Review: Tarte Cosmetics II

In addition to some of their face products, I have a few Tarte lip and eye products as well. I find that many of Tarte produdcts to be very innovative and not very drugstore dupe-able. Perhaps some of the shades can be duped, but not the concepts behind them.

Double Dose Berry Boost and Gloss
This is a very unique gloss. It has an inner berry boost and outer clear gloss that combine as you squeeze to create a good for your lips gloss. The inner berry boost is formulated with their signature T5 Super Fruit Complex, skinvigorating ingredient. T5 is mix of 5 active superfruits extracts including goji berry, acai berry, maracuja fruit, acerola fruit, and pomergranate. While it's packed with fruit, you'd assume it'd be fruity, but it's surprisingly not. It contains peppermint oil which gives the gloss a fresh minty scent with a cooling effect on the lips. It's almost like a medicated gloss, which I think is pretty nifty! It combines the soothing properties of a balm or chapstick with a gloss in pretty packaging. And this gloss is pigmented and provides high shine. Is it sticky though? Slightly, but it makes for better lasting power. For $21, it's more on the pricey side but complete not a deal breaker.

Enbrightenment BriteSmile Whitener and Gloss
This product is also unique, linking 2 products into 1 convenient double-sided packaging. On one side there is a lip gloss and other side BriteSmile's teeth whitener. It is click style brush pen (on both ends), where you move a ring that's in the center to control which product you click. I don't really mind click pens, but you do have to be extra cautious about the click amount to product dispensing ratio. While it is packaged in sleek, shiny purple plastic, it's completely oapque. That means, I can't see how much product is left, which is a little annoying. The gloss itself is not super pigmented, but gives you a wash of color and is tad sticky. The two available colors Radiant Red and Pearly Pink both intentionally have blue undertones to make your teeth look whiter, not to mention packed with T5 Super Fruit Complex. As for the BriteSmile Whitener, there maybe has been a tiny whitening effect but I've only used it a few times, not daily. I think the idea of two products are great, especially since I'm a cosmetics junkie and hopeful dental student. While $26 seems expensive, the BriteSmile pen alone is $30 and you don't get any gloss either.

EmpashEYES High Definition Eye Pencil
This is a super slim, mechanical pencil. Note that with some pencils you can twist all the way up and then back down, but this is NOT that kind. So as a warning, do not twist it up for fun or else you'll be very upset (I did not do this to this particular pencil, but I have done in the past with others). The formula is very creamy, so the eyeliner just glides on effortlessly without the least bit of tugging. It is a little smudgy for the waterline, but not so much over UDPP for the upper. Since it can be smudgy, you can get lovely smokey eye effects with it. And even though it is prone to smearing, the fact that it's so slim makes it that much easier to line your eyes. I'm not a very good liner and I more than often mess up, so I was estastic with application. It's practically fool proof and I think great for a beginner. But this is not a waterproof, not going to budge on you through a hurricane weather eyeliner. It's a soft, sexy but not trying too hard, natural looking but I might have to touch up on through the day eyeliner. I'm pretty fond it so $18 is worth it to me.

Lock & Roll Creaseless Eyeshadow Duo
This dual-ended eye product promises waterproof, creaseless cream shadow. And of course like other Tarte products, it contains skinvigorating ingredients like vitamin E. One end, Lock, is a cream based shadow and the other end, Roll is a loose powder shadow, which are color coordinated. You first apply the cream shadow and let it set 10 seconds. Then you go over it with the loose shadow and when combined with the cream, it creates a crease proof seal. Well, having monolids, I don't really have a problem is shadows creasing on me seeing that I have no crease. But I do have a problem with getting shadows to last through out a hot, humid, rainy day in Florida. Verdict? It's pretty good alone in extreme Florida weather, but even better with UDPP or Shadow Insurance. Since the color I have is quite shimmery (Rose Gold), some of the shimmer does fade through out the day but with a primer, not nearly as much. I think the product is very fun, different, and keeps its' budge proof promise. For $17, I don't think it's too costly, but considering I use an eyeshadow primer reguarly, it's not an absolute must-have.

All products can be purchased at Sephora or TarteCosmetics.com.