January 15, 2014

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment Review & Swatches

This was provided to me by a brand for review and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post but all opinions are my own.

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment pencils

Although having a larger Spring 2014 launch, Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment Pencils aren’t actually a new product and you might already own a shade or two from the Tarte Beauty without Boundaries QVC Set that launched a few months ago.

December’s shipment of this beauty set already went out and another will make an appearance in March so that means you already own two of these new Tarte Power Pigment Pencils with a third on the way and might already have some thoughts about them.

If so I’d love to hear your mini review!

Let’s take a look at them!

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment are a slimmer Lipsurgence Pencil that weights in at 0.04 oz in size. Each swivels up for easy application and no sharpener is needed.

Although I’m an absolutely a glutton for chubby pencils I do like the slimmer size on these as they store easier. And props to Tarte for the new whimsical packaging! Each pencil has a different decorative wrap giving them a very pretty new set of clothes that the original Lipsurgence’s lack.

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment3

These have the same mint taste as the original formula however, I find the formula completely different compared to prior formulations. The only comparable aspect to any formula would be these have the intense pigment of the Lipsurgence Lip Creme Pencils. Aside from this the formula stands alone.

Tarte flush Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment flush

Flush

Tarte blissful Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment blissful

Blissful

Tarte blushing bride Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment blushing bride

Blushing Bride

Tarte exposed Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment exposed

Exposed

Tarte fearless Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment fearless

Fearless

Tarte natural beauty Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment natural beauty

Natural Beauty

Tarte tipsy Lipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment tipsy

Tipsy

Tarte true love ipsurgence Power Pigment

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment true love

True Love

These have shea butter but the semi-matte satiny finish makes them a bit drier than your standard Lipsurgence pencil and they lack the balminess of the original. These pack very nice pigment with full opaque color on a single application and more intense pay off when built up. At first they feel fairly nice however, as they settle down you’ll find the formula gets a bit drier. I got a solid five hours of wear from them but through that time they weren’t terribly hydrating unfortunately. The creamy formula applies easily without tugging.� Oddly enough the first hour I felt like I was lacking moisture in my lips but as the time progressed I did get used to the formula and I felt comfortable with it on and barely noticed it. But I think if you’re prone to drier lips or your lips are always flaky and chapped these need some prepping before hand for the best wear. When I tried the shade I got with the Beauty Without Boundaries Set I felt like the formula was a bit more moist so perhaps it changed slightly with these!

Shades are all inspired and based off of Tarte Amazonian Blush shades so you can match up your lip pencil with your blush shade.

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment pencil swatches

Blissful, Blushing Bride, Exposed, Fearless

Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment swatches

Flush, Natural Beauty, Tipsy, True Love

All in all if you can forgive the dryness Power Pigments have more color pay off in the long run as well as a longer wearing formula. They might prove a better fit for Summer wearing as I’m not as prone to drier lips in the Summer as I am in the Winter. The dryness will likely be a deal breaker for those who have chronic dry lips and rely on more hydrating lip products. I have to admit and plead guilty to really loving how some of these shades look on my lips though!

Tried ’em?

Do share your thoughts!

They are available now at Sephora, Sephora.com, Ulta, Ulta.com, and directly on Tarte’s website.

This was provided to me by a brand for review and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post but all opinions are my own.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • heather

    i’m a huge fan of these & the packaging is adorable. i’m afraid i’ll buy the whole set 🙁

  • heather

    I have been eyeing these at Ulta and Sephora, but so, so , so many negative reviews because of the size. Tarte is charging us the same amount of money for less than half the size of the regular lipsurgences. That is definitely going to keep me from purchasing. Less product, same price = not nice to customers!! Boooo Tarte for doing that to your customers!

  • Angel

    Hmmm, Tarte is bumming me out a bit lately. These are not what I expected, so thank you for your review Muse. I think I’ll pass. Plus the size to price ratio is ridiculous. They keep making stuff smaller but charging us the same price. Hey, when I can grab a Jordana Balm Stain for under $5, well it’s a no-brainier for me. Thanks again for the detailed review Muse!!

  • Amber

    Here’s my thoughts on these, I like them however…I am one of the ones who signed up for the autodelivery of beauty without boundaries as soon as it came out in the insider. I am also one of the ones who has been pushed back on their release date by the q so many times it’s up to jan. 24th now. It’s looking like I won’t get it. So I really can’t say for sure how I feel about the product except sad

  • Gisele

    Muse, True Love looks GORGEOUS on your lips!!
    I love Lip Surgences, but I think they feel a little bit drying. I’m wearing one of them today, and it seems that my lips are thirsty! Are these even dryer?

    Thank you, dear! :*

    • Isabella Muse

      def drier than the original gisele, I don’t actually have a problem with the original formulation but if you do you’ll likely find these a good deal drier…they aren’t as balmy and have more of a semi-matte almost satiny finish! The first hour they were quite dry but I noticed as time progressed I was ok with them but if you’re prone to drier lips these won’t do favors!

  • Joan

    I ordered five of these shades from Ulta’s website and returned three. I don’t like these as much as the original Lipsurgence Tints. I find them drier and not as pigmented. I do love the new designs on the pencils though. On a whole, I was disappointed.

    One note about the new shades in the Amazonian Clay powder blush……Flush, Fearless and True Love. Very pretty shades. I already had Fearless from a QVC collection. Flush and True Love are brand new shades. I ordered all three. They described Fearless as a Pink Coral. The Fearless I already have is a true pink with shimmer. I was very pleasantly surprised when I got the new Fearless shade. It is a true Pink Coral with no shimmer. It’s a gorgeous shade. So are Flush and True Love. So happy to see these new shades from Tarte.

    • Isabella Muse

      I def get plenty of pigment Joan but agreed on drier! 🙁 I find they get a little more comfortable the longer I wear them. I was going to blog those today ;-D

    • Isabella Muse

      no, not really, some of the darker ones stain a little but not a whole lot.

  • kathy

    I tried on Tipsy at Ulta and it was so pretty. But the price is a major sticking point – $24 for 0.04 ounce. The regular Lipsurgance pencils are $24 for 0.1 ounce, making these pretty little fellas twice as expensive. Not worth it for me personally; a shame as some of the colors are quite lovely.

  • LipstickHoarder

    Yes, yes and yes!! I’m so in love. Awesome swatches as usual, Isa. 😀

  • Nina

    I have to say these make your lips look so beautiful….(well, they already are!) but they are extremely flattering shades on you and applied perfectly cuz your lips look amazing! Beyond that, they seem expensive for what you get, but I LOVE that the shades are bright and clear, match up with the tints and blushes, and have such creative, individual designs. Thanks for this review as always. 🙂

    • Isabella Muse

      aw thanks Nina! I have to admit, not to be vain, but I liked how they look too! they are very bright and lovely! ;-D my pleasure dear my pleasure and thanks again 😀

  • Caroline

    I love Tarte, and the product is nice, but $24 for 0.04oz? No way. A standard lipstick is 0.1-0.14oz and I own a travel-sized pencil of a similar product from a competitor (Bite, High Pigment Matte pencil) that contains 0.05oz, MORE than the full-size Power Pigment. I’ll normally buy whatever Tarte wants to sell me, but this is inexcusable.

  • Brandy

    Blissful & Blushing Bride are both beautiful on you! Also, I think Tipsy is a good “neutral” look. All of the colors swatch beautifully, but I’m bummed about the price/size ratio & the fact the formula doesn’t seem to be as nice; I think I’ll try the Jordana products. Thanks for your honest reviews Muse!

  • Jessica

    These look so pretty but I’ll pass. I thought the originals were kind of dry on me so if these feel even more dry then its a no go for sure. Also the fact that they are the same price but smaller is a turn off.

  • Deb

    I’m with Angel, Tarte is bumming me out too. Their price point is starting to get a little ridiculous. I like the few lip pencils I have from them, but am nowhere close to using them all up so I’ll be taking a pass. I have to say, with the exception of Tipsy and Blissful these are some god awful ugly colors. And that’s not a slam on you Muse, you would look adorable with Leprechauns dancing on your face! There’s just something about these colors…..ugh.

    • Isabella Muse

      LOL deb you made me laugh big time just now thanks you’re AWESOME for my ego ;D <3!

  • diane

    every single color looks gorgeous on you! i am so in love with tartes new packaging on these. i am on the qvc auto delivery- the first shipment had a color called awakening which i don’t see here, and the second color was fearless. i really like this formula- i find it to be very long wearing and pigmented. the price isn’t a big deal to me since they wear longer i need to apply them less often. plus tarte does do 30% off friends & family sales. thanks for this post- i want and need them all =)

    • Isabella Muse

      you are too kind d thanks 😀 I really liked awakening it was a pretty mlbb shade! my pleasure dear!

  • Stacie

    I love Fearless from the QVC TSV! Is Exposed the same color as the LipSurgence or is it pinker? I held off since I had the LipSurgence but, after seeing the swatches, I wonder if my assumption of them being similar was incorrect.

  • Jess

    Isn’t the exposed packaging similar to The Awakening cheek stain and Energy lipsurgence? Curious how Awakening and Exposed cheek stains compare.

  • ~Marina~

    Hi Isabella,

    Do you happen to know of a dupe for Tarte’s Flush power pigment? I’m in love with that color—got it in my Sephora Give Me More Lip…

    Love your Blog!!

    • Isabella Muse

      I’m not really sure marina I’ll check my stash for you! aw thanks <3! hugs!