You know I love me some tarte, but this collection that I ordered from Hautelook a few weeks ago just missed the mark. It included a Golden Days & Sultry Nights shadow palette, SmolderEYES liner in black, along with a Maracuja Cheek Tint, Waterproof Shadow Stick, and a lip tint.
The eye liner is great, it’s a thick pencil that glides on easily in a rich black hue. It’s also easy to blend and wears well. Pencils are the easiest to apply of all liners, and this jumbo sized one makes it even easier. But as far as the purchase goes, that’s where the good news ends.
The shadow palette has great colors, but the consistency of the mattes were hard and didn’t show up well on the skin while the shimmers had a sort of harsh quality that were hard to blend. It was out of character for their shadows which I use personally and also have in my kit, but the texture of these shadows just didn’t work for me.
I use a lot of creme shadows that I layer with powder ones to give them longer wear, but this one was streaky and dried too quickly to allow the powder shadow to latch onto it. The lip tint pops loose out of the container whenever I open it. It’s pretty, but I think the construction of the packaging is a huge minus.
But the most disappointing of the bunch was the Maracuja Cheek Tint, an orangey gel that’s the fastest drying stain I’ve ever used. I would dab a little on my cheeks and before I could even start to rub it in, it would leave a dotted pattern on my skin from how I patted it on seconds earlier. There was zero play time. I tried it again thinking it was user error but got the same results and because it’s a stain there was no camouflaging the mistake.
I wasn’t too surprised to learn that the shadow stick, lip tint, and cheek tint are all apparently discontinued because I can’t find them anywhere online which would’ve been a huge clue had I been paying attention, which leads me to:
Tips on buying makeup on deal sites:
– I bought these on Hautelook which has this clock counting down starting the second you put something in your basket so you only have 15 minutes to buy it before it’s removed from your cart and placed back out for sale. It forces you to decide quickly but next time I won’t let it detour me from a quick Google to see if what I’m buying is a discontinued item. Chances are, it’s discontinued for a reason.
– Stick with the basics. Things like black liner, pink gloss, mascara, and brow pencils are universal and typically predicable buys. Because most of the cosmetics you’ll find aren’t refundable, it’s important to choose wisely.
– Know what you need before you start buying. Even on sale, it’s a waste of money if it’s something you’ll never use.