Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint | Review

We beauty bloggers are a fickle bunch, aren’t we? The thrill of the new always gets to us.

It doesn’t matter whether we’ve found our holy grail item or not, some good marketing and some pretty packaging can always switch us on to thinking about the next big thing.

This is especially true for me when it comes to mascaras.

I keep hoping that one will be so amazing, it will completely remove the need for me to use false lashes, but even with the most amazing one I’ve found (Too Faced’s Better Than Sex, FYI…), I still find myself reaching for lashes to give the look and impact I like.

The main problem, for me, is that my lashes are so darn straight. They just refuse to hold a curl, and I haven’t tried anything so far that helps with that.

When it comes to lashes, I like my mascaras to deliver volume more than anything else. I want a fat, dense, feathery look, so that’s the benchmark for me, although everyone is after something different.

Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes formula was something I liked, so I was excited to try their new offering, Tarteist Lash Paint. Take a look to see how we got on…

The Hype

Tarteist Lash Paint mascara promises a glossy, high-definition lash look. It claims to provide separation and lift – ideal for those who dread a clumpy look – and ultra-black definition through a patented soft bristle brush that grabs even the tiniest lash to pump up the volume.

Stronger, thickier, sexier-looking lashes can be yours with this ‘amped up, drama-filled’ mascara. This description really makes me expect the earth.

The word ‘drama’ always catches my eye when it comes to mascara formulas, and I expected a lot from the brush. Tarte can and do produce great mascaras, so I was excited to see what this one delivered based on their description.

The Packaging

The packaging is really striking, featuring a glossy black tube with gold writing, and a paint spatter design gold lid.  It would definitely catch my eye on the shelf, and look good in anyone’s make-up bag.

However, when it comes to mascara, its all down to the brush. The description of it as ‘soft’ would make me think it would be traditional bristles, but its actually a soft silicone with lots of little rubber ‘hooks’ to grip the lashes. This is a style of brush that’s getting increasingly popular these days.

Despite the marketing hype, I don’t see anything especially groundbreaking here. The brush is near-identical to the Bourjois Une Second mascara, and the Maybelline One by One (which I think has been discontinued)…as well as Max Factor False Lash Effect, which has been knocking around for years. Its nothing new.

Although the tube is pretty, the majority of what you pay for with a high-end mascara is the brush technology, so if that’s the reason you want to try this, I would highly recommend grabbing the Bourjois one first as I can’t see any difference in the brush.

The Product

So, onto the mascara formula itself. Right off the bat, this mascara is a nice consistency. I hardly ever like any mascara the first few times I use it, because I much prefer a thicker formula. I hate anything too runny or wet, as its much harder to get a volumised look.

Tarteist Lash Paint gets a nice balance between the two. The formula is indeed very ‘black’ and noticeable on the lashes. One coat gives a pretty, fanned out effect but two can be quite clumpy and I found that the more I put on, the more this formula went downhill.

My lashes looked decent after one light coat, but starting looking a mess when I went back in. But one coat didn’t give anywhere near the amount of volume I like -  also, far from grabbing every lash, I found that the coverage here was quite hit and miss.

There were areas of my lashes that didn’t seem to get any mascara, while others became quickly clogged up. Overall, the look was patchy, and trying to even it out made things look worse!

The Performance

This mascara lasts well all day without much in the way of flaking. I did find it smudged out a little bit on the lower lash line in particular.

In terms of delivering on its promises, I don’t think this brought any ‘drama’. I actually think it made my lashes look fairly spindly! The formula is quite heavy and weighed down my fine lashes, pulling any curl out of them pretty much straight away.

Building volume was hard to impossible so I couldn’t get the look I wanted. I found the finished effect very uneven.

The Verdict

For a mascara that costs nearly £20 a tube, I’m distinctly unimpressed with Tarteist Lash Paint.

For all its big claims, this really didn’t blow me away. Its especially sad because I know Tarte are capable of producing great mascaras, but for me this doesn’t live up to its promises.

The brush is identical to other, much cheaper mascaras and the formula doesn’t add anything, so I’d recommend trying one of those others before spending on this.

The packaging is pretty, but the product itself is too hard to build and left my lashes looked pulled down, patchy and lack lustre. I will continue to use this for a low-key, every day look but that’s not really what I want from my mascara formulas.

I don’t think I’d be tempted to repurchase this!