I think I like Tarte Cosmetics enough to call myself a fan. In fact, 90% of my make-up collection is from Tarte. I like Tarte so much because they never test on animals, and most of their products are actually completely natural. On the downside, they are very expensive and are considered a high-end brand.

Since I’ve tried so much of their line, I’ve decided to review a few products and sort them into favorite, average, and least favorite products to hopefully help some of you who are thinking of switching to cruelty-free or natural make-up brands. Some of Tarte’s make-up is priceless, while others completely appalled me.

My favorite Tarte products:

• Natural Cheek Stain in Blissful: Tarte is mostly known for their cheek stains, and they are amazing. These cheek stains are like a stick of jelly that you rub onto your cheeks, and they leave a natural glow. Best of all it’s a stain, so it really lasts from early morning until night without needing to be re-applied, even if you sweat a lot. It does make my cheeks a bit too dewy for my taste, but I just set it with a sheer powder.
• Smooth Operator Tinted Moisturizer with SPF in Agent 04: I’m obsessed with the greatness of this product. You apply it just like you’re putting lotion on your face, but it has the coverage of a medium foundation. The best part is that it feels like you’re not wearing anything at all, unlike a heavier foundation. It dries looking absolutely perfect — like you’re not even wearing make-up! They offer this in so many shades, and they even customize to your skin undertones which is extremely important. I’m pale but I have warm undertones (most people who are pale have pink undertones) and Agent 04 is the first “foundation” that fit my skin perfectly. They also offer pink undertones and even yellow undertones. What’s not to love?

My average Tarte products:

• Natural Under Eye Concealer and Brush: I’m not sure what happened to this product. The first few weeks I absolutely loved it — it has full coverage of dark circles and even came with a brush. However, over time I noticed that it just looks very cakey on my under eyes. The hard part about dealing with natural products is that they can age much faster than artificial make-up. I’m not sure if that had something to do with the consistency of this, but I went from loving it and using almost all of it to just plain avoiding it. The brush is actually wonderful quality.
• Smooth Operator Micronized Clay Finishing Powder: The packing on this thing is terrible. There’s one hole for the product to come through to the surface, when it needs about five to get enough product out. The powder itself goes on sheer, but if you put too much it really starts to overlay your make-up and white it out. You need a light hand when using this stuff, and it’ll make your skin feel baby soft.
• Lash Hugger Eco-Friendly Natural Mascara: I hated this at first, with my favorite mascara previously being Cover Girl Lash Blast. This did not volumize my lashes nearly as much. It just seemed to coat them. However, it grew on me over time and now I love it. It’s a very natural lengthening that this product gives you, and if you learn how to layer it correctly you can get some volume as well. I’m sure there are better natural mascaras out there, but this one’s not bad. I have yet to try Tarte’s multi-step set of mascaras.

My least favorite Tarte products:

• Natural Lip Sheer with SPF 15 in Champagne Brunch: I was so disappointed with this. When they say “sheer” they mean sheer! You really don’t see any color pay-off. It felt like I bought an insanely overpriced Chapstick, so I returned it. There are much cheaper and still completely natural products that are better than this one. I suggest Burt’s Bees.
• Vitamin Infused Lipgloss in 40 Winks: I got a cheap trial version of this product just to test it out, and I’m so glad I didn’t buy the full version. Once again, there was no color pay-off despite the beautiful pink color of the lipgloss. It’s also extremely sticky, like I just dipped my mouth into honey. Unfortunately, it doesn’t smell or taste like honey. It smells just like cardboard, and tastes like nothing at all. The amount of glitter in here is also insane. Whenever I put this on, it looks like I have glitter all over my mouth. The only thing I like about this product is the cute name and packaging!
• EmphaEYES Inner Rim Pencil in Chocolate: I tried to use this to line my upper lid, which is my daily look at the moment. Unfortunately, this stuff breaks the minute you try to drag it over your skin. I was really patient, used a light hand, and even tried warming it up on my wrist before using it but it broke every time. I got so fed up that I just returned it. I’ve heard better things about their EmphaEYES Aqua-Gel liners.

If you’re looking to purchase Tarte products, don’t buy them directly online or from a beauty store! I highly recommend using eBay. I bought most of my Tarte products from eBay after realizing I could buy them brand new for up to half the price they sell for in stores. Save your money!

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