Why Allure Editors Are Obsessing Over Tarte's New Radiant Shape Tape Concealer

This is the fourth installment of Allure's newest franchise, One to Watch, which highlights one brand-new, innovative product our editors are loving each month. Learn more about our submission process here. 

Skin, the streets are saying, is in. Exhibits A through C: Gen Zers on TikTok are sharing makeup tutorials that don't include foundation. Chloë Sevigny (a younger member of Gen X) told Allure she prefers to skip coverage products and let the "rugged" quality of her natural skin tone stand alone. Tarte is launching Shape Tape Radiant, an extension of its best-selling concealer range that isn't full coverage — and the lightweight, brightening product is this Allure's newest One to Watch honoree. That seems like plenty of proof to me that we're officially in an era of lighter, glowier makeup looks. 

The original Tarte Shape Tape is a repeat Readers' Choice Award winner, beloved for its long-lasting full coverage and wide shade range. And while this isn't the first time Tarte has added new members to the Shape Tape family (there's also a creamy concealer, color corrector, and brightener) having a sheerer option feels particularly exciting. Below, Allure editors break down why we're just a little giddy over this new launch. 

Overview
About the ingredients
How I tested it
Before and after photos
More Allure reviews
Pricing and value
Where to buy it

Any time a brand expands on a beloved franchise it can be a bit nerve-wracking, both for the brand and the consumer. There's the possibility that it will blow all previous iterations out of the water; there's also the possibility that it will fall far short of its predecessors. That's why it took three years of product development to create Tarte Shape Tape Radiant — the team knew it couldn't disappoint. "Shape Tape is so iconic, so we just had to dot every I and cross every T," says Maureen Kelly, Tarte's CEO. With this new launch, Tarte's head of product development and regulatory, Anna Sponaugle, says she feels there's finally a Shape Tape for everyone.

In the interest of not disappointing, I feel I must again reiterate that this is not a full-coverage concealer. Even medium coverage might be a bit generous: Your natural skin tone (including some of its so-called imperfections) will absolutely show through, and that's kind of the point. "It's not going to hide your freckles or cake your face," Sponaugle says. In a way, this concealer was made for Kelly. "I like to cover the things I want to cover, like my redness," she says. "I've got some… I like to call them sun kisses, but it's really hyperpigmentation. I like to cover that, but I do like my freckles to shine through." As the name Radiant implies, it also has a brightening effect.

Tarte

Tarte Shape Tape Radiant Concealer

$31

Tarte

$31

QVC

Philadelphia-based makeup artist Yari Lamback loves how this concealer "blends down effortlessly and becomes your second skin." She's been using Shape Tape Radiant for a "clean and fresh look."

While the formula is different from the original and Creamy Shape Tapes, a couple of key components remain consistent across the line. For one, the Radiant Shape Tape will come in the same 37 shades as the other two concealers. "We've found that our shade range for Shape Tape works really well for our customers," Kelly says. "So it was important for us to make sure that the [Radiant] shades match [that range] exactly." Kelly and Sponaugle say they went to the lab and worked one-on-one with the chemists to make sure that, for example, Light Sand (my shade) in the Radiant concealer was exactly the same color as Light Sand in the original Shape Tape. 

Although the Radiant Shape Tape has a new, rose gold design on the cap, that's where the packaging differences end. "It's our signature applicator, the same iconic jumbo speed smoother," Kelly says. ("Jumbo speed smoother" is the brand's trademarked name for Shape Tape's large doe-foot applicator.) This, Kelly says, is especially great for all those people who want to use the product as a "found-cealer" rather than applying a full face of traditional foundation. 

There are three key ingredients that Kelly and Sponaugle say make Shape Tape Radiant a star. First, we've got three weights of hyaluronic acid "to drench your skin," Sponaugle says. "It really gives you that 24 hours of hydration." Los Angeles-based cosmetic chemist Jane Tsui is a big fan of formulas that contain multi-molecular weight HA. "The smaller the molecular weight, the deeper it penetrates," she says. "The larger molecular weight sits more superficially on the skin, and can give a wrinkle-filling effect while also drawing moisture to the skin." She explains that adding a true skin-care level amount of hyaluronic acid isn't practical for makeup because "it can make a formula very goopy," but even smaller amounts add a nice "little somethin' extra."

Continuing down the list of skin-nourishing ingredients, the concealer is also infused with hippophae rhamnoides — which you probably know as seaberry or sea buckthorn — fruit and seed oil. This berry, Sponaugle says, is packed with omega-7, a fatty acid that's also great for skin hydration. Additionally, Tsui says, seaberry seed oil can have anti-inflammatory properties. 

Perhaps most intriguingly, the words "diamond powder" appear on the concealer's full ingredient list. It's not literal diamonds — that’d probably up the price point a bit too much — but rather "special pearl pigments that are cut to mimic the shape of a diamond," Sponaugle explains. "On the skin, they manipulate light, kind of like a diamond does, so it gives you that subtle illumination." These powders also settle into your fine lines, which, admittedly, sounds like the last thing you'd want in an undereye concealer, but it's not what you think. Rather than settling in a way that makes any creases more visible, it fills in those fine lines so you get a super-smooth finish that, Tarte claims, will stay that way for up to 12 hours. Tsui confirms that these types of ingredients are commonly used in base products, like foundation or primer, to give the formula "a blurring or 'soft focus' effect." 

As someone who comes from a long line of people with strong undereye circles, I've been using concealer to tone down the purple in that area for as long as I've been wearing makeup. These days, I'm not as concerned about full coverage as I am about a formula that blends into my skin but doesn't get caked up into the fine lines that showed up for my 30th birthday party and decided to stick around. Plus I, like Kelly, actually like my skin to look a bit uneven — I appreciate a product that tones down redness but doesn't completely flatten out my skin tone. 

I also have almost fully committed to the found-cealer lifestyle, preferring to add spot coverage under my eyes, around my nose, on my chin, and at my temples — all the places I tend to see the most discoloration. So that's what I did with Radiant, blending it in with either my fingers or a dense foundation brush depending on how much effort I was willing to give each day. (I'd say it worked equally well with both methods, so do what brings you the most joy.) Lamback agrees it applies well with a brush or your finger, and advises tapping an extra layer of the concealer into the corners of your eyes to really brighten up the area. Lamback also recommends using the concealer "on your brow bone, cupid's bow, down the middle of your nose, and right above your cheekbone."

This part of the testing is a little embarrassing, but we're in the era of hypervulnerability right? I have a 9" x 13" mirror on my desk right next to my laptop that I glance in approximately 847 times a day — which comes in handy when you're trying to gauge how well a new makeup product actually holds up to its long-wear claims. My concealer usually starts to crease around my eyes by lunchtime, but these diamond powders really seem to be doing their fill 'em in job. I interviewed Kelly and Sponaugle at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday, well after I took my dog for a walk on the hottest day of spring so far, and was pleased to report directly to them that Radiant looked essentially as good as it had when I first applied it seven hours earlier. 

I feel the need to say one more time: This is not a full-coverage concealer. For some Allure editors who tested the new launch, it was too sheer to even be considered as part of their regular rotation. But for me, a fan of natural-looking makeup who mostly interacts with people on Zoom, it was a great everyday option.

Even though I rarely wear foundation these days, I did put some on just for fun (and the sake of thorough product testing) while I was trying out Shape Tape Radiant. Just like the Tarte team promised, I'm the same shade — 20S — in this as I am the other Shape Tapes. Here, you can see my makeup-free face, exactly where I applied the foundation, my face with just the concealer on, and a full face of way more makeup than I've worn in months. I love that "radiant matte" finish — it brightens without looking sparkly or greasy, which is my ideal for every day. I also found the concealer played nicely with my foundation (specifically the Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin Foundation, another product that promises glow without greasiness) and blushes. 

"I'll be honest, I never wear complexion products, but Tarte's Shape Tape Radiant concealer is really making a case for base products. It has the same creamy, medium-to-full coverage texture as the original concealer formulation, but what sets it apart is its glowy finish that makes my eyes look wide awake. This concealer's brightening effects also helped conceal a few dark spots around my hairline and rosacea flare-ups on my cheeks, and all it took was a little dot of product and a quick blend with my fingers. The results: flawless-looking skin and brighter undereyes — even when I've skimped on sleep the night before."

"In the past, when I needed a concealer to provide me with solid coverage ASAP — meaning, I do not have time to build it up nor layer it with other base makeup and color correctors — I reached for Tarte's Shape Tape, with the knowledge that it might pill or look a tad thick by the end of the day, as is often the case with full-coverage formulas. With the Radiant Concealer, Tarte appears to have lightly tweaked its formulation and possibly taken those effects into consideration. When testing, I applied it in the morning and, after a full 12 hours, it still looked smooth and relatively crease-free. (I won't lie: If you have fine lines like I do, it is rare to encounter base makeup that doesn't sink into those spaces a bit.) Plus, Tarte's Radiant formula worked great with my other makeup: I mixed it with my usual foundation color since shade 8B was just a bit too light for me, plus it layered well under my blush, contour, highlighter, and eye shadow."

"How can Tarte possibly improve its original Shape Tape Concealer? It can't. (C'mon, its soft, diffused finish and gloriously-large doe foot makes it a staple in every beauty lover's bag.) The brand can, however, make a radiant iteration for when we want juicy, glowy skin.

Shape Tape Radiant has the same applicator and easy-to-blend texture as its predecessor. The difference is in its subtle, reflective finish. It dries down to feel like skin — not slick or sticky the way some other luminous concealers feel — and masks redness and hyperpigmentation completely. I used shade Medium Honey on my undereyes (which tend to get dark), along my cheekbones (where have dark spots from past breakouts), and around my nostrils (where I have redness). I plan to keep both Shape Tape concealers in my beauty arsenal."

Despite that diamond powder, Tarte Shape Tape Radiant is the same price as the other Shape Tapes: $31 for a full 10-milliliter size, $14 for a 1-milliliter travel size. This is right on par with other concealers sold at retailers like Sephora and Ulta (which both carry Tarte) where most seem to be priced between $26 and $36 for a full size. At Target, Tarte is on the higher end of the concealer spectrum, with a majority of the other options coming in at under $15 (though many are also in slightly smaller packages). Concealer is a makeup item I think is worth a higher price point, since you want it to last and, ideally, come with some skin-care benefits, especially if you're using it over large portions of your face. 

Tarte Shape Tape Radiant Concealer is available now exclusively on tartecosmetics.com and qvc.com, and will roll out at other retailers later this year. 

Discover more One to Watch honorees:

• You've Never Seen a Liquid Eyeliner Like Urban Decay's 24/7 Inks
• The Inkey List Finally Dropped a Sunscreen and It Was Worth the Wait
• The GHD Duet Style Is a Wet-to-Dry Hair Tool That Won't Fry Your Hair

Check out Rita Ora's 10-minute makeup routine:

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