I wanted to try the Tarte cosmetics for ages. When I was watching some tutorials and looking at the swatches, I always wondered if I actually needed this set. On New Year’s Eve I finally decided to order it. I grabbed this product just because I thought it would be a good idea to try many products of the brand at the time. To top it off, it has mini sizes, so if something goes wrong, I won’t regret the money I spent on it.
Yeah, I know, the eyeshadows in such sets are thought to be less quality than those in basic palettes, but I have nothing to compare it with, as I’ve never tried the basic eyeshadows from Tarte.
To start, the set is definitely worth every dollar, even though the pressed textures are a little bit different in quality here.
The set comes in a paper package, the design of which is absolutely the same as that of a palette. Yes, it’s beautiful, but I think Tarte has always divine designs.
Honestly, I was ready to shell out only about $80 for this set. No way $400 surely 
But it costed me $49, which is awesome.
The set consists of minis. The only full-size product here is the eyeshadow. However, I’m not sure about it, because the original palette has probably bigger refills.
On the back there is an enormous product description, ingredients of each product, etc. I didn’t take a closer shot, because the packaging is very glossy and I have bad camera and all thumbs.
This set is simply a dream of every high-end makeup junkie.
The package looks especially pretty by artificial light, because the gold part is glowing beautifully. My mom is raving about the design. She doesn’t give a damn about the contents. The exteriors mean everything to her.
The palette closes with this embossed disk in the middle. Each part of the top lid has a magnet and the very disk is metal. The box closes tight as hell. You can turn it upside down and every which way and it won’t open. To open it, you should pull the satin ribbon. If the ribbon ever tears off, it will be really hard to open the box without long nails or a nail file.
Now on to the sad bit. The packaging is very inconvenient, although it will be a awesome addition to any shelf or dressing table. The set is heavy, big and has no mirror. Moreover, it opens up in a ‘star’ form or rather in a huge rhombus that takes up half of my table.
Lately some simple and minimalistic paper packages have my heart and here I want to take this set to pieces and put it in magnetic refills. Well no, I’ll never have the heart to do this. >_>
Inside there is a real treasure: 25 shadows each with 0.82 g, 2 blushes with satin and matte textures, a bronzer, a highlighter, 2 mini lipsticks with matte and glossy formulas, a mascara and an eyeliner.
I gave the Sex Kitten Eyeliner to my sister, as I don’t normally use them and she says it’s OK. However, she used it up too quickly, in about 2 weeks of daily use. The crayon is about 1 cm long, which is too short actually.
The Tarteist mascara is awesome and I will definitely buy a full-size in the future.
The matte Tarteist lipstick. Love it.
The glossy Tarteist lipstick. Love it too.
Bronzer and blush: The pigmentation is good and the textures are very soft. Also, they leave no streaks.
However, I don’t really use the blush. I’ll probably use it as eyeshadow a little later. As for the bronzer, I’ll definitely try it in summer, although I’m not much into it either. What I like is that this bronzer has a cold undertone that is a little warmer than the shade of sculpting products.
In terms of the highlighter, I fell for it. It is super finely milled, very gentle and gives a nice glow without shimmer. Thank God it has a champagne tone, because pink highlighters are no likey for me.
It reminds of the hyped up Mary Lou Highlighter from the Balm and tons of other highlighters that came out as a Mary Lou dupe.
Now let's move onto the main part of my review: eyeshadows. This is the reason I actually bought this set. I was sold on the shades, especially the orange shimmer that I haven’t had before.
Generally speaking, all the hues are good for every day. Basically, if you purchase such a palette, you can create a good deal of various looks for everyday makeup. What I particularly like is that the set consists of both cold and warm tones.
However, they will probably be too dull for fanatics of bright makeups.
The picture below showcases the real colors of the shadows. ~
The texture of the whole product is quite dry yet scarcely dusty. It blends out like a dream.
As a result you get the very color you see in a refill on your eyelids (with some minor exceptions.) As they say, there is always a black sheep.
Staying power: It doesn’t fade till the evening. Nevertheless, I use an eyeshadow base, because the product always applies better with it. Plus, it’s easier to put makeup on.
Magical is a base shade that is never too much. It reminds me of Foxy from Urban Decay. It’s a very light shade that has a hint of yellow in reality. It’s hard to pick up with a finger, but you can do it with a fluffy brush easy-breezy. The texture is finely milled yet not loose. Moreover, it goes a really long way.
Euphoria: This shade is not dusty at all and applies in an ultra-thin layer. Plus, it’s highly-pigmented.
Festival is a toffee shade. It also highly pigmented and applies very thinly. By the way, it gives a really bright shade even without a base. At this I was really surprised in a good way, when I was swatching it.
Joyous is just a good bronze. Every girl that loves eyeshadows probably has tons of similar shades. The quality is just alright, however. The eyeshadow is also neither loose nor dusty. It applies in a thin coat and glows really cool.
I haven’t found any shimmer to it, but maybe I just didn’t look too close. Anyway, it’s not noticeable, which is the most important thing.
Genie: One more quality matte tone. It’s a little bit dry as well as other shadows, but it blends out really well and gives an amazing payoff. The texture reminds me of pressed cocoa powder.
The swatches of the first row: Magical is very pale on my hand
All swatches are made with the E.L.F. eyeshadow base.
Paradise is a little bit loose and dusty peach that looks too pale without a base.
Starry is a nice red-brick. I have absolutely no gripes about its pigmentation and blending. Awesome.
Majestic is a rusty gold. The picture below makes this shade a little colder than it really is. The swatch is more real again It’s not dusty and applies in a thin layer. It gives an amazing glow without ‘free-standing’ glistening particles.
Gems: Oh, Gosh! It’s so beautiful in person. It’s a red-orange shimmer that has the same properties as all the other shimmer shades in this palette. I mean, it is not crumbly, applies in a thin coat and glows like a diamond. I’ve never been fond of orange hues, but this one totally won me over.
Fringe: It looks pale without a base. Also, it’s a tad more challenging than the other mattes. It takes a lot of pampering to blend it out. Nevertheless, it’s alright and worth every minute I spent on the application.
As I’ve already said, the swatches look closer to the real shades than what you see in the pictures of the refills.
I’m totally obsessed with 4 out of 5 shades of this row. <3 Paradise is no likey.>_>
Sweets is an awesome light-coral that’s nothing without a base, however. There are only glistening particles without any color then. It looks really nice on a base or applied with a damp brush. The shade is quite loose and a little bit dusty.
Treasured: It’s a dusty rose with a cold undertone. It’s one of my favorites out there. It’s well pigmented, but a little bit drier than the other shades. Nevertheless, the brush for blending picks it up perfectly.
Bangle: It’s a cool dark hue in a refill. In reality it’s one of the least pigmented color among mattes.
Yes, you can build it up and create an accent to your eyes, but the payoff is still not enough. It applies super-duper only with a damp brush. I usually use it for drawing lines.
Indulgence is a golden-purple shade. So wonderful. The shade is not loose. It picks up and applies in a thin coat. If you put on a thin layer, you’ll see just a golden base with a slight hint of purple, but applying it generously you get a stunning purple with a golden overflow.
Goblet is the disappointment of the year. It looks pretty in the refill, but in reality it’s just dark-gray without this divine purple overflow. This shade is loose and dusty and it’s really frustrating, because I counted on it. It reminds me of Smolder from Urban Decay, but the latter looks worse in the refill and thousand times better in person.
4 shades out of 5 are amazing here. Goblet is a flop, but I forgive it. >_>
Wander is a pearly flour. I don’t get this shade. It’s neither satin nor matte. Moreover, it’s neither good nor bad. This color is loose and dusty. I sometimes apply it under my brows, but I can easily do without it. >_>.
Palatial is a good cold tone, one of those that I love. I use it when I don’t want to play around with makeup. I apply it to my movable eyelid, then darken my crease and that’s all. This color is highly pigmented and has ultra fine glistening particles that don’t fall out.
Broach: It’s a simple shade that is actually hard to describe. It’s a cold yellow hue with a hint of dirty green that is closer to green.
It looks a little grayish in a refill, but the real shade you can always tell from the swatch. It’s well pigmented and quite loose, but it doesn’t leave any fallout behind.
Dessert: I don’t know what dessert it is, but it’s an awesome cold shade. It’s highly pigmented and not dusty.
Sublime is black as hell and well pigmented as soot. Well, it’s a really cool black shade after all.
All shades here are OK, but they are so boring.
Pendant is startlingly not floury. I thought that it would be extremely dusty, but I was wrong. It’s a good shade that is highly-pigmented. It applies in a thin coat also.
Getaway: This is one of the most frequently used shades for my crease. It’s not dusty. More than that it blends out great and doesn’t leave any fallout. Bravo!
Tassel: It looks somewhat diluted and muted with pale glistening particles without a base, BUT you can get the color you see in the refill easily if you use a base. It’s just a good gray-blue. I usually ignore such shades. It’s neither loose nor dusty. Also, it can fall out a little, even if you tap the brush before applying.
Antique: It looks like the previous shade, but this one is darker and matte. The pigmentation is good. The shade is not dusty or crumbly at all. Thumbs up for the quality and color!
Yay, we have finally reached the end of my review!
Lavish is actually a normal ashy color that is well pigmented. The shade is not loose.
All color tones pop up pretty amazing on a base.
Makeups ~
As I’ve already mentioned, this palette is perfect for everyday makeups.
You can create beautiful eyes in 5 minutes without much blending and any fallout. It’s hard to overdo these hues, because they are not that bold. So, it’s easy to control the intensity.
The shadows pair with each other with ease and you can create a huge amount of various looks with them.
However, there are only a few inspiring shades that induce me to experiment with them. Nevertheless, I will play around with this palette for a while.
Bottom line:
It’s a workable set that is worth every dollar provided you are into such hues, of course. It has lots of pros and few cons which do not overweigh the pros, however. Each product in this set is wearable and doesn’t have any visible glistening particles that would have spoiled the whole thing.
On the other hand, the set doesn’t have any crazy products/shades I’m obsessed with. Well yes, it does have a few shadows I love, but there are tons of dupes available on the market.
Anyway, I would’ve repurchased this set if I lost all my makeup products.
