Tarte

For the lip-lovin’ lady who has everything as it pertains to pigmented lip products, say hi to the new Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Exposed, Blushing Bride and Park Ave Princess — the sheerest of the new LipSurgence Lip Gloss line.

These three — nude rose Exposed, mauve pink Blusing Bride and shimmering golden nude Park Ave Princes — are joined by the six slightly more pigmented shades we looked at earlier this week (Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless; and Flush, Natural Beauty and True Love).

The question of the day: will you be able to see a difference among these three shades?

Hmm… Maybe. Up close. If you have a good eye. I think up close I can see a difference among them in the swatches, but I have to look very closely.

Nude rose Exposed looks slightly warmer and more pigmented than mauve pink Blushing Bride does to me, while Park Ave Princess looks like the sheerest cupcake in the batch. That one is basically just a barely-there nude tint with lots of golden glitter.

From across a room, I don’t think I’d be able to tell any of these three apart, at least not on my pigmented lips. The differences among them may be more apparent on less pigmented puckers than mine.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I’m not knocking them at all for being sheer, because they were purposefully designed that way — for natural-looking lips and high shine, which they do deliver. Like the Urban Decay Naked Glosses, they aren’t made for full-coverage color.

Of course, there’s a catch 22 there. Being as sheer as they are, they’re also pretty dupable in terms of color (Tarte gets extra credit, though, for being cruelty-free and for using so many veggie-based ingredients). Exposed resembles UD’s Beso, Blushing Bride looks like Rule 34, and Park Ave Princess reminds me of an uber-sheer NARS Orgasm gloss.

Similar to Chanel’s Glossimers, when I wear these, with their thick, non-sticky formula, it definitely feels like I have something on my lips. They aren’t so lightweight that I completely forget when I have them on.

As for finish and wear time, it’s a two-part saga. They begin with a patent-leather shine that slowly softens down to a subtle satin over about an hour, and then hang on for another 2-3 hours from there.

I like how easy these are to wear (I’m kind of a nude gloss enthusiast, it’s true!), and if you like your glosses super sheer and shiny like I do, you might like ’em, too. 🙂

As a side, you can also layer these on top of nude lipsticks or lip pencils — ya know, for an added twist and a little extra value.

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Here’s batch two of the new Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless. I think these could be of interest to all card-carrying members of the CAPLGLN (Coral and Peach Lip Gloss Love Nation).

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Glosses in Tipsy, Blissful and Fearless

• Tipsy: a sheer coral
• Blissful: a warm peach
• Fearless: a shimmery pinkish coral

What’s with the funky doe-foot?

It’s curved to fit the contours of your lips, and the pointy tip makes it precise.

Is the doe-foot hard to use?

Not at all. It’s very precise, actually, particularly around the Cupid’s bow — very, very handy when I’m in the mood to wear an overdrawn lip look (where you apply your lip products outside your natural lip line to make your lips look fuller).

Tipsy and Blissful look kind of similar, yeah?

Sheer coral Tipsy and warm peach Blissful do look somewhat similar, yes. On my pigmented lips, they’re tough to tell apart. I do see a slight difference between them, though, if we’re going to split hairs… I think Blissful is a tad more pigmented.

Any dupes?

Off the top of my head, both Tipsy and Blissful look similar to Urban Decay Naked Lip Gloss in Streak.

Tell me all about Fearless, ma!

I love the name and the golden glitter. 🙂 It’s the most distinct shade in this batch — like a sheerer version of NARS Super Orgasm Lip Gloss with larger pieces of gold glitter.

What’s the glitter sitch on that?

Surprisingly, the glitter flecks in Fearless aren’t gritty, considering the size of the pieces (see them in the full-face shot?). This is classy glitter; not “klassy.”

Formula, flavor and finish

The thick, non-sticky formula starts super shiny but wears down to a slight shine over about an hour, and then will last another 2-3 hours after that. In other words, they’ll last through a glass of Two Buck Chuck (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere), but won’t make it through a tuna fish sandwich. As for flavors, yup, it’s a vanilla buttercream flavor and scent.

Meow or hiss?

Meow, although these three shades here may not be flashy enough to really stand out at a big event like your wedding or prom, but for everyday natural — sure.

Where can I find ’em?

At Sephora stores and online for $19 each.

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The what

These are a completely new line of shiny, permanent collection glosses from Tarte released as part of Tarte’s summer collection. They’re available now in nine shades (Sephora and online) for $19 each, which gets you a 0.27-ounce tube.

I’ve always liked Tarte’s LipSurgence products (the Lip Tints, Power Pigments, Lip Lusters, etc.) because of how natural they look on my lips, the great plant-based ingredients, and because of how low-maintenance they are (the twist-up pencils that don’t have to be sharpened, and the wearable colors).

When I saw the familiar names — Blissful, Blushing Bride, Exposed, Fearless, Flush, Natural Beauty, Tipsy and True Love — shades that were already in the Power Pigment lip pencil and Cheek Stain lines, I had high hopes for these.

Even Park Ave Princess, another one of the new shades, is also a Bronze & Glow Matte Bronzer and Cheek Tint, so one could get all matchy-matchy if they were so inclined.

Formula, flavor and finish

They feel a lot like Chanel’s Glossimers to me — thick, but not sticky. They’ll make it through a cup of tea, for instance, but won’t make it through lunch.

Officially, Tarte describes them as having a vanilla flavor and scent, which I kind of get as more of a vanilla buttercream…but maybe that’s just my tummy talking. I haven’t had lunch yet.

As for the finish, they start out super shiny but mellow out over the course of an hour or two.

I have very pigmented lips and these shades are the boldest one of the nine, although from the lip swatches you can still see that a lot of my natural lip color comes through.

I initially thought these might be challenging to wear based on how dark they appear in their tubes, but they actually apply semi-sheer on the lips. Despite looking different in the closeup lip shots, Natural Beauty and True Love look almost like the same sheer shiny red from a few feet away.

Product Performance: This hybrid addition to tarte’s signature LipSurgence line delivers all the plumped-up benefits of a gloss and pigmented performance of a tint in an antioxidant-rich formula. Each ultra-hydrating, vanilla flavored lip gloss imparts natural-looking color to enhance your complexion while drenching lips in moisture and mega-watt, non-sticky shine. Infused with vitamin E, jojoba seed oil and flower extract, this multi-tasking formula helps smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles while moisturizing dry lips for a healthy, plumped-up appearance that lasts. The unique applicator wand features an ergonomic tip that gently glides around the shape of your lips for a foolproof application every time.

Available in glossy versions of eight signature tarte shades: flush, blushing bride, tipsy, blissful, fearless, natural beauty, exposed & true love.

Powered By: vitamin E: natural preservative that also acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient & antioxidant; jojoba seed oil: natural soothing extract that leaves lips soft, supple & smooth; flower extract: moisturizes for healthy, hydrated lips

–tarte.com

Of these three, Flush, a subtle, creamy neutral pink, is my fave. I definitely think it’s a color that would work well for a lot of different skin tones.

Here’s the first batch of three — the brightest of the nine — in Flush (a berry rose), Natural Beauty (a sheer, shimmering red) and True Love (a watermelon). Stay tuned for the next six… 🙂

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