauty kit bag and was delivered in a very timely 2 weeks - Colourpop, take notes.

Why did I purchase these items, you may ask? Well, because they were on sale (and shipping was free). These aren't great reasons for buying makeup but it did give me an insight into the quality and variety of Tarte products. My overall verdict: I like what I see.

Let's start with the Clay Stick Foundation in the shade light beige. This foundation has an interesting formula which Tarte describes as a cream to powder finish. This product is part of Tarte's popular Amazonian Clay range and costs AUD $54. It comes in 12 shades (which is not even close to adequate) and has a 4.5 star rating on the tartecosmetics.com website. I really like the idea of a clay-based, or clay-oriented foundation because I've always heard about the positive benefits which clay can have for your skin. In heavily generalised terms, clay can potentially improve the appearance of scarred skin and mild acne*. As I've previously discussed in this blog, I have struggled with mild acne for quite a while (recently I was referred to a dermatologist to consider a course of Roaccutane), so the idea of using a clay foundation appealed to me as a product which could potentially better my skin rather than clog-up my pores.

I like the idea of this foundation - but I'm still undecided as to whether or not I actually like how it looks on my skin. I have combination skin and I also have quite a lot of fine, fair hair on my face. What does this mean? Powder is not my friend. I never wear matte foundation as it clings to the fine hairs on my face, settles into my fine lines (which at 23, I really shouldn't have) and generally just looks shocking. I didn't realise that this foundation had a powder finish until after I had purchased it. I like the coverage of this foundation (medium but could definitely be built up to full), the shade is a great match for my skin and it blends beautifully. I think that it does make my skin look a little bit dry, but I will be experimenting with an illuminating and hydrating primer to see if I can address this because otherwise, it's a winner for me.

Next I'll talk about the two contour products - the Don't Be Afraid to Dazzle contour and highlighting palette, and the Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer. Talk about some ridiculous product names.... The Don't Be Afraid to Dazzle palette was a limited edition item, so unfortunately I can't find an original price for it as it is no longer in stock (at least not in Australia). The packaging for this product was stand-out for me. It is a gorgeous reflective gold and it feels so luxurious. It comes with a good sized mirror which I have taken to using for eye shadow application. The highlighting and contouring shades are great colours for me - once again, I prefer a cream to a powder contour but if I was stuck I would definitely be happy to use this. As for the Face Slenderizer (seriously Tarte, please rethink that one) it is an okay colour but blends out to almost nothing. Originally AUD $32, it is currently on sale for AUD $13. I would hazard a guess that its underwhelming performance is part of the reasoning for the discounted price. It has a 4-star rating on the website, which I think is generous, and only comes in 3 shades. If you are looking for a more natural contour, then this could be for you.

Onto the lipstick and liner. I love this delicious creamy formula and the expensive-feeling packaging. This lipstick would usually cost AUD $34 - I would normally not pay this much for a lipstick which isn't liquid and doesn't dry at least semi-matte but this formula is so amazing. If you are a fan of creamy looking lippies then I would definitely encourage you to invest. I also love that it doesn't come in the typical stubby lipstick tube - most of my clutches are rather narrow so a longer, skinnier tube means that I don't have to deal with an awkward looking lipstick bulge in my bag. Bonus points from me for this! The only downside is that the colour I chose is a very rose-petal pink, which I'm not a huge fan of. This was my poor selection however, and not a criticism of the product. It has a 4-star rating on Tarte's website, which I think might be due to the fact that it is not at all long-wearing. I actually don't mind this in a cream lipstick, whereas in a liquid lip, it is an unforgivable sin. I find that a cream lipstick can be easily reapplied and it will look fresh after a quick top-up. On the other hand, a liquid lip (especially a matte one) will crumble and look uneven upon a second or third coat (depending on the quality of the product). My verdict for this product is definitely positive - a convenient, creamy lipstick.

Makeup shouldn't always be convenient though, sometimes it should just be fun. Just like the next product - the Claypot Water Proof Shadow Liner. This sells for AUD $28 - outrageously expensive for a single eye shadow. I chose the shade 'crystal ball' which is an ethereal silver-y lilac. This is a very fun shade and in terms of application, it is pretty hard to get wrong. Do I think it is worth almost $30 bucks? No, absolutely not.

The final product I purchased was the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. This mascara is AUD $29, which is a pretty reasonable price for a decent mascara - which this one is. This mascara has a slightly thinner head than the classic wand, which I personally prefer. I find it easier to get close to the root of my eyelashes with something a bit smaller. It is a true-black in terms of colour and the formula doesn't clump. I do struggle with a bit of transfer on my eyelids with this mascara as it takes a long time to dry. Overall, I still think that it is a very decent mascara which will give your lashes a longer, fuller, fanned-out look.

So, let's do some maths. I paid AUD $84 for these six items. The foundation cost $54, the Face Slenderizer $32, the lipstick $34, the eye shadow $28, and the mascara was $29. So, in total I would have paid AUD $177 if I hadn't got these products on sale - and that is without the price for the contour palette which has gone out of stock. I saved AUD $93 - this was a GOOD SALE.

In conclusion, I am generally very happy with my purchases. My particular favourites are the lipstick, mascara and the contouring palette. I am still undecided on the foundation but I will be re-testing it with some different primers to see if I can get a better finish.

To end this blog I will be making another promise to review a new item - which will undoubtedly take me another 3 months to get round to. I recently received some Storybook Cosmetics eye shadow brushes which I will be reviewing - but I might need the Fenty Beauty Moroccan Spice palette to assist with that....

The final word:

Foundation: Could be a winner, will be experimenting with it some more - AUD $54

Lipstick: Love it! Creamy goodness but not long-wearing - AUD $34

Face Slenderizer: Stupid name, barely noticeable. Pass - AUD $32

Eye shadow: Fun but way too expensive - AUD $28

Mascara: Some transfer but nice effect - AUD $29

https://tartecosmetics.com/en_AU/home

*Meier, L., Stange, R., Michalsen, A., Uehleke, B. 2012. Clay Jojoba Oil Facial Mask for Lesioned Skin and Mild Acne - Results of a Prospective Observational Pilot Study. Complementary Medicine Research, 19(2).