If you have been following along for a while, you may have read my Sephora Mascara Review from 2020 and my Drug Store Mascara Review from the end of 2022. I talk about Tarte and its products frequently, especially the maracuja juicy lips, and I realized I needed to do a mascara review for Tarte as well. I chose six of their mascaras to try and share my thoughts. Below, I will be reviewing and rating the Tartelette Tubing mascara, the Big Ego mascara, the Surfer Curl mascara, the Lights Camera Lashes mascara, the Maneater mascara, and the Gifted mascara. Honestly, I thought I would be more impressed with them than I was. Don't get me wrong, I did find some favorites, and one that I will likely repurchase for my makeup bag. However, there were also some that I definitely did not love. As with my previous reviews, I will share the price for each mascara, the number of colors it comes in, what it claims to do for your lashes, and my personal experience with it. Now, let's dive into the reviews of these six Tarte mascaras!
Tarte Mascara Reviews: A Detailed Breakdown
The world of mascara can be overwhelming, with numerous brands and formulas promising voluminous, lengthened, and perfectly curled lashes. Tarte, a popular beauty brand known for its innovative products, offers a range of mascaras designed to cater to different lash needs. This review aims to provide an in-depth look at six of their popular mascaras, offering insights into their performance, claims, and overall value.
6. Surfer Curl Volumizing Mascara
PRICE: $25.00
PURPOSE: Nourishing Volume & Curl
COLOR: Black
While I had high expectations for this mascara, I found it quite messy during application and removal from the tube. The formula was not necessarily terrible, it just did not meet my expectations. However, I will say that my cousin swears by this mascara, and it is her go-to choice. It could have been possible that the sample size played a role in my experience, but overall, it just did not become my favorite.
5. Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara
PRICE: $25.00
PURPOSE: Lengthens and Curls
COLORS: Black
To be honest, I found this mascara to be pretty decent. It did a good job of making my lashes look longer, which I appreciated. It also held up nicely throughout the day, which was impressive. It ranked fifth on my list because it didn't leave any messy residue or transfer onto my eyelids too much. One other thing it was lacking though was the curl; I felt like I didn’t get any curl from the mascara. I do think though that this would be a good everyday mascara or if you were just wanting to apply a little bit of mascara to run errands or something.
4. Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara
PRICE: $25.00
PURPOSE: Instant Eye Lift
COLORS: Black & Brown
I feel like I have tried this mascara a few times, and it always seems to be in my bathroom somehow. It must come in different variety packs that I have accumulated over time. With this not being the first time I had tried this mascara, I knew that I didn’t hate it, but going into it, it wasn’t my favorite. So, with that being said, I was surprised when this time around, doing a mascara review, it made it into the top four. I would say that this mascara is a good everyday mascara, and I like that it comes in the two color options of black and brown. It is a little bit buildable, but I really have to work at it to get that fullness that I like in a mascara.
The Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 mascara is a product that has consistently appeared in my makeup collection, possibly due to various variety packs. While it hasn't always been a top contender for me, this review revealed a pleasant surprise as it landed in the top four. It serves as a solid everyday mascara and is a plus that it's available in both black and brown shades. Achieving significant fullness requires some effort due to its buildable nature, but it delivers a satisfactory look for daily wear.
For reference, my lashes are sparse, naturally straight, and somewhat weak. They aren't particularly short, but I wouldn't consider them long either. I almost never buy high-end mascara as I think there are plenty of great choices at the drugstore. I’m not sure what got into me, but I bought this on a whim during the November Sephora VIB sale back in 2016, although I only opened it just this past December. This has a traditional mascara tube, but with a leather-like purple sleeve over it designed in a snakeskin print that fits the brand’s Amazon theme. The wand is quite traditional, especially these days when the more outlandish the wand shape, the more people want to try it. The shape of the wand is long and skinny, with no special curves or spikes. This mascara has a very dry formula, which is what I usually prefer. However, it isn’t so dry that it can’t be built up. In fact, I felt that it was one of the more buildable formulas I’ve used in a while, as my lashes tend to wilt if I try to apply more than one coat of mascara. The photo below shows two coats applied to my upper lashes, and as you can tell, my lashes haven’t drooped, clumped together, nor do they look spidery. There haven’t been any problems with any flaking or smudging after a full day of wear (roughly 11 hours), and although my lashes don’t look exactly like they did freshly applied in the morning, it generally does a decent job holding a curl. Overall, I highly enjoyed this mascara. I won’t be repurchasing it soon, but I would definitely pick it up again if I was in the market for a high-end mascara. Have you used this mascara, and if so, did it work for you?
As I mentioned, my lashes are already long, but with this mascara, I look like I put on a pair of falsies. The short, dense bristles on the brush are great for adding volume and defining your lashes. To get those tricky lower lashes, I run the tip of the wand horizontally across my lower hairs, and then use the whole wand to brush them out. I find that this method coats all those itty-bitty lashes and reduces the amount of mascara that smudges onto my lower lash line.
With the lengthening power of this mascara, I feel like if I bat my eyes too much I may fly away. (OK, I'm being a bit dramatic. But, my coworker could hear the flutters.) This mascara gives you a naturally dramatic lash - long and in charge, but not overpowering your face. While it performs in many ways, this mascara isn't perfect. If you're watching any sad movies or have the tendency to tear up when you laugh, this mascara may not be the best for you since it's not waterproof.
3. Big Ego Mascara
PRICE: $25.00
PURPOSE: False Lash Effect
COLORS: Black
This mascara was actually on my Sephora Mascara Review that I did, and it did not rank that well. I obviously don’t know this for certain, but I think they may have changed something about this mascara. Before, I did not think it was buildable and struggled to get product onto my lashes, but this time when I tried it, I felt that it was easier to apply. I don’t know if they changed the formula, but I think it was better this go around. I also really like the wand of this mascara; it is really fluffy and helps to make sure that your lashes are being covered. I’m not saying that this mascara is perfect, but it does feel like they have improved it since 2020. There is definitely a need to apply this mascara a few times to accomplish the look you want, but I didn’t mind it, and it was more buildable than before.
2. Maneater Mascara
PRICE: $25.00
PURPOSE: Volumizing, Lengthening, and Curl
COLORS: Black & Brown
I tried this mascara right before I tried the number one mascara from this whole research project. If you watch my Instagram stories, you know I said, “Is this going to be my favorite one?!” It obviously wasn’t, but it did come in second, which is exciting. I really liked how buildable this mascara was, and it did an excellent job of doing the three things it said it was going to: lengthen, curl, and create volume. I was really impressed with this product. Another thing that I really liked about this mascara was that it went on very nicely, and I didn’t have problems transferring to my eyelid. We know at this point I am not great at avoiding mascara going onto my eyelid when applying, but I think this formula did a great job of staying where it needed to, and I love that. One last bonus is that this mascara comes in black and brown for those of you who prefer brown mascara!
1. Tartelette Tubing Mascara
PRICE: $25.00
PURPOSE: Lash Extension in a Tube
COLORS: Black
This is a mascara that I go back to all the time. I repurchase it when it is on sale and savor it when I do have it! I love it so much; it effortlessly goes onto my lashes, making them so much longer and honestly fuller than they usually are as well! I know I have done other mascara reviews, drugstore, and another one rating Sephora mascaras. The Tartelette Tubing Mascara and the It Cosmetics Superhero mascara are tied for first, and I always have both of them on hand! I know that usually these posts have more mascaras in them, but I figured I would just review the ones that are popular from Tarte and the ones that I have heard of before. I would love to hear your thoughts on the reviews or if your favorite mascara is on this page, I want to know about it! If there is anything else you think I should add to any or all of them, like a specific category for each mascara type, let me know that, too!
Lash Extensions in a Tube? Tarte tartelette Tubing Mascara Tested! 💁♀️✨
So many Tarte mascaras, which one to choose?! Now, here’s the thing. Everyone is so different. Maybe you don’t want bold lashes. Maybe you want delicate, lengthy-looking lashes. Maybe you only use waterproof mascara. There are so many different options, and you have to find what works for YOU. Here’s my review and opinion of 4 different Tarte mascaras + my most used It Cosmetics one.
If you want curled lashes without using any tools, this mascara is for you. It’s kind of crazy how much this mascara can just naturally give your lashes a great lift with no heat! I love this one and found it to be my #2 pick of the bunch!
Ok, this might be my favorite of the four BUT only because I like a lot of product and thick bold lashes. The brush is big, and I can see some people not liking that, but for me, I loved it! It didn’t flake or smudge throughout the day and was easy to wash off at night. I feel like this is a good buildable mascara too, so the more layers, the bigger your lashes get.
Another great one! If you are looking for a skinnier brush that really separates and lengthens lashes, this one is for you! I felt like I had to put 2 coats on to get the “thicker” look I wanted but loved how long my lashes looked after the application.
My least favorite of the bunch, and I was actually really surprised! I didn’t like the smaller brush and tiny bristles, and I felt like it made my lashes look skinny and small (if that makes sense! Ha!). I know some people that swear by this one, but it just wasn’t for me. Now, is it terrible?! No, not at all. I just felt like I needed like 3-4 coats to make it look the way I wanted it to.
Tips for Enhancing Mascara Performance
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know my holy grail mascara is the It Cosmetics Superhero mascara. It gives me big bold lashes, isn’t hard to wash off, and doesn’t flake throughout the day. The only complaint I have about the It Cosmetics is that the tube gets messy after about a month of use, but it’s doable because it really makes my lashes look the best.
1. Primer
If you aren’t putting a primer on your lashes before your mascara, you are missing out. It is a game changer and will make your mascara last longer throughout the day + lengthen your lashes. My go-to primer for years has been the Subversion by Urban Decay, but I switched over to the Marc Jacobs one about 3 months ago to try it out. Both are great, but the Marc Jacobs one can get messy, fyi. The Tarte one is another great option.
2. Lash Serum
Another thing I swear by that works really well to give you longer, thicker, and conditioned lashes. I LOVE the Neulash Lash Enhancing Serum as it really does give you crazy gorgeous lashes, but it is pricey! You also aren’t supposed to use it while you are pregnant. The only other lash serum that I’ve found that does work well is the one from Dime Beauty.