I Tried Tarte's New Shape Tape Glow Wand 3 Different Ways — Here's How It Worked

Debuting just a few years ago, Tarte Cosmetics' iconic Shape Tape Concealer has aged like a fine wine. Since its release, the product zoomed to cult-status with loyal followers swearing off any other concealer as "good, but not better than Shape Tape." (According to the brand, a Shape Tape product sells every 12 seconds.) Just as quickly as the Shape Tape Concealer's popularity grew, Tarte expanded the range to include two foundations, various primers, a setting spray, and tools — and now, there's a new Shape Tape baby in the mix. I tried Tarte's brand-new Shape Tape Glow Wand before its official debut and used it three different ways to see how it hols up IRL.

The Shape Tape Glow Wand ($25), which launched exclusively on QVC.com on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, is, well, exactly what it sounds like: a highlighting product with a wand applicator. Tarte refers to the Glow Wand as a "liquid brightener" that's meant to be used in a variety of ways to boost your skin's natural glow — alone for a dewy look, layered over your Shape Tape Concealer for added brightness, as a liquid highlighter on the high points of your face and chest. The list goes on.

Retailing for $25, the Glow Wand is vegan; free of parabens, phthalates, and mineral oils; and will be available on QVC.com while supplies last. QVC will also air the product's ~official launch~ at 10 p.m. ET and will be offering a $35 bundle of Tarte's Shape Tape Concealer, the Glow Wand, and the Quickie Blending Sponge. If you miss the QVC releases, you'll have to wait until January 2020, when the newness drops on Tarte.com, Ulta.com, and at Ulta stores.

When the Glow Wand landed on my desk, one look at it signaled to me it wasn't a typical liquid highlighter. At first glance, the formula mimicked the appearance of the Shape Tape Concealer's, just slightly more reflective and fluid. In the photo below, you can see how the product glides on and how it looks when blended out and turned toward a light source. The blended finish doesn't shimmer heavily in the way Charlotte Tilbury's Glowgasm Beauty Wand or Glossier Play's Niteshine does. Rather, it does appear to significantly brighten the areas to which you apply when you look at them head on.

Applied Alone

I love a glow as much as the next person, but I can't say I've ever thought to wear a highlighter-adjacent product alone. But for the sake of Investigative Beauty Journalism, I gave it a shot. I applied the shade Sunbeam directly on my under-eyes and the high points of my face with the wand applicator, blending with the included sponge. I added the shade Dream to the outer parts of my face for more overall radiance since it matched my complexion more closely.

My dark circles certainly didn't disappear (unsurprising since this isn't a concealer), but my under-eyes definitely did appear brighter — as if I used an extra-strong brightening eye cream. This is likely thanks to the product's pearl pigments and "diamond complex," a proprietary formula that Tarte says creates a "soft-focus" effect by diffusing blue and green light.

Overall, both shades made my complexion look brighter, but the high points where I applied the lighter shade looked supremely glowy — like a step down from Edward Cullen or something. That said, if dewy and bright is your jam, so is the Glow Wand:

I checked in on how the product looked toward the end of the day (a good eight hours after I applied it) to see how it held up, since I hadn't set it with anything. I noticed some brightness faded in certain areas, and some of my skin's usual redness came peeking through. (The product definitely dries down, but seemingly not to the point of being immovable.) However, the fading wasn't drastic, and eight hours is a long time. You might just consider setting the product with your fave illuminating powder if you need it to stay put for a long time.

Applied Atop Concealer

The following day, I tested the Glow Wand with another one of Tarte's application suggestions: over my concealer. After applying a CC cream and Tarte's Shape Tape Concealer ($27, Tarte), I blended a small triangle of Glow Wand directly on top. Boom. Turn around, bright eyes. Based on my experience the day before, I set everything with a very light dusting of an illuminating powder under my eyes, and the radiance lasted the remainder of the day.

IMO, this method of application is prime if you have naturally very dark under-eyes and a concealer alone doesn't brighten them enough for your liking. You'll look like you got a full 10 hours of sleep the night before, remembered to wash your face, and put on your fave vitamin C serum. You have no choice but to stan.

Applied As A Liquid Highlighter

On the third day, I tested one of the most foolproof ways to wear Glow Wand — basically as a liquid highlighter applied to the high points of my face. After a light foundation and concealer application, and not much else, I applied a few dots of Glow Wand in a C shape from my cheekbones to my temples. Then, I put a few dots on the bridge of my nose and Cupid's bow, blending everything with the sponge.

This look was, by far, my favorite. I normally like a natural-looking radiance, but your girl loves a good cheekbone shine, too. Head on, you could tell my skin appeared generally brighter, but looked natural. When I angled my face, though, Glow Wand's power really shined through, if you will. Even better, it provided a noticeable glow, sans all the shimmer that can sometimes appear unnatural, splotchy, or exaggerate skin's texture, depending on the formula.

Five shades of Glow Wand are currently available on QVC.com. I, unfortunately, can't speak to how and if the darker shades of this product work for deeper skin tones, so here's hoping a wealth of other beauty lovers out there snag Glow Wand soon and give it a review.

Overall, if you love a natural glow or you want to brighten up darker areas of your face — sans glitter particles — you'll like Glow Wand. If you have oily skin, I'd say, again, using an illuminating powder to set it is a good move if you need it to stay put for a long time. Regardless, with another new Shape Tape product about to take the beauty world by storm, get ready, because it's about to glow down.