Tarte started in 1999 in a one-bedroom New York City apartment, where Maureen Kelly began the company. The first product was a cheek stain, launched in 2000, and the brand's approach has been called high-performance naturals ever since. In 2008 she took a trip to the rainforest and discovered a clay that became a signature ingredient. Then, in 2016, came Shape Tape, a concealer that Kelly says was inspired by her own cystic acne. This first group is the base: the Shape Tape full coverage matte concealer, the Shape Tape Corrector and the Shape Tape hydrating color corrector, plus the CC full coverage undereye color corrector and the Maracuja creaseless creamy color corrector. The hydrating foundation and the XOXO Blush & Glow Macaron Trio sit beside them for the rest of the face, and the Concealer Paw Brush is the tool for applying. The Travel Size Life Lock Hydrating Setting Spray finishes the routine. If you want to see how other brands approach a blurry finish, a concealer from essence and its blur range makes a good comparison, and the story of Makeup by Mario is another brand that began small.

Eyes are where tarte plays the most. The Tartelette Tubing XL Mascara and the Tartelette Tubing Lash Primer fit the brand's tubing idea, and the Maneater Volumizing Mascara and the Lights, Camera, Splashes 4-in-1 Waterproof Mascara cover other moods. The Tarteist PRO Lashes in GTL, Wifey and Sassy bring false lashes into the picture, and the Socialite Smokeshow Shadow & Liner Trio is for a smoky eye. What I would skip is wearing the XL tubing mascara and the Maneater on the same lashes at the same time; pick one so the lashes do not clump. The Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler is a helpful partner for any of them. Tarte has been cruelty-free since day one, which is worth knowing when you are choosing a set of eye products. For more on how to get long lashes without extensions, a French salon trick for lashes is a good read.

The last group is the one that carries the brand's best known ingredient story. Maracuja oil is cold-pressed by an all-female co-op in the rainforest that tarte helped found in 2019, and it appears in Maracuja Oil, the Maracuja Juicy Glow, the Juicy Melt Mask and the whole lip family: the Juicy Lip Tattoo, the lip plumping gloss, the hydrating balm gloss, the Juicy Lip Liner and the Say Less duos. The clay BB tinted moisturizer is where the 2008 discovery shows up on the face, and Key Largo bronzing drops and Shimmering Light are for a warmer, lit-up finish. If you would rather start with a collection, the Most Viral Products Collection and the Don't Kiss & Tell lip trio put several in one place. For another gloss worth knowing, a peptide lip treatment is a good neighbor, and illuminator drops and glow sprays show similar ideas in other brands.

My tarte routine would be Shape Tape under the eyes, a Tubing mascara and a Maracuja lip product, with the clay BB tinted moisturizer on days when I want less on my face, and the Concealer Paw Brush for blending. Maureen Kelly also founded a nonprofit, heart to tarte, in 2017, and the whole brand feels like one founder's idea that grew out of a small apartment and kept going.

For more in the same spirit, take a look at Benefit Cosmetics Makeup and Kosas Makeup and Skincare.