SHAPE TAPE

DEZ:

I love playing with makeup and testing out different products, even if it means having multiples of the same type of product. This girl likes to have options! But, when it comes to concealer, I don’t see the need to have a bunch of options, as I already have my favorite (to be revealed shortly). After hearing the repeated buzz from various influencers about the Tarte Shape Tape, I figured that I finally needed to give it a try.

I have light skin, but I wouldn’t consider myself fair, as I do tan pretty easily, but I am slightly on the dry side. I also have more pinkish or cool undertones, so I ordered the shade 20B (for light skin with pink undertones). I usually only use concealer over foundation and then follow it with a setting powder. However, I knew that for me to give a fully honest review, I needed to try Shape Tape both under and over my foundation. My first test was my preferred method, over my foundation, and I must say I was surprisingly impressed with the results. I would describe the concealer as full coverage, but even over my foundation I didn’t feel like it looked too cakey or thick. It completely covered my undereye darkness and brightened the area. The only aspect I didn’t like about this concealer is I felt like once the product started to dry it didn’t give me a hydrated feel, which is one of the reasons I love my current concealer. I don’t want this to be taken as the concealer dried my under-eye area out, but in comparison to my all-time favorite concealer, Hourglass Vanish Airbrush, the Shape Tape is not as hydrating.

The next day, I tested the Shape Tape under my foundation and again was happy with the outcome. I found that under my foundation, the concealer has more of a natural look with slightly less coverage than over the foundation. It also still covered any darkness in the under-eye area pretty well. Once again, I did get that same slightly dry effect as the previously mentioned method.

I will continue to use the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush as my primary concealer because the hydration that you get with it is amazing! I will say that I’m obviously a bit biased here given I’ve already found a concealer I love that also provides great coverage and the hydration I desire. Given that everyone does not encounter the same dryness concerns or even care about having hydration in their makeup, I do think the Shape Tape is still a really great product, therefore I am still giving the Tarte Shape Tape a Honey Yasss rating.

PJ:

So I have to start this review by admitting that my opinion may be completely inaccurate. That might sound strange but we are all about being honest here! Like many of you, 2020 has gotten the best of me and since all the malls in California were closed I had to order my Shape Tape online without getting to do a proper color match in person. As a result, I ended up with a concealer that was probably 2 shades too dark for me and a bit too Yellow in tone. If you know anything about concealer you know that getting the wrong shade is a recipe for disaster.

I mainly use concealer for my extremely dark under eye circles. I am Middle Eastern and we tragically suffer from this trait which is why I usually buy a concealer that is a shade or two lighter than my own skin tone to create the right brightening effect. I’m also 35 and am starting to see those tell tale signs of age, aka small wrinkles under my eyes. Now, this may be an unpopular opinion today, but I refuse to do anything cosmetic or Botox related to my face. Instead, I try to manage this problem with good skincare and makeup techniques.

It has always been a struggle to find a long lasting concealer formula that will not crease or pucker too much while also dramatically brightening my undereye area. As you can see in my comparison photos (compared to IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye on the right) the Tarte Shape Tape did not achieve this look. I was very underwhelmed with the brightening effects but that opinion may be tainted by the fact that I was just using the wrong shade. I will say, I also wasn’t too impressed by the way it dealt with wrinkles. I felt it highlighted them vs. downplaying them. It’s only redeeming quality was the fact that it was very matte and not too greasy and lasted a long time. I will be exchanging my color for a lighter one to see what happens but for now I have to give the product a big ol’ mehhh.

TAYLER:

So just like PJ, my opinion is slightly skewed here. I also purchased my Shape Tape online without color matching in person. I have used Shape Tape years ago but I unfortunately couldn’t remember the shade I had used. So utilizing the Tarte “find your perfect shade” tool, I was paired with Light Medium Sand (27S). It’s obviously hard to tell the true color based off a computer screen so I just rolled with it and placed my order hoping for the best.

When I received my Shape Tape in the mail, I was so impressed by the beautiful and playful packaging. It honestly put me in a good mood and made me excited to try it out. First, I used the Tarte Base Tape primer that I received a sample of with my purchase and then applied my foundation as usual. I normally use my concealer to brighten up my under eyes a little bit and also to contour/ highlight my features. So I applied the Shape Tape as I would any other concealer and then began to blend it out with a damp beauty blender.

My initial reaction was that it definitely lived up to being a full coverage concealer as it covered all my imperfections easily. My second reaction was that I got the wrong shade. The color I ordered matched my foundation almost exactly but was slightly warmer. Now, this might be totally fine for others who like that look but I was hoping to use it as more of a brightening/ highlighting tool which this did not. (If you also are looking for this effect, I suggest going one shade lighter but just remember to stick within your same under-tone family i.e. warm, neutral, cool, etc). Even though, the color wasn’t my favorite, I decided to continue and finish applying the rest of my makeup and went on with the rest of my day. A bit later, I checked in to see how my makeup was holding up and I noticed how exaggerated my fine lines were under my eyes. Like WOW, it was so noticeable to me.

I ended up ordering the Tarte Sea Hydrocealer and the Tarte Creaseless concealers hoping that they would provide similar coverage while also not drawing attention to my tired mama wrinkles fine lines. Don’t worry- this time I ordered my true shade which turns out is Light Neutral 22N. Out of the two, I definitely preferred the Hyrdocealer as it is very hydrating, smooth and doesn’t crease as much as the other concealers all while providing a nice medium coverage. I actually found the Creaseless Concealer to be very thick and sticky and creased even more than Shape Tape weirdly enough.

At the end of the day, I give Shape Tape just a “meh”. I really can see why it’s so popular and why people swear by it but for me I can’t move passed how it just settled in and accentuated all my fine lines. However, I am going to try and exchange it for the correct shade and use it for just contouring/ highlighting my face while continuing to use the Hydrocealer for under my eyes. I that may be the winning combo for me!