October 12, 2012

Tarte Carried Away Collector’s Set Review & Swatches

Ahhh Tarte’s Carried Away Collector’s Set is a huge selection of Tarte products all rolled into a very large travel roll makeup bag. Tarte introduction of the set with their Holiday 2012 Collection is a refreshing change from their typical Jewelry Box themed palettes from years past.

The Carried Away Set is more about travel friendly options and a selection of products that can be broken up and either toted away with you or used on their own. This is a more versatile selection of products that doesn’t confine you to a bulky palette. No question, Tarte’s past Jewelry Box Palettes are absolutely gorgeous. However, these types of palettes are a bit bulky and aren’t travel friendly.

Carried Away gives you the option to easily tote your makeup with you or remove it from the makeup bag it comes with and take only one or two pieces of the collection with you. As I said the Jewelery Box Palettes are gorgeous but I do like the option of removing the eyeshadow palette or the blush or the lipglosses and just taking those with me….where as with the larger palette I have to tote it ALL with me.

The Carried Away Set definitely proves easier to travel with.

Let’s take a look!

As you know Tarte has launched two larger palette sets for Holiday 2012. The Big Thrill is an Ulta Exclusive where as the Carried Away Collector’s Set is a Sephora one. The Big Thrill is more of the traditional Jewelry Box style Tarte releases for Holiday and Carried Away is more of a unique, newer design. Big Thrill is cheaper by $6 at $48 where as Carried Away is $54. I want to say both contain the same amount of product but that wouldn’t be quite right. Carried Away has considerably more eyeshadow, lipgloss, and a few other bits and bobs versus Big Thrill which has more face powder products.

Broken down you’re looking at 24 Eyeshadows in Carried Away versus Big Thrill’s 16. 8 Mini Lipglosses in Carried Away versus 3 full size in Big Thrill. Four facial powders/blush/highlighter/bronzer in Carried Away versus a single mini blush in Carried Away. Plus Carried Always come with a reusable makeup bag, full size brush, mini mascara, and mini facial powder. So broken down both have an array of product but Carried Away does have more for that mere $6 dollars extra.

I think it terms of color you might like Big Thrill if you want lighter looks. Big Thrill has some very nice light sparkling shades versus Carried Away which has some more natural, warmer colors.

Both palettes feature full size eyeshadows in Tarte’s traditional formula. These are soft, silky thinner eyeshadows with sheer to medium color payoff. They blend very easily, have a smooth, buttery texture that varies from shadow to shadow as you will across a velvet-y shade or two. Carried Away has an array of finishes including sparkles and mattes. Tarte’s eyeshadows are not on par with the likes of MAC or Urban Decay so if you’re used to those bolder, heavily pigmented formula you may be a bit disappointed. I find their shadows are a lovely silky texture that produce just the right amount of color. They do need a bit of primer under them less they fade a bit during wear so be sure to prep well prior to application.

(Used in my look below)

(Used in my look below)

This set comes in a makeup roll style bag which has a snap closure. It opens to reveal a full size mirror in the center and two plastic zippered compartments on either side. The zippered compartments hold mini glosses on one side and a mini Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara on the other including a Smooth Operator Loose Powder to set makeup and finally a small Amazonian Blush in Adventurous. Where’s the eyeshadow? Housed in a thin palette that slips out of a stealthy little pocket behind the mirror. There’s also a loop that holds a full size facial brush the set comes with.

See what I mean when I said the products are all travel friendly? You can just remove what you need and easily take it with you.

The makeup bag roll itself can easily be emptied out and you can put your favorite products inside. The pocket behind the mirror can hold other compacts, smaller palettes, etc….It’s a nice travel pouch overall.

Dare I say the entire kit is worth getting just to get your hands on the Adventurous Blush (I’m wearing the shade in both my pictures below)? This is a mini (half the size of a normal Tarte Blush) blush the size of which you’d find in the new Fantastic Four Blush Set I recently reviewed. The shade is a warm rusty bronze that gives a rich peach glow on my cheeks. It’s not like any shade in the catalog at the moment and quite unique to this set.

I didn’t check but the eight glosses might be duped in the the For Love Of Lipgloss Set however, I see at least three to four shades that are unique to this kit. The glosses themselves are a bit drier and lack shine but they build up easily with a semi-opaque finish depending on the shade you use. You get a variety of shimmers, creams, and metallic finishes.

The palette itself is arranged in six, four shade quads. This makes it easy to create looks using a single quad. I’m kinda dopey when it comes to deciding which colors go best together so this is great for me. But of course, you can mix and match the shades anyway you want. The colors are individually named and I’ve listed them below for your reference in case you want to go back and look over your other Tarte palettes for any potential dupes.

Shades:

  • Snowfall in Paris
  • Golden Gate Bridge
  • Volcanic Ash
  • Pyramid Gold
  • Pearl River
  • Seychelles Sand
  • Touchdown in London Town
  • Martha’s Vineyard
  • Pebble Beach
  • Boston Brick
  • Spanish Sangria
  • Napa Grapes
  • Georgia Peach
  • Tuscan Sun
  • Acia Jungle
  • Coral Reef
  • Iceland Air
  • Mystic Seaport
  • Concrete Jungle
  • Hampton Waves
  • Sunshine State
  • Hawaiian Palm
  • Olive Grove
  • Sin City

Overall, Tarte’s Carried Away Collector’s Set offers a ton of great products to try out from the brand. If you’re new to Tarte this is a great kit to further your collection with more products from the brand. If you’re considering it as a gift, well, any makeup fan would be overjoyed to receive it. At $54, it’s a steal considering each eyeshadow is full size. It’ll be all the sweeter during Sephora’s Friends and Family Event as it’ll cut the cost down dramatically and make it an even bigger steal than it already is.

Own it?

Planning on buying it?

Available now at Sephora and Sephora.com

This was provided to me by a brand for review but all opinions expressed are my own

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Sweta

    Hi Muse

    Gm! You look lovely in the above pics :D..I just received this in my mail 2 days back..Its my first product from Tarte and sure well worth it..there is ton of product inside..the blush is gorgeous but as you mentioned above it is not the half of the original size..it is sadly jus 1/4th of the original size (0.5) and half of the mini blushes from the other Tarte set of 4 blushes which are 0.1 in the size..Just wanted to let you know..:)

    • the Muse

      oh thanks sweta, I thought it was the same exact size as the one in the foursome set! thanks for confirming that!!!!!! i wish they included a full size of this shade! just love it!

      • Sweta

        U are always welcome dear…U bet Muse..this is ultra gorgeous..just so awesum..love it..love the pouch so much it is really good quality..even the brush is really good..thought that would have been of no use..lol but glad its good :)Thanks for the review..:D

        • the Muse

          <3! I agree, the pouch is very useful! ;-D after emptying out the contents you can easily use it as an overnight makeup bag when staying over a friend's/bf/or away for the weekend! really a great kit. Aw my pleasure!

  • Angela

    Have this and love it:0) Also, the upcoming Tarte TSV on the Q is beyond awesome!!!

  • Jen

    I picked this up about a week ago and it’s amazing!!! After I saw your initial post I knew I had to have it!

    • the Muse

      yay happy to hear it jen! did you like the blush? kinda in lust with it at the moment!

  • Amy

    I got this as a gift and squealed like a small child–it’s just so fun! The pink and gold case makes me feel like I have an adult version of the “princess” makeup I played with as a kid 🙂

  • Kelsey

    This set is awesome! My sister got it a few days ago and she’s in love with it.

  • Kristen N.

    Oh wow, this is definitely going on my christmas list this year! what a great value!

  • Kara

    I bought this about 2 weeks ago and have been wearing it every single day. I think the colors are STUNNING. I’m a MASSIVE Urban Decay fan, and I have to say I love this palette more than the Vice Palette. SO many pretty colors. I’m having such fun making different looks each day.

    • the Muse

      I am so happy to hear that kara ;-D any shades you love best? I love the golden peach in this shadow palette it’s gorg! if you love this you need the big thrill girl!

  • Jas

    I picked this up last week and I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with the entire kit…not a dud in the bunch! I am considering buying a second one as a backup because I never want to run out of that GORGEOUS blush! I love knowing that the eyeshadows are all natural and talc-free! I am a huge Tarte fan and I always get several of their holiday kits each year! Next on my list is the Tarte smoldereyes set!

    • the Muse

      aw great jas 🙂 so happy to hear it!!!!!! I agree the blush is amazing love this shade!

  • Kate curry

    Carried Away is genius! I love the colors and the fact that you can disassemble it and take bits with you. Thanks for sharing – it was very thorough and helpful. I it is definitely going to be the one Holiday Set that I allow myself each year.

  • Mai

    Love! Thanks so much for swatching this kit, Muse. I will have to wait before ordering it, as I have already spent my monthly makeup budget on brushes! Very jealous of all you gals own it. 😛

  • Jenn

    This looks amazing…aahhh…so many good tarte item’s coming out. Any idea about Sephora’s F & F this year Muse? As usual Sephora is hush hush saying there is no such thing this year…

  • eman

    i wish i get this set but it is not available in my country and i can’t buy it by sephora.com
    can some one help me to find a website that can ship it to ksa directly

  • JenJ

    I caught a peek of the November TSV and now I’m torn #thestruggle lol. Both are awesome values.

  • TwirlyGirly

    Of all the Holiday Collections released thus far, THIS is the one I’m pining after most (well, THIS and Urban Decay’s Ocho Loco 24/7 eye pencil collection). I’m just hoping it will still be available once I’ve managed to save enough $$ to buy it. I don’t have any Tarte products, and I thought this set would be a good way to try several of them at a very reasonable price.

  • Majick

    I am definitely getting this one during f&f, I hope it doesn’t sell out. I also have a sephor gift card for 15 I think so that will help too. I really like the bag that comes with this set and passed on the UD vice because I thought I had a lot of the colors already. The blush is really pretty and so different from the other tarte blushes I have.

    I keep meaning to ask but does anyone know if tarte is gluten free? This would make a great gift for a friend of mine who travels a lot. She’s really the only person I still buy gifts for.

    Thanks for the great review Muse!

  • Michou

    I picked this up last week and am SO glad I did! It’s GORGEOUS. The blush is perfect for the season and the lipglosses feel and look great on my lips. The eyeshadows are always a bit “meh” but they did definitely make the formula better since a year or two ago. All told, this was a helluva deal and I’m glad I got it! Your review though, was PERFECT. SO much detail!

  • Donna

    I’ve been considering purchasing a couple of these sets as Christmas gifts, now I know I will! Anyone know when the Family and Friends discount at Sephora is this year?

  • Kim

    I was just playing with this at Sephora today and I have to get this. It’s better than the Ulta one IMO and much more portable. I just got the blush four-pack too.

  • Michelle

    I bought this & the Tarina Tarantino jewel palette in dreamy:) love it!!! I’m a huge Tarte fan… Just recently tried the blushes & I’m now addicted!!!!

  • Majick

    I may have to indulge in this one. I love the travel bag. Tarte products are fun and the colors in this kit are a little different than the norm.

  • CC

    Ladies, I saw some not so good reviews on this set…everything looks great to me tho-any reason not to get it?

    • Noel

      Everyones views will be different so I say if it looks good to you go for it! The value is amazing, and if you end up less than impressed then return it!

      • CC

        Wooohooo! I picked it up last week at Sephora’s F & F sale. $11 off and everything is perect to me. Ive used 3 of the shadow quads so far, they wear like a dream. The glosses are not bad imo and the blush is lovely as all reviews say! The ginishing powder really is a nice addition as well and I already love LCL mascara. This plus the Smolder Eyes and Lip Surgence collections and Si am set!

  • Fancyprance

    Muse-Do you have any concrete info on the Sephora Friends and Family. All kinds of rumors floating around. Some saying it’s only 15% and you need a card, some say it’s being replaced by that Wheel of Fortune thing. Can you help a beauty sistah out and get the 411? Thanks so much!

    • the Muse

      i haven’t nothing fancyprance sorry 🙁 they haven’t told me a word. All I know is possibly around the 18th. As soon as I know I’ll post it of course 🙂 sorry!

      • Fancyprance

        Thanks Muse. That would be great if you could let us know. My list is about half a mile long at this point.

        • the Muse

          sure! sorry, sadly I don’t have any info, completely in the dark this year :-/ but I’ll def post it when it becomes available!

        • CC

          I Was told the f& f sale ends the 31 st. Card is good for one purchase. I got mine bc a SA told me about it previously so I called and dpoke to mgr. honestly, she wasnt thrilled to give me the discount, but didnt really give me a hard time either. Good luck!

  • amy

    I’m so on the fence with this! On the one hand, I *love* tarte, and the plush and glosses have really caught my attention. On the other hand, I have far too much eyeshadow. Right now, I’m debating this & the LORAC Pro palette.

    By the way, when I was looking for swatches, I came across another blog and I thought her pics looked *very* familiar. I came back here, and sure enough, they’re yours!

    • amy

      * Sorry, she did give you credit for the pics, but what I meant to write is she copied an entire paragraph from this review.

    • the Muse

      both are great palettes amy 😀 with sephora FF coming soon hopefully you can score a deal. Mmm nothing on her site looks familiar to me. She seems to be using promo images from a variety of sites like Sephora, etc….

      • amy

        I just picked this up a little while ago. They were out of the LORAC palette, so my decision was a bit easier, LOL. I’m glad I ended up with this one, though, for the blush alone, and I rarely even wear blush! I think I can even go a year before I need to pick up another gloss, too.

  • Jen

    I got this set, and I’m loving it! I know what you mean about it not being the bolder, color-drenched sort of formula like UD. I think of shadows like these as softer – they’re still very colorful, but there’s a touch of sheerness that makes it so you can never apply too much or have trouble blending it. I love UD, but I love formulas like this too.

    Love the packaging and the blush too! The glosses are good, but a little more sheer than I generally like. They wear for hours, though – it’s ridiculous!

    • amy

      I haven’t fully played around with this set, but with all my other tarte shadows, if you apply them with a damp brush the color is alot bolder. Also, a primer helps.

      I know what you mean about the glosses, though! I tried the sparkly peachy-pink shade last night, and it lasted a solid 4-5 hours, which is amazing when I’m lucky to get an hour or two with any other gloss. I wore the blush today, and I’m loving the color.

  • OrangeLipstickBlog

    Just ordered this yesterday but re-read your review today and I’m even MORE excited! Plus, this FINALLY got me VIB status so WOOHOO.

  • TwirlyGirly

    Ohrdered mine from Sephora yesterday, and it got shipped today! Yippee!

  • anne

    would you say the blush is really sparkly? Stellar was the only one i didn’t like from the foursome set. and I have frisky, its a beautiful color but the sparkles kind of turn me off

  • Abryda

    I ended up getting this today at Sephora’s VIB customer 20% off sale, very well worth it for ALL the products, just AMAZING!!!!! Can’t wait to play with it.

  • Dianec

    You did a great review and the pics are great too! I just bought this tonight with a $20 off coupon, so it was a steal! I think all the products are great- beautiful colors! The brush is soo soft and the lip glosses are minty!

    • the Muse

      thanks diane! so glad you got this at a good discount ;-D and you’re enjoying it! Wear in health!

  • Samantha

    Lovely set! I think this has been removed from Sephora’s website because it sold out. Is there any chance it will reappear in a post holiday sale? Are they still in stores?

    • the Muse

      you’d have to check your store Samanatha, not really sure what stock is like in stores, it would vary from location to location. I doubt it’ll pop back up on Sephora 🙁 I’m sorry!

  • Samantha

    P.S. Really great swatches! I hope I can still buy this kit, but I may have waited too long.

  • Mai

    I was able to buy it in-store at my local Sephora, maybe call to ask if the ones near you still have it in stock?

  • Samantha

    Thanks, Muse and Mai! I will try searching online and stop by some stores, too! I’ll keep you posted. If I can’t get it, I will have to jump on next year’s. LOL