I am a total creature of habit when it comes to makeup products once I find something that works for me. I have been ride or die for the Urban Decay Naked Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer for as long as I can remember. It does such a great job of covering my dark circles but doesn’t feel heavy under my eyes. I thought I was a life-long addict and would never even look at another concealer again but then this happened. Everyone that I follow on YouTube cannot stop talking about the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer, so after hearing about it a few dozen times, I knew I needed to try it, despite my devotion to the Naked Concealer. You guys, this stuff is the real deal. Today I am going to give you a full review on my new favorite concealer – the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer.
First of all, the packaging is insane. This tube comes with 0.34 oz of concealer which doesn’t sound like a lot but for comparison, most concealers come with about 0.15 oz. This makes the price SO reasonable at just $24 considering how much product you’re getting. The gigantic size doesn’t end with the tube – the applicator is alarmingly large which is striking at first but you’ll love it once you try it. I would compare the size of the applicator to my pinky finger which is totally insane and awesome all at the same time. In the photo above, I compare the Tarte applicator on the left to the Urban Decay applicator on the right (keep in mind that the UD applicator is from the travel size tube so the handle is shorter in length). The big surface area allows you to apply the concealer so quickly but the doe foot applicator tip lets you be as precise as you need to be. One thing I will say about the large applicator is that it does dispense a bit more product than you probably need. I would wipe the wand on the side of the tube before applying it to your face so that you don’t end up wasting a bunch of product.
This brings me to my next point! You barely need any of this product because it is so insanely pigmented and has such great coverage. This can be a double-edged sword in the cosmetic industry because usually the more pigmentation a product has, the more drying and harder to blend it tends to be. I don’t know how Tarte did it but they avoided this completely! This concealer is so buttery and easy to blend but covers my dark circles SO well. It has such great staying power that when I set it with just a touch of powder, it lasts throughout the entire day without creasing or fading at all. My favorite way to apply it is to dab it on with the applicator in a triangle shape under my eyes, which I go more into depth about in my Secret to Covering Dark Circles post. Then I blend it in using a damp Beauty Blender or damp Real Techniques Sponge, whichever is closer to me at the time.
Because this is so easy to blend and lasts such a long time on the skin, I think this would be amazing for cream contouring the face. Cream contouring can be tricky without the right products but when it’s done properly, it is so flawless and beautiful. I love it for Fall because it adds dimension without shimmer, like I talked about in my Fall Makeup Changes post this week. If you wanted to use this product to cream contour with, you would buy a concealer in a shade lighter than you skin tone and a deeper concealer in a shade or two darker than your skin tone. For the contour shade, make sure you’re looking for a more cool tone shade to emulate the look of a shadow on your face as opposed to an orange stripe. Apply the darker shade on the sides of your face around the hairline and under the cheekbones to add dimension to your bone structure. Apply the lighter shade under the eyes, the bridge of the nose, and the tops of your cheekbones. Keep in mind: use the dark shade on anything you want to recede (i.e., the point directly under your cheekbones or the edges of your forehead if you want it to appear smaller) and use the light shade on anything you want to come forward (i.e., the tops of your cheekbone or the narrow bridge of your nose).
I really can’t say enough good things about this concealer. If you haven’t tried it yet, go and get yourself a tube of this magic. It is sold exclusively at Ulta and directly through Tarte Cosmetics. They’re having a hard time keeping this in stock, especially popular shades like light neutral and light medium, so you may have to order your shade online like I did. I think their shade range could definitely be expanded for those with very deep or very fair complexions. I am sure the brand will eventually be making shade expansions because this product has quickly become a cult favorite.
Have you tried this concealer yet? If so, what do you think of it?
Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer
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