Tarte Maracuja Juicy Concealer Review & Swatches

Tarte Maracuja Juicy Concealer ($30) is a new full coverage concealer with a natural radiant finish with a “built-in eye cream that hydrates” as well as hyaluronic acid to plump and smooth. This is going to be a highly controversial review because most people dislike this new Tarte Maracuja Juicy Concealer but I love it. What’s equally controversial is the fact several years ago Tarte had a concealer called Colored Clay Concealer and Finishing Powder and I wasn’t a big fan of it nor was I a fan of their Dark Circle Defense which was along the same lines. And as I said I didn’t like either but oddly I’m enjoying Maracuja Juicy Concealer. I think I better understand how to apply concealer now and that’s why I’m experiencing better application and why I like this versus why I didn’t back like those other formulas then. Because I may not know a lot about great makeup application but I do know the best way to prep my eyes for the best concealer coverage. I’m also mentioning both these formulas because I think those formulas are very similar to the Maracuja Juicy Concealer and we all know how Tarte loves to release foundations and concealers under new names.

That’s one reason I find the bad reviews so surprising. Because a lot of people absolutely adored Dark Circle Defense back in the day! The only thing I can think of is most of the people using Maracuja Juicy Concealer are ones that never even heard of Dark Circle Defense and are a newer generation of Tarte users. I think if you’re a fan of thicker, emollient concealers (think grease paint, I know that doesn’t sound flattering but that’s what you’re essentially getting with a formula like this but on a thinner level) like Bobbi Brown Color Corrector or Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer you might just like this. I’m honestly not endorsing you to purchase this online or blindly. It’s something you need to swatch and play with in-store because a lot of people aren’t going to like it. As for me, I liked it. It’s not a LOVE, it’s not a holy grail concealer, but it’s something I do like quite a lot.

If you’re going to purchase this I’d recommend qvc.com since you do get a brush with it and it’s $24 for both the full-size concealer brush and the full-size Tarte Maracuja Juicy Concealer plus it ships free. If you get it on Tarte’s website it’s $30 and no cool brush! Although, as I said, you might want to wait until retailers like Sephora and Ulta get it so you can swatch and play a little to decide if it’s for you! The brush was a nice little extra. It’s a larger brush head with soft bristles and a sturdy handle but I don’t recommend it for use with this concealer. You need something a little stiffer and with a smaller head. I’d go with the e.l.f. Cosmetics Flat Concealer Brush. I’ve recommended this hundreds of times in the past for very pigmented concealers like It Cosmetics Bye Bye Concealer because it allows you to sort of paint your concealer on which results in smoother coverage.

If you plan on buying this and slathering it all over your under-eye area I’d say don’t bother purchasing. This isn’t a formula you want to contour the entire under-eye with. As I’ve gotten older I’ve been embracing the Wayne Goss Concealer Technique of applying concealer on the outer corner of the eye and the inner corner but not under my eye. I blend that out in those areas without touching the under-eye area where things tend to crease. It works fantastic. And sure, from time to time, I cheat on his technique and blend some of the inner and outer portion under my eye but not as much as I would normally do. I used to do a big old V under my eye and just contour the entire eye area with my concealer. I’ve gotten older and appreciate his technique a lot more because it creases less and looks more natural.

Why did I say I don’t recommend slathering it under your eyes? It’s too thick, too emollient, it’ll instantly cake and crease if you do this. It’s very thick, very creamy, very emollient, and as I said above it has a grease paint-like consistency. It’s also, very pigmented. A little goes a very long way. The first thing you want to do before applying this is prime, prime, prime. Use a good hydrating eye cream and follow up with an eye primer like Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Eye Base Primer. You want your eyes to be super hydrated before you bother applying this. After that take a small amount of the concealer with your brush (this requires a brush no fingers until you’re ready to blend) and either warm it on the back of your hand or you can swipe it across the inner top of the concealer jar a few times (you can use the inside of the top as a mixing palette of sorts to thin out the concealer).

Now you’re ready for application! Swipe some on the outer corner of your eye and the inner corner. Blend it in with your ring finger or you can use a bushier brush to do it but I found it patting it with my finger works best. I had no issues with creasing or caking using this method. I even brought a little bit of it under my eyes during my testing phases and again, no issues. I think it takes a balance of proper priming and enough blending to get the smoothest coverage that won’t crease or cake. As I said a little goes a very long way.

The finish is hydrating, soft, and very brightening. I mean, super brightening. I think that’s one of the reasons I loved it so much. It made my whole complexion look super bright and less dull just by applying a simple smidge of this under my eyes. I was very happy with the coverage and the brightening. I got the shade Light Medium which could have used a bit more of a peachy undertone for me but it wasn’t too bad a match. It also wore like a champion. This stuff did not budge on me! I didn’t have issues with caking or creasing either because as I said my best method was inner and outer corner but when I did migrate a little bit under eyes still no issues with creasing!

All in all, Tarte Maracuja Juicy Concealer won’t be for everyone. It’s a tricky little formula that requires patience to get applied correctly but I personally really liked it. I come from old-school Laura Mercier/Bobbi Brown days and this formula reminds me of those formulas.

Tarte Maracuja Juicy Concealer is available now at QVC and coming soon to Tarte.

Where to buy

QVC Tarte