This actually came in June but as my summer was quite hectic, I couldn't get this out on time. I don't know if the items will be released individually but I had the photos sitting in my folders so I hope y'all don't mind. Anyhoo, the Tarte "Be Your Own Tarteist" 7-Piece Essentials Set for June 2015 fit right in for the summer with the warm-toned shadows and the bronzing serum so let's get on with the review!
Like the previous Tarte "Be Your Own Tarteist" February Set (unboxing), this collection contains the Maracuja Miracle Foundcealer, a Lipsurgence Lip Gloss, the Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara, and a Be Your Own Tarteist Eye & Cheek Palette. The new additions are the Maracuja Bronzing Serum, the Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eyeliner in Plum and a dual-ended eyeliner brush.
{FOUNDATION + MASCARA}
Since I have already talked about the foundation and mascara, I'll keep it short. Serum-type foundations are lightweight and watery. Coverage is light but buildable to medium. I have it in shade Light, which is a bit too pale for my skintone but come winter, I think I'll be loving the color match and the hydration it provides. There's a total of 6 shades. The mascara is one of my all-time favorites! It lengthens and separates my lashes beautifully. The formula is a bit heavy for my lashes, causing them to droop throughout the day. Smudging is minimal and easy to remove with some micellar water + cotton buds. It doesn't match the palette packaging like in the previous kit but the regular packaging is still neat. The Maracuja Miracle Foundcealer is currently only available on QVC. It contains 15ml/0.51fl oz for $35.92usd ($70.43usd per oz). However, the Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara is available at various retailers. It costs $21 usd for 0.24oz ($87.50usd per oz).
{BRONZING SERUM}
As I have no experience using self-tanning products, the Maracuja Bronzing Serum was intriguing. Finding the directions on the back of the bottle, I realized that it's a gradual self-tanner. 1 to 2 drops for the neck and face daily should provide a nice, healthy glow to the skin. They say to immediately wash your hands after use to prevent discoloration. I'm not sure if it can be used for both body and face but at $47usd for 1.7oz ($27.65usd per oz), I think I would only keep this to my face.The smell is slightly unpleasant but it's mostly masked by a spicy floral scent. The consistency is that of a thin oil so it'll be easy to spread across the skin. Since I don't need any help tanning in the summer, I had no use for this product. I've read good reviews of this product online, so if you need a little boost for the sunless, cold months, this might be a handy product.
{EYE & CHEEK PALETTE}
Moving onto the pièce de résistance, the Be Your Own Tarteist Eye & Cheek Palette. The packaging on this palette is my favorite. The aqua, fuchsia and purple tile pattern reminds me of a Moroccan floor, perfect for the summer theme. It includes 6 eyeshadows: 1 shimmer, 2 satin, and 3 mattes, alongside a matte blush. The shimmer shadow is disappointing as it's so fluffy and loose that it floats away rather than sticks to my eye. The satins perform slightly better but still have the problem with not sticking to my eye. The star of the eyeshadows are the matte. Creamy and pigmented, they also blend out nicely. Color leans warm on the left and neutral on the right for a good balance. The texture seems to remain the same from the previous palette but the shadows apply and blend better with fingers on unprimed eyes. Wear time is okay without primer, about 4 hours on oily and unprimed lids. A quick finger rub will smooth down the pigment. With primer, pigmentation is diminished but I get all-day wear without creasing or fading. I definitely recommend using a sticky primer (Maybelline Color Tattoos) rather than a smoothing primer (like UDDP) with these shadows. This palette seems to be limited edition but Tarte shadows look very similar to one another so you'll be able to dupe this with other palettes. There's a similar palette called Poppy Picnic with the same set up retailing for $38usd.
If you're used to Lorac shadows, the pigmentation will seem sheer and weak, but they are buildable with decent opacity in 3 layers. Nevertheless, I can only get a soft, ethereal look with these shadows. That's not a problem exactly as lighter pigmentation is great for those who enjoy subtle definition or are beginners but for me, I prefer the punch of Lorac shadows. At least I don't have a problem with fallout! Each eyeshadow contains 1g/0.035oz.
The blush is the standout from this palette. Even though the finish is matte, it doesn't look flat. The texture is buttery soft and easy to blend despite the strong pigmentation. Longevity is standard with the Amazonian 12Hr Blushes so no need to reapply. The blush contains 5.6g/0.2oz.
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1. Golden Opportunity (Satin)
2. Sienna the Future (Matte)
3. Like You a Latte (Matte)
4. Insightful (Matte)
5. Highlight of my Day (Shimmer)
6. Cream of the Crop (Matte)
7. Mauve Mountains (Satin)
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Golden Opportunity is a golden brown shade. It's a bit thin in consistency so fingers is best when it comes to this shadow. Sienna the Future is a warm medium brown. It's quite pigmented and smooth so brushes are the way to go. Like You a Latte is a warm chocolate brown. Similar to Sienna the Future, the pigmentation is nice and smooth. Insightful is a warm, peachy nude that complements my skin tone well. I have tons of blush in this shade but the formula makes it a remarkable one in my opinion. Highlight of my Day is a shimmery pearl shadow. The pigmentation is weak and very disappointing. The texture is slightly gritty and thin; it doesn't stick together well so use your fingers to pack it on for best results. Cream of the Crop is a gray-toned beige. It's not my favorite shade in the palette but it acts nicely for a base shadow. Lastly, Mauve Mountains is my favorite shade. It's a plum-y mauve that isn't too dark for all over the lid for a simple, daytime smokey eyeshadow look. It's not a sheen-y as Golden Opportunity so it can also act as a matte shadow. Since it's not pigmented, layering is necessary and fingers highly recommended.
{LIP GLOSS + EYELINER}
As most of you know, I'm not a fan of shimmery lips, especially in lip gloss form. However, the golden shimmers adds a nice luminosity to a typical warm tomato red. The pigmentation is decent but allows a bit of my natural lip color to show through, fitting the "Natural Beauty" moniker. As with the Lipsurgence Lip Gloss line, the scent reminds me of vanilla, veering almost plastic.The scent is quite strong; leaving it open as I photographed it, I could still smell it from a foot away. Regardless, it's a pleasant scent that luckily disappears once on my lips. I'm not a fan of minty feeling glosses so while vanilla isn't my favorite, I'll gladly put up with it. The texture is quite thick but not uncomfortably sticky. As such, I do get leakage but nothing a tissue can't clean up. For that reason, recap the wand slowly and don't pump it to prevent further leakage.
After a meal, the color will have gone but the product will still remain on my lips. Luckily, the glitter isn't gritty nor does not stick on my lips. I usually only wear these when I have intensely chapped lips as they will camouflage it while remedying the situation once I take it off. Natural Beauty is part of the regular line and costs $19usd for 0.27oz ($70.37usd for 1 oz). However, it might not be so for much longer as I've been unable to find it at Sephora and ULTA. Maybe it's undergoing another reformulation?
I'm more of a pencil liner girl these days but the Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner is a treat to use. It's very creamy and pigmented. A little goes a long way so don't overload your brush. Despite the creaminess, it sticks around quite well. I don't get smudging with this liner. If you have oily lids and watery eye like mine, this liner is a keeper right there. I've even used it as an eyeshadow base and it works marvelously for dark purple smokey eyes. The Plum liner is great paired with the warm bronzes of this palette. As you can see in the swatches below, there's tiny shimmers in the formula. It doesn't fall out nor irritate my eyes. The shimmers give the plum base an interesting sheen on the eyes but it's not an overwhelming glitter bomb. I have two other liners from this line and though I use it infrequently, they haven't dried out yet. The Plum liner is part of their regular line up. It retails for $21usd for 2.5g/0.08oz.
The double-ended brush is a nice addition. I much prefer an angled liner brush for precise wings but the calligraphy tip one on side and bent liner brush on the other helps make the thinnest line possible. It has an approximate value of $15usd.
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| 8. Lipsurgence Lip Gloss in Natural Beauty 9. Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Plum |
{THE BOTTOM LINE}
As with most Tarte sets, the value is immense for what I paid. For $67.68usd, I received $196.92usd worth of items--over triple the value! I won't be getting much use out of the bronzing serum but I can see everything else getting regular use. The aqua pleather bag is a nice addition. I much prefer this bag compared to the previous edition. I also have the October edition here with me so you'll be seeing that quite soon! The great thing about Tarte is that most of their makeup is vegan-friendly--including their brushes!
{WHERE TO BUY}
Maracuja Miracle Foundcealer + brush // buy
Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara // qvc (single) qvc (double--better deal!)/ sephora / tarte / ulta
Amazonian Clay Eye & Cheek Palette // buy (similar)
Maracuja Bronzing Serum // buy
Lipsurgence Lip Gloss // buy
Etch & Sketch Double-Ended Bamboo Liner Brush // buy
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