September 28, 2011

Tarte The Starlet Limited Edition Makeup Vanity: swatches, pics, review!

Hello, Beautiful!

Wow, oh wow! I am all hyper-excited about this blog post because I get to share with you pics & swatches of a beautiful makeup vanity/palette from Tarte cosmetics! This beauty is from their 2011 Holiday collection, which is not yet at Sephora stores (at least not the two I've recently visited) but you can buy it online... and it's only $52!

I mean.... did I just rob Sephora when they only charged me $52 for all of this? Haha! Seriously though, how in the world is that possible?!?! They say it has a $505 value but I did the exact value break-down (I'm a nerd like that). You can check that out later in this post to see if my math added up to $505 (it didn't) and how much the value actually is.

This makeup vanity is so pretty on the outside, but the inside is also pretty; packed with quality makeup! The makeup comes in removable trays so you can use this mirrored beveled edge vanity for other uses in the future.

Check out my pics & swatches (then hurry and buy it before it sells out)...


Remember to click on pics to view more detail!

Tarte The Starlet
Limited Edition Makeup Vanity












Each tray is removable...



The Box It Came In:


 


 



The top opens up to reveal a mirror and 16 eyeshadows
(shades & swatches listed later in this post)








The middle drawer pulls out to reveal another 8 eyeshadows, plus the mini's of Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara and MultiplEYE Natural Lash Enhancing Primer
(shades & swatches listed later in this post)






The bottom drawer pulls out to reveal a Mineral Powder Bronzer, 2 Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes, and an Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder
(shades & swatches listed later in this post)






Let's break down the value of this kit...

Sephora lists the value of this makeup vanity as $505. I am always one to break down the value -- especially when its sold for so much less than the value they list -- so I did just that and came out with a total of $309.12 for just the makeup (exact price breakdown listed below). If my math is correct, that means Sephora is saying the makeup vanity itself (without any makeup) would be sold for $195.88 --- which is really hard to believe. I very well could have done my math wrong, but regardless, the value is clearly there just based on the makeup itself! I mean, you're basically getting $250 worth of makeup FREE! It's an insane value!

Eyeshadow Value (24 of them): $271.92
  • Each eyeshadow in this kit is 0.04 oz
  • A full sized Tarte eyeshadow single is 0.06 oz @ $17
  • Each eyeshadow in this kit has a value of $11.33

Mineral Powder Bronzer Value: $4.53
  • The size included in this kit is 0.05 oz
  • The full sized version is 0.32 oz @ $29

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Value (2 of them): $12.50
  • Each blush in this kit is 0.05 oz
  • The full sized verison is 0.20 oz @ $25
  • Each blush in this kit has a value of $6.25

Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder Value: $4.69
  • The size included in this kit is 0.05 oz
  • The full sized version is 0.32 oz @ $30

MultiplEYE Natural Lash Enhancing Primer Value: $7.56
  • The size included in this kit is 0.11 oz
  • The full sized version is 0.32 oz @ $22

Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara Value: $7.92
  • The size included in this kit is 0.10 oz
  • The full sized version is 0.24 oz @ $19



Now let's get into the swatches...
 


Swatches of the Eyeshadows
(top section)

TRADITIONAL SMOKEY: Celebrity (deep shimmering gray), Superstar (deep shimmering silver), Luminary (silver frost), Opening Night (sparkling black)






 



EARTHY: Talent (shimmering peach), Idol (matte taupe), Cameo (matte beige), Virtuoso (sparkling forest green)


 



PLUM SMOKEY EYE: Stardom (blackened plum), Icon (warm lilac), Major (shimmering plum), Siren (shimmering deep mauve)


 



BLUES: Fame (shimmering cobalt), Big Break (shimmering ice blue), V.I.P. (shimmering blue-silver), Toast (shimmering toasted beige)


 




More Swatches of the Eyeshadows
(middle drawer)

BROWNS: Popular (shimmering golden beige), Timeless (shimmering cocoa), Prestige (matte ochre), Trophy (shimmering golden brown)


 



PINKS: Ingenue (matte baby pink), Prima Donna (shimmering cinnamon), Leading Lady (shimmering nude pink), Diva (shimmering dusty rose)


 




Swatches of the Other Powders
(bottom drawer)

Mineral Powder Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess (highly pearled golden tan)

  



Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Glory (shimmering peach)

 



Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Starlet (shimmering rose)

 



Provocateur Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powder in Rose (soft petal pink)

 




Swatches of the Mascara & Lash Primer
(comes in middle drawer)



  

 


 

 



All swatches on paper from the vanity/palette:



Now tell me what you think...
Do you own this beauty of a vanity/palette? If not, is this on your wish list? Discuss below in the comments.


24 comments:

  1. Wow! This is really quite amazing, what with the e/s, mascara and blushers, not to mention the lovely box. :D

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  2. didn't know this was already for sale, thank you for such a great review and awesome swatches!

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  3. wow this looks amazing! I guess it is in my wishlist :D

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  4. Whoa! Thanx for the swatches =)

    Only $52? Are you serious? That's an awesome deal. I would definitely buy this as a gift for someone who doesn't have too much makeup or for someone who's just starting out with makeup.

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  5. I get mine tomorrow! Thank you for this amazing indepth review and the price breakdown! This was the best review! Can't wait!!!!!!

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  6. AARGGGHHHH !!!! I would love to get this, but i live in Finland, and they don't ship outside of the United States and Canada >.< Right now i hate living here :'(

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  7. If i get this i won't need to buy any thing else for a long long time. woww this is a beauty . You people are so lucky to get sooo good deals on excellent quality makeup

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  8. I don't need it at all but I sure WANT it!

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  9. This is an incredible post - so much detail! I just ordered this kit but the only way I could justify it to myself (even with the insane value that it is) is that I'm giving it to my mom to wrap up and give to me for Christmas lol Thanks so much for this, I'm so excited :)

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  10. Your swatches are lovely. I did see a video review that wasn't nearly as good pigmentation wise. How many times did you apply each layer to get the results? It is a beautiful palette but I just want to make sure it will show up on my olive complexion? Thank you!

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  11. @ Glossy Boss: That's a wonderful present for yourself! But how can you wait until Christmas to start playing with it? Haha :) I wouldn't be able to wait that long! :)

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  12. @ Sarah M: I only swatched each color once; I don't layer my swatches (unless I show them side to side to show you can make one color more vibrant or more sheer). I just take my finger and go back and forth or swirl it in the product and swatch it on my hand.

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  13. Nice review and excellent swatches! I may be swayed..oh dear lord, I do not need more makeup!

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  14. That's a totally insane price! But it's probably worth it anyway cause Tarte is chemical-free,right? =)

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  15. I was so curious about this holiday palette. Your review and swatches is the most thorough one out there! Thank you so much!

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  16. I've heard awesome reviews about the amazonian blushes, and buying this palette it could be a great opportunity for me to test it and see if I like. Although, some of the mac palettes (those special edition with 6 eyeshadows etc) didn't have the same quality as if you bought them individual, so I don't know... Do you have any eyeshadow or blush in the original size do compare the quality? ;*

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  17. @ Camila Cavalcanti: I don't buy a lot of palettes because the quality is almost always never there. However, Tarte palettes never disappoint me, including this one. Everything in this palette is true-to-quality!

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  18. (I'm posting this for "Anonymous" because I accidentally deleted the comment by hitting the wrong button).
    Anonymous said: By far the best review I've seen! Thanks!!!

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  19. Just wanted to let you know that the lash primer is *definitely* not worth $47--the full size is only $20 so it's probably worth less than $10.

    I think you thought it was the lash enhancer, not the lash enhancing primer :)

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  20. @ Kate: Yes, you're right! I mixed up the two and I know exactly why! I was talking with my friend on the phone about the lash enhancing primer while I was typing out the value details and I had both those pages open on Sephora's website. I must have mixed-up the two somewhere in between talking to her and writing it up! Thank you for bringing it to my attention! I can't believe it took this long for someone to say something :)

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  21. Thanks for taking the time to do this awesome review. I just ordered it on the sephora FF sale and i can't wait to get it in the mail!

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  22. This is really cool! Love all these stuffs, great post!

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