REVIEW// Tarte Tartlette in Bloom Palette

Hey guys!

Remember the Tarte Tartelette Palette? The eyeshadow palette EVERYONE had, and if they didn't, was number one on their wishlist? With a gorgeous assortment of mattes, the Tartelette Palette was absolutely stunning, and put a new spin on neutral palettes compared to their competitors.

I'm not going to lie, I don't own the original palette and now I probably never will. It was always on my wishlist, but I just never got around to actually making the purchase. But as soon as I saw photos of this palette, I needed it like I have never needed a palette before. I stalked trendmood, Tarte's website, waited for a release date, swatches, a price, review, anything that would keep me informed. As soon as it was released on Tarte's website, I went through Comgateway's Buy For Me service (seeing as Tarte doesn't accept international payment) for the first time ever so that I could have it in my hot little hands as soon as possible.

And boy, do I not regret it in the slightest at all.

This is what dreams are made of. In a palette. Oh Tarte you did so very well.

First of all, let's talk about the packaging. Gold detailing on a purply/pink/red background, its very swanky and veeeerrrry visually appealing. You then open up the palette to see a huuuuuge mirror, and the most gorgeous neutral shades laid out in front of you. If that doesn't grab you immediately, the chocolate cupcake smell will.

I've used this palette pretty much everyday since it arrived on my doorstep. Can you tell by my use of Smarty Pants in the photo? The shadows are incredibly pigmented and buttery, and it takes nothing to build them up. I'll be honest and say that the shade that sold me on this palette was Firecracker - a beautiful bronze, shimmer shade. It just does not disappoint in the slightest for me personally, and if you are someone who uses and abuses warm neutral shadows like yours truly, you are definitely going to need this palette.

And if that rave review hasn't sold you, let me swatch this bad boy for you:

 Charmer, Jetsetter, Rocker, Smokeshow

Flower Child, Smarty Pants, Firecracker, Activist

Funny Girl, Sweetheart, Rebel, Leader

My favourite shades thus far are Jetsetter, Rocker, Smarty Pants, Firecracker, Funny Girl and Sweetheart. But really, all of the shades in this palette are amazing, and I can guarantee I'll be using all the shades in this palette in one way or another.

Now, if you look at the original palette and back at this one, don't you think the original is almost a little boring in a way? The Tartelette In Bloom palette, for me, makes up for everything the original lacked. I can't imagine myself purchasing the original palette anymore now that I own this one. I don't think I could ever go back honestly.

Now that I'm sure I've sold you, you can purchase it here from Sephora or the Tarte website for $45. It hasn't been released to the Australian market yet, but when it does I'll be sure to update you all. In the meantime, you can use a shipping service to get it here for you. I personally use Comgateway - here is a post detailing my thoughts on them and their service :)

Have you tried this palette? Which would you prefer - the original Tartelette or Tartelette 2?

Until next time...

xxxx

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collective haul #1 - sephora austrlia & mac

Hey guys!

During Christmas time, I was lucky enough to be given a couple of vouchers that allowed me to do some serious damage WITHOUT spending all of my own money! So this is for you friends and family - thank you for allowing me to support my addiction without breaking the bank, especiallt after Christmas time!

The two vouchers I was given was to Sephora and MAC - quite possibly two of the holiest of churches in the make up world. I will admit that some of these purchases did come before Christmas BUT I of course had to check out Sephora when it opened to know exactly what was in there, the layout and all that before I decided to go completely cray with my spending.

This will be a quick post, as I'll just be recapping what I picked up. Some purchases in both hauls were made before Christmas, but I've included everything from both stores that has been a recent purchase. If there is anything you'd like to see a more in-depth review of, I'd be happy to oblige!

First up, Sephora! Sephora AUSTRALIA! How crazy is it that we can actually say that now - Sephora has finally caught up, and now is actually something tangible in our country! I've only been twice, because it's in the city and I don't visit there very often but I had a ball each time I went. Not to mention the damage to my bank account..

In my first haul, I picked up a Sephora lipstick (although I couldn't tell you the name, can't find the bloody thing anywhere), Tarte's Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Angelic Nude, Tarte's LipSurgence Lip Tint in Energy and a sample size of the It Cosmetics Tightline Mascara! I've used them all, and definitely looooove the Tarte products the most. Angelic Nude has a permanent place in my makeup bag and Energy is such an easy colour to wear as it self adjusts to your very own lip colour. I also picked up the Elizabeth & James perfume in White Nirvana for my boyfriend to give me as a Christmas present!

I have my second haul to thank my Christmas vouchers for because wow, I literally spent $7 out of pocket with them! I picked the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Natural, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, a sample size of the It Cosmetics CC Cream (review coming) and two of the Sephora branded masks - one in Rose and the other in Pomegranate. Again, impressed with everything in this haul EXCEPT the Bite Beauty Lip Mask. But that's a rant for another day.

From l-r: Prabal Gurung in Light English Red, Costa Chic, Sunny Seoul, Runner & Gunner

Now onto my MAC haul! I picked up two in a haul from the US and three with my Christmas voucher. The first three pictured were brought with my voucher, one from the LE Prabal Gurung Collection and two from the permanent line, and the last two pictured are from the US and are apart of the LE Nasty Gal Collection which has just hit Australian shores recently!

I do have another haul coming that is full of Black Friday and Christmas sale purchases - and that will probably make its way up early next week! In the meantime, if you like anything you see here and would like a more dedicated post, let me know in the comments!

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

first impressions: tarte rainforest after dark palette

Hey guys!

I wanted to get this review up and running for you as soon as I could because who doesn't love Tarte Limited Edition palettes? Considering this has been out for about a month maybe already, I'm not sure how much longer it will be available due to it being part of the Fall collection. I literally waited for two weeks before I touched this palette. As this is a first impression (which is a little harder to do over a blog than on a video), I really wanted to swatch these and get my thoughts down straight away so that it could be a true first impression!

I can imagine the one question that is on all of my Aussie beauties lips right now - Bek, Tarte is 't readily available in Australia.. Or its some outrageous price, do you really want to dangle this in front us and drain us of valuable funds? Well, never fear my lovely readers - stayed tuned to the end to find out where you can find this at a reasonable price AUSTRALIA BASED! 

So back to the palette. I didn't take a photo of the outside packaging (girl was way too excited to swatch these bad boys, so forgive me), but due to it being called the Rainforest After Dark Palette, it is a deep brown colour, and has a tree-like (like wood) pattern. It is also adorned with a gorgeous gold snake with a purple jewel on its forehead. Its really simple and glamourous packaging honestly, I'm super impressed and love how it looks!

Now to the actual contents of the palette. Its focused on more neutral eyeshadow shades, with some taupe-y purples as well. I love how it also includes a highlight and bronzer, as well as a limited edition blush! As Tarte are really known for how long lasting and pigmented their Amazonian Clay Blushes are (which are something like $30US a pop), its so great that they included what looks to be an almost full sized blush in this palette. The other great benefit about this palette is that because you can do your cheeks and eyes with it, it makes for a great travel palette to maximise space in your luggage!

In terms of the pigmentation of the shades, I will say that there seems to be a slight white film on my palette. I'm not sure if it's just mine, or if all Tarte palettes come with this, but it is a bit misleading on how pigmented the shadows actually are. Once you swatch past this, the majority of the shades have great pigmentation! They're all super buttery and blendable, and the shades all work together as well. You have your transition shades, your lid shades, your outer corner shades - there isn't an actual matte highlight colour, but the highlight shade itself can come in handy for your brow bone and inner corner. 

Here are come swatchy swatches for you:

Champagne,  Enchanted & Park Ave Princess

Bare to Explore, Make a Mauve, Plum Away With Me, Up to No Gold, Tan-Gled Up in You & Don't Turn A-Brown

As you can see from the swatches, the light colours will need to be built up a little more to have better pigmentation, but the rest go on super smoothly and are pretty pigmented from the get go. I love this palette so much, and although we're going into Spring here in Australia, I can see how easily this would work for Fall or Autumn. The shades are just perfect, being almost vampy but neutral at the same time. This is limited edition, so if you are interested I highly recommend getting your hands on it ASAP!

Now for the exciting part - I have discovered a website that is AUSTRALIAN BASED and stock brand such as Tarte, Lorac, Urban Decay, Sigma and Nars at super affordable prices and free shipping over $99! The website is www.myqty.com, and if you are a follower on my Instagram page, you may remember that I recently did a Sigma F80 Copper Brush Giveaway with them. I highly recommend this website to you guys - its genuine, and who doesn't want access to all these brands without paying an arm and a leg? BTW QUICK DISCLAIMER - I am NOT sponsored in anyway shape or form with MYQTY. I just love that this is available to you and I, and of course I want to share that with you guys.

I've also got a small discount code available for you guys - use the code 'beautybybek' to recieve 10% off brands such as Sigma, Real Techniques, Coastal Scents and Bdellium Tools (exclusions apply)! Head there now and treat yo' self!

You can find the Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette here on their website for $54.95AU. It is sold out at the moment but will hopefully be restocked by the end of the month!

Until next time my loves..

xxxx