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Tarte Create Your Own Beauty Box Review – May 2016

Haley Faye
ByHaley FayeMay 16, 2016 | 20 comments

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - BOX

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Tarte recently had a create-your-own beauty kit sale! It let you choose 5 full-size Tarte items (in your preferred shades) plus a makeup bag and brush of your choice for $59!

FYI – this offer sold out fast and is no longer available.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - info 1

Here’s the promo pic they sent out for the sale.

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - packaging

Liz initially got me very interested in the Tarte brand, and when I worked at Sephora I fell in love with it – I had to have this!

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - all items

The Box: Tarte Cosmetics Create-Your-Own Makeup Kit

The Cost: $59 plus shipping

The Products: 5 full-sized products (1 per category of foundation, lip, eyeliner, mascara, and blush) in your choice of shades, plus a brush and makeup bag of your choosing!

Check out the Beauty Subscription Box Directory for more makeup boxes!

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - info 2

Here’s the packing slip that came with my box.

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 1

Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara – value: $23

It looks like Tarte recently updated the packaging for this mascara and this is the older packaging, but I still love it so I don’t mind! Speaking of packaging, Tarte definitely has amazing packaging for everything! I have liked this mascara for quite some time, however I recently got a sample of their new Tartiest Mascara and I have to say I like that more. It wasn’t a selection otherwise I would have chosen it.

Lights, Camera, Lashes Precision Longwear Liquid Liner (in brown) – value: $20

With this kit, I tried to pick items I hadn’t tried from Tarte before. I love liquid liners so I was excited to try this – turns out I love it! More details below..

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 2

Here, you can see the head of the mascara (right) and the tip of the eyeliner (left). I like how the eyeliner is a felt tip! And a long one, too – I felt like it was very easy to control.

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Here’s my swatch/doodle of the eyeliner. I was really impresses at the lack of bleeding and the amount of control I had here! One thing I will say, though, is that it seemed to have a slight issue when applying over my eyeshadow. On bare skin this works great, but it stopped applying much product on my lid after a number of strokes over my shadow. I could fix this by applying to my hand to get it to go again, but that was still a bit of a disappointment.

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 4

Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Tulip – value: $17

Oh, Tarte. Your packaging alone compels me to purchase your products. This lipstick is beautiful, and I like the cardboard tube it comes in. I chose the shade “tulip” – more photos below.

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Glisten – value: $28

I adore Tarte’s blushes! (My favorite shade ever, on any skin tone, is “exposed.”) This color, Glisten, is described as a “shimmery peachy pink,” and that’s accurate. If you’re familiar with the cult-favorite NARS Orgasm blush, this is very similar. (more photos below)

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Here’s a close up of the lipstick and blush.

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And here are the swatches.  The blush blends well and is build-able. I like it quite a bit. And this lipstick is great! It’s not completely opaque but it still has good pigmentation to it, and is also build-able.

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 7

Tarte Pressed Powder Foundation Sample Card

I could have sworn I picked a different sample than this – I think they were even offering their sunscreen as a sample. This got changed in my cart, though, for some reason. I think some other people had commented that they had a similar experience. I’m a little bummed but this deal is still so good I’m not too disappointed.

Tarte Empowered Hybrid Gel Foundation – value: $39

This is another product I nabbed specifically because I wasn’t familiar with it and hadn’t tried it from them. I wear Tarte’s Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer with SPF every day, but hadn’t heard of this gel formula…

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 8

I think this foundation is a newer release from Tarte. I really like the formula and the way it feels/performs, but unfortunately this shade isn’t light enough for me. Seems like even though the “fair” in the tinted moisturizer is light enough for me, this is formula is just a bit dark. I did love how hydrating and nice it felt on my skin, though!

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 9

I’m ghostly pale and it’s definitely not a new issue for me for foundations to be too dark. It’s the story of my life. I didn’t wear this on my face when doing my makeup look with these products because it’s the wrong shade, but here is a swatch on my arm.

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 10

Tarte Makeup Bag – value: $12?

I’m just guessing on the value of this bag – it feels really nice. It’s a soft faux-leather and the inside is lined. And it can fit more than I thought it could. I like this a lot. I think I’ll use this to toss makeup into my diaper bag or purse!

Swirl Power Contour & Bronzer Brush – value: $34

I’ve always loved Tarte’s brushes! The bamboo/wood handles are amazing and their newer, purple and gold designs are beautiful, too. I chose this brush because all of the other options seemed like something I already had.

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Here’s a better look at the brush – it’s so unique and feels so fancy.

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Here’s my look! I used everything but the foundation, so I’m wearing the mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, and blush here.

TARTE CREATE YOUR OWN KIT MAY 2016 - items 13

And here’s a closer look for you.

Verdict: As both a subscription box addict and a cosmetics junky, I just couldn’t pass this deal up (and I know I’m not alone in that)! I’m thrilled that they offered this deal. The total value adds up to $161 and that’s without any value for the bag. I’m sad the foundation won’t work for me but it’ll work for my sister, so that’s fine. I hope I can get the hang of a better performance with the eyeliner with a little practice. I’m not giving up on it!

What do you think about my Tarte Create-Your-Own Kit picks? What items did you get? Did you find any awesome new product discoveries?

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Haley Faye
Haley Faye
Haley Faye first discovered the wonderful world of subscription boxes in 2012 and began writing for MSA in 2014. Over the years, she has found many subscriptions to love. Now a mom of three, her favorite boxes are ones that dress her kids, help her get organized, feed her family, send her snacks, and offer educational fun for her children.

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20 comments

AnneWithAnE

Anyone else having trouble adding it to your shopping cart, 5/4/17, noon EDT?

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Sonja

How often do they have these sales? Only once a year?

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Rian

That brush totally reminds me of one used in Memoirs of a Geisha.

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Steffy

I did this deal last year and agree its wonderful! Such a great deal 😀 The only reason I passed this year is I had already dropped a wad of cash on other makeup sales and didn’t need anything atm. Next year definitely though!

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_uff_da

NYX has a white foundation mixer you can add to foundations that are too dark to try to bring them down to match your skin tone better.

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SarahFrances

Omg, thank you for that info. I am almost always between shades, and I am so tired of having to buy two of every foundation I use so I can mix up the right color.

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Rain

Btw, this box has been added to the swap site. Since I got to pick my items, I love almost everything I got, and only have 2 items to swap, but it’s still good to know.

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Emily

I ended up getting one, too. I picked the Double Duty Creamy Powder Foundation in Fair Neutral and it’s actually light enough for my NC15 skin. That’s the first time a tarte foundation hasn’t failed me. Thrilled with everything I got. My total RV was $162!

For those who are sad they missed this, I’d recommend signing up for tarte’s email newsletter. They do this a few times a year.

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Helen Whaley

Thanks Emily, I might just do that. By the time I’d selected my choices the offer was sold out, which was super disappointing.

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Chris

I got one too. I’m thrilled with everything I got. It was hard to choose some of the items because so many of the choices looked great.

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Katherine

Omg I’m so glad I got this when it came out! So worth it!! I love tarte & this was an incredible deal! I was happy with all of my products! ? I also got a foundation that was too dark, so I contacted tarte & they said i could return it for a replacemen if it’s used! I did just that & now my replacement is on its way! Just an FYI for anyone else who had this issue ? oh how I wish tarte would come out with a monthly subscription!

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Katherine

Meant to say **even if it’s used** ?

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rosemary

That is a beautiful look. Unlike many of the grab-bags, you chose a bunch of items that really flatter your complexion: That makes it totally worth the investment.

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Molly

That all looks amazing on you. I’m obsessed with tarte so I’m really sad I missed this deal.

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AmyM

I hope they do this again soon! Not sure why I didn’t jump on it but wish I had. I LOVE that lipstick shade.

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Marissa

Really wish I had heard of this when it came out :'( I voted have used some new tarte

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Luna

What a great deal, and I love that brush! I think that’s the only thing I don’t have in my arsenal. I knew I was going to have “I didn’t buy it” remorse once I saw the reviews, but I remember at the time I just really didn’t want to spend $60 on more products that I don’t need. I can’t remember the timing of when this came out, but I think I had just purchased some LE & Spring bonus boxes, along with taking advantage of some GWP offers, which of course none of it I needed, but it’s still fun to receive and (eventually) use, so I wasn’t feeling ‘it’ at the time. Next time I’ll just listen to my gut, and get it!

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Ragan

I got the same mascara and I wasn’t a fan. It is hard to remove and it kind of irritates my eyes.

I haven’t tried the foundation yet but I also got the gel foundation. I tried the lightest color but now I’m worried it’ll be the wrong shade. (Too many open foundations to justify opening another just yet.)

Love the blush I got, very pale pink. Love my brush. I got a thick eye pencil in a golden brown color (I’m not so big on black eyeliner), which I also like. Got a lip gloss with not much color to it but it will be good over stains. Overall I’m happy that I got to try some new products at a reduced price.

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MyMilkShake

dang. wish I had heard of this before it was sold out :/

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Rachael

I have pale face problems, too, and I have major problems getting the pore coverage I want in the right shade… So I actually buy Ben Nye Super White translucent face powder. If you out that stuff over a foundation that’s a tad dark like the one in your review, it matches your skin tone perfectly.

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