Review -- Tarte Empower Flower Amazonian Clay Collector's Palette

Note: I apologize for disappearing for a while. I had some (minor) health issues for a couple of weeks so I didn't have much energy for blogging, and then I took a little vacation. But I'm back and feeling better so I'm determined to get back on a regular schedule. *fingers crossed*

When I reviewed Tarte's Poppy Picnic and Rainforest After Dark Palettes, I mentioned that I'd gone a little a crazy with Tarte palettes this spring.

There were just so many of them, and they all looked so pretty.

The Empower Flower Amazonian Clay Collector's Palette was just another one that I couldn't resist.

It's an all-in-one palette with eye and face products and I knew that I would be traveling this summer so it seemed like it might come in handy.


The palette comes in colorful floral print cardboard packaging that's very sturdy and slim, so it is perfect for travel. The mirror inside is fairly narrow, though, so it's not particularly helpful for doing your makeup.

Tarte Empower Flower Palette

Inside, the palette contains eight eye shadows, which include Compassionate, a matte cream; Vivacious, a metallic gold; Pretty, a metallic bronze; Powerful, a matte chocolate brown; Energetic, a matte taupe; Eco-Chic, a matte mauve-y plum; Charitable, a matte pale pink; and Glamorous, a matte blackened plum.

It also contains two blushes: Trustworthy,a matte nude mauve; and Empowering, a matte rosy pink; as well as the Park Avenue Princess Bronzer in the shimmering finish.

Tarte Empower Flower Palette

From l. to r.: Compassionate, Vivacious, Pretty, Powerful, Energetic, Eco-Chic, Charitable, Glamorous

From l. to r.: Trustworthy, Empowering, Park Avenue Princess

The shadows in palette are all quite lovely in terms of pigmentation and texture -- even the mattes have a smooth, creamy feel. That goes for the blushes too, which seem to have the exact same formula as the Amazonian Clay Blushes in the permanent line. The bronzer applies very nicely as well, blending into the skin evenly and easily.

Still, I'm a little disappointed in this palette (and didn't wind up bringing it with me on my recent trip) -- because the eye shadow shades are just not doing it for me.

Don't get me wrong -- I like all of them and can use all of them in some way or another, but as a collection of shades in a single palette, I'm just not feeling them. That's primarily because I can't figure out more than one or two complete looks to do with these shades.

Now, that probably has a lot to do with my skin tone. I'm extremely fair, so there are really only a couple of shades that work as lid colors (Vivacious and Charitable) when I'm going for a soft daytime look. With the exception of Compassionate (which is a lovely brow bone or inner corner highlight), all of the other shadows are just too dark to use on the lid without the look becoming a little too smoky for my tastes.

They work lovely as transition or crease colors, but there are just too many of them in one small palette if you ask me.

I absolutely adore both blush shades, though (but FYI, Trustworthy might be a little too light for darker skin tones). Park Avenue Princess is a little too dark my skin tone to work as a bronzer, but I do like to use it as an eye shadow quite a bit.

It's also worth pointing out that unlike most Tarte palettes, which don't have the shade names on the packaging itself (so you have to save the annoying, little plastic insert that comes with the palette if you want to remember the shade names), this one actually has the names printed right below the products -- which I appreciate very much.

The palette retails for $42, which I think is a pretty good value for all that you get.

I have no qualm recommending this palette, but I think it's best for medium to darker skin tones due to the eye shadow shades.

You can purchase it at Sephora.