Tarte Total Lip Service Lip Essentials

During a recent Tarte sale with extra 30% off, I picked up two sets of Total Lip Service Lip Essentials in Berry and Wine along with several more LipSurgence pencils, which I'll review next.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

These Total Lip Service sets each contains a full size LipSurgence Lip Creme, and deluxe sizes of LipSurgence Lip Gloss and Amazonian Clay Lip Liner. But I really bought them for just the lip pencil having grown out of glosses several years ago.

The Berry set includes Lip Creme in Brilliant, Lip Gloss also in Brilliant, and Lip Liner in Berry. It ended up being a gift so there's no swatches, sorry ^.^

Lip Creme Brilliant

Lip Gloss Brilliant

Lip Liner Berry

The Wine set includes Lip Creme in Soulful, Lip Gloss in Wine, and Lip Liner also in Wine. 

- Lip Creme Soulful: I was hoping this would be like my Lip Creme first loves (Admired, Loved, and Carefree) but sadly it's more like the Holiday 2013 Gift Set. In other words, it's more opaque than translucent, semi-opaque to be precise, and very pigmented. I find the color to be too violet to actually be wine, but at least it's shimmer-free. I'll probably pass this one on though as I haven't reached for it at all.

- Lip Gloss Wine: a translucent and shimmer-free deep berry, neither violet nor wine so the name's totally off. I actually like this color a lot and it's the only item I truly like in this set :(

- Lip Liner Wine: this lip liner is shimmer-free with an opaque, matte finish. As you can see it's quite pigmented. However, it also feels rather dry. Even when swatching on the back of my hand it felt dry, let alone on my lip line. I don't get it. They can make a buttery eyeliner but not a buttery lip liner? The color is indeed a pretty wine, though I've never had any use for a lip liner so I'll probably pass this one on as well.

From let to right: Lip Creme Soulful, Lip Gloss Wine, Lip Liner Wine.