little white truths

You may remember that I received this sample Tarte liquid lipstick as my birthday gift from Sephora this year, along with a blush that I'm yet to try.

Since I have a makeup inventory post due at the end of September, over the last week or two I've been opening and testing some of the products I've had lying around to work out what I need to declutter before the final count. 

This lip paint will be decluttered. Not because it's a terrible product, but because my lips are far too dry to withstand even the milder liquid lipstick formulas. Someone else will love this: there's no point hanging on to something that I can't comfortably use.

I'd heard a few people speak about Tarte's liquid lipsticks on Youtube so I already knew that they weren't the most drying ones out there, but I didn't have high hopes because my lips can't tolerate much and I also prefer creamy formulas because they tend to plump up lip lines, rather than emphasise them.

I think liquid lipsticks overall are more for younger people who aren't concerned about makeup that's ageing, but I've never been ok with the liquid lipstick trend and I'm glad that it's on the way out.

In Australia these retail for $29 AUD and you can buy them at Sephora.

Below are the tube and applicator in direct sunlight:

And in natural light:

Now for swatches.

Below I've given you a heavy and a lighter swatch in different lights.

Direct sunlight:

Indirect sunlight:

 

 Natural light (outdoors):

Wearing the product (direct sunlight): 

Verdict

While I'm glad I've had the chance to test this formula, it's not the right one for me so as mentioned above, I'll be sending this to a better home.

It's quite a nice formula, as far as liquid lipsticks go. It's lightweight and feels creamy (if a touch mousse-like) when you apply it, and it's thin so it doesn't feel too heavy like some liquid lipsticks I've tried in the past. 

While it does dry down, it doesn't dry down completely so it's also not as drying as some liquid lipsticks can be. This is a good thing if you don't like super drying formulas, but it's a bad thing if you want something that doesn't budge because this will transfer a little when you eat and drink. 

Having said this, it does hang around on the lips for ages so it still lasts longer than most standard lipsticks would.

'Birthday Suit' is a pink nude with some peach in it to add warmth. It should suit a lot of people, but it's not my favourite colour for nudes (I prefer something more peach and more brown) so I'm not sad that I'll be passing it on.

As you can see above, the formula does emphasise lip lines and I still find it drying on my lips even if I wear a gloss over the top - another reason why I won't be keeping it.

Overall, there's nothing wrong with this product but it's not for me and that doesn't surprise me, given that liquid lipsticks and I have never been friends.

Ok.