Waterproof Wednesday: Tarte Amazonian Clay Dual Liner in Black/Bronze

I originally intended to test the waterproof-ness of Tarte’s new limited edition Amazonian Clay Dual Liner ($28) by doing cannonballs at the pool today, but check it — that is not happening.

It’s drizzling and overcast outside and kinda cold actually, which is very unusual for us this time of year.

Weird.

Even so, in the interest of science (goooooo, science!), I did perform an improv waterproof experiment this morning while I exercised instead.

I popped the shimmery bronze shade on one eye and the matte black on the other…and then ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes like I was chasing Ryan Gosling. 🙂

Interestingly, this liner has a cream formula of the kind I’d typically use for softer, more diffused lines, but because of how pigmented and smooth it is, the edges turn out extremely sharp, and about as defined as the crisp lines I’d expect from a liquid liner.

And the velvety finish, while not as shiny as most liquid liners, has more oomph than a flat matte. I like to wear it with a shimmery eyeshadow on my lids because I love the way the two contrast — the velvety finish of the liner and the shiny eyeshadow.

Just adds another interesting visual element to yo’ makeup. 🙂

As Tabs is fond of pointing out, Tarte is a cruelty-free line, and they have mad love for Amazonian clay. It’s often up in the mix with their products, as it is in this liner.

The purpose is twofold. First, they say it makes for richer pigments that are intense enough to draw an opaque line in a single pass. Second, it’s supposed to be good for your skin by absorbing oil and smoothing out the texture.

When it comes to these smooth liners and their rich pigments, I’m sold. They’re dark, easy to apply, and so incredibly smooth that the edges of my liner always look clean and crisp. Whether the formula is also good for my skin, hard to say. It definitely doesn’t seem bad.

“But what about the waterproofness, Karen?!” you might be wondering. “I need to know because I plan to cry buckets when Eva Mendez pops out Ryan’s child!”

Answer: yeah. These are extremely waterproof. A botanical blend of plant waxes renders these bad boys (bad girls?) totally sweat-, water- and tear-proof, and when I hopped off the treadmill this morning, both the bronze and black liners I’d applied on my lash lines beforehand still looked rich and intense, albeit slightly lived in, and they hadn’t migrated up into my creases.

I also jumped in the shower afterwards, and in that 10-minute span, during which time I washed my face, sang show tunes (“Tonight I will be Miss Saigon…tonight you’ll be miss jumped upon!”), de-fuzzed, etc., when I hopped out, both of the liners were still hanging tough.

They’d faded a tad more…which is to be expected after three sweaty miles and a deluge of water. But still, they held up.

I’d say these are pretty darned great, and — hello, bonus! — you can even use them as eyeshadow bases, haaaay!

PRICE: $28
AVAILABILITY: Limited edition, available exclusively at Sephora stores and sephora.com
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen