Tarte’s Shape Tape Concealer Is World-Famous—3 Reasons It’s Worth the $30

I know some of you have very mixed feelings about high-end or pricier concealers. I would say rightfully so—some expensive formulas are the same as the ones you find at the drugstore; they just cost a pretty penny more. There is, however, one legendary concealer out there that might not be the cheapest in the world but has garnered a cult following because it’s totally worth the $30 price tag.

Yep, I’m talking about Tarte Cosmetics Shape Tape Concealer ($30). Pretty much everyone I know uses and loves this concealer, so I decided to hop on the bandwagon and see what all the fuss was about. I’ve come to a few conclusions that I think you’ll want to know about—it’s totally worth a few extra dollars. I’ll give you the CliffsNotes version here and give you three simple reasons to try for yourself.

First, this concealer never dries out your skin, which is common with a full-coverage formula. Second, it doesn’t settle into your pores or look cakey after a few hours, which I wholeheartedly appreciate. Third, it’s incredibly versatile and can be used as both an under-eye concealer and foundation if you feel called to use it in that way. I put this formula to the test and came up with a longer list of pros and cons so you don’t have to. Keep reading below for my before and after shots, application tips, why celebrity makeup artists hoard the stuff, and more.

I decided to be brave and try using this product as a foundation. Not that it’s super difficult to do, but it just depends on the amount of coverage you’re looking for. In this “before” shot, you can see I have some texture and a few dark spots here and there. My goal when using this concealer was to cover those and create a blurred effect by blending it out with my Monika Blunder Call Your Buff Angled Brush ($38). I’m not normally one to just use concealer for my under-eye area, so this just made the most sense for me.

First things first, you have to work very quickly with this concealer because it dries down fast. I used the original formula here in the shade 42S. I really like the coverage it provides, but it’s definitely a thicker formula, so beware of using too much product. It blended really seamlessly using a brush as long as I buffed it out as soon as it touched my skin. It gave a soft, blurring effect that covered my dark spots really well. I really went for it when applying it all over my face, and honestly, I didn’t hate the results. But the formula is a tad thick for this if you’re thinking of using it in the same way. Although it is thick, it’s not overly heavy-feeling, so points for that. Overall, this really is a great concealer in terms of how much coverage it provides, and it never feels like you have 10 layers on your face (even if you do). The cons, however, are that this is a really thick, fast-drying formula, so you need to work lightning fast if you want it to look right.

Celebrity makeup artists, TikTok, and everyone in between all agree Tarte’s Shape Tape is it.To dive a little bit deeper into what makes this formula so magical, I tapped a couple of celebrity MUAs to give me the scoop. Hailey Hoff, who has worked with the likes of Ashley Tisdale and Noah Cyrus, says, “I love using Tarte’s Shape Tape because I find that the texture works on most skin types. The wide shade range is really helpful when working on set with multiple models. When I’m running out of a shade, I can also mix two together to get the perfect shade. It works well under setting powders and doesn’t look cakey, either. I also love that it can literally last all day.”

Hoff isn’t the only one to sing this concealer’s praises. Celebrity makeup artist Beck Wainner wholeheartedly agrees. “I love Tarte’s Shape Tape because this creamy, full-coverage concealer can be used to cover up blemishes and can help you sculpt your cheeks! It’s so versatile and good for any makeup application,” she says. In addition to its versatile nature, Wainner also loves that it has hydrating ingredients like shea and mango butter to help keep skin supple and moisturized while wearing it all day.

Like makeup artists have stated, this concealer has a wide shade range, so it works well if you’d like to mix certain shades together to get that perfect hue. As I also said above, it would be wise to work quickly when using this formula because it mattifies in the blink of an eye. Some may not like this, so it’s good to be aware of that before purchasing. I mostly used a foundation brush to blend out this concealer, but it applies just as well with a sponge. You may even want to add a little bit of water to your sponge beforehand to help blend it out and keep it from drying too fast. I did love using this as a foundation, but it would work just as well for those who only want to use it to brighten their under-eye area. It really helps conceal fine lines and dark circles but doesn’t dry that area out.