Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipsticks in Whimsy, Inspired, Pure, and Bold

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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Last month, I found out that Tarte has an online pro program that offers approved make-up artists a 40% discount on all of their products. It's completely free to join; you just have to send proof that you're actually a make-up artist, and if you get approved, your online account with Tarte automatically processes the pro discount. Obviously, I had to jump on this, so I sent them my info and they approved me a couple days later. And then I may have gone on a little shopping spree. My haul included five shades of their Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick, of which I will review four (the fifth one is limited edition and no longer available in stores so I'm leaving that one out). The Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick is Tarte's "first long-wear, clay-infused lipstick. A unique blend of emollient-rich butters (mango, avocado and shea) is encapsulated in this Tarte 12-Hour Power™ formula to achieve rich, vivid, and long-wearing colour that applies smoothly and won't fade away." They are packaged in long bamboo tubes featuring a leaf-pattern design in the colour of the lipstick shade. They are scent- and taste-free. Each lipstick contains 2 grams of product, and retails for $34.

Whimsy, Inspired, Pure, and Bold

Whimsy, Inspired, Pure, and Bold

Whimsy is a medium vibrant cool-toned fuchsia pink in a cream finish. It is a permanent shade shade. The texture is creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is less purple-toned than MAC Love Forever! Pro Longwear Lipcreme, darker and brighter than MAC Pink Nouveau, less neon than MAC Candy Yum-Yum, lighter than Urban Decay Anarchy, lighter and brighter than Shiseido RS 320 Fuchsia Perfect Rouge, and lighter than NARS Schiap.
Inspired is a medium warm rosy brown in a cream finish. It is a permanent shade shade. The texture is creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is similar though more pigmented than MAC Modesty, cooler and more pink than MAC Kinda Sexy, lighter than MAC Glamour Era Mineralize Rich Lipstick, more brown and less glossy than MAC Impressive Sheen Supreme Lipstick, more pinked than Urban Decay Liar, more brown than Illamasqua Climax, and similar though more pigmented to Revlon Pink Truffle Lip Butter. 
Pure is a light-medium peachy beige-brown in a cream finish. It is a permanent shade shade. The texture is creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is more peach than MAC Cherish, slightly lighter and more peach than MAC Posh Tone Mineralize Rich Lipstick, less brown and less glossy than MAC Tea Ceremony Sheen Supreme Lipstick, more peach than Urban Decay Naked2, slightly darker and more brown than Urban Decay Naked, and less brown than YSL 4 Sweet Honey Rouge Volupté. 
Bold is a medium-dark vibrant true coral in a cream finish. It is a permanent shade shade. The texture is creamy, and it goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is more muted and more pinked than MAC Vegas Volt, similar in colour but much more pigmented than MAC See Sheer, more muted and less reddened than MAC Lady at Play Mineralize Rich Lipstick, darker and more orange than MAC Ultra Darling Sheen Supreme Lipstick, more muted and more orange than YSL 27 Rose Paris Rouge Volupté, and softer and more coral than Clinique Heftiest Hibiscus Chubby Stick Intense.

There are only nine shades in this lipstick range, but there is something for everyone, and I have personally found my perfect nude in Pure and my perfect MLBB in Inspired. Bold is a gorgeous true coral that doesn't lean too orange or too pink, and is vibrant but not neon or in-your-face bright. Whimsy warms up on lips to become a beautiful, vibrant pink that hints at blue undertones but doesn't veer into magenta, and it actually looks much softer on the lips than in a swatch so it's a lot more wearable than many fuchsia pinks out there. Shades aside, it's the formula of these lipsticks that's to die for. Incredibly creamy, glide on effortlessly, and go on completely opaque in one swipe. They stay vivid and hydrating on the lips during the entire duration of wear despite drying down to a semi-matte finish. They don't wear a full 12 hours for me, but I don't expect non-stain lip products to wear that long, especially through drinking, eating, and smoking. Realistically, the lighter shades wear about four to five hours without fading and the brighter and darker shades wear about eight before needing to touch-up. Still impressive wear-time for such a creamy formula, and I didn't experience any bleeding, feathering, smudging, flaking, or settling into lip lines.

The major downside of these for me is the packaging. They're housed in bamboo tubes that feel flimsy, and the bullets feel loose at the base like they're going to fall out or break. They're also significantly longer than your average lipstick, and added to the fact that they house less than the average amount of product in a lipstick (these only have 2 grams of product, whereas MAC's and NARS' have 3 grams, and YSL has 4.5 grams), they feel much more breakable and are a bit more cumbersome to use. Granted, the lipsticks are so creamy and pigmented that the lightest pressure will give you amazing colour pay-off, but they still feel delicate to use. As cute as the packaging looks, it really does feel incredibly cheap. At $34 a pop (that's another thing: how is it a whopping $8 more in Canada than the US?!), you're paying entirely for the stellar formula. If you can get past the packaging, then these are definitely worth getting, especially if you like your super-pigmented, cream-finish lipsticks.
6 comments on "Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipsticks in Whimsy, Inspired, Pure, and Bold"
  1. creamy and pigmented. right up my alley. hmmm but less product and potentially breakable. not deal breakers but a nice heads up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I think it really depends if you can get over the less-than-stellar packaging and how often you use up products. But worth swatching, nevertheless! It really is a fantastic formula.

      Delete
  2. Bold is amazing, but I seriously can't deal with Tarte's absurd Canadian pricing which is why I rarely buy anything from them. But with your pro discount - ROWR! ALLLLL THE LIPSTICKS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just let me know if you want anything, Liz. I can always let you know when I'm ordering from them next. ;)

      Delete
  3. I think I have that red! I think. I'll have to go look, LOL. This means I have a problem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! The coral is rather stunning. I actually love this formula. Kind of a shame the packaging sucks, but I'm still using the shit out of them.

      #lipstickhoarderproblems

      Delete

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