Product Review: Tarte Lock & Roll 12-Hour Eyeshadow

I’m always skeptical when a product claims to last all day, but Tarte Lock & Roll 12-Hour Eyeshadow ($17) lives up to its name fairly well. I chose the Quartz shade, which is a shimmery soft pink.

What It Is

The eyeshadow is actually a duel-ended tube; one side has a shimmery cream shadow and the other end has a loose powder shadow. While you can wear either one alone, the shadows are designed to be worn together. The loose shadow goes on top of the cream to help “lock in” the color and provide a nice finish.

First Impressions

I don’t typically use cream shadows, but I wanted to give Tarte’s a try because of the loose powder you can put over it. The cream shadow goes on very easily with a brush similar to that of a liquid liner that glides smoothly over the lid and dries quickly. The loose powder has a rollerball applicator and lends a “dryer” finish – in other words, while the cream shadow looks wet when it’s applied, the powder shadow helps tone it down for a natural looking finish. I was very impressed when I first did up my eyes, but of course the real test came when I wore it out for a night on the town.

Results

I normally use an eyeshadow primer before applying shadow to help lock in the color, but I decided to skip it because of their long-lasting claims. I went out for a night of dinner, drinks and dancing with some friends of mine – the perfect way to test whether this shadow could make it through several hours of sweating on the dance floor! After about 4 hours, I went to touch up the rest of my makeup but realized the shadow looked freshly applied; I was VERY impressed! Tarte promises this shadow will be crease-free, but I wasn’t expecting that claim to actually be true.

At about midnight (6 hours from the time I left my house,) the shadow was still going strong, but it was beginning to show a little wear and tear – nothing too major. Once I got home though, I had to use TWO cottonballs soaked in makeup remover to even get it off; that’s how long lasting it really is (they aren’t kidding when they say it’s water-resistant!) Bonus: the shadows are formulated without synthetic fragrances, dyes, parabens, sulfates, petro-chemicals and phthalates, so those with sensitive eyes need not worry about a reaction.

Overall Rating

I really cannot find anything negative to say about the Lock & Roll eyeshadow. I was constantly complimented on my eye makeup several times throughout the night; it’s water-resistant and crease free. While it didn’t necessarily last a full 12 hours, I’ll have to try using it with an eyeshadow primer next time to see if I can squeeze a few more hours of wear out of it. Overall, I was very pleased with the results and would happily snap up more shades to add to my makeup arsenal. $17 might seem pricey, but considering it truly does what it claims to do, I would definitely pay the price!

Have you used Tarte Lock & Roll Eyeshadow? Do you agree or disagree with my review? Leave your thoughts, questions or comments below.