Tarte Swamp Queen Palette

Where I got it: I ordered this from the Tarte website along with their Shape Tape Contouring Concealer. I have seen this palette from many YouTube makeup gurus already and the colours are just right up my alley and it also comes with a highlighter shade, a blush and a bronzing shade too! Such an awesome palette to take travelling. RRP NZD$87. It was delivered 2 weeks after I ordered it.

What I got: This is the Tarte Swamp Queen palette. It is a collaboration between Tarte and Grav3yardgirl. If you don’t know Grav3yardgirl already, she is a big personality on YouTube, she is hilarious, down to earth and very entertaining to say the least. She has millions of subscribers so go check her out!

How I find it: This packaging of the palette itself is pretty cool. It’s got a timber grain look on the front and back. The sides and inside is made of really sturdy cardboard wrapped in golden paper. It has a magnetic snap closure to avoid it flying open by accident. It comes with an eyeshadow brush for quick application or touch-up. It has a very generous mirror at the back of the front cover and the 9 eyeshadow shades are all on the right-hand side and the 3 face colours are on the left.

Top 3 shades consist of a shimmery rose gold shade (#SFS), a peachy nude shade (natural peaches) great for all over lid colour and a matte burnt sienna shade (dogman) with micro-shimmer. These 3 shades are really easy to wear and can make up a really simple eye look with just these 3 shades. Middle shade all over the lid or as a transition shade, the shimmery one as the main colour,  on the middle of the lid, or in the inner corners. Then the brown to the outer corner of the eyes and along the lower lashline.

Middle 3 shades consist of a matte cream shade (big baby) great for highlighting the brow bone or overall eyelid. The second one is my favourite copper peach shade (sassy bun) which is great for creating dimension to the eye are (I love using this on the centre of my lower lashline). Then the last one (sippy sippy) is a glittery brown with gold micro-shimmer (not my favourite type of eye shadow where you have a dark base with gold micro-shimmer).

Bottom 3 shades are on the pink/purple spectrum. A satin lavender (haunting) great for overall colour, a shimmery purple slate (uncommon) also great for overall colour or transition shade, and a matte deep plum (mancat) great for a smokey eye look.

Face colours on the right column is a really gorgeous bronzer shade (very pigmented so use a light hand!) called sweet pea which has a hint of micro-glitter. The beautiful deep pink shade (does this thing really work?) blush shade is also very pigmented and has silver shimmers. The highlighting shade (gator wings) is by far the most beautiful shade in the entire palette (IMO). It can also be used as an inner corner shade to makes the eyes pop! It is a really gorgeous shimmer with silvery micro-glitter.

Overall: I love the packaging of this palette and the shades are all really pretty and versatile. I can wear these shades during the day to work and for a night out. There is enough light shades as well as transition shades to create a well blended look. I love the face colours too with that pretty highlighter and that pigmented blush pink. The contour shade I use the least because it looks a bit too dark on my skin. I opted to use this as an eyeshadow as well. I will definitely take this on holiday with me.

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