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Product Description
The Tarte Tartelette in Bloom palette is the sequel to the original Tartelette palette with a different assortment of neutral shades plus a few shimmers. The way the palette is arranged, the top row generally consists of grey-toned shades, the middle row yellow-toned shades, and the bottom row pink-toned shades and each row has a shimmery shade that complements the matte shades. You can mix them any way you want but this makes it really easy to pick up and quickly put together a look. There is a very noticeable sweet gourmand fragrance when I open the palette which reminds me of the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. To me, it smells like vanilla or white chocolate. There is a small insert included in the box with the palette that guides you through two looks you can create. Each shadow pan contains 1.5 g / 0.053 oz. It retails for $46 and can be purchased at Tarte, Sephora, and Macy’s.
Performance
This palette took some getting used to because the shades are a little softer than eyeshadows in other palettes I have. I don’t have to use much pressure when sweeping a brush over the shadow to pick up color. Working in thinner layers is the way to go to get a well-blended look.
The shimmer shades tend to swatch better than they apply to the lid. The texture of both Firecracker and Funny girl remind me of pressed pigments. They have a very metallic finish which is a little more rough and varied than the finish of other shimmery shades. For example, Urban Decay’s shimmery shades have a very smooth reflective sheen whereas these have more of a gritty, textured sheen, which is a nice change. Using a flat stiff brush or even your fingers works the best to apply these. Then they blend out easily with a brush once they are placed on the lid and there is some fallout if you don’t tap the excess off the brush. The third shimmery shade, Rocker, has more of a traditional satin-shimmer finish and feel with very little to no fallout.
All of the light and mid-toned matte shades are very soft and “creamy” to the touch and seem to be packed somewhat loosely in the pan. Color transfers very easily both when swatching or applying to the lid. The shadows adhere fairly well to brushes so I am able to build up color quickly. They blend easily on their own but the color selection adds even more ease to the blending process because they create such beautiful gradients. The 3 darkest shades in the right column have a somewhat drier firmer texture and aren’t as smooth but still have excellent color payoff and blend relatively easily (for being dark colors).
The first time I only got 3 hours out of it before it creased on unprimed eyes. It lasted 8 hours with Nars Pro Prime though which is surprising because usually primer only gives me 2-3 extra hours, not 5! The second time I wore it with Urban Decay Anti Aging Primer and that really didn’t extend the wear but it did make the shadows look smoother on the lid. I was able to smooth the creasing over and quickly fix up my eyes without having the redo the whole look.
Tartelette in Bloom vs. The Original Tartelette Palette
In comparing this to the original Tartelette palette, the shadows in this one seem a smidge softer but have about the same color payoff. It seems like they aren’t pressed quite as firmly into the pan. These also have a bit more powder kick-up when sweeping a brush over the shadows.
The shades in the original palette are all matte and generally neutral to cool in tone while the Tartelette in Bloom has a good balance of neutral, cool, and warm shades plus 3 shimmery eyeshadows.
The packaging is very similar between the two palettes but the Tartelette in Bloom packaging has a sturdier hinge that holds the mirror up better than the original one. Only the new palette has the sweet fragrance. Both contain the same amount of product and cost the same.
Dupes and Comparisons
Firecracker is similar to:
- Unattainable (Lorac Unzipped) – Slightly brighter, and has a thinner, grittier texture that doesn’t adhere as well to the skin
- Chai (Lorac Pro to Go) – Nearly identical, chai is maybe a hair warmer-toned
- Mocha (Lorac Pro Palette 2) – A bit more muted and cooler-toned
- Chopper (Urban Decay Naked 2) – Somewhat brighter, with a smoother finish and micro glitter, which Firecracker does not have
- Trick (Urban Decay Naked 3) – Brighter, pinker, and has a significant amount of micro glitter
Rebel is similar to:
- Bordeaux (Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons)
- Unbridled (Lorac Unzipped)
- Succubus (Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye)
- Cherry Cordial (Too Faced Chocolate Bar)
- Row 2, Column 3 or “Taupe” (Viseart Neutral Matte Palette)
Worth Buying?
This has quickly become one of my favorite palettes. Despite the few cons below, I would absolutely purchase this again.
Pros
- Overall great color payoff
- Smooth, creamy texture
- Blends easily
- Well thought-out shade selection
- Perfect for neutral/natural looks, students, work, travel
- Beautiful, sturdy packaging
Cons
- Funny Girl and Firecracker require a little bit of a learning curve because they do have some fallout. They also have issues sticking to skin if you tend to have very dry eyelids. A primer can help with this.
- Smokeshow and Activist don’t look all that different once applied to the lids.
- The fragrance in it could be a problem for those that are sensitive.
- They don’t always last all day on me if I don’t wear a primer underneath.
