Perhaps the most hyped concealer of the decade, Tarte’s Shape Tape had been popping up everywhere in the past year. I tried to get it when it first came out but it was seemingly always sold out for the first few months. I held off and I held off. Then, on Boxing Day last year, an email from Tarte popped up in my inbox offering free international delivery and a 20% off sale. It was time, I couldn’t resist.

So is it worth all of the hype? Is it really as amazing as seemingly everybody claimed?

As soon as this arrived, I couldn’t wait to try it and had it on my face within ten minutes of opening the package. It was love at first application.

The packaging is chunky and the doe foot applicator is really huge for a concealer. I wasn’t too sure how I felt about this at first, but I actually think that it makes application easier once you get the hang of product control. You also get a decent amount of product with 10ml in each tube, way more than your standard concealer.

The Shape Tape has three functions: concealer; highlight and contour. It comes in an impressive 14 shades which means there are plenty of options for all three functions.

I opted for the shade light neutral which I would liken to NW13 in terms of MAC shades, so very light. I could probably go a shade darker, but I can make it work fine under my eyes and the lighter shade just means that the brightening effect is more noticeable.

The consistency is very thick. Comparable to MAC Pro Longwear or the KVD Lock It Concealer. A little product goes a very long way too as it spreads out so easily.

I use the Shape Tape primarily under my eyes and the effect is super brightening. I find that it blends best with a damp beauty blender as it really works the product into the skin. Any time that I’ve tried to work it into my under eye area with a brush, it hasn’t looked as flawless.

The coverage is insanely good and I find that it isn’t at all drying like other full coverage products can be, especially on the under eye area. When I use this product, I find that it lasts a long time and doesn’t wear off or start caking up at all as the day wears on. However, because it’s so full coverage, you really can’t afford to use too much. If you do, it will definitely get cakey. Be warned!

One thing that I consider to be a must with this concealer is setting it correctly to avoid creasing. My trusty Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder is my personal favourite though I really want to team it with their Secret Brightening Powder to see how that compares. I’ve also noticed that it can dry a bit quicker than other products which can be a little irritating but provided you work quickly enough, it doesn’t present a massive problem.

You can purchase the Tarte Shape Tape in the UK from QVC here for £28.00 plus p&p and it comes with it’s own blending sponge. However, they don’t have the full shade range. I picked mine up from Tarte directly here and it was £22 with free shipping and then my 20% off (Tarte run discounts all the time) and I managed to get away with any customs charges so it worked out cheaper!

Have you tried Shape Tape yet? What is your favourite concealer?

Thanks for reading!

Lynsey xox