Mascara is definitely a staple product for me. I never leave the house without it —I need my concealer, mascara, and brow pencil before leaving, lol. Because I basically wear mascara all the time, I’m always looking for another one to try and potentially add to my favorite line-up.
I know Tarte has multiple well-loved mascaras, so I wanted to try one. Eventually, I decided to try the Tarte Maneater Mascara since it’s mentioned on their bestsellers list and promised to give volume, length & curl.
We’ve Tested Lots Of Mascaras, So You Don’t Have To
I’m a beauty editor and expert who has tested and thoroughly reviewed thousands of products over the past eight years. What once started as a passion for (new) beauty products and chatting about them is now this site, which is full of honest product reviews, beauty tips, and much more. All products reviewed are tested by me and on me for a while so I could share what I liked and disliked. You can read more about my review process here.
To streamline the testing process, I use a testing methodology to score a variety of categories on a scale of 1 to 10. The Tarte Maneater Mascara was scored based on the following criteria:
- Ingredients
- Application
- Coverage
- Finish
- Longevity
- Gives the lashes volume and length
- No clumpy lashes or flakes
- Provides all-day wear
- Cruelty-free, contact wearer safe, and free of toxic ingredients
- Doesn’t give me much curl
- Can smudge a little bit
- The brush is big and bulky
A Quick Look At The Tarte Maneater Mascara
The Tarte Maneater Mascara has a 500+ bristle brush that separates lashes. It is supposed to provide an ultra-creamy formula that conditions lashes so they won’t flake, clump, or smudge. The mascara should also give massive volume, infinite length, and extreme curl.
About The Ingredients
The key ingredients in the Tarte Maneater Mascara are:
- Jojoba: helps hydrate, strengthen & protect lashes;
- Carnauba wax: for smooth application with lengthening & volumizing benefits;
- Vitamin E: natural preservative that also acts as an anti-inflammatory emollient & antioxidant;
tarte™ formulas do not contain any of the following intentionally added ingredients: sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, phthalates, triclosan, formaldehyde, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclocarban, aluminum salts, benzophenone + related compounds, and many more. For more information, check out this page.
The Results: Tarte Maneater Mascara Review
Maneater Mascara on left eye (my right eye).
As you can tell by the photos, the Tarte Maneater Mascara definitely gives my lashes some volume and length. It doesn’t clump my lashes, and I haven’t noticed any flaking. But I’m not in love with this mascara… Let me explain to you why.
The Application
The application is generally fine. However, the brush is quite big and bulky and doesn’t offer much flexibility. If you have small eyes or short lashes or want to apply this mascara to the lower lashes, it may cause you some issues.
Thankfully, this mascara is safe for contact lens wearers. I accidentally got some mascara on my contacts because of the design of the brush. It doesn’t cause any pain (at least, not for me), but it is pretty frustrating, to be fairly honest.
The Coverage
The mascara provides soft, natural coverage. However, as Tarte promises, it doesn’t necessarily ” make eyes appear bigger & lifted with 1 coat.” I need a few coats to really see a difference in pigment, length, and volume.
Now, this is a preference thing because if you love a natural soft mascara look, you’ll love this formula! I’m personally more into a bit more drama – I like to see my lashes look darker with one swipe. Preferably, I also like to see quicker results regarding length and volume.
The Finish
The finish is soft and natural. My lashes look more volumized and lengthened, but I don’t see the “extreme curl” results. It does lift the lashes a bit, but this effect is just for about an hour, I would say.
It’s not a bad mascara in any way; I think lots of people will love this natural finish. But, like I said, I like a more dramatic and intense look. In my opinion, this mascara doesn’t do much to my lashes. At least, it’s not what I would like to see.
The Longevity
The longevity is great. The mascara stays on all day without any flaking. At the end of the day, I did notice slight smudging around the lower lash line, but nothing too bad. I don’t think it curls the lashes that much, but the slight lifting effect disappears after an hour, which is a bit of a bummer. Other than that, it doesn’t budge easily!
Final Verdict: Is The Tarte Maneater Mascara Worth It?
The reason that this Tarte Maneater Mascara isn’t my favorite is probably 85% of a personal preference. That’s why I don’t want to say that this mascara is bad because it isn’t!
It just isn’t the type of mascara I would usually reach for due to the lack of drama. I like fully coated black lashes, with added length and volume and preferably some curling effect that lasts all day.
However, if you love a more natural-looking mascara that gives your lashes volume and length, I’m pretty sure you’ll really like this Tarte mascara. It stays on all day, doesn’t flaky or clump and is safe for contact lens wearers. Just be mindful of the brush, as this is a big, bulky brush that not everyone will like.
- Gives the lashes volume and length
- No clumpy lashes or flakes
- Provides all-day wear
- Cruelty-free, contact wearer safe, and free of toxic ingredients
- Doesn’t give me much curl
- Can smudge a little bit
- The brush is big and bulky
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Specifications
| PRICE | $27 |
| WEIGHT | 0.30 Fl. Oz. / 9 ML |
| SHADES | Black and Brown |
| CRUELTY-FREE | Yes |
| FULL INGREDIENT LIST | Water/aqua/eau, Synthetic Beeswax, Beeswax/cera Alba/cired Rsquobeille, Jojoba Esters, Cera Carnauba/copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/cire De Carnauba, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Behenic Acid, Oleic Acid, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides (Ci 77499). |
