Tarte Surfer Curl Mascara Review: Is It Yay Or Nay?

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A brow enthusiast with a personal journey that resonates with many, Candis understands the trials and tribulations that come with achieving the perfect arch. Having navigated the challenges of brow grooming herself, she's transformed her once-struggles into a passion for helping others master their own brow game. But her beauty expertise doesn't stop there. Candis is a fervent advocate for natural beauty looks, believing that simplicity often leads to the most stunning results. She's constantly on the hunt for the next best product, whether it's tucked away on a drugstore shelf or featured on an online boutique. With a keen eye for quality and affordability, she's amassed a collection of makeup that's both accessible and effective. For Candis, beauty is about more than just aesthetics; it's about finding products that empower and enhance one's natural beauty without breaking the bank. Whether you're seeking guidance on brow techniques or looking for recommendations on the best budget-friendly beauty buys, Candis is your go-to guru. Dive into her articles and discover a world of beauty that's both attainable and transformative.

How to Choose Tarte Mascara

Selecting Tarte mascara takes a bit of skill. While it isn’t too difficult, you’ll have to take a few steps to make sure that you buy the right product. Here are our suggestions:

Understand Your Lashes

Everyone has different types of lashes. If you have thin lashes or straight lashes, then it’s in your best interest to understand what type of wand curler works best for you. We recommend going online and doing a lash test to determine your eyelash and wand compatibility. That way, when you buy mascara from Tarte, you’ll know exactly which product to get.

Read Reviews

If you really want to get feedback from customers regarding how well Tarte mascaras work, we suggest reading reviews. That way, you’ll get a variety of perspectives that will help you make a decision. However, we always advise potential customers to take every review with a grain of salt.

Each person’s opinion and perspective is different, so another person’s negative experience might not be yours. If you feel like one of Tarte’s mascara will work well for you, give it a try.

Buy Two

While we understand that Tarte mascaras are a little expensive, we still believe they’re worth the price. If you’re undecided on which of their mascaras to buy, we think you should get two. By doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to test out more than one product. Maybe you’ll love them both, or maybe you’ll like one more than the other. You’ll have more variety when you buy two mascaras at a time.

Use Tarte’s Website

Tarte does a great job of providing tools to help their customers pick the right mascara. They have a trial feature that works virtually to display how the mascara will look on your eyes. This is one of the best ways to determine whether or not a particular Tarte mascara will make your eyelashes pop.

Try Something Different

Are you a loyal Tarte customer? Did they discontinue a mascara that you used in the past? If so, we recommend giving some of their newer products a try. You may also want to use one of their mascaras that you’ve never tried before. Who knows, you could luck up and find a mascara that you absolutely love!

The Key Features of Surfer Curl™ Volumizing Mascara

This mascara is quite different from other mascara products on the market. It naturally nourishes and volumizes your eyelashes. It’s formulated with gardenia flowers, vitamin E, and marine plants to condition your lashes. It also includes water and castor oil to moisturize them. Here are more of its key features:

12-Hour Smudge Proof

There’s nothing worse than smudging your mascara…but it happens. You’ll rub your eyes and all of a sudden, you have a black smear around them. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about that with this product. Once you put it on, it stays put for 12 hours.

Significant Increase in Lash Curl

This product has been proven to provide a 46% increase in your lash curl. If you are someone who has short lashes, then you understand how important lash lift is. Thankfully, your eyes will instantly pop the moment you put this mascara on.

Lash Lifter Wand

Tarte created the lash lifter wand to accompany this mascara. It’s designed to lift and fan out your lashes for a bold look. If you struggle with getting that wide, full look from other mascaras, this particular wand can get the job done.

Sweatproof

No matter if you’re out on a hot day or doing a gym session after work, watered-down mascara is the worst. When you sweat, it could painfully burn your eyes if the mascara runs in them. Luckily, you won’t have that issue with this mascara. It’s sweatproof, so you feel at ease, even when the temperature gets a little hot.

How to Use Tarte’s Surfer Curl Volumizing Mascara

To get the best results from this product, apply it in a zigzag motion. Beginning at the base of your lashes, pull through them until you get to the tip of the wand. Apply two coats of mascara for better volume and curl.

The Pros of Tarte’s Surfer Curl Volumizing Mascara

Here’s all of the good stuff you can expect from this mascara:

Vegan

You don’t have to worry about any animals being harmed through the testing of this mascara. Most of Tarte’s products are made with organic ingredients and not tested on animals. That’s good news if you prefer vegan, cruelty-free products.

Ophthalmologist Tested

Although having beautiful lashes is great, protecting your eyes and keeping them in a healthy condition is most important. Luckily, this mascara is ophthalmologist tested. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about it damaging your eyes or obstructing your vision while wearing it. Tarte makes sure that their customers don’t just look good, but that they’re protected as well.

Formulated Without Harsh Chemicals

You won’t find any mineral oil, parabens, gluten, triclosan, or other harsh ingredients in this mascara. You’ll feel confident knowing that you’re using a clean product on your lashes. Not only that, but since there aren’t any harsh ingredients in the formula, it reduces the risk of eye irritation.

Better-Looking Lashes Instantly

This mascara was tested in a clinical study of 33 participants. All of the individuals in the study stated that their lashes instantly looked fuller and more volumized. If you don’t care for fake lashes, or if you hate using a lash curler for more volume and fullness, give this product a try!

Try On Feature

Did you know that Tarte offers a virtual try on feature via their website? If you’re not sure how your lashes will look after using this product, use their website. Their try on feature will help to give you an idea of what to expect from the product before buying it online.

The Cons

We wouldn’t be honest if we didn’t discuss some of the negative aspects of this mascara. Here are some of its downsides:

The Price

You’re definitely going to spend a lot more for this mascara than you would for most drugstore brands. It’s priced at about $23, which is double what you’d spend for other brands. However, it’s formulated with quality ingredients designed to nourish your lashes.

Plus, Tarte goes above and beyond to make sure that they are selling clean products. That’s quality you must pay for. The good news is, you can use Tarte’s Afterpay feature to split the price of your products into payments. That’s a great way to test out the mascara without having to pay a lot up front.

Clumpy Application

This product has a lot of great reviews, and most customers rave about it. However, there were some dissatisfied customers. We didn’t experience any clumping or flaking with this mascara, but everybody’s experiences are different. A dry, flaky formula is the primary negative review that this product received from a small portion of customers.

Recommended Alternatives

So, if the Surfer Volumizing Mascara isn’t your thing, that’s alright. We’ve compiled a list of alternative mascara from Tarte that we believe you’ll like:

Lights, Camera, Lashes™ 4-In-1 Mascara

This mascara provides ultimate lift and volume. It’s basically like a push-up bra for your lashes. If you are someone who suffers from straight lashes, this product will instantly pick them up. It’ll also lengthen your eyelashes, which helps to give them a wider look.

It’s made with a rich formula that conditions each lash strand. Plus, its 360° magniLASH wand offers instant lash lift and intense volume. Clinical studies show that this mascara made lashes appear 17% longer. Even better, it’s formulated with skinvigorating ingredients like pro-vitamin B5, rice bran wax, vitamin C, and carnauba wax.

Maneater Mascara

This mascara won the Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2020. It was also the winner for best mascara for a dramatic look. If you want to go big and bold, this is the mascara to use. The wand has over 500 bristles that give massive volume, long length, and extreme curl. It’s safe for contact wearers, and it’s ophthalmologist and dermatologist tested.

Maneater mascara includes skinvigorating ingredients like jojoba and carnauba wax to hydrate and strengthen lashes, as well as lengthen them.

Lash Smoothie™ Volumizing Hemp Mascara

This mascara is pretty much a green smoothie for your lashes. It’s formulated with Green Queen Complex that includes coconut, castor oil, hemp, avocado, kiwi, and plant waxes. It’s vegan and cruelty-free. Plus, it increases the volume of your lashes by 25%, and the curl by 40%.

It’s also ophthalmologist-tested to ensure that your eyes are safe, and it’s also ideal for individuals who wear contacts.

Which Tarte Mascara Is Best?

Actually, Tarte has a great line of mascaras. We believe there is something for everyone. If you want a big and bold look or just a product that’ll nourish your lashes, they have it all. Choosing the best one boils down to your preference. We recommend using more than one of their mascaras to decide which one you like the best. They’re all pretty good to us!

FAQs

Question: Is Tarte’s Surfer Curl Mascara Actually for Surfers?

Answer: If you are a surfer, then yes, you can benefit from wearing this mascara. However, the product doesn’t claim to be waterproof. It is sweat-proof, so if you’re hanging out at the beach, you don’t have to worry about it running down when you sweat. It’s also smudge-proof, which means you can enjoy a full day of activities without it smudging all over your eyes. It‘s formulated to hold up for 12 hours, which is perfect for athletes.

Question: Is Surfer Curl Oil-Free?

Answer: This mascara is formulated without mineral oil. It contains lots of moisturizing ingredients like Vitamin E to nourish your lashes. Surfer Curl does include castor oil. However, it’s a natural oil that helps your eyelashes, not harms them.

Question: How Is Tarte Mascara Compared to Other Brands?

Answer: Tarte is more of a high-end brand. They pride themselves on formulating their products with natural ingredients, and being cruelty-free. If you prefer a product line that is vegan and doesn’t contain harsh chemicals, then Tarte is the type of company that you’ll want to support.

Conclusion

We definitely recommend trying Tarte’s Surfer Volumizing Mascara. We love companies that work hard to formulate products that include natural ingredients. Overall, it’s a pretty good mascara. It’s especially useful for athletes and individuals who live in hot climates. After reading this review, do you think you’ll give it a try?