September 13, 2016

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Review & Swatches

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

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As you know I purchased the Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case ($59) this weekend during the Sephora Holiday 2016 Preview Event. The Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case is one of a few different palettes that will be available for a limited time with the Tarte Holiday 2016 Collection and holds a slew of gorgeous eyeshadows and other makeup goodies for creating Holiday looks.

I have to admit the magic of Tarte’s Holiday Collections hasn’t worn off for me. I still get excited when I start seeing Holiday makeup trickle in from Tarte. Although, like many of you, I realize deep down in some dark corner of my mind I know I’m going to be disappointed.

Sadly, that was the case with the Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case!

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case comes housed in identical packaging as the new Tarte Tartetist ToolBox Brush Set. It has a rather funky, jazzy print that reminds me of the 60’s. I don’t know if it screams Holidays but if you like vintage prints this might be your jam. Unlike the brush set you can’t use this as a keepsake box or a clutch after the makeup is gone. It would be nice if the trays we’re removable and you can keep the box to store small makeup items or tiny treasures. But sadly, you can’t remove the trays without destroying the entire box. The packaging is a bit bulky but that’s the standard for Holiday Palettes right?

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This contains 24 eyeshadows which are 0.031 oz in size each. The price for Tarte’s Holiday Palette remains around the same give or take a ten dollar bill over the course of the last ten years so, they have been anywhere from $49 to $59 but never higher. However, over time the contents have become considerably smaller in size. At one time many of Tarte’s older palettes had full size eyeshadows but they have become increasingly smaller the last three years or so. This does contain other items but again, these are small compared to palettes from year’s past.

The palette also includes a deluxe size Tartiest Lash Paint Mascara in Black (Review), as well as Amazonian Clay Blush in Moment (Coral), Amazonian Clay Bronzer in Unique (shimmer) and Provocative (matte), and Amazonian Clay Highlighter in Authentic (champagne) all of which are 0.158 oz each. There’s also a new product here which is the Rainforest of the Sea So Fine Micro Liner in Black. And finally a deluxe size Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint in Ovbi is included (review)

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Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Obvi Glossy Lip Paint and So Fine Eyeliner)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Obvi Glossy Lip Paint and So Fine Eyeliner)

The palette is arranged with the eyeshadows located on the left hand side and the blushes on the right hand side with a little compartment that closes and locks which holds the liner, lipgloss, and mascara. I thought that it would have been better arranged if the blushes were under the locked compartment to protect them versus holding the other essentials inside that small space. Unfortunately, the eyeshadows have no cover aside from a clear film and the blushes are also protected by that same film. The tiny compartment puzzles me in all honesty and seemed an unnecessary feature to hold the gloss, etc…! I thought for a second that it popped out as Tarte is big on creating smaller palettes you can take with you! But, nope, this isn’t removable.

The palette for the most part is made of up warmer neutrals! I realize this upsets people as they want to see more color from Tarte but honestly, I go to Tarte for good nudes and neutrals. That’s what they are known for. So, if you’re looking for bold, vibrant shades I’d say look elsewhere as that’s not what you get from Tarte. The palette is made up of three finishes which are matte, micro-metallic, and some semi-satin shimmers. I was most excited about the micro-metallic eyeshadows! They look incredible but sadly, the formula isn’t as great. They have an overspray which gives them a far nicer metallic finish than you actually get on eyes. Under the over spray the shadow texture is dry, crumbly and not very pigmented. I think this is expressed fairly well in my swatches as you can see how it swatches in a crumbly powdery mess. The mattes are equally bad. It’s sad because Tarte’s Holiday Palettes are what introduced me to good mattes. I hated mattes in the past and many of Tarte’s Holiday offerings included them and I tried them one day and was impressed with the silky consistency and easy to apply formula. Sadly, the mattes in this palette are very sheer with a drier consistency that dragged on lids during application. I hate to say but out of the 24 shades here there were only two shades I’d raved about which were Metal Work (on my lids below) and Selfie Portrait both of which had a smooth, velvety texture and a pretty metallic glimmer. It’s sad that the rest of the shades weren’t equally as lovely.

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Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Waterlilies, Van Gogh With It, Metal Work, Charcoal Sketch)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Waterlilies, Van Gogh With It, Metal Work, Charcoal Sketch)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Still Life, Pastel, I Lourve It, Get Surreal)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Still Life, Pastel, I Lourve It, Get Surreal)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Fresco, Hearts & Crafts, Selfie Portrait, One Too Many)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Fresco, Hearts & Crafts, Selfie Portrait, One Too Many)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Silhouette, Glitter Glue, Nudes, Bronze Casting)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Silhouette, Glitter Glue, Nudes, Bronze Casting)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Starry Night, Pearl Earring, Frameworthy, First Impressionism)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Starry Night, Pearl Earring, Frameworthy, First Impressionism)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Porcelain Dali, Monochrome, Hot MoMA, Stained Glass)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Porcelain Dali, Monochrome, Hot MoMA, Stained Glass)

One item to rave about is the Amazonian Clay Blush in Moment which had a powdery texture but applied smoothly and wore well for 12 hours straight without fading. The highlighter shade in Authentic was equally lovely with a powdery texture but nothing dry or chalky and very easy application that provided a pretty gleam on my cheekbones. Unique and Provocative both had denser textures but also applied easily. I find both shades were difficult and hard to swatch due to the density of the powder. It was also difficult picking up color with a brush but they did build easily and applied well.

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Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector's Makeup Case Swatches (Provocative, Moment, Authentic, Unique)

Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case Swatches (Provocative, Moment, Authentic, Unique)

The Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case is sadly filled with a good deal of eyeshadow duds. There aren’t any stand out shades here that you don’t likely own from other Tarte Holiday Palettes or at least variations of them. I wouldn’t mind the dupes so much but the formula just wasn’t up to par with Tarte’s standard offerings. For those interested, the palette is made in China which isn’t something I typically use to judge quality as I have a few Made in China palettes I like.

Wearing Moment Blush, Metal Work on Lids, Obvi Lip Paint on Lips, Bronze Casting Over Metal Work, and a hint of Selfie Portrait in the Middle of Lid

Wearing Moment Blush, Metal Work on Lids, Bronze Casting Over Metal Work, and a hint of Selfie Portrait in the Middle of Lid

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Sadly, this one is a dud!

You might want to swatch it in store before going in for a purchase.

The Tarte Pretty Paintbox Collector’s Makeup Case is available now at Sephora.com and launches soon in stores.

Did you buy it?

What were your thoughts on the palette?

Do share!

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I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

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

  • Dee

    This look is pretty on you! What a disappointment. I love all the holiday items coming out now but hate to see a dud like this.

  • Adrienne

    As always thank you for your honest review. I’ve read several reviews that are similar to yours and expressed great disappointment; from what I am reading tends to be the case with a lot of holiday palettes not made in the US. I can save my money on this one.

    • Isabella Muse

      I honestly don’t judge palettes that are made in China because I def have some from China that I really like. But sadly, this was one that failed 🙁 awww no problem! I’m just disappointed I couldn’t give it a great review but sadly, it wasn’t great :-/

  • Liz

    This is like boring…we’ve already seen all these colors a hundred times and then the big bulky packaging, ugh. And they could have given you a nice brush with this. I think it’s really sad. And I don’t get the blushes/bronzers. Two of them look like almost the same color. I hate that they cut corners on these holiday sets. I feel like a holiday set should be something special.

  • Jackie

    Well, I’ve ordered it. Maybe it’ll be different on me & I’ll have some success. I liked enough of the shades I felt it was worth it, along with getting a mascara. 🙂

  • Deb

    So sorry this didn’t work out for you Muse I’m so over Tarte lately, they seem to be coasting.

    But that case! I just want the damn case. Too bad you can’t reuse it, that would have been a nice feature. My ultimate makeup dream is that companies would start packaging their products in such a way that the product just pops right out without the hassle of depotting. Many are but it seems slow to catch on. And then someone like Z Palette would make cases like this. Especially ones that zip closed.

    How awesome would it be to have a variety of cases that you could then load up with your shadows and blushes and powders and so forth and take with you. I’m thinking of times like a long vacation, etc. No need to carry multiple palettes and compacts and individual products. And you could change products around to your hearts content.

    Oh well, one can dream.

    • Isabella Muse

      Aw it’s ok! They had a few good releases recently but this isn’t one sadly. Get the brush set, you can use the case as a clutch 😀 Well, Tarte has done that with a few holiday palettes in the past! They have one large palette and you can pop out quads and travel with them ;-D This year, they didn’t do that but the last several holidays that had palettes like that! 😀

  • Kelli Rae

    Muse, what would I ever do without you ?? I sadly have to agree. The Holiday Tarte shadow kits I got last year and were duds as well. I was hoping this year would be different. Oh well…. I am definitely getting the new Urban Decay Naked and the Tarte blush wheel. This year I am trying to stay away from the hype and am actually using restraint. I don’t think I have ever used makeup and restraint in a sentence together. LOL!
    Thank you dearly for the honest reviews and I can’t wait for more to come

    • Isabella Muse

      Mmmm last year was a hit and miss for me but this year oh boy not good :-/ I always keep hope alive that they’ll prove me wrong and be awesome. But sadly, this year was a miss 🙁 I don’t blame you on the UD Naked, I liked it a lot! The Blush Wheel I haven’t gotten yet, waiting for it to arrive, hoping it is awesome 😀 It’s so hard to resist with so many people throwing all the beauty in your face haha! or at least thats the case for me, I see pretty pics and I’m like OMG NEED! Oh gosh, you’re so welcome! I’m glad I could somehow help you decide on what you do or don’t need 😀

  • Chloé

    I had the same experience with the shadows, I love the face products and the eyeliner wore well too, but too much work to pick up shadow. I’m returning it sadly

  • Ashley

    I guess I’m part of a small crowd of people who love this palette. I see what you mean about the pigmentation, and I think that had tarte added some more deeper, richer shades, less light neutrals, this would be an amazing set. I actually love the set up here, it’s perfect for travel (or on holiday, so to speak) with the little compartment for face makeup extras, eyeliner, mascara, perhaps a pot of concealer? I would keep the plastic sheet in there to keep colors from mixing. The quality of the eyeshadow could be improved upon, but otherwise I think this is an excellent value for all that you are getting.

  • Alys

    Sad. 🙁 I personally love Tarte, but I don’t wear eyeshadow so I never really bother with palettes. A blush palette on the other hand… now that’s what gets me. And Tarte has some really excellent blush! I also am really liking their Double Duty powder foundation and of course I always love their lipgloss. For me they’re a nice, simple brand with no excessive hype. And my super sensitive skin agrees with their products.

  • Randi MacDonald

    This palette, unlike the non-holiday palettes is made in China. Probably why the quality is so bad.

  • Tricia

    Hi! Thinking of getting this vs the Tartlette in Bloom — which would you recommend? Thanks!

  • maddie

    Hi! I just purchased this palette even though you didn’t like it I’m still excited to use it! Maybe even do a review! I am starting a new blog any advice?

    • Isabella Muse

      awesome! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts Maddie. Consistent daily posts everyday, interacting with readers and listening to their thoughts and what they want to hear about, clear photos (not cell phone ones haha), WordPress, wordpress, wordpress! Don’t start up on blogger the way I did, worst mistake ever :-D, and most important, remember you love makeup ;-D