Tarte is a makeup brand that is loved by many. Tarte palettes, mascaras, and lip products (and other beauty and makeup products, I am sure), have been featured in various subscription boxes, but about twice a year they offer a "Create Your Own Custom Kit" sale that lets you pick seven items of your choice for $63! Everything is full-sized, and each time this deal is offered I have a very hard time resisting creating my own custom kit full of products that I get to choose.
FYI - this box is no longer available for purchase, but Tarte tends to offer this deal twice a year.
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
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Your purchase comes packaged inside of a kraft cardboard box. Everything is wrapped in tissue paper, and this came with a card with a generic discount code as well as a single-use sample of their concealer.
The Breakdown- What's Inside My Custom Tarte Kit
Hydroflex Serum Foundation, 1 oz - Retail Value $39
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I have never tried this foundation from Tarte before, and I was intrigued by the concept of a serum foundation. Tarte has a pretty wide shade range for their foundations and I have found their descriptions to be consistently accurate, so I went with the shade 12B Fair Beige for fair skin with cool, pink, or rosy skin tones even though I didn’t really mess around with shade matching. 12B ended up being a really great fit for my skin tone, so I was happy. This is described as a flexible, medium-coverage foundation, but I find it to be on the lighter end of medium coverage. I don’t think that’s a bad thing- I specifically chose this foundation because I wasn’t looking for full or heavy coverage. This evened out my skin well, and the watery texture blended out really easily. Rather than messing around with a brush or beauty blender, I have actually just been applying it with my hands- and I have no complaints.
Shape Tape Glow Wand in Sunbeam, 0.16 oz - Retail Value $27
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I chose the Shape Tape Glow Wand because I was curious about if it would be a good dupe for the lovely (but expensive) Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter. This liquid highlighter has just a touch too much shimmer for it to be called a dupe, but I still think it’s really pretty and gives a natural-looking glow. I chose the shade Sunbeam which is described as a pearlescent glow (and was the lightest shade out of the eight shades offered), and it really helps the light to hit the high points of my face without being over the top shimmery. I like that the packaging has a sponge at the bottom to help me blend it in, and I appreciate that this highlighter is formulated with good-for-your-skin ingredients like mango butter and licorice root along with the mineral pigments and diamond powder to help your skin glow.
Maracuja Juicy Lip in Strawberry, 0.095 - Retail Value $19
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I’ve been seeing a lot of the big influencers on Instagram use these lip balms, so I’m not going to lie- I was excited when I received a Maracuja Juicy Lip in my Ipsy Glam Bag Plus a few months ago. The shade I received was rose, which was a super sheer pink that was really pretty and comfortable to wear. Since I already knew I liked the formula of these nourishing lip balms, I selected the shade Strawberry for my custom kit. I’ll be honest- I was surprised at how pigmented this was when I swatched it on my arm, and I was a little nervous this wouldn’t work well as a swipe and go (no mirror needed) shade for me. Luckily, it sheered out a little bit on my lips and the formula wasn’t too thick, and personally, I found the end result to be super pretty. This didn’t fully quench my intrigue on these tinted lip balms, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I grabbed another one if I saw it on sale during the Black Friday weekend.
Here we have the foundation, glow wand, and juicy lip balm swatched.
Power Bar Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette - Retail Value $19
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I’ve known for years that Tarte has an amazing eyeshadow formula- I actually remember being an MSA reader (wayyyyyy before I even dreamed about becoming a writer for the site) and loving the Tarte eyeshadow quad spoilers and review of the Popsugar Must Have Box from November 2015. I have no idea if Tarte eyeshadows had been featured in subscription boxes before that point, but that was definitely when my interest in the brand was first sparked. Fast forward six years later and here I am reviewing my own Tarte eyeshadow! I’ve had quite a few Tarte eyeshadow palettes over the years (I got more than one when I was subscribed to Boxycharm a few years ago), so most of the products in this category were products I had already tried- except for this one. I actually hadn’t even seen or heard of the Power Bar palette before I saw this was a customization option, so I definitely had to choose this as my selection. For the $19 price tag, this palette is absolutely awesome. I was worried by the description of this being a “pocket-sized palette” that the eyeshadows would be tiny, but I definitely feel like the eyeshadows inside are full-sized. The pigment on these shades is *chef’s kiss*. The colors are buttery, smooth, and blendable, and I can see myself getting a lot of use with this palette whether I want a dramatic look or just a wash of a single color across my lid.
Here is the palette swatched.
Lash Paint Mascara, 0.23 oz - Retail Value $23
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Tarte definitely has a wide variety of mascaras to offer, but I think Lash Paint may be the best of the best (for my lashes, at least). It has a really firm silicone brush that normally isn’t my favorite, but it really works well with this mascara formula. Lash Paint promises to lift and separate each lash, and I do feel like they deliver on that claim. When I use this mascara I can get some great length and definition without clumping or spidery-looking lashes, so I love what the finished look looks like. I don’t have any real issues with this clumping throughout the day on me, either.
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Here I am wearing everything this kit came with (and only what this kit came with): foundation, highlighter, eyeshadow, mascara, lip balm.
Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment, 0.35 oz - Retail Value $39
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I have been having an eye cream renaissance ever since discovering that applying it to the corners of my lips helps to prevent the cracking I was struggling with for a while. Do the corners of my lips need brightening? No, but this creamy eye treatment is formulated with hydrating maracuja, squalane, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin B5 that works with the trademarked C-Brighter technology for a thick cream that hydrates and smoothes pretty quickly and will hopefully add brightness to lackluster skin over time. I personally really like how thick this eye cream is, but I don't suffer from milia so I am not sure if people who do will feel the same way about it. This alone is worth more than half the cost of the entire custom kit, and I am not complaining.
Glam to Go Makeup Bag
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Every custom kit gives you the choice of a makeup bag. I was attracted to the sparkle of this glittery bag, but I didn't end up loving it in person. The glitter isn't sealed so there's fall out and the texture is scratchy, and I don't actually see myself using this. I am not too upset, though- if any product out of the seven had to be a miss, I would definitely want it to be the makeup bag instead of something like the foundation.
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $65 + free shipping
Use coupon code CYBERSZN to save 30% off sitewide for a limited time.
Value Breakdown:
- Foundation: $39 → $15.27
- Glow Wand: $27 → $10.57
- Juicy Lip: $19 → $7.44
- Power Bar Palette: $19 → $7.44
- Lash Paint: $23 → $9
- Eye Treatment: $39 → $15.27
- Makeup Bag: n/a
Everything in this kit except the makeup bag adds up to $166- that means you save more than $100 off of retail value by purchasing this kit (and since you can custom pick each item, you have the potential to create a box with an even higher value). Or, you can look at it like you paid $9.28 per item!
Key Takeaways
If you're already a fan of the Tarte brand, I think you'll absolutely love creating your own custom kit. If you're new to the brand, I think you'll be satisfied with the quality and performance of the products. With the Tarte custom kit, you can always expect a foundation or concealer, a mascara, and a lip product plus a few more categories to choose from. These sets are not to be missed- the value is fantastic, and I am incredibly pleased with everything I selected (except the makeup bag, but 6 out of 7 isn't bad at all). I definitely recommend grabbing one of these the next time Tarte offers the deal- even if you only need a foundation or concealer, everything comes boxed in its original packaging so you can easily break the set apart for gifts.
Check out all of our Tarte Create Your Own Beauty Kit reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory for more makeup boxes!
Other Things You Should Know
When is this box available? Tarte usually offers this for a few days at a time twice a year (typically in May and November).
Does this ship free? Yes, this custom kit had free shipping.
What do you think about the Tarte Create Your Own Custom Kit this time around? If you grabbed a bag, what did you get?
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