Review -- Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette

Time for a confession -- for a girl who's always thought she hated matte eye shadows, I have a ridiculous amount of all-matte palettes.

The current figure is more than six, I think. 

And because when I wear matte shadows, they all tend to be natural shades, it's not like I really need 6+ palettes to get the colors I need.

I'm just a glutton.

Which is why I didn't immediately pick up the new Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette when it was available.

In fact, I talked myself out of it again and again -- I mean, I have the Tarte Be MATTEnificent from last year, after all -- but decided to put it on my holiday wish list and leave it to fate.

Well, fate -- or Santa -- decided I should have the Tartelette Palette and I'm certainly not complaining. 

The palette comes in hard metal packaging with a pretty purple ombre design on the front and gold embossed writing. There's a good size mirror on the inside that's definitely usable, and like Too Faced, Tarte finally seems to realize that little plastic sheets with the shade names are annoying and have actually written the names on the palette itself.

Tarte Tartelette Palette

Tarte Tartelette Palette

There are 12 matte shadows in the collection: Free Spirit, a yellow-y cream; Force of Nature, a light tan; Dreamer, a mid-tone chocolate brown; Multi-Tasker, a dark black brown; Caregiver, a pale pink; Natural Beauty, a cool mid-tone brown; Best Friend, a mid-tone mauve-y brown; Bombshell, a dark purple; Super Mom, an ivory; Wanderer, a mid-tone tan; Power Player, a gray taupe; and Fashionista, a black.

From l. to r.: Free Spirit, Force of Nature, Dreamer, & Multi-Tasker

From l. to r.: Caregiver, Natural Beauty, Best Friend, & Bombshell

From l. to r.: Super Mom, Wanderer, Power Player, & Fashionista

Matte formulas are always a little tricky to get right, but Tarte has definitely mastered it. These shadows are smooth, creamy, and easy to blend. They're not too powdery either, so you don't have to worry much about fallout. 

I love the color selection in the palette too  -- they're all the natural shades I like for my mattes, but they're some unique shades, like Best Friend, which is such a pretty crease or transition shade; and Bombshell, which is perfect for a smoky eye or using as liner. I also love Power Player when I want a little darker shade on the lid. 

But I have to say, while I think this is a pretty great palette, I wouldn't say it's a must-have for everyone.

If you've been looking for a good all-matte palette to add to your collection, I would definitely consider the Tartelette.

But if you already have a great all-matte palette that you love, you can probably pass on this one -- there's nothing really new here. 

It retails for $44 and is available at Sephora, Ulta, and the Tarte website.

Are you tempted by the Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette? What's your favorite all-matte palette?