Tarte Cosmetics is having the worst makeup week ever, thanks to its Shape Tape foundation release falling completely flat due to a horrific shade range.
By horrific, I do mean only ONE dark foundation color really exists in the line-up. Consider Shape Tape foundation the most disappointing shade range 2018 has seen so far.
Influencers Jackie Aina, Alissa Ashley, Manny MUA, Makeup Shayla, and Nikkie Tutorials have dragged the brand all the way to hell for it— with Nikkie Tutorials pulling her review of the product from her YouTube page altogether.
Instead of admitting colorism is the real driving force behind their limited shade range (catch the tea!) — the brand wants us to know there's a different method to its madness.
According to PopSugar's "exclusive" chat with a rep from Tarte, the brand already planned to drop 10 more foundation shades... seasonally. Per the story:
"A rep from Tarte explained to POPSUGAR that even when Shape Tape Foundation was revealed, the new colors were already in the works. Additional shades are usually added seasonally, which makes sense because your complexion tends to be paler in the Winter and darker in the Summer months (but please wear sunscreen, kids!). And our friends at Tarte were honest: they explained that it can take time to get the full range finished and flawless — they need to get those warm and cool undertones to be exact! "We're always pushing ourselves and suppliers to work as quickly as possible," our contact confirmed."
That's right... the foundation releases are going to be done "seasonally" — you know, because people are lighter in the winter anyways, so dark foundation can wait.
Tarte, I have a few questions. Help me out sis.
Do all Black people have seasonal skin tones? Are Lupita Nyong'o, Duckie Thot, Nyma Tang, and hell — MYSELF — only dark in the summer months?
Please let me know if my melanin has been flying to another planet for the summer without sending me an invite. It's peak rude, if so.
Tarte Cosmetics also wants the people to know developing decent foundation shades and mastering undertones takes TIME. Which is true. But if so, why not just wait until ALL the foundation shades are ready before releasing them?
This is why Fenty Beauty waited a couple of years to perfect its formula and shade range — so when the brand dropped products for its customers, there was no exclusion.
No beauty influencers banning together to call the brand trash. No Twitter roasts. No excuses and/or lies about why dark skin was ignored.
No BS. All 40 shades of complexion-matching foundation, baby.
This is me and my dark complexion waiting in the winter for Tarte to come up with a better, more honest excuse for its neglectful shade range.
I'm just saying. Say you forgot. Say you screwed up completely and will do better next time. Say anything but this "we're dropping seasonally" and "we're perfecting your undertones" mess.
It doesn't add up. People of color have dark skin. This is my complexion ALL YEAR ROUND.
And *about* Tarte's stated concern with perfecting undertones...
Since Tarte acknowledges the importance of not just including dark skin but also including DIVERSE shades of dark skin — why were the only shades remotely workable for dark tones in this week's release ORANGE AF?
Why take time to perfect all the light colors only? Why was there an orange color with a BROWN undertone? Is that the future of makeup?
As Jackie Aina questioned in her Youtube review, why should people with deeper complexions even trust you now when the one shade you DID drop was "Donald Trump's summer shade?"
And the Shape Tape foundation line isn't the only issue Tarte should be getting dragged for. Take a look at the brand's existing shade ranges, swatches, and influencers promoted on its social channels.
Tarte didn't even have a decent shade range for its fan favorite Shape Tape concealer to begin with. Shape Tape was *definitely* one of those holy grail products that I could never use because they have no match for me in the lineup. No sweat. Kat Von D does it for me anyway.
Tarte Cosmetics also has one of the whitest Instagram feeds I've ever seen. The brand hasn't had a chocolate beauty influencer on its feed all January 2018.
In December 2017, the brand had two deep-complected influencers on its feed (here and here) — one of which is more medium deep than deep dark anyway. I counted her to be fair.
So Tarte's excuses about why diversity is being neglected NOW is BS. The brand has already shown which customers it cares about — and it's not those of us with dark skin.
It doesn't matter how many shades of Shape Tape Tarte comes out with in the future. The sad, low standard has been set, and I — along with many other women of color — will not be buying it.
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