Hey everybody! Now as much as I agree that the countdown to Christmas doesn't start until the 1st December, I just couldn't wait to get my paws on one of the exclusive holiday palettes from Tarte. Tarte is not widely available in the UK and this Light Of The Party palette was exclusive to Sephora only so I did have to get this product shipped all the way across the Atlantic to the great county of Yorkshire. The palette itself costs $59 which worked out at around £40 plus shipping and tax - all in all, it cost me just over £60. Whilst this is definitely not cheap, I actually think this is great value for what you get as part of this palette. So, if you've been wanting to try a few different Tarte products for a while, I think this is good way to take the plunge and get the most for your money.



The palette itself comes in a very glitzy zipped hardcase with a geometric sequin design - some people haven't been a huge fan of this design but I actually really like it and think it stands out amongst more generic festive motifs. Inside the hardcase you will find a 24 pan eye shadow palette in one half and in the other half, a travel size Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara, a double-ended blending brush, a mirror and a detachable travel palette which includes 6 eye shadows, a highlight and Amazonian clay (Tarte's signature formula) bronzer and blush.



There's so much to talk about so I will try and start with all the non-shadow products first and then move on to the sheer abundance of shadows in this palette. Firstly, the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara is a great, staple mascara - it really reminds me of the Benefit mascaras I have tried so it's a really good product to add to my collection and I have definitely found myself using it just as much as my Benefit and ModelCo mascaras which I love. Also, the purple packaging is just too cute - if you want me to fall in love with something, make it purple and gold, done.



Now, I have been dying to try one of the Tarte Amazonian clay 12 hour blushes for a long long time so when I saw that one was included in this palette, that really was the nail in my credit card's coffin. These blushes retail at around $28 on their own so that's already half of the palette's total cost - I just couldn't resist. I have to tell you, I was not disappointed - I LOVE this blush! The shade is called Amazed and it's a really beautiful, cool toned, matte pink and it's so pigmented but still looks really natural and blends really well. It works well for me as I have pretty fair skin and I tend to suit more pinkish tones over peach/amber tones on my cheeks - I'm not sure how this shade would work for other skin tones so if you have this and have some thoughts on this blush, please let me know in the comments as I think I'm a little biased!

L-R: Social Butterfly, Amazed, Pink Champagne

The bronzer shade is in Social Butterfly - this is a really light matte bronzer. Like the blush, it works well with my milky complexion but I think if you had even a slightly darker complexion than mine that this wouldn't really show up. I have used this a few times and I do certainly like it but I would definitely say that I still favour my Desert Bronzer by theBalm for a bigger colour impact (I have a mild bronzer/contour addiction, I won't tell if you won't).

The highlight colour in Pink Champagne is actually a really lovely shimmery highlight, very similar to the MUA Undress Your Skin highlight powders that I recently reviewed (check it out if you haven't already). Much like the bronzer shade, subtle and soft so definitely something you could get away with in the day time despite the shimmer.

Phew! Are you out of breathe yet? Because I am and we've not even started on the shadows. I'll plough onwards but feel free to grab yourself a brew and a biscuit before we get in to the world of brow bones and crease colours.

Travel Palette: Highlight - Popcorn Stand, Lid - Wrapped Up, Crease - Dancer and Prancer, Outer V - Yule Be Surprised

I'll start with the shadows in the travel palette - there are 6 shades and I think a good balance of matte to shimmer. The colour theme is predictable but at the end of the day, it's wearable and versatile so as much as it was a safe choice, it is practical to stick with the browns and plums. I have to say that the matte pink shade Wrapped Up is one of my favourites of the whole palette, such a vibrant colour and it looks stunning on the lid. You can certainly achieve a very soft everyday look from this shade selection but I think for a more dramatic eye you would need the full palette. The main highlight shade of this palette (Popcorn Stand) is also really poorly pigmented - I would have wanted a much stronger matte highlight to make this the only palette I would need when travelling.



The main palette does also have a very apparent colour scheme - lots of neutrals, plums and rose tones with just a few shades that stand apart from this. Now, I love a neutral palette as much as the next person but I would have liked just a couple of blue/green shades to make this palette even more varied and versatile. That said, there is a great selection of matte shades which I think we have to give credit for and the darker shades especially have good pigmentation and can be built up to create a stronger look. The shimmer shades are definitely more of a satin finish than a glitter finish - I personally would have liked a couple of really punchy glitter shades for the Christmas season. I'm sure there's something to be said for subtlety but what can I say? Sometimes I like my lids to have the same effect as a disco ball, maybe that's just me.

Shimmer Shade Selection L-R: Chrome For The Holidays, Fireside Chat, Ring A Ling, Under The Mistletaupe, Baby It's Gold Outside.

There are some really great shades which are certainly worth a mention; Chrome For The Holidays is a beautiful shimmer shade somewhere between gold and silver with a cool undertone which makes it really unusual and Fireside Chat is a metallic rust colour unlike any other shade I have and has a lovely pigment to it. The matte shades also offer some really workable transition colours like Rum Pum Plum and Peach On Earth (definitely comparable to Peach Smoothie from Make Up Geek), and there's also some strong crease shades in Haute Chocolate and Mulled Wine (side note - how fun are these shade names? Tarte get an extra point for these names alone).

Matte Shade Selection L-R: Eggnog, Rum Pum Plum, Peach On Earth, Mulled Wine, Midnight Kiss.

The most disappointing shades are the highlight shades - a running theme, maybe I'm incredibly picky about highlights. The main palette has 6 shades I would call a highlight but of those, only 4 really have enough impact for me. It's Snow Time is the best by far and I actually really love this shade but Sugar Cookie and Fizz The Season have let me down after promising so much.

Highlight - Sugar Cookie, Lid - Chrome For The Holidays,  Crease - Sleigh Watch, Outer V - Midnight Kiss

Now, I am obsessed with gold shadows (and gold anything for that matter) so the shade I was drawn to the most was, without a doubt, Baby It's Gold Outside (also a play on one of my favourite festive songs). The shade is absolutely beautiful but it takes so many layers to get even half way to where I hoped it would be. I have other gold shades which are so much more buttery and easy to work that I feel like come New Year's Eve, I'll definitely be reaching for them over this.

Highlight - What A Wonderful Pearl, Lid - Come What Grey,  Crease - Party Favored, Outer Crease - Haute Chocolate

One thing this palette unquestionably has in its favour is how blendable all of the shadows are, which is probably why its so easy to create a natural look with this palette as even the darkest shades can be softened so easily. If you're as heavy handed or as clumsy as I am, then this is a big positive as pretty much any errors can be blended away to the point of being undetectable.

Highlight - Eggnog, Lid - Miracle of Light, Transition - Peach On Earth, Outer Lid - Under the Mistle-taupe

I feel like I've focussed on the disappointments a little too much so far - to be clear, I do like this palette and I do still think it's worth the money for the products you get. There are some gorgeous shades and I've created a lot of looks which I would choose time and time again. It is undoubtedly a subtle shade range though so you have to bear that in mind - if you know you love a really dramatic eye for most occasions, then I don't think this would work for you. However, if you favour more neutral, feminine eye make up with just a little bit of glimmer, then this should be right up your alley (so to speak!).

Highlight - In A Flurry, Lid - Baby It's Gold Outside,  Crease - Cocoa What Fun, Outer V - Fireside Chat

You can check out all of the Tarte Holidaze range at Sephora - let me know in the comments about any other Tarte products I should try out or any other festive exclusives you think may be worth a punt!

NSB x