I’m blushing! Tarte Off The Cuff cheek palette + Sephora Cheek to Cheek blush/bronzer duo

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Oh, the holidays.  Not only is it a time for some much-needed cheer, but it’s also that magical time when all your favourite brands put out limited edition sets that have you (and your wallet) jumping for joy.

Fresh from Tarte, the Off the Cuff cheek palette is a stunner.  I received the Danmari blush palette from NARS a couple years ago, but being the hoarder that I am, I just had to have this one (because you can’t ever have enough blush, right?  Right?).  I’ve only ever heard good things about Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blushes, so when they released this fab five-colour palette, I thought now would be the perfect time to try them out.

palette back of box open palette

This sleek palette includes four blushes and one bronzer, three of which are permanent colours. Tarte’s blushes are normally 0.20 oz. each, and these are 0.158 oz., so it’s a great value for the money (one full-size blush retails for C$31, the bronzer retails for C$38).  For C$50 Canadian, this is a steal of a deal.

For those of you not in the know, Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blushes are billed to last a whopping 12 hours. They are infused with natural clay harvested from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun.

bracelet

Aside from getting five cheek colours in a ultra-glittery case, the set also comes with an uber-cute Kate Spade-inspired bow cuff (Off the Cuff… get it?).  Now usually I’m a but skeptical on jewellery from makeup sets, cause they tend to be a bit cheap, but this bad boy is legit.  It’s most likely faux-leather, but the gold bow doesn’t move around, and if I liked the look of chunky cuffs on my arms, I would wear this more often because it totally adds a bit of glam to any outfit.

open palette close up

L to R: Crave (LE), Dazzled, Darling (LE), Dollface, Park Avenue Princess.

Now because I got the set for the products, not the cuff, here’s my opinion on it.  Compared to other blushes I have used (Benefit, NARS, etc.), these go on really pigmented and you can go quite overboard real fast.   Use a light hand; a little goes a long way.  As for the colour selection, I liked the colours that Tarte chose to include as you really get a nice selection to choose from.  Feel like a fall cheek? Go with Dazzled. Craving a flushed look? How about Crave?  Want to be a nude stunner? Darling is the way to go.  Feel like being sweet and romantic?  Swipe on Dollface.  To bring the look together, contour with Park Avenue Princess.  The only thing missing is a highlighter, but heck, I got more than enough of those.  I also want to note that Dazzled is the only product in this palette that contains some shimmer (don’t worry, it won’t make your face look like a disco ball), the rest are matte.

Below are swatches of the blushes (I don’t have a heavy hand, I wanted to show you how I would wear them naturally, not pack on the product for the photos); I’m also wearing Park Avenue Princess as my contour in all the photos.

Crave swatched.

Crave swatched.

Darling swatched.

Darling swatched.

Dazzled swatched.

Dazzled swatched.

Dollface swatched.

Dollface swatched.

Now if you are planning on giving this set to a friend or family member (better check your local store, it’s sold out on sephora.com), might as well throw in some tools that will help them perfect their technique…

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The perfect pair-up, the Sephora Cheek to Cheek Blush/Bronzer Duo makeup brush set is the ying to the yang for the Tarte set.

This adorable two-piece set includes purple and glitter blush and contour brushes. The glitter-handled brush set retails for an affordable C$29 and are mega soft, so they pick up colour nicely and blend perfectly.  Blush brushes can be quite pricey, and you definitely need a good contour brush to create those perfect hollowed cheekbones, so to get two for the price of one brush (usually, good brushes are expensive), this is a good deal.

Brushes Final

 

Are you getting cheeky this holiday season?  Is the Tarte Off the Cuff palette on your wish list?

Please note, this set was sent by PR. All opinions are my own.

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