Tarte Mega Review!

I normally have a different system for my reviews, but since I got all of these products together in as my VIB 500 point perk at Sephora, I’m going to review them all in the same post. The reviews are kind of all over the place, but I’ve tried to include any helpful information I could think of. The kit contained 5 products. A primer, a finishing powder, a lip colour, an eyeliner, and a bronzer. Two of which were said to be full sized (the lip colour, and the bronzer, maybe? Perhaps the eyeliner. Not sure!) and only one of them was a major flop in my opinion. This was a good introduction to Tarte for me. I had swatched a few of the products before and I’ve always heard great things. The price point is a bit up there, and I find most of the packaging looks cheap and is all over the place (as opposed to MAC packaging, which has a standard appearance.)

So let’s see what we’re working with…

Emphaseyes Liner, Smooth Operator Powder, Amazonian Clay Bronzer, ReCreate Primer, LipSurgence Tint

ReCreate “Silicone-free primer with Wrinkle Rewind technology” $32

I couldn’t find what Tarte had to say about this product, because it seems that it’s no longer available. I’ll tell you what I know:

I’ve been wearing this daily for over two weeks, and most days I don’t see the point. I like the product, but it seems nothing more than a light weight moisturizer. It doesn’t change the application or appearance of my foundation, save for an added dewiness with drier, heavier foundations. I can see this may be problematic if you’ve got naturally oily skin. It does hydrate the skin and feels smooth to touch, but I honestly prefer silicone primers. I knowww- silicone is bad! But I love it. I love it on my face and in my hair. Uhh.. Anyway. Because this is silicone free it shouldn’t cause breakouts. I’m sure sure if it helps your makeup last longer because mine has always stayed on my face until I am ready to remove it. I am also not sure of the claim that it  helps with wrinkles, as I thankfully have none!

Smooth Operator $28

What Tarte has to say:

“The breakthrough technology of this micronized clay finishing powder improves the production of keratin, a building block of skin synthesis, to promote the tightening of skin and effectively shrinking oversized pores.Amazonian clay, nature's most perfect ingredient, acts as a total skin balancer by reducing dryness and flakiness, improving clarity and texture and removing surface oil to mattify skin for a soft focus and flawless finish. 

To apply, use a large fluffy brush and lightly dust colorless finishing powder over skin alone as a treatment or over concealer and foundation to keep makeup in place and add a natural finish. Smooth operator™ micronized clay finishing powder with PM20™ can also be used for targeted application; use your ring finger to gently pat finishing powder over undereye or blemish concealer to keep product from migrating into fine lines, wrinkles and dried, damaged skin.”

So what on earth is PM20? Tarte has an answer for that, too…
“PM20™: proprietary pore minimizing molecular compound clinically proven to reduce the number and size of pores by 20% after 4 weeks”

My beef is that the first ingredient listed on this stuff is Silica. What the hell? Does that sound like something you should be applying to your face? I looked it up, and apparently this isn’t the first product I’ve tried (and loved) to contain this ingredient. If you want to know more about Silica in makeup (particularly if you’re fearing Silicosis) The Beauty Brains has basically covered everything I discovered and wanted to share on the topic.

The good news is that it’s free of a bunch of other crap, which includes mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance, and it’s cruelty free. Now that we’ve got the tongue twisters out of the way, here’s why I love this stuff:

It’s a finely milled powder that is easy to use sparingly and doesn’t create a big mess. You can turn the packaging (your typical shaker) up side down, give it two firm taps, flip it up right, dip your brush, tap, and apply to your face. There should not be a cloud of powder floating through the air.

It’s virtually invisible on the face (I apply it with my MAC 187), it helps control shine, sets makeup well, and it does not look dry or powdery as it does all of this. It also doesn’t have a weird smell. I think MAC’s Prep + Prime translucent powder smells somewhat like ether.

Amazonian Clay Bronzer in “Park Ave Princess” $29

Tarte says: “Sweep on this lightweight mineral powder and reap all the benefits: the fragrance free, talc free formula allows skin to breathe and it won't clog your pores even on the hottest days (and steamiest nights!).”

It contains vitamins A, C, & E, Amazonian clay (which apparently balances skin, and mineral pigments. It does not contain parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, or synthetic fragrance. My hippie readers will appreciate that the packaging is recyclable and made with soy ink. To me the packaging looks cute but feels flimsy. I would hate to drop this.

The colour itself is, in my opinion, universally flattering. It’s got a bit too much glow for a contour colour. For paler girls like myself it’s a bit much for an all over look, but does a lovely job at “sunkissed.” It will be more versatile with darker skin tones.  It does look way glittery in the pan, but when applied it becomes more of a sheen. A gorgeous sheen, actually. I recommend this be applied with a light hand and a big fluffy brush. You can always build it up to your taste. The texture is smooth and buttery and the pigmentation is great.

EmphasEYES High Definition Inner Rim Eyeliner Pencil  $18

Tarte says “This super-slim inner rim eyeliner pencil is a must when trying to achieve a sexy smokey eye. The result? That smoldering look that you see in all the magazines but aren't sure how to create - this is the finishing touch. “

Some of the ingredients include vitamins A & E, aloe leaf, and mineral pigments. It’s free of the aforementioned nasties (mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance) and is cruelty free and dermatologist tested. The packaging is environmentally friendly and made with soy ink

And knowing all that, I still wouldn’t pay a penny for this shitty product. I hate it! I hate it so much it pains me to waste my time telling you about it, but I’ll let you know why I hate it so hopefully I can prevent anyone from wasting their money on it.

The packaging is your basic twist up liner. A very thin stick of product, which initially excited me. I thought it would be fantastic for getting into small spaces… The second I swatched it on my hand I knew it was garbage. It was stiff, scratchy, the consistency of the product was uneven. It’s dry, it breaks and crumbles. It streaks. It’s kind of hard to get it to show up, especially evenly. If you manage to get past that and apply it (it looked garish, no matter what I did!) you’ll find that it smudges and has no lasting power.  

I can say with 100% certainty that this is the absolute worst product I have ever tried. I am so glad it was free. I would pay someone to keep this crap away from my face.

LipSurgence “Natural Matte Lip Tint” in “Lively” $24

I saved the best for last.

This is a lip tint/stain that’s forumulated with jojoba seed oil, peppermint oil, and vitamins C & E. Like the other products reviewed, it does not contain mineral oil, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance, petroleum, and is cruelty free.

Unfortunately the colour selection is small, but that isn’t to say that the choices aren’t top notch. They’ve got a nude, a baby pink, a berry, a hot pink, and a red. Perhaps another one or two. The colour I have is called “Lively” and it reminds me of a burnt raspberry with a hint if fuchsia.

The packaging is okay. Some might find it cute, but the aesthetic of it does not appeal to me. It looks teenybopperish. It’s a somewhat creamy jump lip crayon, twist up so you don’t have to fuss with a sharpener. The lid snaps on tightly, which I appreciate. Oddly, I also like the FEEL of the tube... but I can't explain it.

They are all matte finish, and I love a matte lip! In fact, I’m predicting that matte lips will be in for Spring/Summer 2012. The amazing thing about this product is that it does not FEEL like a matte. It’s slightly moisturizing (I’d apply over a balm, anyway.) It does not feel thick, stiff, or dry. It glides on smooth with a refreshing peppermint scent and taste. It’s not overpowering and dissipates after about 10 minutes of wear. Some people claim that it tingled their lips just slightly, but I didn’t experience that.

These have excellent pigmentation and are long lasting. I went out for coffee with a friend and the family last night wearing this, and it was still on my lips when I got home. That’s incredibly impressive because I am hard on lipstick. I drank lemonade with a straw, scarfed down a cookie, drank a mocha without a lid, kissed my kids faces, yapped, and whatever else I do that usually scares lipstick off my face in 30 minutes tops. Didn’t even require a touch up! (Which is good because I’m not so big on touchups. I put my makeup on in the morning, and I wash it off at night. Seldom anything in between.)

The only problem I could forsee is that when this does start to wear off, it’ll probably breakdown unevenly, so keep the tube on hand for touchups if you’re going to be out at any sort of function.

I WILL buy every single shade of these… It’s just going to take a while at $24 a pop!

And there you have it! I'll leave you with the Tarte swatches I took for my swatch gallery. 

-H.Cat <3