Look Back at 2012: Best Makeup Sets - Tarte Holiday

Tarte is well-known for doing really amazing sets and palettes, especially for the holidays. I've purchased several over the years, and I've developped preferences for what I like from them.

I'm generally less fond of the big, blockbuster type palette. You know, the ones that have multiple layers and drawers and wings that open up. For me, they just end being too bulky to store, and less usable than I'd like.

HOWEVER. The smallers sets and palettes are among my favourites. They offer great quality and quantity for the price, and you can tailor your choice among them to suit your needs. They also make for a great introduction to a product type, since you get a fair bit of variety. The Holiday 2012 sets were particularly excellent.

Fantastic Foursome 4-Piece Amazonian Clay Blush Enthusiast Set (35$ USD, value of 60$)

I'm a huge fan of the Amazonian Clay Blushes, so this sampler was a must. These are smaller versions of the regular blushes, 3.03 grams versus 5.6, so still more than half the size. The shades are exclusive to this set, which is somewhat unfortunate, as the highlighter is gorgeous.

These have the same formula as the regular blushes - seamless texture and great pigmentation. Fantastic is perhaps a touch too cool-toned for me to wear as is, but works nicely as a pop over a warmer blush. Magic is coral, and perfect, of course. Stellar has a shimmer finish, which is not common with these blushes, and has a somewhat creamier texture. It is, as I mentioned, a fantastic highlighter, very much in the Nars Albatross family. Stellar is perhaps tricker, as it is a shade that would be great for contouring, but the glitter defeats that. Most of the glitter actually brushes off, but I do think it works better as a very natural blush than as a contour.

Top: Fantastic, Stellar Bottom: Magic, Angelic

Clockwise from top: Angelic, Stellar, Fantatic, Magic

Left to right: Stellar, Angelic, Magic, Fantastic

5-Piece LipSurgence Collector’s Set (34$ USD, 120$ value)

Super easy, no fuss lip products. I've come to really enjoy the LipSurgence pencils, and this was a nice, neutral-focused selection. (They are not comparable to the Revlon Just Bitten, in that they are more of a gloss than a stain.) If they do a set like this next year, I do hope they include a matte lip tint, and perhaps more variety in the colour palette. A deep berry or red would be fun, and holiday-appropriate.

Bottom to top: Buff, Exotic, Escape, Elite, Sweet

Left to right:  Buff, Exotic, Elite, Escape, Sweet

6-Piece SmolderEYES and Skinny SmolderEYES Collector’s Set (39$ USD, 144$ value)

I loooooove the SmolderEYES formula (which I go into detail about in my post about last year's set). They are awesome as liners, eyeshadows and bases, and once set, they wear like iron. I can't vouch for the waterline wear, however, as I found these slightly irritated my eye when I tried wearing them there. On the lid and lashline however, all was gold.

As much as I enjoyed last year's set, I think this one knocks it out of the park. The shades are excellent - varied and very wearable, with not a glitter particle around. I am particularly fond of Gunmetal, an excellent taupe that makes for an easy lid colour or a subtle liner.

I also like that they included the Skinny version to test out. This guy applies almost too easily, with intense pigmentation on the first pass.

Top to bottom: Ash Violet, Rainforest Black, Gunmetal, Gold, Champagne, Onyx.

Top to bottom: Ash Violet, Rainforest Black, Gunmetal, Gold, Champagne, Onyx.

Left to right: Champagne, Gold, Gunmetal, Rainforest Black, Ash Violet, Onyx.